Page 13 of Let's Go To Camp!

Declan nodded. He studied her for another moment before saying, “Do you want to go get an ice cream cone? My treat.”

He braced himself, fearing she’d say no. It proved to be all for nothing, though. Her lips split in a wide smile that reached her beautiful blue eyes. “I’d love that.”

He nodded. “Good. You can tell me all about this Derek guy and what’s going on.”

And with that, they started walking, setting out on what very much felt like a first date.

Chapter Seven

Maisie was trying to play it cool, but inside, her stomach kept flipping nervous somersaults.

Declan was the hottest guy she’d ever seen! And she wasn’t one to think every man was into her. That certainly wasn’t the case. In fact, it seemed like guys wererarelyinto her. Or if they were, they sure didn’t seem to show it much. She spent more nights at home reading than she did on dates. And flirty Snaps or texts? Forget it. Those happened even less than the dates did. She never really heard from any man.

But it sure seemed like Declan was…into her? Could he be? They just met. And part of their time together had included her getting chastised by the camp’s director.

How embarrassing was that?

But even during the ordeal, Declan had seemed to keep his eyes on her, fighting a smirk the entire time.

Did he think she was cute? Were they really vibing as well as it seemed they were?

She told herself that it was most likely her imagination. There were way hotter Littles at camp that week. Maisie had seen them herself. And he could have any one of them he wanted! With that black hair, the strong, dimpled chin, and his muscular physique, he probably had no trouble landing dates!

But for whatever reason, Declan was takingherout for ice cream.

It was freaking amazing.

They sat in the parlor, enjoying the air conditioning that, combined with the cold treat, helped beat the summer heat that awaited them outside.

“It’s beautiful around here,” she said.

They were standing at a high table, enjoying their cones, but obviously, she wasn’t referring to the ice cream parlor.

Declan seemed to pick up on that fact because he nodded after taking a bit of his rocky road and said, “I love the west. These mountains. The history. It’s amazing.”

“Where are you from?” she asked after swallowing a bite of cookies and cream. It made her throat feel frigid and she told herself to wait before taking another nibble.

“California.”

“That’s farther west than here!” she said with a grin.

He chuckled. “True. But the culture is way different. This is Old West type stuff. California, at least along the coast, has beach vibes. It’s totally different.” He took another bite. “Where are you from?”

“Originally Kansas. But now I live in Denver.”

“What took you to Colorado?”

“Not a ton of jobs in cyber security in Kansas,” she said. “Especially the town I’m from.”

“Wichita?”

She chortled. “I wish! That would be a bustling metropolis compared to where I grew up.” She looked him in the eyes and said, “Ellsworth, Kansas. You ever heard of it?”

She watched as Declan’s eyes lit up. “Wyatt Earp lived there!”

Nodding, Maisie said, “Uh-huh. Or at least that’s what the legends say. Wild Bill Hickok was there, too. But those two are probably the last famous people to even know about that town. Now, it’s pretty quiet.”

“Were you raised on a farm?” Declan probed.

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