Page 142 of The Nanny and the Hothead
He nodded, resuming his tree count as he exited the interstate, then turned onto a gravel road surrounded by thick foliage.
“Do you think Phoebe’s here yet?” Oscar asked.
“We’re about to find out,” Charlotte answered as the swath of towering evergreens thinned, and they pulled into a parking lot crammed with families unloading backpacks and sleeping bags from luxury SUVs.
“I see her! I see her!” the boy called, bouncing with excitement. “They’re right there! Pull in next to them, Dad.”
Mitch swallowed hard as he parked the car, then surveyed the Outdoor Lab camp. Nestled on a lake with cabins dotting the landscape and mountains rising in the distance, Outdoor Lab Camp was as picturesque as it gets. Oscar would love it here. He’d be with his teacher, Phoebe, and the other kids from his class. But that didn’t stop the twist in his belly from tightening. They’d only left him for one night since Oscar had come to Denver, and the idea of not seeing this kid for a week hit him harder than he’d expected. He looked at Charlotte. She wasn’t doing any better than he was. She brushed a tear from her cheek, then exhaled a shaky breath before putting on a brave face.
At least he wasn’t the only one getting emotional.
“I’m going to go see Phoebe,” Oscar called, swinging open the door and flying out of the car.
“Here we go,” Charlotte said, sharing a wobbly smile.
He reached across the console and squeezed her hand. “It’ll be okay. No, it’ll be better than okay. Oscar will love it here. This place looks terrific.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she answered, and all he felt was gratitude. He was a damned lucky man to have someone in his life who loved his son as much as he did.
Going into parent mode, he and Charlotte exited the SUV and waved at Penny and Rowen as Oscar and Phoebe vibrated with excitement, skittering between the cars. He pulled a duffel bag and the boy’s sleeping bag from the car and listened as the children greeted each other.
“Oscar, guess what?” Phoebe called as Rowen helped the girl put on her backpack.
“What?”
“We flew down in my uncle Row’s plane, and then there was a car waiting for us. Did you fly here in a plane?” the girl pressed.
Oscar shrugged. “No, we didn’t. We drove down in a Lamborghini.”
Mitch shared a look with Charlotte, and the two of them bit back grins.
Kids sure had it rough these days.
“But I got to see license plates from Wyoming, New Mexico, and Texas. I even took a picture of one with my camera,” the boy answered, swinging his backpack to one shoulder, then plucking a Polaroid from the front pocket.
“Wow!” Phoebe breathed, gazing at the photo. “You’re a really good photographer, Oscar. Let’s play the tap game. I’ll start. My uncle Row is a,” Phoebe said, then tapped her foot twice.
“Phoebe!” Rowen called, exasperation coating the word.
“It’s not what you think, Uncle Row. The taps were forhot nerd. That’s what Penny called you last night when I snuck down the hall to go to the kitchen to get a cookie. I figured you needed to turn on a fan or take a cold shower,” the child continued.
Penny and Rowen stood there with looks of sheer mortification.
“Um…” Rowen stuttered.
Luckily, Penny recovered. “Hey, Phoebe, why don’t you and Oscar play in the grass while we get your camping supplies?” she suggested as Rowen stood there, slack-jawed.
“Guess what, Phoebe?” Oscar chimed.
“What?”
“My dad has a camping supply he’s not supposed to have. Charlotte saw it, and my dad said it was a tent. But that didn’t make any sense to me because where would he have a tent driving a car?”
Oh shit!Now it was his and Charlotte’s turn to get a beat down from the mortification stick.
“Come on, Oscar,” Phoebe said, taking the boy by the hand. “Grown-ups are…” She tapped twice, and the kids broke out into giggles.
“I’m not even going to worry about what my niece called us,” Rowen said, regaining his ability to speak. “How about we forget we heard that?”
