Page 73 of Hero's Prize

She expected the girl to get up and head back over to the other kids, but she stayed there on the log. Ella caught her glancing atMarshall once again. “Are you going to try to keep in touch with Marshall after the camp?”

A blush crept up over her face. “Yes. Do you think that’s okay?”

“Of course! Marshall is a great guy. Even just keeping him as a friend would be completely appropriate.”

She let out a small sigh. “We live pretty far from each other, but we could text and talk on the phone. I like that he’s just…mine. Do you know what I mean?”

Yes, Ella knew exactly what the girl meant. But it was probably better to get her to explain it so she was sure about it herself. “Tell me more.”

Ashley rubbed a pattern in the dirt with her foot. “That he doesn’t know my sister or my family. That he doesn’t look at me like the kid who can’t do a lot of stuff because her parents are always gone for medical purposes. He doesn’t feel sorry for me.”

“And even better, he totally understands your situation. And probably feels the same that maybe you can just be…his.”

A soft smile broke out on Ashley’s face. “Yeah, I like that.”

Ashley was thirteen and Marshall was fourteen. They both had very complex lives and lived in separate states. The chances of them “making it” as a couple were slim to none.

But Ella still hoped they did.

“I tell you what—you go over and talk to Marshall. Spend as much time together as you can in the days you have left with him. You won’t regret that. And, at the very least, even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll still have some very precious memories that you can keep forever.”

Yeah, she was definitely talking to herself just as much as she was talking to the girl.

“Do you think Marshall will mind?”

Ella had to laugh out loud at that. “He’s looked over at you half a dozen times in the ten minutes you’ve been sitting here. So no, I don’t think he will mind one little bit.”

“What about you and Mr. Colton? Is he your boyfriend?”

“I’d like to think so.”

Ella stiffened at the sound of Colton’s voice behind them. Ashley spun around to grin up at him. “Good. You guys are cute.”

With that, she ran off, straight toward Marshall.

Colton sat down next to Ella. “You didn’t have to say that.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Maybe I wanted to say that.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond. Just a few hours ago, he’d told her he was leaving, and now he was talking about boyfriend-girlfriend stuff. She had no idea what to think.

“What’s really going on, Butterscotch? Are you still this concerned about the stalker? I promise you, we’re going to get that handled.”

She wasn’t worried about the stalker, although she wanted that bitch gone so that Colton didn’t have to worry about any of it any longer. But right now, she was providing a nice scapegoat for Ella not having to tell Colton what was really wrong.

“I know you will. I don’t doubt that for a second.”

“Are you sure? Last night and this morning, you seemed so upset.”

He was looking at her so earnestly, she almost told him the truth about the bathroom. But what would that do? Maybe if they were going to start an actual relationship—be the boyfriend he was pretending to be in front of Ashley—she would try to talk it out. But without that, explaining the details of what she’d heard in that bathroom would just add to the patheticity.

She was saved from having to answer by Bear announcing that everyone needed to come over so he could demonstrate how to build shelters.

She stood up. “Let’s just focus on these kids and helping them have fun. If they liked making fire, I have no doubt they’re going to love making their own shelters.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her up against him, studying her intently. “I know you’re avoiding something, but I’ll let it go for now.”

“I just want to enjoy the moment.”

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