The Daydream Cabin Page 15

  They all three hurried across the yard to the dining hall, and then jogged back together. Right at nine o’clock, the lights went out in the cabin. Jayden patted the table between her chair and the one connected to it. “Come on up here and have a seat.”

  Elijah sat down in the chair next to her. “What’s your take on Novalene? Is she holding up all right? It’s always tough on everyone to lose a girl, especially this quick, and Novalene has never lost one of hers.”

  “She’s one tough lady. I want to grow up and be just like her,” Jayden answered. “How about Mary?”

  “I’m still really worried about her and Henry,” Elijah said. “She comes off as bulletproof, but she holds a lot of stress inside and doesn’t talk about it. She’s going to crumble one of these days. I just hope that she and Henry get a few years of retirement before that happens.”

  “So do I,” Jayden said. “I really have gotten close to her. When I first said I’d come here, I didn’t think about making friends. I only came so Skyler would be happy. I planned to do my job and go home. Look!” She pointed out toward the dining building. “Now there’s dozens of lightning bugs flitting around.”

  “And our two eloped before they got to know anyone else,” he joked.

  “How do you know that?” Jayden cut her eyes over toward him. “Maybe they were hiding out of fear until the girls went inside. After all, none of them want to be frozen and then pinned to a board. When they realized Myrtle was caught, and the girls had quit running around in the yard, they all came back out to put on their show for us.”

  “Myrtle?” he asked.

  “I named her after my aunt Myrtle. My grandmother’s sister. She has always been a fireball of energy. She still made a garden and lived by herself when she was a hundred years old. I figured that would be a good name for the firefly,” Jayden answered.

  “Is she still living?” Elijah asked. “Your aunt, not the firefly.”

  “Yep, she’s a hundred and two and just got married six months ago for the first time. Her groom is ninety. After they went on a honeymoon to Disney World in Orlando, they moved into an assisted living center in Fort Worth,” Jayden answered. “She grows tomatoes in pots on their balcony, and he still plays golf twice a week.”

  “Why don’t you want to grow up to be like her instead of Novalene?” Elijah asked.

  “Aunt Myrtle has energy and uses it wisely. Novalene likes to drive fast and listen to Elvis blasting on the radio,” she answered.

  “So, you are a risk-taker?” Elijah pulled a bandanna from his pocket and wiped his forehead.

  “Nope. I’ve never done much in the way of taking risks in my life,” Jayden admitted. That was another way she and Skyler were different, even though they had the same specialization. Skyler had worked in several jobs since Jayden got her teaching degree and then her counselor’s certification. Jayden was still in the same school she’d started at when she was twenty-two years old. “But I’d like to see how it would feel. That’s so unlike me to even say that. Must be this place.”

  “Maybe it’s because you’re staying in this particular cabin,” Elijah said. “What do you daydream about? A handsome knight on a white horse coming to carry you off to happy ever after?”

  “Happy ever after doesn’t exist except in romance books, and a sexy knight would have to be a big old boy to carry me anywhere,” she giggled.

  With so much on her mind, Jayden had trouble getting to sleep that night. Finally, she got out her journal and started to write.

  Dear Mama,

  I went to church this morning for the first time since you left me. I don’t know if it’s mandatory for me to go or not, but to set an example for my girls, I went. I’m still not over being mad at God for taking you away from me. I didn’t have a problem with losing Gramps. He was old, and he was ready to go spend eternity with Granny, but if God can truly perform miracles, then He could have healed you. Skyler sent a selfie from London. You’d tell me, like Mary did, that it was her way of saying thanks to me for taking her place here at the camp. But I know my sister, maybe better than anyone else does, and she was showing off. How could two people as different as we are ever have the same parents?

  I’ve met a guy here at the camp, and there’s feelings that I don’t know how to deal with. I wish you were here so I could talk to you about Elijah. He’s got a good heart, but from what little he’s told me, he’s dealt with a lot of pain and loss. Maybe he’s like me. I have trouble trusting other people. He has trouble trusting himself, from what I can tell.

