throat. “Frank, I agree about raccoons. A bear would’ve torn through the camp like Attila the Hun and all his pillagers.”
Frank straightened his shoulders and basked in the praise.
Practical jokes, mind games, and now the food. The expedition was going down the tubes, but the kid was thriving. The silver fucking lining. “Anybody hear noises during the night?”
Shoulders lifted and voices muttered demurs.
“Yesterday wore everyone out.” Ray pulled a garbage bag from the supplies. “A 747 could have landed beside me and I would’ve slept through it.” He began tossing ruined foodstuffs into the bag. Nora bent to help.
“I’ll see what we have left.” Carl hefted the logs weighing down the other cooler’s lid. He began rummaging through the contents.
Concern knotted Annie’s features. “What does this do to our food supplies?”
Sam injected more coffee into his system. The supplies kit held freeze-dried meals and reconstituted milk that he hadn’t told anybody about. Breakfast was in the other cooler, along with fruit and cheese for sandwiches. The situation wasn’t hopeless.
Was the plundered cooler another prank? Had their saboteur known which cooler was expendable? More mystery with few clues. He pictured himself at bat, blocking out everything but the job at hand.
He set down his mug and rubbed his hands together. He manufactured a jovial expression. “Okay, Frank, you wanted some adventure. You too, Ray. It starts today. When we get to Upper Otter Pond, we’ll be living off the land.”
Frank’s eyes widened like two dinner plates. “Hunting?”
Sam ruffled the boy’s hair. “I should’ve said living off the water. No, sport, I mean fishing. You know how to cast a line?” He heard Annie groan.
“I used to fish with my dad.” Frank’s demeanor morphed from glee to gloom. His shoulders slumped. “Guess I remember something about it.”
Nora placed a hand on her son’s shoulder. “He’ll take you again. He’s still your dad.”
“Whatever.” He dragged his feet toward the shore.
“Nora, the kid’s coming around.” Compassion filled the eyes beneath Ray’s jutting brow. “He’ll be all right.”
She bit her lower lip. “As long as what I said comes true. His dad’s not long on promises.”
“You want to go talk to him?” Ray reached out to take the garbage bag from her.
“No. He has to work it out himself.”
“A guy needs time alone for that,” Sam agreed. He knew first hand the truth of that. He just hoped Frank’s anger and resentment weren’t taking a destructive course. “You’re right to give him space. And Ray’s right. Frank’s a good kid.”
Annie gave Nora’s shoulders a squeeze. “He knows you’re here for him.”
“Thanks for your help, everyone. It means a lot.” Nora went back to helping Ray clean the cooler mess.
“The other cooler’s still right and tight,” Sam said to Carl. “You can whip up those pancakes. Too bad we’re minus the sausages. We’re going to need a hearty breakfast.”
The plastic egg container in her hands, Annie halted. She eyed Sam with suspicion. “Just what do you mean by that?”
He poured himself another cup of coffee. He inhaled the aroma. Took his time stirring in the sugar.
“Sam?”
He grinned. Damn, he loved to get this woman going. Annie, as much as the caffeine, was reviving him, lightening his mood. “After breakfast we’ll have lessons on paddling rapids.”
***
While Sam, Ray, and Frank washed themselves and the emptied cooler, Annie and Nora helped Carl with breakfast.
The simple chores and the scent of the wood fire revived the feeling of normalcy. Nora wiped down the plastic tablecloth with water heated over the fire. Each camper had his own utensils and plate, so setting the table was simple.
Searching for the maple syrup, Annie discovered a tub of margarine in the cooler. “Eureka!” She handed it to Carl and placed the syrup on the table.
“Great,” he
Frank straightened his shoulders and basked in the praise.
Practical jokes, mind games, and now the food. The expedition was going down the tubes, but the kid was thriving. The silver fucking lining. “Anybody hear noises during the night?”
Shoulders lifted and voices muttered demurs.
“Yesterday wore everyone out.” Ray pulled a garbage bag from the supplies. “A 747 could have landed beside me and I would’ve slept through it.” He began tossing ruined foodstuffs into the bag. Nora bent to help.
“I’ll see what we have left.” Carl hefted the logs weighing down the other cooler’s lid. He began rummaging through the contents.
Concern knotted Annie’s features. “What does this do to our food supplies?”
Sam injected more coffee into his system. The supplies kit held freeze-dried meals and reconstituted milk that he hadn’t told anybody about. Breakfast was in the other cooler, along with fruit and cheese for sandwiches. The situation wasn’t hopeless.
Was the plundered cooler another prank? Had their saboteur known which cooler was expendable? More mystery with few clues. He pictured himself at bat, blocking out everything but the job at hand.
He set down his mug and rubbed his hands together. He manufactured a jovial expression. “Okay, Frank, you wanted some adventure. You too, Ray. It starts today. When we get to Upper Otter Pond, we’ll be living off the land.”
Frank’s eyes widened like two dinner plates. “Hunting?”
Sam ruffled the boy’s hair. “I should’ve said living off the water. No, sport, I mean fishing. You know how to cast a line?” He heard Annie groan.
“I used to fish with my dad.” Frank’s demeanor morphed from glee to gloom. His shoulders slumped. “Guess I remember something about it.”
Nora placed a hand on her son’s shoulder. “He’ll take you again. He’s still your dad.”
“Whatever.” He dragged his feet toward the shore.
“Nora, the kid’s coming around.” Compassion filled the eyes beneath Ray’s jutting brow. “He’ll be all right.”
She bit her lower lip. “As long as what I said comes true. His dad’s not long on promises.”
“You want to go talk to him?” Ray reached out to take the garbage bag from her.
“No. He has to work it out himself.”
“A guy needs time alone for that,” Sam agreed. He knew first hand the truth of that. He just hoped Frank’s anger and resentment weren’t taking a destructive course. “You’re right to give him space. And Ray’s right. Frank’s a good kid.”
Annie gave Nora’s shoulders a squeeze. “He knows you’re here for him.”
“Thanks for your help, everyone. It means a lot.” Nora went back to helping Ray clean the cooler mess.
“The other cooler’s still right and tight,” Sam said to Carl. “You can whip up those pancakes. Too bad we’re minus the sausages. We’re going to need a hearty breakfast.”
The plastic egg container in her hands, Annie halted. She eyed Sam with suspicion. “Just what do you mean by that?”
He poured himself another cup of coffee. He inhaled the aroma. Took his time stirring in the sugar.
“Sam?”
He grinned. Damn, he loved to get this woman going. Annie, as much as the caffeine, was reviving him, lightening his mood. “After breakfast we’ll have lessons on paddling rapids.”
***
While Sam, Ray, and Frank washed themselves and the emptied cooler, Annie and Nora helped Carl with breakfast.
The simple chores and the scent of the wood fire revived the feeling of normalcy. Nora wiped down the plastic tablecloth with water heated over the fire. Each camper had his own utensils and plate, so setting the table was simple.
Searching for the maple syrup, Annie discovered a tub of margarine in the cooler. “Eureka!” She handed it to Carl and placed the syrup on the table.
“Great,” he
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