Secrets Page 13

  “I love you.”

  Sean’s breath hitched. “You too, Dad.”

  Flopping belly first on the bed, Sean finally relaxed. A few tears fell, but not the torrent he expected. He wiped his eyes on the back of his arm and let his thoughts drift, listening for the shower to stop, signaling his turn in the bathroom.

  An image of Robyn sopping up her spilled Coke popped into his mind, and he managed a smile. Oh—the napkin she’d given him! He still hadn’t looked at it.

  He slid the napkin from his rear pocket and unfolded it. Once. Twice.

  In purple gel ink, she’d scratched a couple of lines. She hadn’t bothered with the phone number, he guessed since he didn’t have a phone of his own. Wasn’t like he couldn’t use the home phone, though.

  Diagonally across the napkin, she’d written: “I like a guy with guts, even if he’s a klutz.” At the end of the sentence, she drew a smiley face.

  Sean grinned. Guts, huh? Fortitude. He’d take it.

  ###

  Follow “Behind the Wheel” characters Sean and Paul Porter in the coming-of-age story for older teens and adults, Rightfully Ours, when their dad’s second deployment uproots their lives, taking them far from home.

  ~~†~~

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CAROLYN ASTFALK writes from The Sweetest Place on Earth, Hershey, Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and four children. In addition to her contemporary Catholic romances (sometimes referred to as Theology of the Body fiction), including the young adult coming-of-age story Rightfully Ours, she writes for CatholicMom.com and Today’s Catholic Teacher. When she’s not washing dishes, doing laundry, or reading, you can find her blogging about books, family life, and faith at www.CarolynAstfalk.com.

  Contemporary

  7

  MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD

  by Leslea Wahl

  MONDAY

  The clock is ticking. We don’t have much time. My heartbeat hammers frantically from the stress. I’m searching everywhere but can’t find the key. It’s got to be here. I yank open the drawers again; maybe I missed something. No. It can’t end like this—we’re too close. But as the moments tick by, I’m afraid we’re doomed.

  “Ryan! Hurry!” My hands shake as panic surges through me.

  He’s fiddling with a combination lock, trying a series of numbers, desperate to unlock the safe.

  “Hurry, they’ll be here any second!” I hear footsteps in the hallway.

  With one last spin of the dial, the metal door swings open. There it is, sitting on a stack of yellowing papers. The key to our freedom. I snatch it and race to the far door.

  With my hand trembling, I can’t quite insert the key.

  “Josie, let me help.”

  Ryan comes up behind me, his steady hand guiding the key into the lock. Together we turn the key. An audible click. The door opens.

  “We did it! We escaped!” Relief pours through me.

  From around the corner, a big burly man emerges. His eyes bore into us. We watch him carefully, unsure of our next move.

  “Congratulations. You escaped.” He displays about as much enthusiasm as a cat sunning itself. “You can pick up your certificate in the office.”

  “We did it!” I wrap my arms around Ryan.

  Ryan grins at the guy, whose eyebrows are raised, quite literally looking at me like I’m insane. “She’s always wanted to try one of these escape rooms.”

  I nod. “We don’t have any cool escape rooms in our town so, since we were coming up to Minneapolis to pick up relatives at the airport, we thought we’d try one.”

  The answering yawn makes me suspect he doesn’t really care.

  “You’re the first ones to come in costume.” He scans our 1920s attire.

  “Really? That’s part of the fun.” I do a few quick twists, the fringe of my flapper dress swaying with the movement.

  The guy glances back at Ryan. “You’ve got a unique girl there.”

  “Don’t I know it.” Ryan pulls me close, kissing my cheek. I can’t get over how cute he looks in his fedora. A themed escape room is, of course, a perfectly appropriate place to wear a fedora.

  “Well. Good job.” He gives us a half-hearted thumbs-up, then wanders back down the hall.

  “Now you can cross that off your bucket list.” Ryan glances at his watch. “Okay, we better change. We need to get to the airport.”

  “So, tell me about your cousin.” Fearing I’ll be swept away by the wave of newly arrived passengers, I cling to Ryan’s hand.