  That’s all for tonight. Miss you, Mama.

  She put the notebook back in the drawer and turned out the light. When her head hit the pillow that time, she had no trouble going to sleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  Elijah awoke with a start, his heart pounding and his sheets drenched with sweat. His left hand gripped an imaginary control on the chopper so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms. He had to get back to base with Matty. He had to save his friend. He wouldn’t think of the other two being dead, not now. He would just fly the helicopter through the mountains and get Matty to the hospital tent. Then, suddenly, it was his parents in the back of the chopper, and he was trying to get them to a Texas hospital.

  The nightmare in Elijah’s head was still running. For a few minutes he couldn’t tell the difference in what was real and what was the dream. He blinked several times and suddenly realized that he was awake. He shook his head to erase the images. He’d been thousands of miles away when he got the news his folks had been killed. There was no way he had flown them to a hospital.

  “It’s a biological family all tangled up with my air force family.” He switched off the clock and threw back the damp sheet. “And that’s why I don’t need to be in a relationship,” he muttered as he slung his legs over the side of the bed. “I couldn’t save any of them. Lauren could have killed Jayden today with that headbutt or knocked Mary into something sharp when she hit her, and I would have lost even more.”

  His thoughts ran in fast circles as he got dressed. Henry and Mary were all the family he had left. What would he do without them? He could run the camp—that wouldn’t be a problem. But not having anyone was a terrifying thought. He went to the dining hall, turned on the lights, and made a full pot of coffee. He had finished half of the first cup when Mary came in that morning. One look at her face and Elijah knew something was terribly wrong.

  “You look like you’re about to cry. Is Henry all right?” he asked, dreading the answer.

  “He’s fine,” Mary said. “No, that’s a lie. He’s not fine. He’s downright heartsick, and I’m barely holding it together.”

  “Is he sick?” A cold chill chased down Elijah’s spine.

  “No, but his friend is.” Mary poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with Elijah. “Remember Joe? He came here a couple of Christmases ago with Henry’s old air force buddies. Joe is dying. He’s dying with pancreatic cancer. He’s got maybe six weeks to live.” Mary sighed.

  “I remember two old guys coming to stay a few days. They spent hours around the table playing dominoes and drinking whiskey. I loved listening to their stories, but I don’t think I knew which one was Joe.” Elijah’s remaining three buddies had a conference call at Christmas, but he really should invite them to the camp so they could talk like Henry did with his old Vietnam teammates.

  “The short one with a high-pitched voice,” she answered. “The other one was Ellis and he died that next spring.”

  “Where does Joe live?” Elijah asked.

  “West Memphis, Arkansas. That’s just this side of the Mississippi River. He used to grow rice out there in that flat country, but he retired when his wife died a few years ago. They never had children, so I guess he’ll wind up in a home of some kind until he dies.” Mary wiped the tears from her cheeks with the bottom of her apron.

  “Why don’t you and Henry go stay with him? I can run this place. That way Joe can die in hi
s house with Henry beside him,” Elijah said.

  “Oh, honey, we couldn’t ask that of you.” Mary almost smiled. “That would be leaving you right in the middle of a session.”

  “Joe might be gone before the end of July, and Henry will never forgive himself if he doesn’t go. Wouldn’t Joe do that for him if the roles were reversed?” Elijah was already wondering if he and the three women could manage, but he had to offer. If any of his three friends needed him, he’d be there as fast as that little plane sitting at the Alpine Municipal Airport could get him to them. He was a little surprised at his thoughts, since he and what remained of his team had all drifted apart since coming back to the States.

  “He would, but . . .” Mary shook her head slowly back and forth.

