I pushed a hand truck laden with supply boxes toward the stage set. As I approached, I could hear the faint sounds of hammering. When I got closer, the hammering stopped, and the orchestra started up. I smiled when I saw the cast rehearsing the “Make Em’ Laugh” scene from Singin’ in the Rain. It had always been one of my favorite parts.

“Cadence, bring those boxes of brushes over here,” my mother called. She was waving at me to come backstage. When I approached her, she shook her head. “Thanks, honey. The heat has been brutal this year. We’re four weeks into the season, and already we’re behind. Paint is drying on the brushes before it even touches the wood!”

She motioned to the wooden props that were scattered all over backstage. Some were standing upright while others were lying flat. The student set designers moved around them, each one wielding a paintbrush and seemed frustrated over the fast-drying paint. I looked up and shielded my eyes from the hot Virginia sun that was shining down on us.

“What if daddy fashions a curtain of sorts to block the afternoon sun? That might help.”

Her eyes lit up.

“Brilliant idea! Jamison!” she called to my father.

“Yes, dear,” he responded automatically. I looked over toward the sound of his voice. He was on his knees and appeared to be fixing a few of the floorboards stage left. A hammer was in one hand, clearly signifying that he was the one causing the hammering noise I heard a few moments before.

“Is there any way to hang a curtain to shade the backstage area?” my mother asked him.

My father stood and eyed up the rafters above the outdoor stage. He scratched his chin contemplatively for a moment before nodding his head.

“Shouldn’t be a problem. I can use the old stage curtains. I was just going to toss them since we have the new ones, but I’m glad I hung on to them. I’ll get Devon and Fitz over here to help. We can probably have it up within a few hours.”

My belly tightened at the mention of Fitz. The past few weeks with him had been perfect. Every night I had spent with him was like every girl’s dream idea of a perfect date. Sometimes we’d walk hand in hand around the lake for hours, breaking only for the intermittent kiss. Other times, we’d swim or play Frisbee on the beach. On the few occasions when I had to work late at the camp store, I’d brought my homework to the lake. Fitz didn’t seem to mind but simply played fetch with Dahlia while I worked. Just being around me seemed to be enough for him.

“Momma, I’m going to head back to The Flourish if you don’t need anything else.”

“Actually, would you stick around for a few minutes? I could use your eyes. You’re good at seeing things that are out of place. While I’m directing, I’d like you to look at actor stage placement from the audience perspective. There should be windows, so nothing important is blocked.”

This wasn’t an unusual request from her as I had been her test audience for years. Joy had already taken her lunch break, and the store was usually quiet during this time of day. I was sure she’d be okay by herself for a while.

“Sure,” I agreed with a shrug.

“Thanks. Just take a seat second-row, center stage, and I’ll get started.”

As my mother issued instructions to the students, I sat back and watched her. She was a genius at what she did, and I couldn’t help but to notice how captivated the students were by her words. They hung on to everything she said, eager to learn from one of the best. I wished I knew the person she was once upon a time. I had only seen pictures, theater posters, and old newspaper clippings that depicted her fame. My mother had been a beautiful young woman. Her hair had been blond, just like mine, and she always appeared vibrant and bright-eyed. While sixty-two years on this earth may have grayed her hair and added lines to her face, she still looked just as vibrant and beautiful to me.

Once everyone was in their place on stage, my mother signaled to the orchestra conductor. He raised his baton and the musicians poised at the ready. The male student who played the role of Cosmo Brown began his lines, telling the actor playing Don Lockwood about the importance of not giving up.

“Come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet! The show must go on!” he bellowed. Moving quickly over to the piano on stage right, he sat down and pretended to play. The reality was that there was a pianist in the pit playing the tune. When he began to sing and dance to “Make Em’ Laugh,” I laughed. And hard. His quick feet and abundant silliness were so similar to real the life actor, Donald O’Connor. The kid had major talent.

I glanced over at my mother’s face. She was beaming from ear to ear, and I knew that this year’s cast was destined to be great.

When the scene ended, she asked for my feedback.

“Everything looked great to me, Momma. The sound from the orchestra was good too. A few little blips, but it’s early. They still have time to practice. Once the set design is complete, I think it will come together wonderfully.”

