Page 34 of Timid (Lark Cove 2)

My biggest goal was to be debt-free, and I was damn close to making that happen.

I wasn’t a powerless kid anymore, stuck in a city alone. My life was mine, and it was a damn fine one at that.

I finished up at the gas station and sipped my scalding-hot coffee as I drove down the road toward Willa’s camp. It was a gamble, showing up again this morning, but I was hoping now that she’d read my apology note, she’d finally cut me some slack.

It hadn’t been easy to swallow my pride and write that note. But Willa was worth the hit to my ego and she’d deserved that apology for a long time coming.

I turned left off the highway and onto the winding gravel road that led to the camp. It was nestled underneath a grove of tall evergreens, right on the shoreline of the lake.

Properties like this had been slowly bought and developed in Lark Cove over the last twenty years. I had no idea how much the camp’s land was worth, but I was guessing it was more money than I’d see in my lifetime.

I’d kill for a spot on the lake. I’d cherish a place where I could wake up and drink my coffee overlooking the water. I’d love a house with a dock for my boat so it could be ready and waiting at all times. But a home like that wasn’t in my future. Instead, they were reserved for rich guys like Logan Kendrick.

At least he’d saved Willa’s camp.

The gravel parking lot next to the camp was mostly empty, and just like I’d done the other day, I pulled my silver, half-ton Chevy next to Hazel’s Subaru Outback. I got out and took a look inside, seeing Charlie’s booster seat in the back. It was covered with snack crumbs, which meant it was time for me to take it for an afternoon since I kept Hazel’s rig just as clean as my own.

With my coffee in hand, I followed the footpath down from the parking lot to the campground.

The main lodge was closest to the parking lot and the first building visitors came upon. It was a huge log structure that blended in with the tree trunks. The main part of the building was a dining hall filled with wooden tables and folding chairs. At the back was the kitchen, bathrooms and Willa’s office.

I’d gotten a tour of this whole place a few summers ago, courtesy of Charlie. I’d come out here to say hello to Hazel after she’d started volunteering and Charlie had dragged me all over the place, showing me each of the bunks and the inner workings of the lodge.

Had Willa been there that day of my tour? If she had been, I hadn’t noticed. I’d been a blind asshole. All this time she’d been right there. If not for Thea’s drawing, I may have never opened my eyes.

They were open now.

I found myself searching for her constantly. If I was working, I kept one eye on the door, waiting and hoping she’d come into the bar. And if she didn’t, I’d hurry to close down the bar and hustle the few blocks to her street, wishing her light would still be on.

It had been just days since I’d gone to her house that first night, not even a week, and I’d become completely infatuated.

I liked how gracefully she moved, more like floating than walking. I liked the way her blue eyes were so pure and honest. I liked her shy smile and how she’d tuck her hair behind an ear when she blushed. It made me want to put my hand on her cheek with each flush just to feel its heat.

I liked her.

Willa kept asking me why I was into her, and though I’d done my best to explain it, I still didn’t quite understand it myself.

She was just . . . special.

I wanted to connect with her on more than just a physical level. Maybe I’d get that chance today.

I scanned the rest of the buildings as I walked down the side of the lodge. Six small log cabins were scattered beneath the trees. Inside were kids’ bunks, some for boys and some for girls. I imagined they got a little chilly at night since there wasn’t much to keep out the cold, but I bet none of the kids cared when they were bundled up tight in a sleeping bag.

A couple of boys came running out of the shower and bathroom building situated between two of the bunkhouses. They came hurrying past me on their way to a large firepit built in the middle of a clearing. Past it, lake water sparkled in the sun. A couple boats were out today. As soon as Thea was back from her vacation, I was taking a couple days off work and my boat would be out there too.

My eyes tracked the kids as they hurried to take their seats on the log benches surrounding the firepit. There wasn’t a fire—I assumed the counselors saved those for nighttime. I bet they let the kids roast marshmallows all week. I bet those kids had a blast from sunrise to sunset.

Would they let a thirty-one-year-old bartender come to camp? I’d missed all this kind of stuff as a kid.

From the entrance to the lodge, a whole other group of kids ran outside. Eleven or twelve, they looked old enough to spend a week away from their parents, but not old enough to get summer jobs.

I hit the double doors to the lodge and was about to step inside when a swish of blond hair caught my eye. From behind one of the small cabins, Willa walked toward the firepit with a group of girls.

>

They were giggling about something. One of the girls tugged on Willa’s arm, pulling her down to whisper something in her ear. Whatever she said, Willa stood straight and began laughing with a wide and heart-stopping smile.

My hand came to my chest, rubbing at the sternum. She was so damn beautiful it felt like my chest was going to cave in.