  We’re about to spend a week of the summer before our senior year helping at a summer camp for disadvantaged kids. Ryan has been a counselor there before, but this will be my first time, and I have a major case of stage fright. Not only will we be working with these kids, who I’m not sure I’ll connect with, but Ryan’s cousin and her boyfriend are flying in from Colorado to volunteer as well. I’ve heard a lot about this favorite cousin of his and really want to make a good impression.

  “Sophie’s cool, we’ve always had fun together.”

  “What’s her boyfriend’s name again?”

  “Jake.”

  When his face brightens with a smile, I turn to see a girl our age with wavy brown hair hurry towards him. A gorgeous dark-haired guy follows her. We’re talking drop-dead gorgeous.

  “Ryan!” Her arms wrap around him.

  “Hey, Soph. This is my girlfriend, Josie.”

  I glance at her but turn my attention back to the guy next to her. I don’t mean to stare but can’t help it. His movie star looks are like a magnet for the eyes.

  “Ryan, Josie, this is my boyfriend, Jake.”

  Jake flashes a high-wattage smile my way. When recognition hits, the blood seems to drain from my body. Do not faint. I turn towards Ryan and punch his arm.

  “Seriously, Ryan? You never thought to tell me that your cousin is dating Jake Taylor. The Jake Taylor?”

  He shrugs with one of his signature grins. “Guess it slipped my mind.”

  “It slipped your mind that she’s dating a famous, silver-medal winning snowboarder?”

  When people around us turn to stare, I realize I may have screeched that information a little too loudly. People begin pointing and pulling out their phones. One young boy asks for an autograph. I notice a slight twitch of Jake’s jaw before he graciously agrees. Soon a line of fans forms.

  Oops. I hadn’t meant to make a scene thirty seconds after we met.

  I turn to Ryan. “This is your fault. Why didn’t you warn me?”

  His grin deepens. “I thought the element of surprise might be more fun.”

  Sophie rolls her eyes at him, then we both punch his arms.

  After finally pulling Jake away from the madness, we load Ryan’s SUV and hit the road.

  The seatbelt strains against me as I turn in my seat to chat with Jake and Sophie. “Again, sorry I directed so much attention at you.”

  “Josie’s specialty is creating interesting situations.” Ryan shoots me a wink.

  Sophie smiles. “And here I thought musical theater was your specialty.”

  Does she think that’s a bad thing? Her tone reveals nothing. “They tend to go hand in hand. My theatrical side sometimes makes life interesting. But really, I’ll try to keep my fangirl excitement suppressed.”

  Jake shrugs. “No worries. Being recognized is an occupational hazard.”

  “I can’t wait to tell my friend Liz that I met you. She’s quite obsessed, even has one of your calendars hanging on her bedroom wall.” I force my eyes off his face. Ogling the guy is probably not the way to make a good impression.

  “A lot of people like his calendar,” Sophie states, a slight edge to her voice.

  “But not everyone.” Jake nudges his girlfriend.

  “You didn’t like it?” Hard to believe.

  She glances out the window then back at me. “Sure, it was great, but the thought of pictures of your boyfriend hanging on bedroom walls across America is a l
ittle disconcerting.”

  Ryan laughs and shoots Sophie a look through the rearview mirror. She playfully scowls. Their interaction makes me pretty sure I’m missing some kind of inside joke.

  “Changing the subject here.” She flicks his head with her finger. “How’d the baseball season go, Ryan?”

  “Good.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “Don’t let him fool you. It was amazing. He was named one of Minnesota Youth Athletes to Watch.”

  “Wow, that’s awesome, man.” Jake pats Ryan’s shoulder. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Sophie talks about you a lot.”

  As he switches lanes, Ryan looks over his shoulder. “I bet she made me out to be the cousin that always pulled pranks on her.”

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  “Well, watch your back, man. She may look sweet and innocent, but she has a devious side. Did she ever tell you about the time our families went to Mackinaw Island and she buried me in the sand, leaving only my head exposed, then disappeared, leaving me trapped?”

