Page 72 of Mr. B

He winked at her. “Echo Lake.”

“Oh my gosh. Don’t even…”

“Best night of my life.”

Cassandra shoved him, then looked to see if anyone had seen her do it. “Stop. I was terrified. Followed soon after by being mortified.”

“It could’ve happened to anyone.”

“It happened to me.”

Bailey walked up to them. “What happened to you?”

“A horror story which I will share with you at a later date.”

Bailey looked at Wes. “Give me a taste. A hint.”

He thought for a moment. “Hurricane-force winds. Some misplaced…clothing. And pirates.”

Bailey shook her head. “Um…pirates?”

“Thus the mortification.”

Cassandra tossed the backpack into the canoe. “On second thought, I don’t think I can tell you that story.”

“Just leave out the part about the missing clothes.”

Cassandra hugged her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Wes nodded. “Barring any hurricanes or pirates.” He held out his hand to Cassandra. “All aboard.”

She took his hand and stepped into the canoe, then sat on the back bench. “So far. So good.”

“Have fun, Mom.”

“I will.”

“Take good care of her, Mr. B.”

“You know it.”

He pushed the canoe off the sand, then stepped in as it drifted away from the shore. As he picked up his paddle and moved it farther out, the other canoes joined him. They all waved to the campers on the shore, then headed out across the lake.

After a few minutes, Cassandra's paddling skills returned, and they cruised across the lake at an easy pace, slightly ahead of the other canoes. There was virtually no wind, and the water was smooth, creating the perfect canoeing experience.

When the island became visible in the distance, Wes pointed it out to Cassandra. “There it is.”

“Beautiful. Small.”

“It’s only about five acres.”

The island was surrounded by a beach of gravel and sand and was heavily treed with tall pines. Wes led the group to a small cove on the leeward side of the island and ran the nose of his canoe onto the sand. He jumped out, pulled it up another few feet, then helped Cassandra out.

The other canoes all landed, and the kids got out and stretched their sore muscles.

Wes gave them a few minutes, then held up a hand. “Okay, let’s get our stuff unloaded. The campsite is about a hundred yards inland. We’ll make a few trips to bring it all up. Then you can take some time to explore.”

One of the boys raised his hand. “Can we go anywhere we want?”