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Chip ignored Mike’s boorish behavior. “Everything good for you? Equipment? Counselors?”
Mike stood at attention and saluted. “Everything’s in tip-top form.”
“At ease, my good man. Carry on.” Chip pulled away, driving toward the ski dock. “He’s a bit of a pompous ass, don’t you think?”
I laughed in response. I didn’t want to come across as judgmental and undermine my real concern: Jack.
We stopped at the ropes course, where Chip had a similar conversation with Harry, the head of ropes. Next was Di at sail, and lastly, we stopped and watched some water-skiers.
We turned around by the ski dock, and Chip said, “Everything about this lake is beautiful.”
“I agree. I walk down here every morning—it’s so calming and serene.”
Chip pulled over and pointed to a house across the lake. “Through those trees you can make out a porch. That’s where the previous camp directors, Herman and Estelle, live.”
A quiver shot through my body thinking about sitting naked on Adirondack chairs, sipping coffee, and holding Teddy’s hand. “Does that mean once you work here, you never leave?” I asked.
He laughed. “You’ve got a quick wit. I’ve heard that about you.”
“I’ve heard great things about you too,” I said. “Tell me how you got started working with camps.” I could tell he was flattered; he sat up straighter.
“I’ve been in the camp business for about twenty years. This camp is one of my favorites. It’s beautiful. I mean, look at that lake, the mountains in the distance, and the foliage. Who wouldn’t want to spend their summers here?” He took a deep breath, then continued, “I want to personally thank you for saving that child. Would you consider being an assistant director next summer?”
“I’m not planning on coming back,” I said. “I won’t work with Jack again.”
Chip looked at me and nodded. “Well, there may be some changes here. The other partners and I have been talking. We’ve gotten complaints from parents, the staff doesn’t respect him, and the camp is running on, what’s the word I’m looking for . . .?”
“Toxicity?”
“Exactly. So, you know.”
“Firsthand, very well.”
Chip shook his head. “What you probably don’t know is, Herman had a heart attack a few years ago and decided to retire on short notice. Who could blame him? Anyway, we needed to find a new owner.” He faced me with a sad smile. “Here’s afunny sidenote. We brought the Bergers on as partners because Jack had an MBA in human resources.”
I tried holding back a nervous giggle but failed.
“I’ve been fielding offers from people interested in buying the camp.”
I blurted out, “I’d like to buy it. My business partner and I would like to buy the camp and run it.”
“Who’s your partner?”
“Ted Mooney.” As soon as I said it, it sounded ridiculous. How could a soccer coach and a first-time DL buy a camp?
Chip smiled. “That makes some sense. Mooney’s probably worth about twenty mil.”
“What?” If I hadn’t been sitting down, I would’ve fallen over. That couldn’t be right. Why wouldn’t he have told me?
“This isn’t a surprise to you, is it?” he asked. “He’s your business partner. You must know about his assets.”
Not his financial ones. “Sure, yes, of course, I do.”
He looked out at the lake. “If I’m not mistaken, this is your first summer working at Woodlands, right?”
“Not only that, it’s my first-ever experience at a sleepaway camp.”
“So, what you’re saying is that in less than two months, you learned all about running a camp and became good enough friends with Ted to go into business with him?”