  Yeesh! Not sure about their idea of fun.

  Sophie laughs. “Oh, poor Ryan. That was just retaliation for him convincing me the weird seaweed on the beach was good for my hair. He watched me braid the slimy strings into my hair and everything. Then it dried. Ugh.” Her face crinkles like she can still smell it. “Took days to wash the stench out.”

  Should be an interesting week with these two.

  The car slows, jarring me awake. We turn onto a road lined by thick, towering trees. Eventually the dense forest opens up, revealing the camp. Log cabins and a dirt ball field are nestled beside a shimmering lake. Rocks and pines surround the picturesque setting.

  The camp director, Paul, scurries out of the main lodge to greet us. “Welcome!”

  After a quick tour around the camp, we turn back toward the main lodge, which looks like one of my brother’s Lincoln Log creations.

  “I’m glad you all could join us. The mission of this camp is to provide an opportunity for disadvantaged kids to experience nature in a Christian environment. We try not only to instill in them the love of God, but also help them see they all have amazing gifts and talents they can use to improve their lives. Growing up in desperate situations can lead kids to all kinds of problems like joining gangs, dropping out of school, and drug use. The kids at this camp are only in fifth and sixth grades, but some are tough nuts to crack.” He runs his hand through his hair. “As you know, the kids have been here a few days already. There’s one boy in particular, Jet, I’m worried about. He could really use some positive role models. His older brother, who was actually trying to make a better life for himself, was killed recently in gang violence. We’ve been trying hard to reach him.”

  “How horrible.” I glance at Ryan. Is it too late to back out? I’m not sure I’m cut out for this.

  We follow Paul inside the lodge. “I’ve assigned some tasks that I hope will be fun and can utilize your own gifts. Sophie, your writing and photography skills are impressive. Would you mind taking photos this week? I’m hoping to update our brochures and website this fall.”

  She smiles. “That sounds fantastic.”

  “Josie, I hear you’re an actress. Would you coordinate the talent show for Friday evening?” He nods towards a small stage at the far end of the room.

  “Absolutely!” Thank goodness. I was afraid I’d have to do something out of my comfort zone this week, like rock climbing or knot tying. Talent show? Piece of cake.

  As Paul tells the guys their jobs for the week, the lure of the stage draws me closer.

  Ideas for an opening production number flit through my mind when I notice a boy slumped against the side of the stage, next to the piano. His matted hair shoots from his head in a million directions, resembling a dirty mop. His serious, big brown eyes watch me from his grimy face.

  “Hi. I’m Josie.”

  When he doesn’t answer, I decide a prompt might be necessary.

  “This is the point in the conversation where you’re supposed to tell me your name.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.” Little does he know, I have a younger brother. There is no way this little twerp is getting the best of me.

  After a short stare down, where he must realize I’m not budging, he sighs. “It’s Jet.”

  Oh, so this is the boy Paul mentioned.

  “Cool name. It reminds me of West Side Story. The Jets and the Sharks were rival gangs.”

  His expression hardens even more. “What do you know about gangs?”

  Shoot. I spoke before thinking again. Paul just told us his brother had been killed by gang violence. Off to a stellar start. I close my eyes. Hey God, I could use a little help here.

  “You’re right. I don’t know much about gangs, but it’s still a good musical.”

  He rolls his eyes. “A musical about gangs? That’s dumb.”

  “Hey mister,” I teasingly scold. “No dissing Broadway musicals unless you’ve seen them.”

  The corner of his mouth twitches. Did he almost smile?

  “Let me guess, you’re here to try and save kids like me.” He rubs his chin, smearing dirt along his jawline.

  “Nope, just here to produce the most amazing summer camp talent show west of the Mississippi. I don’t suppose you’d like to help me?”

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  I cross my arms. “I don’t know. Because it might be more fun than staring into space. But, hey, your loss if you don’t want to participate.”

  With a shrug I walk towards an old stereo along the adjacent wall, but from the corner of my eye I see him watching me.