“Excellent! I have one more scene I need you to watch. Again, look closely at their placement on stage. We’ve been struggling with the look and feel of this one. It’s not the acting per se, but...” She trailed off and looked up at the sky for a moment. “Well, I don’t want to influence you. Just watch and tell me what you think.”

Settling back once again, I waited as my mother called the girl who was cast to play the role of Kathy Sheldon. She and the male playing Don Lockwood joined hands. I smiled wistfully when they began to sing a romantic ballad. Trying not to get too caught up in the performance, I looked carefully at their stage placement. Everything seemed okay to me as far as I could tell. My eyes roamed up and over the set, carefully assessing the lighting until my gaze settled on a more than familiar face. Fitz was standing off stage left. He wasn’t watching the actors, but rather he was watching me.

Our gazes locked, and for a moment, it was as if we were the only two present. I could hear the music, but I barely saw the young students dancing in my peripheral. Blinking, I snapped myself to attention and trained my eyes back on the performers. As they tap danced across the stage, I couldn’t help but steal furtive looks back at Fitz. He was still watching me, just waiting for a moment to catch my eye again. When he did, he gave me a little wink. I smiled, somewhat flattered by his attention.

I glanced over at my mother. Much to my dismay, she wasn’t paying one bit of attention to the students. Instead, she was looking straight at Fitz. When her eyes flitted in my direction, her gaze narrowed. I nearly swore aloud, knowing that she had caught our exchange. She was so damn observant.

Determined not to give her more reason for suspicion, I spent the next three minutes looking at nothing else but the performance happening on stage. When it ended, I quickly stood and walked straight over to my mother. Acting as if nothing was amiss, I told her my observations.

“Considering that you’ve only have four weeks to work on this, the performance was exceptional. However, the sunlight on the stage seemed to wash them out. Maybe a darker wardrobe for them would help or have the tech crew shift the stage lighting,” I said hurriedly. “Also, I think the orchestra should raise their tempo a bit so the choreography is seamless and less awkward.”

She watched me curiously for a moment before nodding her head.

“Yes, I agree. I was thinking similar things,” she paused and looked behind me. I didn’t dare turn, knowing that she was looking in the direction of where Fitz had been standing. “Thanks, dear. I’ll let you get back to your work at The Flourish.”

“Okay, Momma. I’ll see you at dinner.”

Leaning toward her, I placed a quick kiss on her cheek, before heading back in the direction of the camp store. When I was halfway there, I remembered that I’d forgotten the hand truck backstage.

“Damn!” I said aloud to myself. We had a supply delivery showing up in the morning. Unloading without the hand truck would be a bear. Turning around, I began to walk back. Up ahead, I spotted Fitz on the path. He was headed in my direction, carrying a large toolbox.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said as he approached. “Are you going back to the stage?”

“I forgot the hand truck that belongs over in the camp store. I need to go back for it.”

“I can grab it later for you,” he offered.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. No sweat. I was just headed over to the barn to swap out the toolbox. Your dad said we needed a different one for the stage pulleys. Apparently, we need to hang a curtain of some kind. Once we’re through, I’ll drop the hand truck off at The Flourish.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Since we both had to go in the same direction, we began to walk down the long winding gravel path that passed the camp store and ended at the barn.

“I forgot to mention it to you last night, but I have a favor to ask,” Fitz said.

“Sure, just as long as it doesn’t include winking at me in front of my mother.”

I tossed him a sideways glance and he had the decency to look shamefaced.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I didn’t think she’d notice, but the look she gave told me it was pretty obvious that she did.”

“Well, I suppose she’d find out eventually,” I said, feeling an odd mix of trepidation and excitement. A part of me wanted to tell my mother about Fitz and me. I confided in her about most things, and I wanted to share my happiness. However, I worried that she’d frown upon me getting involved with someone at camp. “Anyway, what’s the favor?”

“Is there a phone over at The Flourish?”

“Of course. We might not have internet, but we aren’t that archaic. There are phones all over this place.”

“Not in the barn.”

“Except for there,” I laughed, still feeling guilty for making him sleep in the loft. If I had another option, I would have moved him and Devon. But the truth was, we really were completely booked this year.

“After work I was going to pop into the store. I need to call home. There are a few things I need and want to see if I can get my dad’s housekeeper to ship them to me.”

I quirked up an eyebrow with interest. Despite the many nights Fitz and I had spent together, never once had he mentioned having a housekeeper. For that matter, he barely ever spoke about his family either. I wondered why that was and, for the first time, I began to think about how vastly different our lives must be outside of Camp Riley.

