It was comical watching them size each other up.
Ronnie sucked in his gut and threw back his shoulders, standing straighter. “Ron. Nice to meet you.”
“I hope Lori told you how I saved her ass.” Mike actually glanced at my butt. He picked up the whistle hanging around his neck. “Lori, you’re not wearing the one I gave you.”
“I didn’t think I would need it today since I have youandmy husband watching out for me.”
Ronnie threw his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him. “I don’t think my wife mentioned you. But it’s nice to meet you.”
I wasn’t surprised by Ronnie’s demonstration of possession. His interest in me might have waned, but he still needed to piss around me.
Mike gave Ronnie a bemused look and said, “Sure, buddy.” And swaggered back to his post.
When Mike was out of earshot, Ronnie said, “He seems very fond of himself, strutting around in a miniscule Speedo. His ego must be as swollen as the rest of him.”
“Di, one of my housemates, says it’s his budgie smuggler.”
“I saw the way he looked at you . . . has he come on to you?”
“You know the type, he’s like that sleazebag in your firm who always flirts with me at office events.”
Before we could continue our discussion, Teddy appeared with Max and I froze for a second. They looked adorable in their matching board shorts. I hadn’t ever seen Teddy without his soccer shirt on. The broad shoulders were obvious, but until then I hadn’t seen the lean, long, well-defined torso that was hidden under his clothes.
“Ronnie, this is Ted, the soccer coach, and his son Max.”
Teddy’s demeanor didn’t change. “You’re one fortunate man to be married to Lori.”
“A Brit? You’re a long way from home.”
“Woodlands feels like home to me and Max.” He squeezed his son’s shoulder. “Well, nice meeting you. Enjoy your visit.” Teddy caught my eye and gave me a subtle nod as he walked off, hand-in-hand with Max.
“I had no idea that there would be so many men, I mean adult men. I figured they’d be kids, you know, half your age.”
“I was also surprised.”
“And they’re all so fit.”
Parents kept interrupting us to say hello and to tell me how happy their daughters were.
“You weren’t kidding when you said you’re never alone at camp,” Ronnie said.
“Now you see why I can’t leave my job in the middle of the summer.”
“When I bought the tickets, it made complete sense to me. You say I never do anything romantic so when I did, I thought you’djumpat the chance to be with me. But I see that you have responsibilities where people depend on you, and you can’t just walk out.”
“I can’t leave because of the commitment I made. Plus, I’m enjoying my job. I’ve been learning about myself, how resilient I am, how capable I am. After all our disagreements about camp, it probably worked out for the best because now I can keep an eye on the girls and watch them having the time of their lives.”
I smiled as Zelda and Hazel held hands jumping off the docks, exactly as the kids did in the Woodlands video we’d watched back in February.
“You and I are living separate lives,” Ronnie said.
“We did agree to try a separation this summer.”
“I’m feeling really disconnected from you, Zelda, and Hazel.”
I turned to face him. “That is exactly what I’ve been telling you about how I feel when you’re in the middle of a case. You may be physically present, but you’re mentally absent.”
“This is how I make you feel?”
