I flash my best friend, Susan, a pouty lip, though I know my smile is still showing through. I don’t think she understands what this means to me. I’ve been in college for too many years now. This is the first real opportunity that anyone has given me to use my psychology degree. I’m not going to miss this chance.
“Susan, I know it’s states away, but that’s not that far,” I lie. “We’ll keep in touch with each other.” I really hope that’s true. Susan’s been my ride or die since I was a freshman. It’s gotten to the point where I’m not sure if I’ve spent more time with her or my parents across all my twenty-four years.
Susan grabs a few of my dresses and stuffs them in my bag. “I know we can call, but it’s not the same.” She sits down on the bed in a huff. “I guess I thought we would end up working in the same town and intertwining our whole lives together so much that our future husbands are just decoys for our secret, non-sexual, eternal love affair.”
I can’t help but smile at the idea. “I know, and I want that too, but I’ve gotten to a point where I can’t turn anything down. Mountain Ridge is literally the only one who called me for an interview in months.” I sit down next to Susan on the bed. “In the meantime, you have that fancy new lawyer job starting, and that’s what we’ll need if we’re going to make this secret relationship work,” I say coyly. “When the summer’s over, I’ll be back to being someone in desperate need of a couch to crash on and someone to take care of me.” I pout out my lip and Susan can’t help but laugh.
“Sure, sweetie, I’ll take care of you.” She pinches my cheeks. “Who could say no to that face?”
“Let’s hope these kids have the same mentality. It’s one thing to read about child psychology, it’s another to actually use it.” I continue packing the last of my clothes from the closet. I hope this is what everyone feels like when they leave college. I’d like to think that I’m not the only one who feels like they’re faking it.
“I still don’t understand what they have you doing,” Susan says as she pushes the vacuum around our soon to be abandoned space. “I mean, is this place for kids with behavioral problems?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s one of those all-inclusive type places that cater to people who want to spend their money and maybe ditch their kids nearby at camp. They want me there to handle any disputes amongst campers.” Susan looks confused. “You see, nowadays, any place where children are going to gather in large groups for extended periods of time, it’s required to have mental health officials on staff. Parents these days won’t throw their kids in summer camps like they did back in the day. Now they want to be sure that there is someone on staff that can handle everything. If Tommy gets a cut, nurse. If Emily sees the lake, lifeguard. And… if Johnny wants to burn the place down, me.”
I can’t help but smile at that last one. God, I hope there are no Johnny’s.
“Alright, girlie. I guess it’s time.” Susan reaches out and hugs me tight. “Promise me that you come back, and when you do, it’s right back to me.”
I hug her back, hopefully conveying to her how much she means to me. “I will. It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
Susan’s eyes begin to water. “I know. But on the bright side, it gives me enough time to find your future husband. One that never lets you leave me again.”
I hug Susan one last time. I know she’ll be okay. She’s got her amazing job in the city to go to and I’m going to be… fine. Okay, Mountain Ridge, you’d better be worth it.
Chapter Three
Alex
Early June
No matter how many times I’ve seen the first day of camp, each time it’s different, but also the same. Like clockwork, you see armies of rich people dropping their kids off on one side of camp, then heading to the other side to relax and enjoy their free time. I handle both sides of camp, but I prefer it over here, where the guests are less stuffy. It’s also interesting to see how time changes people. When I started helping here back in the day, kids didn’t have cell phones. They used to run around like chickens with their heads off and now it seems like most of them are just flocking to the cabins to play some video game together or to find the nearest outlet to charge their lifesaving phone… that also plays more video games.
I finish wrapping the last little bit of the electrical wire to the new spotlight I just put on the cafeteria. The food staff has been saying for years that the kids are sneaking in at night and taking the snacks. While I can understand the need for some late-night munchies, the owners wanted me to get this motion sensor flood light up before everyone got here. Luckily, I’m getting to it right as the parents are pulling in. Between the repairs on the kayaks, the updates to the storage in the kitchen, and these new lights, I’ve been pulling twelve-hour days for weeks.
I come down the ladder and a wave of phone addicted zombies run past, screaming at the top of their lungs. I smile. This is night and day different from plowing. All winter long I’m by myself with nothing but some eighties music in the cab of my truck and open roads. Here at Mountain Ridge, craziness. Every inch of this place gets covered with more wilderness than the forest we are trying to show them.
I pick up the ladder and make my way to the shed. As I turn the corner, I see a young lady whose either lost or hiding out. I’d like to think it’s the latter. From this angle, she’s stunning with elegant, voluptuous curves, long blonde hair, and eyes that stop me in my tracks. If she’s also the kind of girl who needs to hide out behind the shed for some quiet time, she might be the girl of my dreams.
“Excuse me,” I say with an interested smile, “but please tell me you’re hiding out from these kids.”
She laughs the cutest laugh. “No, not this time.” She reaches out her hand. “I’m Beth McCann. I’m the new child psychologist.”
I take her soft hand in mine. “Well, there’s still time,” I say with a smile. “I’m Alex Baxter. I’m the handyman, electrician, mechanic, etcetera. Basically, if it needs fixing, I’m your guy.”
She smiles back. “Well then, it seems like we’re both in the fixing business. Mine is just making sure I keep these kids in a good enough headspace that they don’t burn the place down.”
She’s cute and funny… interesting.
I open the shed and put the ladder in. “So if you’re not hiding out and you’re not here to spend the day next to the shed with me, where are you headed?”
“I’m actually looking for the administration office. I basically know nothing about this place, where they want me to set up, and what they have planned for me.” As she tails off that last sentence, I can begin to feel her anxiety. She’s nervous.
“Not a problem. Thankfully, you’ve bumped into one of Mountain Ridge’s best tour guides. Follow me and I’ll show you where everything is set up for you.”
I motion for her to follow, and we start to make our way over the hill. Kids run around us by the dozens as we work our way across the welcoming area.
“Is it always this crazy?” Beth asks. “I’m not complaining. It seems like I’ll get the experience I came here for, but it seems like a lot of kids.”