Page 54 of Show Me How
“You’d have been missed.”
“Another good point,” she teases.
“I’d love to meet your family sometime. I hope I’m still here the next time they’re around.”
“My husband, Kirk, is always around doing something or another, but unless you’re near the dock or in the woods, you’re sure to miss him. I’ll call him over the next time you’re around.And Ash, well, he’s usually responsible for the four-wheeler noises coming from the trees. He runs the community centre in town.”
I absorb that information and nod. “That’s the building right by the entrance to town?”
“That’s the one. Usually, the majority of sports programs run out of Cherry Peak and the school there, but Ash managed to get a softball team up and running here. He’s trying to get something started for hockey, but there hasn’t been enough interest.”
“I’m not much for sports, honestly,” I admit sheepishly.
“Oh, me neither. I don’t know where the hell he got those genes from because they don’t belong to either me or my husband.”
I belt out a laugh, her brutal honesty refreshing. “I’m glad not to be alone, then.”
“You should stop by sometime and say hi. I’ll have blabbed his ear off about you by then.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I say, not wanting to be rude.
I can’t see myself doing that, though. Not that I’ll even have much time to with my job at the studio and all of the extra time Shade and I are going to be spending together . . .
Before my cheeks can go red, I change the subject.
“If you need help with anything around here that you or your husband don’t want to do or don’t have the time for, please just ask me. I can’t stay here for free. It doesn’t feel right.”
“Millie, there’s no changing my mind. One thing you’ll learn about me is that I’m as stubborn as a mule.”
“Please. Just let me help with something. I don’t care if it’s small or unimportant. I’m just really trying not to take advantage of anyone while I’m here. This isn’t how I wanted to do things.”
I’m begging now, but I don’t feel shame because of it. I’m just desperate, and if I freeload my way through a stay here, I won’t be able to stop feeling guilty.
Shelly stares at me for a long moment, her eyes digging into me. “What are you running from, doll?”
“A life that I know I’ve taken advantage of. But it’s not the one I want. I’d give it to someone else if I could.”
“If it makes you happy, I’ll come up with a list of things you could do. But you don’t need to. Truly, we have more than enough help here as it is,” she says, giving in just enough for me to claim the win.
I release a relieved breath. “Thank you, Shelly.”
“You’ll need to get more familiar with the campground. We can’t have you getting lost during one of your tasks.”
“Let me guess, you know the exact person who I should ask to help show me around?”
She bats her eyes, her thin lips pursing. “What? Does that sound like me?”
“Yes, yes it does.”
“I’m just thinking that you could take advantage of Shade’s interest and put him to work a bit. I’d love to see him a bit more, as well. I suppose I’m just thinking about myself, really.”
I take another sip from my bottle, smiling against the glass. “His only interest is in friendship.”
“Oh, now you’re just insulting me.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a tad dramatic?”
“If you ask my husband, he’d tell you that being dramatic is my best characteristic.”
