camping trip, that wasn’t really working out for her.
Luckily, Hailey finished making the last drink and hit Play on the movie before maneuvering into the lime-green float. At last, a distraction.
But nothing, it seemed, could stop her from thinking about the Fourth of July fireworks. Whatever had possessed them to hold hands, surrounded as they were by almost her entire family, she’d never know. But she’d liked it.
It was delicious, the way her hand felt in his. And when her thumb stroked a certain spot, his fingers would tighten around hers for a few seconds. She wanted to play with that spot some more. And she wanted to see what other spots on his body would get a reaction like that.
Since that night, she hadn’t seen him at all. The Fourth being on a Thursday meant a long holiday weekend for most people, and long holiday weekends meant busy law enforcement. Or he was avoiding her, possibly scared off by learning Rose knew they’d been together. She wasn’t sure which.
But she was about to have a week of being with Drew twenty-four seven, and there would be no avoiding each other. And, once again, she’d be surrounded by her entire family. She wasn’t sure her nerves could take it, but, like it or not, she was going to find out.
Chapter Eight
The first thing Liz saw when they pulled into the campground was the black SUV with the light bar on top, and she realized riding with Mitch and Paige had been a bad idea. She was essentially a hostage, with no way to escape if she felt the need.
But she hadn’t felt right about taking Drew’s Mustang on a road trip, and the thing got roughly the same gas mileage as a tank. Also, it wasn’t really designed to be packed with camping gear. Not that she had a lot, but the Mustang was safely sheltered in Mitch’s garage for the week and she was at the mercy of other drivers.
“Oh, that one’s ours,” Paige exclaimed, pointing to a very large RV with the name of a rental company emblazoned down the side.
Mitch, having substantially deeper pockets than Liz, had arranged for a rental company to deliver an RV to the campground and set it up. Liz would be setting up her clearance tent by herself.
After he parked in the shadow of the RV and killed the engine, Liz waited for Paige to climb out of the truck and open the access door. When she finally climbed out, Liz’s back and legs protested spending almost two hours in the small backseat of Mitch’s truck and she stretched, twisting her body to work the kinks out.
She got to do that for about thirty seconds before the family descended on them. It had been less than a year since she’d seen them all at Mitch and Paige’s wedding, but Aunt Mary cried a little, anyway. Uncle Leo hugged her so hard she could swear she heard cracking, and then she was passed through what amounted to a gauntlet. Her cousin Joe and his wife, Keri. Their daughter, Brianna, was almost two and played shy, turning her face away when Liz said hi to her. Her cousin Kevin’s three-year-old daughter, Lily, was more friendly, though she stuck close to Kevin’s wife, Beth. Joe’s twin sister, Terry, her husband, Evan, and their fifteen-year-old daughter, Stephanie, were next. Liz wanted to kiss Paige for giving her the rundown on the drive over from Maine. She’d grown up with or near her brothers and cousins, but the kids were hard to keep track of.
Her cousin Mike and his wife, Lisa’s, kids were the hardest. Four boys—Joey, Danny, Brian and Bobby—ranging in age from sixteen to nine.
“Where’s Sean?” she asked when she didn’t see her brother in the crowd.
“They’re on their way down,” Terry said. “They got the cabin up around the corner. Between the distance and the log walls, she’s hoping Johnny won’t keep everybody awake.”
Johnny was the almost two-month-old nephew she hadn’t met yet, and she could barely stop herself from grabbing him away from Emma when she and Sean finally brought him down. She barely
Luckily, Hailey finished making the last drink and hit Play on the movie before maneuvering into the lime-green float. At last, a distraction.
But nothing, it seemed, could stop her from thinking about the Fourth of July fireworks. Whatever had possessed them to hold hands, surrounded as they were by almost her entire family, she’d never know. But she’d liked it.
It was delicious, the way her hand felt in his. And when her thumb stroked a certain spot, his fingers would tighten around hers for a few seconds. She wanted to play with that spot some more. And she wanted to see what other spots on his body would get a reaction like that.
Since that night, she hadn’t seen him at all. The Fourth being on a Thursday meant a long holiday weekend for most people, and long holiday weekends meant busy law enforcement. Or he was avoiding her, possibly scared off by learning Rose knew they’d been together. She wasn’t sure which.
But she was about to have a week of being with Drew twenty-four seven, and there would be no avoiding each other. And, once again, she’d be surrounded by her entire family. She wasn’t sure her nerves could take it, but, like it or not, she was going to find out.
Chapter Eight
The first thing Liz saw when they pulled into the campground was the black SUV with the light bar on top, and she realized riding with Mitch and Paige had been a bad idea. She was essentially a hostage, with no way to escape if she felt the need.
But she hadn’t felt right about taking Drew’s Mustang on a road trip, and the thing got roughly the same gas mileage as a tank. Also, it wasn’t really designed to be packed with camping gear. Not that she had a lot, but the Mustang was safely sheltered in Mitch’s garage for the week and she was at the mercy of other drivers.
“Oh, that one’s ours,” Paige exclaimed, pointing to a very large RV with the name of a rental company emblazoned down the side.
Mitch, having substantially deeper pockets than Liz, had arranged for a rental company to deliver an RV to the campground and set it up. Liz would be setting up her clearance tent by herself.
After he parked in the shadow of the RV and killed the engine, Liz waited for Paige to climb out of the truck and open the access door. When she finally climbed out, Liz’s back and legs protested spending almost two hours in the small backseat of Mitch’s truck and she stretched, twisting her body to work the kinks out.
She got to do that for about thirty seconds before the family descended on them. It had been less than a year since she’d seen them all at Mitch and Paige’s wedding, but Aunt Mary cried a little, anyway. Uncle Leo hugged her so hard she could swear she heard cracking, and then she was passed through what amounted to a gauntlet. Her cousin Joe and his wife, Keri. Their daughter, Brianna, was almost two and played shy, turning her face away when Liz said hi to her. Her cousin Kevin’s three-year-old daughter, Lily, was more friendly, though she stuck close to Kevin’s wife, Beth. Joe’s twin sister, Terry, her husband, Evan, and their fifteen-year-old daughter, Stephanie, were next. Liz wanted to kiss Paige for giving her the rundown on the drive over from Maine. She’d grown up with or near her brothers and cousins, but the kids were hard to keep track of.
Her cousin Mike and his wife, Lisa’s, kids were the hardest. Four boys—Joey, Danny, Brian and Bobby—ranging in age from sixteen to nine.
“Where’s Sean?” she asked when she didn’t see her brother in the crowd.
“They’re on their way down,” Terry said. “They got the cabin up around the corner. Between the distance and the log walls, she’s hoping Johnny won’t keep everybody awake.”
Johnny was the almost two-month-old nephew she hadn’t met yet, and she could barely stop herself from grabbing him away from Emma when she and Sean finally brought him down. She barely
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