“This is you, as usual,” I said, jogging up the steps to open the door, since his hands were full. “So, what have you been doing since Easter?” I asked as he tossed the bag effortlessly onto the bed.
“Had a couple cases, nothing really exciting,” he replied, opening the drawers to the dresser so he could unpack.
“Things still good with Brenda … or was it Bonnie?” I asked, honestly unable to remember the name of the girl he’d brought for Easter dinner.
“It’s Becca, and no, we broke up.”
When I looked at him pointedly, asking him what happened without saying the words, he shrugged.
“She liked the idea of being with a lawyer, but not living in a small town. She kept trying to convince me to move to the city … kept leaving brochures around and shit. I finally told her that leaving was not an option for me, and she bailed.”
“That sucks, Rear, I’m sorry things didn’t work out,” I said sincerely. Neither of us had ever been married. In our twenties, we’d enjoyed playing the field, but we’d recently agreed that we were ready to stop all the bullshit and settle down.
Unfortunately, the kind of women we seemed to attract weren’t the kind that we wanted to marry. Now we were older, and set in our ways, we were finding that women our age were set in theirs too, so it was difficult to find someone who wanted the same things we did.
“It’s for the best,” he replied, rolling his bag up and shoving it in the closet. “It’s better to find out now, then when I proposed, right?”
“Was it that serious?”
“I don’t know … It could have been.”
I looked my cousin over, determined he didn’t look heartbroken or anything, and figured he was better off. He’d find the right woman soon enough, but for now, it was time to enjoy a week with our favorite people.
“I was just about to take a look around, see if anything needs to be fixed,” I said, tilting my head toward the door. “You wanna head out?”
“Yeah, sounds good. Let me just hit the head real quick and we can take off on foot.”
I went back out onto the porch to let him take a piss in peace. These cabins had their own bathrooms, and were usually shared by two counselors of the same sex. Once you got to the part of camp where the campers stayed, there were communal bathrooms and showers. Each of those cabins had five bunk beds, and a twin bed for the junior counselors.
“All right, let’s do this,” Reardon said as he rushed outside, the screen door slapping as it closed.
We took off at a brisk pace as we walked. I was probably three inches shorter than Reardon, but even though I was retired, I still kept myself in pretty good shape. My cousin was no slouch by any means, but he did spend a lot of time behind a desk. Even though he knew I was faster than him, and almost always came out on top in any competition, Reardon was still the most competitive person I knew. That was why, after less than a half mile of him trying to walk faster than me, he took off at a sprint, his laughter floating behind him.
“Really?” I shouted. “You’re starting this shit already?”
Then I was off, running at full speed and gaining on him within moments. Right before we reached the break in the trees to the center of main camp, I gave it an extra push and passed him with a whoop.
I stopped at the flagpole, hands on my knees as I looked up at him, laughing at his red-faced scowl.
“When you gonna give it up?” I asked good-naturedly. A big part of our relationship included giving each other a hard time.
“Never,” he vowed, like he always did, then held his side. “I think I caught a cramp.”
“Serves you right, cupcake.”
Reardon shook his head as he looked around.
“The place looks great.”
“I had a team come in about a month ago. Did general landscaping and maintenance. Made sure everything was on point for opening day. I’ve used them before, so I knew they’d do the job I hired ‘em to do, but a lot can go wrong in a month. I want to make sure that at some point this week we put eyes on every facility. Make sure nothing broke, fell, or got eaten by a wild animal since they left.”
“Sounds easy enough,” he replied, then asked, “I know it’s kind of early, but I’m starving. What are your plans for dinner tonight?”
“I was thinking we could either do brats or steaks. I picked up a tri tip too, but figured we could save that for the last night.”
“That sounds good, and for tonight, steaks sound perfect.”
“We can head back and get the grill fired up. I can always hop on the four-wheeler and take a quick turn around the camp before dinner.”
“Perfect.”
We were headed back toward our cabins when the sound of leaves crunching had me bracing and looking to my left.
The last thing I expected to see was a leggy brunette in cut-offs and a tank top come walking out of the woods. Being an hour away from the closest town meant we didn’t often get unexpected visitors, but I was more curious than worried when she spotted us and relief flooded her face.
“Hey,” she said, her low, throaty voice open and friendly. “I’m so happy to see you guys. I parked back in the welcome lot, which is empty by the way, and have been growing more and more worried. This is Camp Gabriel Lewis, right? I’m supposed to be filling in for my sister as chaperone for the week while my nephew’s here at camp.”
I took in her big brown eyes and long dark hair, which was currently going wild and trying to escape its ponytail, then shot Reardon a look before turning back to her and replying, “I hate to say it, darlin’, but camp doesn’t start until next week.”
Too Tempting is Now Available!
Thanks to Lori and Ann for putting up with me during this book. The struggle was real!
To Jessica, of Inkslinger PR, for being my sounding board and listening to my crazy ramblings and ideas
To Beta Readers: Lyn, Krisi, Christine, Autumn, Laurie, Stephanie, and Jennifer, for always saying “Yes” and for giving honest feedback.
Kristina, at Red Road Editing, for always being there and giving great advice, even when I don’t want to go back and make edits, lol!
KMS Freelance Editing for proofreading for your quick turnaround and willingness to help.
Karen, at White hot eBook Formatting, for your patience, and for always helping make my books look great!
Stacey, at Champagne Formats, for the pretty graphics and quick response time.
Allie, of Makeready Designs, for making yet another cover that I love, and for putting up with my shenanigans.
To my Family for your unwavering support.
Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. She's a lover of all things romance: books, movies, music, and life, and she incorporates that into the books she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible. Some of her favorite things are: Kristen Ashley Books, coffee in the morning, and In N Out burgers.
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Bethany Lopez, Lei'd With Cupcakes
(Series: Cupcakes # 3)
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