If the first night was any indication, camping alone with a six-year-old would be an adventure. Timmy wanted to stay up late listening to ghost stories, of which Molly knew none. That had been Dustin’s forte and no doubt all her son’s fond memories of camping were with his father—grilling hot dogs, toasting s’mores and telling spooky stories. Molly had good memories of those family outings as well, even though she’d never been an outdoorsy, roughing it type.

She was quickly reminded of that when she woke up with a sore back and neck, courtesy of sleeping on the tent floor without the benefit of a sleeping bag or pillow. She hadn’t thought to pack those when she left Savannah in a hurry, because she didn’t plan on camping. Molly only took the tent because it was of her last remaining possessions from Dustin’s time in the military. She didn’t anticipate having to use it, but she was glad to have it, sore back and all.

Molly stretched and stifled a yawn as she woke up. A quick glance at her watch told her it was already past eight. Time to get up. She might not have anywhere to go, but she had to see about the car, or a job if it looked like they might be stuck here for a while.

“Timmy, wake up,” she said, nudging him on the shoulder.

“I’m awake.” He sat up. “I was just pretending to be asleep.”

“Really? Why?”

Her son shrugged. “Dunno. Just something I started doing so J.D. would leave me alone.”

Maybe I should have thought of that. “I’m sorry, honey. I know he wasn’t very nice to you.” Which should have been the first clue to leave, but she’d been stupid. Hopefully someday her son would forgive her.

“He wasn’t nice to you, either,” Timmy said.

Molly nodded. He was a smart kid, and he’s already experienced way too much hurt in his young life. “No, he wasn’t. That’s why we left.” Granted, they should have done it sooner, but stupidly, she kept on hoping J.D. would change. So much for those false promises. “Anyway, let’s get up.”

“Are we going to make it to Grandma and Granddad’s house today?”

Molly hated to disappoint him, but she shook her head. “I don’t think so. We’ll have to get the car fixed first, and that probably won’t happen today.” Not on a Saturday, in a small town. Why hadn’t they left on a weekday? More bad planning.

“Okay, then I can go swimming, right?” Timmy asked hopefully.

Remembering her words from the night before, Molly nodded. “Yes. We’ll try to find the pool here so you can go swimming.”

She stood and unzipped the opening of the tent, pushing the flaps aside and stepping out, Timmy right behind her. Immediately, they were greeted with a call of “Good Morning.” It sounded like it came from the cabin next door, so Molly turned in that direction. Sure enough, the writer sat out on the front porch, accompanied by laptop computer and a mug of coffee. He followed up his greeting with a wave as their eyes met.

“Hi,” she said. “Hard at work already, huh?”

Dak gave a shrug. “Something like that,” he said. “How’d you sleep?”

“Not too well,” Molly said. “The ground is kind of hard. I think I need to find a couple of sleeping bags.”

“You’re planning on staying for a bit, then?”

She hesitated, unsure how much information she should give this stranger. Sure, he was handsome, with a gentle face and kind eyes, but she knew nothing about him. Besides, J.D. had seemed nice at first, too. “I’m not sure yet.”

“Our car broke down,” Timmy chimed in. “Do you fix cars, Mr. Dak?”

So much for not revealing too much, too soon. Molly should’ve known that would be difficult with a talkative child with her.

“Just Dak, please,” the writer said with a chuckle. “And no, I don’t fix them, but I know a thing or two. I can maybe have a look at it and give you an idea what’s wrong.”

Molly weighed the offer. She wasn’t without some apprehension, but she didn’t have whole lot of options, either. “If you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Dak said. “The words aren’t flowing very well this morning, anyway. Where’s the car at?”

“Out on the main highway, about a mile from here.”

“Okay. How about a cup of coffee first?”

“Coffee sounds great,” Molly said.

“Then come on up. I just made a fresh pot.” Dak grinned. “It’s a writer’s fuel, at least until it’s an acceptable hour for wine.”

She laughed as she walked up the steps, Timmy trailing behind her. “Good to know. I don’t suppose you have any juice or anything on hand for this one?”

He shook his head. “Sorry, no, but we can scrounge something up. How old did you say you were, Timbo?”

“Almost seven.”