  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned since you and Henry took me in after the air force, it’s there are no buts in friendship,” Elijah told her. “I’m not saying it will be easy or that I won’t miss you, but if we can’t handle it with the hands we’ve got, I’ll hire more,” he said. “You and Henry need to talk about this. Y’all could either drive and be there in a couple of days, or I can fly you in the plane. Joe should spend his last days with y’all rather than a bunch of strangers.”

  “I can’t believe that you’re even offering to do this,” Mary said.

  Elijah stood up, rounded the table, and hugged his aunt. “I’d do anything in my power for you and Henry. Go and stay as long as you need to. I’ve got help and we can take care of this place.”

  “I’ll talk to Henry, and thank you,” Mary said.

  “No thanks necessary.” He hugged her again and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. If he could have sat at the bedside of any of his late teammates, he would have never passed up the opportunity. And yet the burden of running the place without Henry and Mary lay on his shoulders like a ton of concrete.

  The siren blew and the girls poured out of the cabins, lined up fairly well, and got ready for Elijah to lead them in the morning exercises. Henry came out of the barn just as they were finishing the drill. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and might break into tears at any minute. “I believe I’ll walk with y’all this morning. Can we talk?”

  “Of course,” Elijah agreed and then pointed at Carmella. “You girls from the Daydream Cabin are responsible for leading the way this morning. Henry and I will bring up the rear.”

  “Mary said she’d talked to you,” Henry said as they fell into step behind the eight girls.

  “Going to be with Joe is the right thing to do,” Elijah said. “Mary doesn’t say much and keeps things inside so she doesn’t worry me or you, but she needs to get away for a while.”

  “You’re right. I’m a tough old bird, but that girl hitting Mary kind of . . . well, it knocked both of us for a loop.”

  “Me too,” Elijah agreed. “Would we need to do any paperwork?”

  “We already did everything six months ago when we decided that this would be our last year. You’ve already been doing the business end, and we’ve got a good CPA who will continue to take care of the corporation end of things like payroll,” Henry answered. “It’s the physical part of things that bothers me. Will Jayden be agreeable to taking over the kitchen? Should we call Skyler and see if she would come back and do Jayden’s job in Daydream Cabin?”

  “The girls might not like a change,” Elijah said, “but that’s a good idea. I’ll see if she’s back from that trip right after breakfast. Does this mean you’ll go?”

  “Before we make a final decision, we’d like to have a visit with the staff, too. Being down a girl will help a little, but they all need to be willing to do a little more if it comes down to it,” Henry answered.

  “Fair enough. How about while we’re all in the dining room at dinnertime, we talk about it with the staff?” Elijah suggested.

  “This is a big decision for us.” Henry sighed. “I’m glad you’re willin’ to take over a little earlier than we planned.”

  Elijah draped an arm around the shorter man’s shoulders. “I’d do anything for you and Mary. I owe you so much.”

  Elijah talked to each of the counselors that morning, and they were all in agreement with him. Jayden had offered to take over the kitchen duties and said that she’d enlist her girls if she needed help. Novalene and Diana both said they would watch over Jayden’s girls when they were needed. Elijah breathed a sigh of relief that things had gone that smooth, and now it was time to have a group visit around the table after dinner.

  “We can’t tell you how much we appreciate all of you offering to do this for us,” Henry said. “We talked ourselves into leaving and then talked ourselves out of it a dozen times since breakfast.”

  “I’m glad to take over the kitchen,” Jayden said. “And there’s no need to call in another counselor. I can do both jobs.”

  “I’ll help with Jayden’s girls or in the kitchen. Either one,” Novalene said.

  Diana raised a hand. “Ditto. I’ll do whatever needs doing in any place.”

  Elijah felt such a surge of emotion that he had to swallow three times to get the lump in his throat to disappear. He was nervous about taking over on such short notice, but it wouldn’t be all that much different than if he’d done the same thing in December—except by then he would have hired more help.

  “We just didn’t feel right. What kind of example would it set for the girls for us to leave in the middle of their time here?” Mary asked.

