Of course I mean home as inherhome—notourhome.
“I’m ready.” Without hesitation, she slips her socked feet into her Velcro sneakers by the door.
She collects her jar of neon orange slime, and the counselor hands me the tablet at the front desk so I can sign her out. It’s a good thing Asher added me to the list of people allowed to pick her up.
Then she convinces me to skip hand in hand all the way back to the cabin.
“Can we watch a movie?” she asks after we’ve eaten our weight in watermelon down by the dock.
“We sure can.”
When Asher doesn’t answer his phone again, I fire off a text, letting him know I picked up his daughter, and not twenty minutes intoMonster’s Inc., she’s out cold on the couch beside me. Throwing a lightweight cotton blanket over the both of us, I shut my eyes and rest too.
The snick of the door startles me. My eyes fly open, and I find the movie credits playing on the screen. Bea is still sound asleep, though her head has migrated to my lap.
Asher appears, rounding the couch on my left.
“Hi,” I whisper.
Focus fixed on his daughter, he whispers, “How long has she been out?”
“A little over an hour, I think.”
He sits beside me and caresses her temple.
All the air is sucked from my lungs. The interaction isintimate. I should feel uncomfortable, like an interloper in this parent-child moment. And yet I don’t.
“I can take her.”
“No, it’s okay. Let her sleep.” I mindlessly rub her back.
We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching Bea breathe peacefully. Holding a sleeping child is usually a wonderful way to calm my nervous system, but thoughts of Lacey and Todd soon take over.
As if he can sense my mood, Asher shifts, frowning at me in concern. “Is everything okay?”
I turn my attention to him and inhale deeply. Fuck. I really don’t want to screw up his business relationship with the Harmons, but Lacey’s safety is my priority and obligation.
Suddenly my mouth is dryer than the Sahara Desert.
He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me.”
His empathetic tone soothes me, making it easier to continue. “I witnessed some disturbing behavior between an employee and a guest today.”
Brow deeply furrowed, he asks, “What do you mean? What happened?”
I take another full, deep breath and don’t mince my words. “I attended Lacey’s yoga class, and before I left, I witnessed Todd Harmon sexually harass and assault her.”
“The fuck?”
Bea stirs on my lap but remains asleep.
“Shh. You’ll wake her.”
“Tell me exactly what happened, Claire.”
Step by step, I walk him through the situation. The whole time, his face is pinched in repugnance.
He threads his fingers through his hair and swipes a hand down his face before staring me dead in the eye. “Claire. I willnot tolerate sexual harassment or assault at my camp.” He rises abruptly, then pulls his phone from his pocket.
