If it were the other way around, Zelda would never have asked that question.
“You know how sometimes we have plans, and your dad can’t make it because something came up at work? Well, this is like that.”
“But it won’t be any fun without you,” Hazel said.
“I had you all summer. Now Dad gets his turn to have alone time with you. It’ll be like when you guys go skiing, except now you’ll have Dad to yourselves, all day, every day.”
Thankfully, the bus driver turned on the engine.
I gave them one last hug and kiss and waved to them as they rode off. When the buses had gone, I looked up and saw Teddy smiling at me from across the road.
I asked, “Do you have time to go for a walk?”
“That’s the best offer I’ve had today . . . so far.”
We stopped at the wooden fence that overlooked the lake.
“I told Ronnie I was buying the camp.”
“How’d that go?”
“Not well.”
Teddy didn’t respond. We quietly stood next to each other. I started walking down the path, and he matched my pace.
“I don’t need to leave tomorrow morning,” I said.
“What changed?”
“I figured if I’m going to own a camp, I should start learning what that entails. Plus, I should see if I’m compatible with the person I’m buying the camp with.” I looked at him and saw that his smile matched mine. “I told Ronnie he should take the girls on vacation without me.”
We walked in silence for a bit. The kayaks, paddles, and life jackets that had hung on a wire between the trees were gone. Teddy took my hand. We passed the ropes course; all the climbing apparatus was padlocked in the shed. Teddy draped his arm around my shoulders. The sails were detached from the sunfish and the boats were upside down on the pier. Teddy’s arm dropped to my waist, pulling me close.
I wanted to tell him about Ronnie’s affair, but I enjoyed how his body gravitated to mine the further we walked toward the isolated edges of the camp. I didn’t want to say anything that might spoil the feeling.
When we arrived at the ski dock, we walked to the middle of the platform.
“Since the first time I kissed you, I knew I wanted to kiss you every day for the rest of my life,” Teddy said.
His long arms wrapped tightly around me, holding me like he would never let go. His kiss was as exciting as the first time, but now it was deeper, more meaningful. I returned his fervor, melting into his arms, forgetting about any existence beyond the sensation of his lips on mine.
There was one rowboat left in the water tethered to the dock.
“I have an idea,” Teddy said. “I’m going to row us over to the house.”
He helped me into the boat and oared us to the middle of the lake.
“This time next year, all this will be ours and we’ll have finished our first successful summer.” He beamed at me.
“How can you be so confident?”
“Because I have you in my corner.”
I couldn’t help smiling at him. “Are you trying to sweet talk your way into my shorts?”
“Those aren’t just words. It’s true. Together, we make a great team. But I do expect to be in your shorts . . . shortly.”
The boat drifted while we basked in the sun and each other. I began singing one of the campfire songs and making the accompanying hand gestures.
