I reached the beach, shouting, “I have Lexi. Lexi is here.”
I hit the brake, but the cart didn’t slow down. I turned toward the beachfront to avoid hitting Mike. I stomped the brake again, turning the wheel, which sent us skidding into the lake. I threw my arm around Lexi to make sure she didn’t fall out. Why weren’t there seat belts in these damned things?
Three lifeguards swam over and stopped the cart from sinking any further. Di pulled out a sobbing Lexi.
“Lori, shove it over,” Mike said.
I’d have preferred to get out, but Mike blocked me, so I slid to the passenger side as he got behind the wheel.
“Okay, men, I’m in reverse. Tell me when to hit the gas.”
How embarrassing. I couldn’t believe that Mike had to come to my rescue, and this time in front of the entire waterfront staff. They all watched as Mike easily maneuvered the cart out of the water and safely onto the sand.
Mike pulled the key out of the ignition, saying, “Really, Lori, again?”
I put the whistle in my mouth and blew.
33The Big Dance
The next night at the dance party I spotted Teddy, alone in the far corner leaning against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him, a mischievous smile on his face.
I was sure that my excitement level at the thought of dancing with Teddy like we had at the lake house far exceeded how stoked the campers were for this night.
The DJ was set up on a platform surrounded by flashing lights and blinking electronic equipment. The only illumination in the building was from the pulsating lights reflected by the disco balls hanging from the beams.
Walking across the enormous field house, I caught the essence of sweat socks, bug spray, and something sickeningly sweet that I couldn’t place. A few of the older boys sauntered by, and my eyes watered. Cheap cologne.
“Welcome to the boy’s indoor gym, one of the finer establishments here at Woodlands,” Teddy said.
“Just so you know, my dance card isn’t yet full, so if you’re interested, you should pick a number.”
“Do you think it would cause a scandal if we danced together all night?”
“Absolutely, but it would be so much fun.”
He leered at me. “You tease me, wearing yourbreak and enterskirt—I may not be able to keep my hands off your arse.”
“A risk I’m willing to take.” I held his elbow and walked us to the center of the room.
“Stacy’s Mom” came on, and I laughed.
“What’s funny?”
“I’m a mom that has it going on.”
Grinning, he whispered in my ear, “Lucky me,” then dipped me.
Before the next song began, Bethany cut in. It was a good thing.
Even though I was enjoying a perk of my job, dancing with the hot soccer coach, I needed to concentrate on my duties. I found a group of Cubs dancing together and joined them.
As we danced, I felt electricity surging through the building to the beat of the song. The lights flashed, the music thumped, and the air was filled with anticipation. There had been so much hype building up to this event that I wasn’t expecting much, but all the excitement was legit.
Sarah, one of the Cubs, was skulking on the sidelines. She had refused to attend the party, so I coaxed her by promising I’d be her date. I grabbed both of her hands and started swaying to OutKast.
I saw Dylan the camp photographer snapping shots.
“Come on, let’s dance like Dylan was taking our photo.”
