fifteen
Jamie
“Sheremembered!”Excitementdancedin Ren’s eyes as we eagerly rifled through the care package Lamar had dropped off for us from the Monday mail haul. My mom had truly thought of everything. The box overflowed with an abundance of our favorite candies: Swedish Fish for her surrogate son, sour Warheads for me.
“I can’t believe you got my mom to do this.”
“Patricia’s her own person.”
I caught a whiff of chai as Ren opened a box of assorted tea bags, then something chocolatey. He waved a bag of salted caramel hot chocolate at me with a grin. Alongside the treats were some practical items. Bug spray, sunblock, lip balm, citronella candles that promised relief from pesky mosquitoes, and the newest mystery novel she’d recently finished that would provide hours of thrilling entertainment. Completing the box of thoughtful gifts were walkie-talkies. I imagined him using them to communicate in the office if I took too long to respond to hisemails once we got back to work and considered hiding them before he saw them.
I snatched a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie from his hand. “That doesn’t negate the fact that she knew about this trip before I did.”
“Snail mail takes time.”
Ren zeroed in on the walkies while I carefully unfolded her handwritten letter. Mom’s words held the sort of love you could feel, tight as a hug. A pang of guilt shot through me, reminding me of all the time that had slipped away since I’d last been home. Living three and a half hours away wasn’t much of an excuse, even though my family supported my career aspirations.
I enjoyed working for Clint and Margaret. I’d learned a lot over the past five years about case management and reading between the lines. How to seek out clients and create contracts that served their best interest. A surge of excitement went through me as I recalled our discussion about my accomplishments and why I’d be a good fit for senior associate last week. It went well, but I knew better than to get my hopes up. My fellow colleagues each had proven themselves in various degrees as well.
The firm’s promise of better work life balance after I hit this milestone seemed like a pipe dream. If it was real, I wondered if I’d actually follow through and spend time with my family like I’d promised for years, or if I would continue working this much. Maybe I did need to rethink how I prioritized my life. Not that they’d ever asked me to.
We didn’t have enough time for me to write a return letter. I’m sure she wasn’t expecting one, but I resolved to write back before leaving camp. Ren and I left Mom’s box at my cabin and gathered with the other pods, ready to board the yellow school bus to take us into Wildwood proper. Leo had on some sort of tour guide getup with a floppy hat that paired perfectly with the ever-present goofy smile that was just part of him. Hazelsported overall shorts with a bright white tee, and her standard aviators sat on top of her head. Her outfit was more subtle than Leo’s, and yet the red bandana she tied her hair off with clearly matched his.
A quick buzz against my leg stunned me. Ren pulled out his phone, looked at it, and shoved it back into his pocket as if it had burned him.
“Zachary?” I asked.
Ren’s mood shifted, and he gave me a terse nod before looking back out the window. “He’s having a hard time with a clogged disposal, but he can get his new partner to help him figure it out,” he grumbled, then immediately backtracked. “I’d meant to show him. It can be finicky, you know?”
Ren huffed as he settled farther into his seat. My best friend wore a rare sad smile, which I hated seeing on him. As he worked through his recent divorce, this vacation was something he’d needed just as much as I did. They’d been friends since they were teens, and this was an adjustment for both of them.
“I don’t know how to talk to him anymore.” Ren’s shoulders slumped.
“It might be more than a wonky disposal. Maybe he wants you in his life, you know? I mean, you’ve known each other—”
I’d tried for months to give my friend the pep talk he needed, but he hadn’t been ready.
This time, however, my chance to shine as a friend was interrupted by the dazzling voice of camp owner andTop Guntour guide herself, Hazel. “Let’s go, campers. Pick a seat, any seat. We’re all friends here.”
Ren faced the window, and the moment passed.
Bumping and bouncing on the bus, I felt like a kid on a field trip. Hazel faced backward in her seat, holding the intercom up as Leo drove. Before Hazel got everyone’s attention, I soughtout Autumn. She was easy to spot. We hadn’t talked since that almost-kiss ruined everything.
What had I been thinking? Autumn’s eyes had been filled with indecision. Telling me yes, then telling me never again. The warmth of our bodies, close but not close enough. I’d watched as her tongue moistened her lips and her hand rested on the doorknob before leaving me in the cold.
I blinked away last night’s foolish hope. She didn’t want me like that, not after how things ended before.
Today, she was as gorgeous as I’d ever seen. Her hair showed more blonde, catching the sunlight as it swayed behind her, tied back in a way that had half of the locks in her face. The other half was secured tightly, as if she’d given up on pulling it all back but hadn’t wanted to lose herdon’t fuck with melook.
I kept stealing glances, hoping to draw her gaze back to me, but it didn’t work. She was bubblier than I’d seen her the entire trip, possibly to distract from the fact that she was uncomfortable being within ten feet of me. Or maybe I was being ridiculous, and it was just a blip of her strange week.
Icing me out, she gave Hazel her full attention. Guess I needed to as well.
A vibrant stack of bright yellow papers suddenly dropped into my lap. I took one for Ren and me and passed the rest down to Emerson, who sat behind me, before scanning the scavenger hunt checklist. The list would take us through Wildwood’s Main Street. We were tasked with gathering items and pictures from various locations in town to complete the list.
“This isn’t the honor system, people,” Sawyer exclaimed, distributing Polaroid cameras to each pair on the bus. “The first placeprizeis far too valuable to award without photographic evidence.”
Ren checked ours, ensuring the film was loaded and the viewfinder was clear, while I continued to peruse the list.
