Chapter 18

“I can’t believe you zip lined, Mom!” Scarlett squealed at the end of the course, as I was unhooked from the harness.

“It wasn’t my first time.” I slung my arm over her shoulder as we walked away. “But I haven’t done it in a very long time. It was before I even met your father.”

Frank and CB had waited for us in the dining hall. CB’s outfit for the day was not conducive to participating in any of the Camper/Parent activities.

“So, am I going to get to meet Cameron?”

A long, drawn out, “Mom,” accompanied her blush. “Did Wes tell you?”

“Well, I was scrolling through his phone after he told me about your fall from the horse.” The bruise on her leg had faded significantly, now appearing almost green and yellow in hue.

“Scrolling through Wes’ phone?” Scarlett raised her eyebrows and gave me a pointed look.

“Yeah, well that’s kind of my news. We’ve been seeing each other.”

Stopping dead in her tracks on the dirt path. “And you complain I don’t tell you like anything? This is literally like so huge. And you didn’t tell me this, really?”

“Well, it’s pretty new.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t like tell me. I am like literally so mad at him right now.” She had become very dramatic over the summer.

I laughed. “Well, bitch at him. I want to see Cameron. You don’t have to introduce me if you think I’m going to embarrass you.”

With an eye roll, we headed over to the soccer field. “He’s number 12.” She nodded her head toward the right side of the field.

Elbowing her with a smile, “You’ve got good taste, little one. He’s a cutie.” With thick blonde hair and a preppie look, I could see why my daughter had fallen for him. “How about if I take off and get your father to load your trunk and your bags into my car, so that you get a chance to say goodbye to Cameron and then meet up with us in the dining hall.”

“Okay,” Scarlett agreed with a smile, visibly relieved that she would get to say goodbye to him alone.

“See you in a little bit.” Taking off toward the dining hall, it was time to get Frank off his butt and working or we’d never get Scarlett packed up and on the road home at a decent hour.

As I climbed the hill to the dining hall, I pulled out my phone. I had one bar of phone reception and my data was reading 4G. 4G? I hadn’t seen that on my phone in centuries. There were no text messages from Wes and my heart took an immediate tumble. I needed a Wes fix. And then I chuckled, thinking once I get to a place with decent cell signal, my phone is going to blow up and all the messages will show up at once and my craving for him will be satisfied.

Just saw Cameron. He’s cute. My daughter has a bone to pick with you. And I miss you. Big time!!!

I didn’t know if my text would actually reach his phone or just float around in the ether for a while until we were back in civilization. I hadn’t realized that I would feel so incomplete without him by my side and that made me both happy and sad. I couldn’t help but wonder what he and Julien were doing. Pushing that thought immediately from my head, I didn’t want Julien anywhere near my thoughts. It had been so pleasant not having him around.

“So. what’s new, Tara?” Frank asked as I sat down next to him and CB.

“Not a damn thing.” I certainly wasn’t going to share my personal life with him. At least not yet or he’d be counting down the days until he could stop paying alimony. “I’m going to pull up my car as close as I can get it to Scarlett’s bunk. I need you to load her stuff into my trunk.”

“You can’t do that?”

“No. I can’t. Don’t worry, Countess, you won’t break a nail.” I pointedly looked down at Frank’s manicured fingers and wondered how I’d ever been married to him. Immediately I was slammed with a painful pang. I missed Wes so much. Had he been here, we would’ve just loaded up Scarlett’s stuff, it all would’ve been positive and there would have been none of this negative energy expended trying to get the ex to get off his pampered butt.

It annoyed me to no end that I had to tell him to load the car. This was the fifth summer we’d done this. The man knew the drill.

Around the time we hit the interstate, cell signal had returned and Scarlett began texting her camp friends. Lifting my phone to check for texts, I was surprised not to see any. Julien certainly must’ve been keeping Wes very busy.

“So we need to start school shopping.” I attempted to get my daughter’s attention.

“Okay. Can we ask Aunt Laynie to come with? She literally has like the coolest taste.”

“Text her and ask,” I said, silently laughing at my daughter’s vernacular and wondering if I’d ever hear a sentence for the next five years that didn’t include the words like and literally.

“She says of course and wants to know if you want to meet for dinner tonight.”

“Tell her yes. After this drive, I’m sure as heck not cooking.”

We were still an hour and a half out of New York City, when my cell signal chirped. Finally! Lifting my phone, I was surprised to see it was from Stacy.

Just admitted to Memorial Sloan-Kettering

“Oh my God.”

Alarmed, Scarlett turned to me, putting down her phone. “What’s the matter?”

“Wes’ sister Stacy just got admitted to Memorial Sloan-Kettering.”

“The cancer hospital?”

“Yes, she’s being treated for breast cancer. Will you do me a favor and text her back on my phone. I don’t want to text and drive at the same time.”

“Sure.”

“Okay, say OMG, are you okay? What happened?”

Cough got worse. And I’m running a fever. Going down for a CT Scan in a few.

“Tell her I’m on my way back to the city with Scarlett. Will drop her off, then be by to see you.”

“Are you okay with just dinner with Laynie?”

“Sure.”

“Okay text Aunt Laynie and tell her the situation.”

As we continued down I-91 heading toward New York, my stomach was in knots for Stacy. And for Wes. No wonder why I hadn’t heard from him.

Please let this be nothing more than an infection from being run down by chemo. Please, I prayed. Trying to keep my thoughts positive, I knew I needed to keep my strength and energy up to lend support to both Stacy and Wes.