10 Weeks by Jolene Perry, Janna Watts Read Free Book Online Page B

grin. “I love it when you talk dirty.”
    He blushes and smiles in this adorable little boy way. “Knock it off and get in.”
    I slide next to him and this time I press too close. If anyone saw us, they’d be asking all sorts of questions, but at this point, I don’t care. I’m t-minus fifteen days and need all the help I can get. Alex rests his hand on my thigh as he drives us towa r d the fire pit. He parks the golf cart and pulls me close.
    “You have to be quiet,” he says as he kisses the tip of my nose. “We don’t want to scare them off.”
    I follow behind him and he walks us to the edge of the lake on the south side of camp. He drops to his stomach and I mirror his action. Then he shimmies closer to the edge and peers over. I slide in next to him and hold my breath.
    A nest of baby loons is resting on the edge of the water. Their black fuzz blends them into the background , but the light from the top of the hill shines almost directly on them.
    “Oh my God,” I whisper. “How did you find them?”
    Alex shrugs. “I saw the mother looking for food earlier and followed her. Pretty cute, huh?”
    I blink at him and nod. “Yeah. Kind of amazing , actually. I don’t think I’ve ever seen loons that small. Not even in ten years of being here.”
    Alex shimmies back and props himself up against a tree, his long legs stretched before him. “Yeah. I’m going to miss this kind of stuff next year. But I’ll probably get to see even more in the Costa Rican rain forests.”
    I nod. “Probably.”
    The wide expanse between us suddenly seems uncrossable , and I don’t know how to tell him what I want. So I just sit quietly next to him and lean my head against his shoulder.
    “Robin’s in hospice. They think only a few days now.”
    “Jesus. Really? I haven’t seen Irene. I should’ve asked.”
    He takes my hand in his. This is us now. He likes holding my hand in this adorably old-fashioned way. “Irene’s been with her.”
    “Are you okay?”
    He nods. “Yeah. Sad for her. Sad for Irene. But I said my goodbyes a long time ago.”
    “Did you… Did you want me to go to the service with you or whatever?”
    He squeezes my hand. “No. That’s okay. It’s too much to ask , and I’m not sure how Irene would take it.”
    I want to tell him that I don’t give a shit what Irene thinks. All that matters is if he needs me, but I realize this is a childish response and I need to be more patient with him and all his insecurities about us.
    “Okay. Well, if you change your mind…”
    The air between us is full of questions, but neither of us has any answers right now. We have a dying ex and a nest full of baby loons and a nineteen-year-old girl who has fallen too hard. So we don’t say anything. We sit beneath a tree, holding hands and pretending that in two weeks, we’re not going to have to say goodbye .

Chapter Eleven
    Three days later Alex disappears. His classes are cancelled with no explanation. Irene’s still gone so I can only assume the worse. Robin’s died. I expected more from him. A note. Something. But kisses and sex and hand-holding and all the rest of it appa rently haven’t translated in his mind as any indication that he needs to tell me when he’s taking off.
    It’s my own fault. I said the L word. I haven’t said it since. He hasn’t asked for it , and I certainly haven’t asked him to reciprocate it. Even I have enough sense to know when to protect myself. But still, a quick text or note on my bunk saying, “I’m taking off to deal with Robin stuff. I’ll see you when I get back” would have gone pretty far.
    As it stands, I am an archery machine. I design an elaborate contest for the campers recreating The Hunger Games with archery targets. I go to town and buy a boatload of candy to give away as prizes. In summer camp, candy is currency and by the end of the first day, everyone wants to sign up for the contest, even those girls who’ve never picked up a bow