Page 46 of The Weekend Crashers
“Sure—we’re assigning her a case number. That’s it right there on the paperwork. Give us a day or so and feel free to call and check in.”
Cole, noticing Piper’s reluctance to leave, offers to give her a tour of the place. The sounds of chirping, squeaking and rustling come from distant rooms, and she hears the bustle of people moving around and talking, the ringing of a landline phone. She’s curious to see more, but she realizes she should get back to her mother before she starts to worry.
“We should get back to our parents,” she says. She thanks Denise on her way back outside. Cole follows her.
“What’s the rush?” he says. “Let my dad and your mother run around trying to build a lean-to shelter. This was their big idea.”
True. And yet... “I feel like I’m ditching her.”
“You’re not ditching her. She found a friend her own age. It’s good for them. For both of them.”
They reach the truck and when they’re both back inside she asks, “What do you mean, good for them?”
He shrugs, starting the ignition. “Maybe there’s more going on here than a bushcraft challenge.”
Oh.Cole said the quiet part aloud. “That’s whatIwasthinking when I first heard about it. But I don’t know. I think we’re projecting.”
“Wishful thinking?” he says.
“Probably.”
“Well, maybe we can nudge them along.”
“How? Trust me, it’ll take a lot more than a weekend in the woods to get my mom interested in some guy. Especially when she came here to spend it with me.”
“So give her the best of both worlds; come to our campout tonight.”
Is he flirting with her? And does she want him to be?
“I don’t like camping,” she says. It’s true. And also, she might not be thrilled with Ethan at the moment, but that doesn’t mean she’d cheat on him. Even flirting with someone else feels wrong.
“What if our parents are hitting it off? Sometimes you gotta take one for the team.”
Maybe he’s right. What if they are? It’s bad enough Piper can’t take advantage of the setting and have a romantic weekend. If Maggie can instead? Well, she’s all for it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aidan appraises their stash of shelter-building materials, and has to admit it’s not his best showing. But in fairness to himself and his teammate, Maggie, they’re short-handed. Also, he’s distracted. By Maggie.
“What do you think?” she calls out from behind him. He takes a moment before turning around. The more time he spends with her, the more he recognizes their chemistry.
“I think we nailed it,” he says once she reaches him.
“Really?”
She smiles so earnestly he regrets his sarcasm. “No. Not really. But in our defense, we have been down two team members.”
The sun is noticeably lower, creating a dappled pattern on the ground. The interplay of light and shadow lends an intimacy to the moment that makes him uncomfortable. Because he knows it’s not just the pretty autumn backdrop; it’s Maggie Hodges. He likes her. More than likes her—he’s attracted to her. But these are inappropriate and very inconvenient feelings given the family trip he’s on.
Just then, walking from the direction of the roadway and parking area—not the woods—Cole and Piper appear.
“Finally!” Maggie says. Aidan feels a little stung at her exuberance. He’d been enjoying their time together.
Cole is empty-handed.
“We got unexpectedly sidetracked,” Cole says, and the two of them launch into a story about a hatchling and a trip to the local animal refuge. As they recount their little adventure, there’s a lightness in Cole he hasn’t seen since the weekend began. It’s exactly what he’d hoped for when he suggested the foursome meet up.
“How’s it going there, team?” Barclay appears, his cheeks ruddy from the cold. Aidan is starting to feel the chill too. He’d been too busy to notice until now. He looks closer at Maggie, and though her cheeks are pink, she doesn’t seem at all deterred by the dropping temperatures. He resists the urge to put an arm around her shoulders.