  “You know how you get that prick in your heart when you make the wrong decision?” Henry said. “Well, we both got that feeling when we decided we couldn’t leave this place in the middle of a season. Then we talked about it and decided that we need to be with Joe, and that brought peace to our hearts. I don’t want my friend and brother-in-arms to pass from this earth all alone in a strange facility, so we’ve decided to retire a few months early. We don’t want to miss a single minute with Joe. We’ll be leaving in the morning, and Elijah, we thank you for the offer to fly us, but we want to drive so we’ll have our own vehicle while we’re there.”

  Jayden got up and rounded the end of the table to give Mary a hug. “The example you’ll be setting for these girls is that you stand by your friends—your real friends that have been true to you.”

  “Thank you all again for your sweet support,” Mary said. “If you have questions, we’ll have cell phones with us. I wouldn’t agree to do this if I didn’t think y’all could take care of the girls and this place just fine. Other than Jayden, you are all seasoned camp counselors, and she’s proven herself very well in the kitchen as well as in her cabin.”

  “You don’t worry about a thing,” Novalene said. “I’m not worth a damn in the kitchen when it comes to cooking, but I’m a whiz when it comes to washing dishes or cleaning up, so if Jayden needs help, I’m here for that, too.”

  Diana nodded in agreement. “Like I said, I’ll do whatever Elijah needs me to do. I know that Henry oversees the girls when it’s their turn to milk the cows or gather eggs. I’ll be there at anything the girls from Sunshine Cabin, and all of them, are doing.”

  “Call it semiretirement.” Jayden pulled off her cap and wiped sweat from her brow with a paper napkin. “Why don’t y’all spend this afternoon packing and let us prove to you that we can do this?”

  “I’d like to do just that.” Mary dried her wet cheeks on her apron tail. “We thought we’d leave about five in the morning, and we don’t want a bunch of fanfare.”

  “At that time of morning, you might get a yawn or two from the girls out in the yard, but no big send-off.” Elijah managed a smile, but the thought of seeing them drive away tightened his throat.

  “Maybe a wave from the more energetic ones,” Jayden added.

  “Have you called Joe and told him?” Elijah asked.

  “Yes, I did, and he’s so grateful.” Henry pulled a red bandanna from his bib pocket and wiped his eyes. He cleared his throat and then draped an arm around Ma
ry’s shoulders. “Darlin’, before we both get all emotional again, we should go get our SUV packed and ready to go.”

  Elijah watched them walk out of the dining room, hand-in-hand like they went everywhere, and hoped that someday he would find a woman he could love just like that. His eyes fell on Jayden. A woman like that, he thought.

  He turned to the three women and said, “I tried to call Skyler to see if she would be interested in coming back for the remainder of the session, but all I got was her voice mail. Just wanted y’all to know that we might have a little more help on the way.”

  Jayden went over every possible scenario she could think of as she prepped for supper that evening. How would she and Skyler get along if her sister decided to come and finish out the session? Would it be a good thing, or would it drive the wedge between them even deeper? What if Skyler treated her like pond scum as usual? How would she affect the friendships Jayden was building with the other counselors and her girls?

  “My girls,” she whispered. “I can’t leave them in her hands, not when we’re just now breaking through some problems.”

  A tingling feeling on her neck told her that Elijah was close by even before she turned around and saw him pouring himself a glass of sweet tea at the far end of the buffet line. “You snuck up on me.” She hoped he hadn’t heard her muttering.

  “I just need a minute to settle . . .” He took a big drink of his tea, and his expression said something was terribly wrong.

  Jayden stopped what she was doing and rounded the end of the bar. “Did one of the girls do something wrong? Was it mine? I can tell that something isn’t right.”

  “Everything is all right, even if it’s just hitting me that everything being good and right doesn’t mean it’s not a little bit scary,” Elijah answered. “Your girls are fine. They are all doing their jobs. Henry and Mary just drove away, and now it’s up to me to make this place work.”