“What do you need?”

“It’s a secret,” he said with a devilish grin.

“If that’s how it’s going to be, then maybe I won’t let you use the phone.”

He poked my ribs. It tickled, causing me to squeal and jerk away. Fitz laughed, a bellowing sound that came from deep within.

“Seriously,” he said, adopting a more earnest tone. “I want it to be a surprise.”

Curiosity got the best of me, so I agreed.

“Alright, I’ll bite. But only because I like you,” I teased. “What time do you finish today?”

“I’m hoping before five, assuming your dad doesn’t hand out any last-minute jobs for me and Devon.”

“I’ll stick around the store until you get there. Are we meeting at the lake again tonight?”

“Do you even need to ask?”

I laughed. Our secret meetings at the lake had become part of my routine. Work, food, homework, and then sneaking off to meet Fitz. So far, this summer had been my favorite of all spent at Camp Riley. We were only one month in, but already I didn’t want it to end.

“I’ll be there by eight,” I told him.

We walked a little further, up over the hill, until the camp store came into view. I glanced around us to make sure nobody else was nearby. Seeing that we were alone, I turned to face Fitz. Raising up to my tiptoes, I pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

“Somebody is going to see you do that one of these days,” he joked after I pulled away. His hand lingered on my arm, and his eyes were intense. I was now familiar with the heat that would creep into his gaze and knew he was fighting the urge to pull me into his arms for a much longer kiss. Instead, he said, “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

As promised, Fitz came to the store at five to make his phone call. I let him have his privacy by straightening the shelves on the sales floor while he spoke on the phone in the stockroom. After he finished, he didn’t say anything, but simply flashed me a mischievous grin before slipping out the front door of the store.

Joy watched the entire event with a suspicious look on her face. As soon as the door closed behind Fitz, she rounded on me.

“What’s going on with you two?”

I looked at her in feigned surprise.

“Nothing,” I lied. She gave me a skeptical look.

“Bullshit. That boy stops in here almost every day. Whenever he does, you get all flushed and start acting weird. Spill it.”

I glanced around. Thankfully, Joy and I were the only ones in the store at that moment.

“Okay, so maybe I’ve been meeting up with him sometimes after work.”

“Maybe? Sometimes?”

“Okay, so it’s been a lot of times. So what?”

“Are you two like, going out or something?”

“It’s not like that. We’re just friends,” I fibbed again, just hoping she wouldn’t see through the lie. Joy was my friend, but still. It wasn’t just that I didn’t want to start gossip mills among the staff. A part of me wanted to keep Fitz my little secret although I couldn’t explain why.

“If you’re just friends, then he obviously wants more than that. I’ve seen the way he watches you. Honey, that boy wants you something fierce!” she exclaimed, clearly unconvinced.

I just shrugged but didn’t say anything. Instead, I went into the stockroom to grab the keys for the camp store. Coming back out, I handed them to Joy.

“It’s your turn to lock up tonight. I’m going to head over to Creator Hall, grab dinner, and then head home. I want to put a bigger dent in my course load tonight. I’m a little behind on assignments.”

She eyed me suspiciously as she took the keys. When I turned to walk away, she grabbed my arm.

“Cadence. Be careful.”

She didn’t have to say what or who she was referring to with her warning. Nodding, I pulled my arm free of her grasp and walked out.

Anxious to meet up with Fitz, I grabbed a sandwich of apple butter and ham for dinner and hurried home to work on my assignments. My parents weren’t there. More than likely, they were still over at the stage set working and wouldn’t be back for hours. For that, I was grateful. It meant I wouldn’t have to see my mother’s inquisitive gaze.

After working on a sociology essay for more than an hour, I was satisfied with what I had accomplished. I glanced out the window. There was another breathtaking sunset tonight, and I was grateful to be able to catch the end of it with Fitz. Still, Joy’s words had hung over me the entire time I was writing my paper.

“Are you two like, going out or something?”

I didn’t know the answer to that question and it bothered me.

What was this thing between us?

Shaking my head, I gathered the papers and textbooks that were spread out all over the kitchen table. I stuffed them into my backpack and brought it to my room. Dahlia, who was now familiar with my routine, stood waiting for me at the kitchen door. Grabbing her leash, the two of us set out to the lake. And to Fitz.