She shakes her head again. “No you’re not. He thinks you’re pwetty, I can tell. He’s never wooked at anyone wike you. I think you’re pwetty, too. And you’re nice.” She shrugs, swinging the end of the rope back and forth, her hair in two Cindy Lou Who pigtails on top of her head, and I wonder, did Price do her hair? The image of his ridiculously large, thick, calloused fingers being able to do something so delicate has a clutch starting again down in my belly. Hailey cocks her head on a nod like she’s come to a decision on something important, then says, “I wouldn’t mind if you mawwied him. You’d have my bwessing.”
I hesitate, then reach up and pinch her chin softly. “Thanks. I wouldn’t mind, either.” I force a smile I’m not feeling. “But rightnow, you need to teach me how to climb this rope. I don’t want to be the only one at camp that can’t do it.”
She laughs and nods, her little face spreading in a much more genuine smile than my own, and I wish I could give her a more certain answer.
Kids.
Jesus. They have a way of making complicated things sound so easy. Marry Price, be Hailey’s stepmom, live happily ever after.
But life isn’t a fairytale.
Price would probably shrivel up and die in the city, with honking taxis and all the concrete and lack of nature. He’d look ridiculous in a suit and tie, sitting behind a desk, where adventure would consist of a walk in the park or eighteen holes of golf. No, this is his natural habitat and where he belongs.
And as for me?
I tell myself that I have a master’s program to attend. I have a life mapped out. Goals set.
Hailey gives me pointers on how to climb the rope as she scurries up, reminding me of how Price tackled that rope over the wall a minute ago.
They both belong out here. I’m just suddenly not sure where I belong.
Chapter 10
Price
“Don’t you dare hurt her.”
I turn away from watching Summer with Hailey at the ropes, to find her friend Dolly glaring at me, one hand on her cocked hip.
“You’re supposed to be watching the kids in your group,” I growl.
She laughs mockingly. “So are you.” Even so, she glances over her shoulder. “They’re fine. There’s another counselor with them. Daniel happily stepped in when I said I had to take a break.”
“Daniel…” I frown.
She rolls her eyes. “Daniel Goodman. Don’t you know the names of the other counselors here? He’s good with the kids, and they like him.”
“What do you want, Dolly?”
“Don’t think I don’t see the way you’re looking at Summer. She might be naive, but I’m not. The only reason she came here was to have a last blowout before she goes off to New York in the fall. She wanted to lose her V card, and you’ve helped her with that. Congratulations. But it was always going to be a no strings deal.” Her eyes soften as she glances from me to Summer, then back again. “Look, she’s my best friend, and she has a life waiting for her. A good career, probably a sensible marriage. Two point four kids. The whole deal. Please don’t take that away from her. The romance of summer fades quickly. Especially out here, for a girl like her.”
***
The contract taunts me from the desk, the blank signature box mocking my sudden inability to make a decision. It was supposed to be simple. This was what I wanted. What Ted wanted.
The plan was perfect.
I try to tell myself that it’s the best for me. The best for Hailey. The best for Summer.
So why am I hovering?
I re-read the legal clauses again, remembering how the exec from the TV company drilled the essential rules into me and the extra clause aboutfraternization,of all things.
“No hookups. No booze. No BS. This isn’t MTV. We want you squeaky clean, Mr. Webber, and we’re willing to pay well to ensure that, but if you step out of line we’re going to have to cut you off. NO relationships. Ratings will plummet if the female audience doesn’t have the fantasy that you’re available.”
A week ago, I would have signed on the dotted line while he stood there, regardless of how much I sort of dislike the whole corporate structure of network entertainment.
Instead, I insisted that I needed time to go over the details and have my lawyer give it a once over. Utter bullshit, one rule broken already. I don’t even have a fucking lawyer, and I’m pretty sure I understand enough to know this is a once in a lifetime deal.