  TUESDAY

  After spending all morning with the rambunctious campers, the four of us find ourselves with a little free time. It couldn’t have come at a better time. There is not enough caffeine in all of northern Minnesota to help me match the energy level these kids possess.

  Ryan’s thrilled to lead us on a hike to show us his favorite spots. This whole outdoorsy thing is not really in my repertoire, so I couldn’t care less about this hike, but I am excited for the chance to get to know Jake and Sophie better. Ever since I knew we would all be working here, I had envisioned Sophie and myself sprawled out on our bunk beds, sharing secrets, and chatting late into the night. But, in reality, we were both exhausted last night and fell right to sleep. Today, we might finally have a chance to bond.

  “This camp is great, Ryan.” Sophie pulls out her ever-present camera to capture a view of the valley, peeking from between the trees. She adjusts the lens. “Did you happen to notice the sign at the bottom of that hill? ‘Isabelle’s Peak.’ I’ve noticed a lot of unusually-named locations around here. Do you know the story behind them?”

  “Sorry, never noticed.” Ryan grips my arm to steady me when I trip on a root invading my path.

  “How could you not wonder about places named Lovers Leap, Heartbreak Hollow, and Fugitive Forest?” Her voice rises.

  “Um, because they’re just names?”

  Sophie stops walking and looks at him like he just said the most ridiculous thing. “Even this camp’s name—Camp Mercy—is intriguing. Don’t you know there are stories behind the names?”

  His hands shoot up in surrender. “Honestly, never thought about it.”

  “Don’t worry, pal.” Jake gives him a sympathetic look. “I never knew that either, but your lovely cousin has a knack for uncovering these kinds of things.”

  “Learn something new every day. There’s a little library in town, maybe they can fill you in.”

  As we continue, Ryan and Jake lag behind, deep in a conversation about rock climbing. Does anyone besides them care about bouldering and belaying? I think not. Sophie is distracted by all the flowers along the path and keeps snapping photos of them. Which puts me in the lead. I harness my inner Maria from Sound of Music, ready to climb every mountain. But somehow I must've made a wrong turn. Two giant stones tower over us, blocking the path.

  Ryan nu
dges me with his shoulder. “Think we hit a dead end.”

  “So much for my mountaineering skills.”

  Sophie wanders closer to the formation. A narrow passage between the stones makes it look like they were once one massive rock that split in two. “This is fantastic. I wonder if these rocks are named?”

  A quick scan reveals nothing. “I don’t see a sign. Maybe you can name it yourself.”

  “How about Two Giant Rocks?” Ryan not-so-helpfully suggests.

  The look Sophie shoots him reveals just how unamused she is. “You don’t get this naming thing, do you? The name has to have meaning, a story behind it.”

  “Okay, how about the Josie Got Us Lost Rock. Is that descriptive enough?”

  My turn to shoot him a dirty look. So hilarious.

  “How about Minnesota Stonehenge?” Jake grins.

  “No, wait!” I add, inspiration hitting. “Sophie’s Stonehenge.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I think you guys are possibly the worst site-naming team in history.”

  “Hate to cut our excursion short.” Ryan glances at his watch. “We’ve got to head back. Jake and I are the captains of the teams for this afternoon’s kickball game. You girls want to cheer us on?”

  “Sure!” I jump on his back for a piggy-back ride. He can lead the way this time.

  Sophie’s gaze lingers on the rock. “I’m sure you’ll have enough fans there without me. I’m going into town to find out more about the names of all these sites.”

  Jake tugs a strand of her hair. “Our intrepid investigative reporter has a new story to chase.”

  “I’ll go with you.” I blurt out. “A girls’ day out will be fun.”

  An unsure look passes over Sophie’s face, which makes my insides drop, but she answers graciously. “Sure, the company would be great. We’ll meet you guys back at the lodge for dinner.”

  Finally, the perfect opportunity to get to know her better.

  As we exit the hiking path on our way to camp we come across a lone boy sitting in the dirt, staring towards the ball field. Jet. The guys approach him. Hopefully they’ll have more luck than I did.