I drop my head, only now realizing my shirt is inside out.
Cool.
I cross my arms at my chest, and I swear she inspects my biceps. “Uh, yes. I guess I overslept. What time is it?”
She glances at her watch. “Twelve fifteen. Again, I’m sorry I’m late.”
I wince. Shit. I don’t think I’ve slept in this late since college.
“All good,” I assure her, schooling my expression. “Please. Come in.”
As I open the door, movement catches my eye.
“Good afternoon.” My father-in-law is striding over, mymother-in-law at his side. Both are frowning, looking at my shirt and then at Claire.
By the time they make it to the porch, they’ve both put on neutral expressions.
“Hi—”
“Let’s talk,” Natalie says, cutting me off.
Claire looks at my in-laws, then me, her brow furrowed. “Is now a bad time? I can…” She hikes a thumb over her shoulder in anI can get lostmotion.
“No, no.” I prop the door open and usher her inside. “Bea, this is Dr. Connelly. She’s going to be the new camp doctor, remember? Did you know she’s friends with Lee Lee and Uncle Ezra?”
My little girl’s face lights up. She has taken quite the liking to my sister’s boyfriend, already calling him her uncle. None of us have corrected her. I think we’re all pretty sure nuptials are in their future.
“She is?” Bea perks up.
“Dolly, why don’t you show Dr. Connelly the boots you got for your birthday while I talk to Grandma and Grandpa?”
“It was your birthday? When?” Claire asks.
Bea holds up one hand, her fingers spread wide. “Yesterday. I’m five now.”
“Five?” Claire gasps the way adults do when they want children to believe they’re impressed, regardless of the topic. “You’re practically a grown-up.”
Bea giggles and reaches for Claire’s hand. “You’re silly.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I’ll be right back. Feel free to help yourself to coffee. Or anything else.”
Bea skips off with Claire, and the screen door slams behind me.
“What’s going on?” I ask, trepidation running through me as I look from Natalie to Jack.
“We’ve decided to stay,” Natalie announces, confirming Bea’s declaration. I never know with her wild imagination.
“Why?” My tone is more accusatory than I mean. Honestly, I’m just surprised. Since Daisy died, they’ve disappeared every summer. “I don’t understand. You always leave.” I clear my throat. “I mean, you’ve gone on vacation for years now. What’s changed?”
“That’s true,” Jack muses. “You do a fantastic job running the camp on your own during the summer, but with a new doctor coming on, we thought we’d stick around and make sure that they’re—she’s—a good fit.”
I can’t help but bristle. “Do you not trust me?” Are they doing this because Claire is a woman? A very attractive woman, I might add.
Though we’d made arrangements, I was surprised to see her on my doorstep this morning—er,afternoon. Natalie and Jack were supposed to leave this morning for Canada, and Claire was scheduled to move into their place. She said she was late, but I thought I told her not to come until two, after the cabin had been thoroughly cleaned and prepped for her arrival.
Jack looks at his wife, who’s wearing an expression I can’t decipher. “No, no, it’s not that. We just—hmm.” He swipes a hand down his face. “Actually, it has nothing to do with the new doc. I’m sure she’s lovely. And we trust your judgment. We just think it’s time we stop running away. Summertime was Daisy’s favorite, and we thought that if we weren’t here for the season, our grief wouldn’t hurt as bad. But we’ve been fooling ourselves. And hurting you in the process.” A choked sob escapes him as he speaks the last word.
Stunned, all I can do is stare. I haven’t seen him this emotional since the funeral.
