Page 45 of If the Summer Lasted Forever
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The oscillating fanon the counter does little to cool the hot office. After months of cold, fickle spring weather, summer decides to hit with a vengeance.
The bells above the front door chime, and in walk Greg and Hallie.
“How’s the fishing?” I ask Greg.
“It’s great—thanks again for the cabin on the water.”
“No problem.” I set aside the newly printed stack of flyers advertising Saturday’s barbecue. Soon, I need to distribute them throughout the campground. If I have time, I might even go into town and hang them in shop windows. “What can I do for you guys?”
Hallie stands next to Greg, reading the kids’ craft schedule. “You’re panning for gold Saturday?” she asks.
Surprised she’s talking, I turn to her. “Sort of. We’re going to spray rocks with gold paint and hide them in a kiddie pool of sand. The kids will get to ‘pan’ for them, and then they can trade in their gold for little prizes or candy—kind of like the ticket system at arcades.”
I found the idea online and was inspired by Caleb, who’s so obsessed with finding gold. Much to his chagrin, he hasn’t foundanything valuable in our landscaping. (He did, however, catch a lizard that entertained him for half a day.)
“That’s fun,” she says. “You put a lot of thought into your activities.”
It’s why we charge “the big bucks,” as Uncle Mark jokes, but I don’t tell Hallie that. Everyone who stays here knows you get what you pay for.
“Thanks. I think they’ll have a good time with it.“
“We’re here for the pool code,” Greg says.
“It’s open from seven to ten,” I tell them as I write down the five-digit number, glancing up when the door opens. Landon walks in but hangs back. He wears a small smile as he waits for me to finish with the Hendricks.
I hand Hallie the number. “If you’re going in the next few hours, I’d be happy to watch Bark for you—I remember you saying he doesn’t like to be alone. Mom’s coming in for office duty shortly, and I was going to walk the campground and hand out flyers.”
“Really?” Hallie asks.
“Sure. He’s welcome to come with me.”
“You guys really are awesome,” Hallie says with a laugh. I think she might finally be opening up. “I’ll bring him by in fifteen minutes. If it’s really all right.”
“Of course.”
Landon waits until they’re out the door before he ambles over, looking entirely too tempting in shorts and a T-shirt that’s just fitted enough to show a hint of muscle—a scrumptious hint.
“Hi, Faux Boyfriend,” I say, teasing him…and reminding myself at the same time.
“Hi to you too, Faux—” He cuts off abruptly as Mom walks into the office.
She calls a greeting back to the Hendricks as she enters.
“Hey, Landon,” she says, a big smile stretching across her face. Her hair is still down for the day—surprising considering how hot it is. “What are you guys up to this afternoon?”
I hold up my new stack of flyers. “The Hendricks are going to bring Bark by, and we’re going to walk around the sites to hand these out.”
“But I said you could have the afternoon off.” Mom frowns in the way that makes me feel bad for beingtooproductive—which is weird.
“It’s just walking—not exactly hard work,” I point out.
Mom takes a flyer, and her eyebrows jump with surprise. “These are awesome. Did you make them?”
“Landon designed them,” I say, flashing him a smirk. “I ate ice cream.”
Mom turns toward Landon and beams. “At least you can get her to take time off.”
