Page 57 of You Know You Wanna

“Hey, what are you two gossiping about?” I called to my daughter as I fought a smile and wondered what she thought about all this.

Realizing she’d been caught, she suddenly took off running, her giggles floating on the air behind her. “Nothing!”

She and Cassidy sprinted until they reached Birdie and Heather, and then all three girls were crowding her while I lagged behind them, carrying the picnic and laughing. Seeing her happy was the best thing in the world. Maybe she needed to be dunked in a lake more often.

Sweat ran in rivulets down my back and my muscles were starting to burn. Sure, I was in great shape, but I was in gym shape, not hiking for miles through wet heat and trying to keep up with a bunch of twelve-year-old girls shape.

“Laurene,” I called again. “Slow down for your old man.”

“What, did you break a hip?” she called back, and the girls laughed.

I smiled and shook my head. “Come tell me what you were saying! It’s too hot for me to chase after you.”

More giggles carried over to me, and I chuckled, having almost as much fun as they were. She couldn’t hide from me forever and I was definitely curious to know what she’d told her friend about Birdie and me. I sighed. The kid was growing up too fast.

Finally, we reached the picnic spot, a clearing high in the mountains that had a small pond beside it. Birdie had told us all that there would be an opportunity for swimming once we got up here, so we’d all worn bathing suits from the outset. Which was good because I was sweaty.

Cassidy immediately pulled off her tank top. “Can we swim now, Birdie? Please? I’m dying of heat.”

“Same.” Heather strode right over to the pond, collapsing on the ground next to it and quickly removing her shoes before sliding her legs into the water.

Laurene eyed her suspiciously, like she wasn’t sure it was safe to simply put your feet into a pool of water out here in the middle of nowhere. Birdie must’ve noticed it too because she chuckled and inclined her head toward Cassidy, who was already climbing in with her whole body.

“It’s perfectly safe, Lulu,” she said. “I promise. Go for it. It’ll be refreshing and lovely.”

Laurene glanced at me, and I gave her an encouraging smile. “Do it. It’ll cool you down and there’s nothing in there to be afraid of—like a canoe.”

The little joke broke through her apprehension. She smiled and shoved my arm. “I’ll put you on a canoe and send you down the river.”

I laughed and nodded toward her friends. “Go on in, kiddo. I’ll be right here.”

Chewing on her lower lip, her gaze slowly moved back to the pond and she nodded, shedding her clothes and handing them over to me. Without another word, she ran toward the water, screaming, “Here I come!”

I folded her clothes neatly and set them down on a nearby rock. Then I went to join Birdie under a tree in the blessed shade.

I pulled the picnic blanket out of the basket, laying it down before motioning for her to sit. She did, and after I’d laid out the second blanket for the kids, I lowered myself down next to her, groaning as relief shot through my entire body.

“Thank fuck, we made it,” I grumbled. “That was a hike and a half. You could’ve warned a guy.”

She stretched her legs out ahead of her, flexing her calf muscles and flattening her torso against her thighs as she reached for her toes. Turning her head, she winked at me. “If I’d told you it was a little more strenuous than those around the resort, you might not have come and then I wouldn’t have had anyone to share my moment of peace and quiet with while the girls were busy.”

I scoffed down a laugh, grabbed my water bottle, and poured at least half the contents down my dry throat. After I’d swallowed, I smirked at her. “I don’t scare easy, but I might’ve approached my packing differently. I brought enough water to sustain us all for a week.”

She chuckled. “That’s not a bad thing. At least we know we won’t get dehydrated.”

I arched an eyebrow at her. “Says the person who didn’t have to carry it all up here.”

“Fair enough.” After straightening up out of her stretch, she lay on the blanket, propping her arms behind her head and closing her eyes. Her chest rose and fell on a deep breath, and a soft smile spread across her lips. “Even as the pack donkey though, you have to admit that it was worth it. Isn’t it amazing up here?”

I took a look around, admiring the view of the mountains over the treetops and taking in the lush green landscape around the pond. “The pack donkey in me wants to be stubborn and say no, but it really is gorgeous out here. How did you even find out about it, though? It seems pretty out of the way.”

“That’s exactly why I love it. It’s marked on all the maps, but not a lot of people are willing to make the hike. I used to come here all the time with my siblings as a kid.”

“Really?” I frowned. “I can’t imagine little kids getting up here by themselves. Did your dad carry them?”

She cracked open an eye and shook her head. “Nope. I did. Both of my parents worked two jobs to keep us afloat, so I fended for myself most of the time. Before you start pitying me, I didn’t mind it. They did what they had to do to put food on the table.”

Too late.