Page 2 of Summer Affair

“Hey,” a soft deep voice said. “Are you okay?”

Strong hands gently took her shoulders, stopping her from falling backwards. She blinked and looked up into the warmest blue eyes she’d ever seen. To her horror, she burst into tears and melted into Dean Wallis’s arms.

Chapter One

“Wait up, Dean,” Andrea called out. He stopped and turned as she tried to catch up with him on the pathway. “Gosh, why is everyone always in a hurry around here?”

Andrea Bergman was a petite blonde with skin that easily darkened to a warm honey color in the summer and yet was a soft white in winter that he mentally compared with white rose petals. Her right arm, from her wrist all the way up to her shoulder blade, was covered in tattoos. He desperately wanted to spend hours exploring the delicate lines and brightly colored scenes.

It was spring on the Florida panhandle, which meant the days were warm when the sun was out, but the early mornings and evenings still held a bite from the chill in the air.

Thankfully, it was still early enough that the pollen on all the pine trees that currently surrounded him had yet to drop. That also meant that the bright flowers that ran along the edge of the asphalt pathways that weaved through the forest like dark veins had not bloomed yet, though there were plenty of the hardy plants that could survive the colder nights of the generally mild winters of the area he had always called home.

River Camps was a unique adult’s only resort with a summer camp vibe that five friends had opened a few years back. He’d known its owner, Elle Saunders, now Elle Costas, pretty much as long as he’d known Andrea.

Elle and four of her friends—Zoey, Scarlett, Hannah, and Aubrey—had once met at the very same camp when they’d been teenagers. They had dubbed themselves the Wildflowers, a name that stuck, and the adult women, most of which had children of their own now, still called themselves that.

They had inherited the defunct all-girls summer camp a few years back and had turned it into an extremely successful business that drew so much attention that each of the nearly fifty cabins around the property were fully booked year-round.

The camp offered a private beach, three swimming pools, an exclusive golf course, zip lines, paddleboats, sailing, tennis, pickleball, and volleyball, as well as classes such as yoga, skilled self-defense, woodworking, painting, and pottery making. There was so much to do on the massive property that not even the employees ever felt bored.

All of the employees had more than one job to do. You weren’t just a waiter, you were a camp counselor. Every day during your shift, you oversaw at least one event. Dean’s favorite counselor task was helping out during dance lessons and playing partner to all the women who were unable to talk their husbands or partners into taking the class with them. His next favorite was helping out with the zip lines.

Dean waited and smiled back at Andrea, watching her until she stopped directly next to him.

Why in the hell hadn’t he made a move on her yet? Oh, that’s right. His feelings for Andrea went beyond anything he’d ever felt before. Which scared the shit out of him.

From the moment he’d seen her in second grade, Andrea had stolen his heart. Once, when he’d been drunk at an after-football party, he’d decided to make a move on her. Then he’d seen Tommy’s arm around her and had backed off.

He’d thought of trying a few more times over the years but their friendship had grown, and he was pretty sure she considered him friend material only. So he’d given up but secretly wished that one day he’d have the balls to tell her how he felt.

“What’s up?” he asked as he threw an arm over her shoulders and started walking a little slower to match her pace.

“Can you cover for me today at lunch at the volleyball net. I’m supposed to referee two games,” she asked him, and he felt his heart break a little.

“Sure, why?” He knew he’d hate the answer but needed to hear what she was up to. Who she was going to be with.

“I have a dentist appointment,” she said quickly. “I forgot about it until they just called.” She groaned.

Andrea had been in and out of braces in her youth and now, as an adult, she was wearing the invisible liners most days.

“What about Kara?” he asked.

“She’s booked solid during lunch. Gosh, I really need to hire a third person.” Andrea sighed and glanced over at him. “You still happy waiting tables?”

He chuckled. “I’m not officially certified to do your job.”

“We both know you’re better at it than I am.” She nudged his ribs with her elbow. “It’s just about five hundred hours of training and a test. Easy peasy and you’d be rolling in the big bucks instead of working for dollars and getting stuff spilled on you all day.” She touched the spot of dried food he’d spilled earlier that morning.

He thought about it. “Who would train me? You?” he joked.

“Sure.” She smiled back at him. “You could come in on your days off or switch up your hours a little if you want?”

The thought of spending that much time with Andrea thrilled him. Besides, he’d been trying to save up to purchase his own place instead of renting the small apartment he had in town.

Everyone knew that the massage therapists raked in money at the resort.

“Think about it.” She touched his arm and then squeezed it. “About today?”