Page 66 of Hearts Aweigh
A woman chased her noisy beagle across the deck. The playful puppy dashed among the chairs, knocking over camping trays and water bottles. When his owner cornered him, he howled with abandon.
A frustrated sigh rattled in Spencer’s throat. He buried his hands in his pockets and reminded himself his daughter was happy. Giggles carried from the tent where she played with her friend. It made the cold and the noise and the lack of work worth it.
Abby approached him, and he stood from his camping chair.
She pointed at the tent. “Could you please watch Maddie? I need to visit the restroom.”
“Of course.”
He sank back to the chair and stared into the cellophane flames of the giant fake campfire. The heart-to-heart with Daisy had drained the energy from his body. He didn’t have the brain space to process all he’d learned from his mother and Althea.
A forceful wind ravaged the site. It howled louder than the dogs as canvas flaps rattled. He cast a glance at Madeleine’s tent and shot to his feet.
It was empty.
Spencer raced to the tent and ducked inside. The girls were nowhere to be seen, but the hugger had left her purse by the wall. The two beanbag chairs sat desolate except for a lump of blankets in the one where Madeleine had sat. The blankets rustled, and a small foot poked from the bottom.
“Madeleine?”
Two watery blue eyes lifted above the blanket, and his heart started to beat again.
Spencer released a breath and knelt by the chair. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head back and forth.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s scary. Over there. The eyes are watching me.”
She pointed a shaky finger at the floor. Spencer squinted into the golden twinkle-light shadows.
Nothing.
“I don’t think—”
Croak.
Spencer looked again. Two luminescent dots stared back at him from the rainbow netting on the other girl’s purse. It appeared bow-wow-wow-wow glamping was for all kinds of pets.
He turned to his daughter. “Are you afraid of the frog?”
Her head bobbed, the blankets still covering half her face.
“Hold on.” Spencer rose and approached the unwelcome visitor.
“Careful,” Madeleine said. “It might bite.”
He smiled. It was his first time playing the rescuing knight against the big bad dragon. Spencer picked up the purse. The frog made a noise somewhere between a croak and a squawk.
“Yeah, I don’t like you much either.” Spencer peered through the netting and into the beady, reflective eyes. He turned to Madeleine, ready to show off his conquest, but her head had disappeared under the blankets again.
Spencer didn’t move. “Would you like me to take him outside?”
“Yes, please,” came the muffled voice.
He took the frog out of the tent and hesitated. What should he do with it? He was tempted to dump it over the side of the boat, but who knew if it would survive the drop? Besides, its owner would be heartbroken when she found her beloved pet missing.
“Dwight!” The brunette hug monster skipped over. “There you are.”
