They were all nervous. He felt Jules’s palms grow damp and she wiped them several times on the skirt she was wearing.
It had been decided that Zoey would open the press conference. The friends had a written speech that they would each take part in before they opened it up to questions. Then they would give a tour of the campgrounds to any journalist who wished to look around.
Before Zoey stepped up to the microphone, a ton of photographs were taken of the large group. He remembered the days before the camp had opened, when there had been a handful of travel guides and magazines that had interviewed the friends. This was nothing like that.
Currently about triple the number of people were snapping photos. Besides, during those first photos and interviews, no employees had taken part. Now, everyone here stood in solidarity with the five friends.
Zoey walked up to the microphone and a hush fell over the group.
“Hello, and welcome to River Camps. I’m Zoey Costas. In a few minutes, you’ll get a chance to meet all of the River Camp owners. But for now, you’re stuck with me.” Zoey paused as a few chuckles filled the air. “I’m going to walk you through the basics. River Camps was originally opened more than fifty years ago by Joe Saunders, who purchased the land and built the property as an elite summer camp for girls, in honor of his daughter. Elle is Joe’s granddaughter.” Zoey turned to Elle, who waved her hand and then put it back on her growing belly. “Elle, Hannah, Aubrey, my sister Scarlett, and I all met here when we were eleven years old. We have remained friends all throughout our lives. When Joe died, he left the property to us.” Zoey motioned to Elle, who stepped forward as Zoey stepped back.
“It was my crazy idea to turn River Camps into what it is today.” She smiled. “With a little help, okay, a lot of help”—she rolled her eyes— “and a lot of favors, we accomplished the goal within a year.”
Hannah stepped forward this time. “I pulled a lot of strings and managed to get Isaac Andrews to agree to become head chef and take over the kitchens here. You will all get a chance to enjoy a specially made lunch after the press conference.” This brought several cheers.
It was Scarlett’s turn to step forward. “For those of you who are feeling a little more adventurous, follow me on a tour of the grounds, where I’ll show you our custom-built zip lines. You can visit our barn filled with more than a dozen rehabilitated horses that guests can enjoy. We also have our very own sailboat complete with owner and captain Damion”—Scarlett turned to him, and he stepped forward and waved, as requested— “to fill those summer nights and take you to see some of the best sunsets Florida has to offer.”
Aubrey stepped forward next. “You can join me in a class—tai chi, judo, yoga, self-defense. You name it, we teach it. If you’re not into that much physical strain, grab a free five-minute massage from one of our certified masseuses.” Aubrey motioned to Andrea and Kara who both waved. “Or take a dip in one of our three swimming pools or sit back and enjoy our very own private beach.” Aubrey finished up as Zoey stepped forward.
“As you will see for yourself today, River Camps has something for everyone’s inner child. The staff and the grounds, including all of the amenities, are yours for today’s enjoyment. We will take questions at this time before we break into tours.”
At this point, several questions were thrown at them. Zoey looked slightly taken aback and held up her hands.
“Please.” Zoey turned to Jules, who stepped forward and took the extra microphone and started walking around picking people to ask questions.
Damion pretty much zoned out at this point but came shooting back to focus when he heard the question thrown at Zoey.
“Is it true that you personally aborted your living baby a few days ago right here on the campgrounds?”
Damion saw Jules jerk the microphone away, as if she wanted to hit the woman over the head with it.
Several gasps filled the air while more pictures were taken of Zoey.
Dylan stepped behind Zoey and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. Zoey looked as if she had been shot. Damion was almost sure her face was as pale now as it had been when he’d caught her on the docks.
“Please keep your questions focused on River Camps. Next question please,” Dylan said firmly.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Jules was steaming. She wanted to smack the blond woman who had asked the question to Zoey. She wanted to correct her. To tell her exactly what had happened. But it wasn’t her place.
Instead, she continued to walk around and hold the microphone for a few more questions before everyone broke up and started being ushered around the grounds.
Jules did note that the blonde left right after the press conference portion.
She wanted to go and make sure Zoey was okay, but Dylan was there with her, and Jules had a job to do. She, along with a handful of other employees, were tasked with showing around anyone who asked to see the grounds.
After an initial shuffling around, she was put in charge of three journalists and their photographers. She answered questions, showed them the stables, the boathouse, the pool house, and the beach before heading back to the main building and dining hall so they could enjoy their free lunch.
The plan was that the visiting journalists would all leave the campgrounds before dark. For the most part, all of them followed the rule. However, there were a handful that asked to speak with the owners one more time because they had new questions.
Jules arranged for the smaller group to meet with the Wildflowers at the base of the main staircase inside.
This time, almost all of the questions were asked to Zoey.
“Is it true that you attacked Lisa Tribberton?”
“No, it’s not true,” Zoey answered.