“Perfect,” Dak said. “I happen to have another friend here who has a son about your age.” He turned back to Molly. “I’ll introduce you to Julie and her boy. Maybe she can watch him for a bit while we see about the car.” He must have sensed her hesitation, because he continued, “She’s a single mom, too. Life’s dealt her a rough hand, which I figure you can relate to, but she’s doing the best she can with her boy, much like I’m sure you are. I think you’ll like Julie.”

Molly managed a smile. “Yes, I think I will, too,” she said. “Forgive me for being a little reserved. I’m not used to strangers being so friendly and offering help.”

“Fair enough, and it’s probably good to be wary,” Dak said, “but there’s some fine folks here at Happy Endings who will be glad to help.”

“Okay.” It was pointless to argue, especially when she so desperately needed the help. “In that case, I’ll take that coffee, and then I’d like to meet Julie.” Perhaps if she agreed to watch Timmy for a few hours, Julie could take him for that swim. That would satisfy a promise Molly made to her son, and still allow her to find out what was wrong with the car.

Dak grinned again, causing his whole face to light up. “You got it.”

***

TWENTY MINUTES AND a cup of coffee later, Molly and Tim made the trek with Dak around the campground’s lake to a row of trailers. While they walked, he mentioned that Julie’s son, Kyle, suffered from autism.

“What’s that?” Timmy wanted to know.

“It’s a neurological condition,” Molly said, searching for a way to explain it to her son in a way he could understand. “It means he doesn’t communicate as well, or as easily, as some kids do. He might not be comfortable around people. It doesn’t make him weird, or not smart, or anything like that, though. That means you need to be nice to him, okay?”

Timmy nodded. “Yeah. There was a kid at my school like that,” he said. “Some of the other kids made fun of him, but I liked him. He liked cars.”

Good. At least she didn’t have to lecture her son on how treat kids with special needs.

They approached one of the trailers, and Dak knocked on the door. “Julie? You here? It’s Dak.”

At the familiarity, Molly wondered exactly what the relationship was between the two of them. The girl working in the rental office the night before had made Dak sound reclusive and mysterious, perhaps even a bit of a hermit. Yet he apparently had a friendly relationship with this Julie person. Was it a romantic relationship?

And what difference did it make if it was? Molly wasn’t interested in Dak, at least not beyond getting some help with her car. No way, no how. Sure, he was cute, with shaggy brown hair and green eyes, and that easy smile, but the last thing Molly needed was any sort of romantic entanglement. She wasn’t looking for a fling. She was just looking to get out of here, and up to Virginia, as soon as possible.

The trailer door opened, revealing a petite blonde with a smile for her caller. “Morning. How’s my favorite author doing this morning?” Was it Molly’s imagination, or did the smile fade when Julie spotted her standing beside Dak?

“Pretty good,” he answered, and then gestured to Molly. “Julie, this is Molly and her son Tim. They arrived last night and are staying in a tent next door to my cabin.”

Molly extended a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Julie.”

“You, too. How long ‘ya staying?”

Trying to get rid of me already? “I’m not sure yet. I ran into some car trouble that I need to figure out.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Dak said. “I’m going to take Molly to go have a look at the car. I hoped maybe Tim could stay with you while we’re gone, and play with Kyle. I doubt we’ll be gone long.”

“Only if it’s not too much trouble,” Molly was quick to say. “He’s a good kid, and I’m sure he’d be fine with us, but—”

“I want to go swimming,” Timmy said. “Can you take me swimming?”

“Timmy!” Molly admonished. “Remember your manners.” She turned back to Julie. “I apologize for that. We had a long day yesterday and then the car broke down, and when we learned there’s a pool here, I sort of implied he could swim today.”

The other woman laughed and waved a hand in the air, dismissing the apology. “No worries. I understand. It’s been so hot lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time at the pool with my son. I’d be happy to have your boy tag along,” Julie said, “and it’ll be good for Kyle to have someone else close to his age to hang around with. He doesn’t always make friends easily.”

Molly was grateful that Dak had mentioned Kyle’s autism on the way over, allowing her the opportunity to instruct her son to be on his best behavior. “Remember what we talked about, Tim?” She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, and then looked up at Julie. “I’ll be his friend, if he’ll let me.”

“That sounds great. I’ll take you inside to meet him.”

Molly beamed with pride as she watched Timmy go inside the trailer with Julie. The past two years had been difficult on the best days, but at least her son was growing up with manners. She hoped Dustin was watching, and that he was proud, too.