Page 72 of Summer Affair

Needless to say, Andrea hadn’t asked her mother or sister to come. Dean, however, did invite his mother and sister.

Sophia had been a delight to have around in the past few weeks. She had soaked up all the tricks of the trade that Andrea had been teaching her. She was on track to complete the required training programs as well as finish the required five hundred hours of training. Then she would have to pass all her exams. The hope was they’d be up one more therapist by the start of the next season.

Dean had taken the manager job and was directly overseeing the entire waitstaff now that Brent had decided to retire. He and his husband wanted to travel more in the coming years.

Kyle had returned to work a few days before and was the king of the campgrounds for saving Dean. No one let him forget his sacrifice, and anything he asked for, he got. At least from Dean.

After a full day of entertainment and relaxation, everyone gathered on the camp’s private beach on the Gulf of Mexico.

The sun was just starting to dip lower in the sky, casting a warm, golden hue over the entire camp. The smell of grilled food filled the air as everyone gathered for a final meal together, a real live Hawaiian luau. They had grilled meat and colorful foods. There was a circle of tiki torches and several fire pits that lit up the area.

They had even hired an authentic Hawaiian hula dance team, thanks to Julie’s aunt, who had recently moved to the area and had started her own dance studio.

The camp had hired them a few times now and, after tonight’s impressive performance, Andrea was pretty sure they were going to be a regular addition. There were even several fire twirlers, who had put on a very impressive show. You could get your picture taken with several of them, and she and Dean had several great photos and mementos of the day’s events.

The sound of laughter and playful banter echoed across the white sand as several people joined in the lessons on hula dancing. Everyone was given grass skirts and flowered leis when they entered the beach area.

Dean, holding a plate stacked with food, plopped down next to Andrea on one of the large blankets that were spread out on the beach.

“You’ve gotta try the ribs,” he said, handing her a plate. “Isaac’s friend really knows his stuff.”

Andrea took a bite and closed her eyes in pure bliss. “Oh my god, this is amazing. I might need to convince Elle to have Isaac bring his friend back next summer.”

“Good luck with that,” Dean laughed. “I hear that he’s already trying to poach Isaac for his restaurant back in New York.”

Andrea chuckled and then leaned closer to Dean as she watched Aaron, Beth, Elle, Zoey, and Dylan attempt to beat Scarlett, Aubrey, Hannah, and Liam in beach volleyball with little success.

“I think Beth has been hit in the face more times than she’s actually hit the ball,” she pointed out.

Dean grinned, watching the game unfold. “Aaron is trying to impress her. Too bad he’s terrible at volleyball.”

“You know,” Andrea said thoughtfully, “we should start a betting pool on how long it takes for those two to finally admit they like each other.”

“I’m in. My money’s on next week.” Dean’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Next week? That soon?” Andrea raised an eyebrow.

“Have you seen how Aaron looks at her? He’s practically a walking heart-eyes emoji.” He laughed.

“You’re probably right. No one likes to fall in love in winter. I always thought that summer affairs were best.” She winked up at him as his arms wrapped around her more tightly.

“They are, especially when they turn into the forever kind of affair.” He leaned down and kissed her lips softly.

As the night deepened, the group moved closer to the fire pit that had been set up near the water’s edge. The fire crackled as the wood popped, sending sparks into the air while everyone gathered around, roasting marshmallows and telling stories.

“All right, who’s got a scary story?” Brett asked, wiggling his fingers ominously. “We can’t have a campfire without one.”

“I’ve got one,” Aaron said, smirking as he glanced at Beth. “It’s about a volleyball that kept coming back to haunt the people who played with it.”

Beth rolled her eyes but laughed. “Oh, please. The only thing haunting you is your lack of coordination.”

Dean leaned in close to Andrea, his voice low and teasing. “Think we should tell them about the real ghost story? You know, the one with the phantom raccoon that keeps raiding the kitchens at night?”

Andrea giggled, remembering the excuses he had given her a few times when she’d caught him sneaking a midnight snack.

He had officially moved in with her after that scary day at the camp. The day they had almost lost one another. Even though having a roommate took some getting used, she couldn’t imagine not having him in her bed each night.

“You mean the one you keep swearing exists, even though we all know it’s just you, sneaking in the kitchen for midnight snacks?” she teased back.