Canyon Walls by Julie Jarnagin Read Free Book Online Page B

Instead of wrapping the rope around the cleat, someone had tied the rope in a complicated knot around the bracket. The pranksters got extra points for their ingenuity.
    Cassie quickly untied the knot. A few campers groaned when she pulled the boxers down, apparently disappointed they weren’t going to be left to fly over the camp all night. The boxers were made from patterned materials, one with tiny golfers and another with yellow smiley faces.
    â€œI think we’ve had enough fun for tonight,” Will announced. “Everyone needs to head to their cabins.”
    The group dispersed into smaller groups and headed toward the boys’ and girls’ sides of the camp. Will spun around with his finger in the air. “Oh. . .and if anyone hears about plans to sneak out, ask them to talk to one of the four who had to work today.”
    Cassie picked up a stick at the edge of the grass. She hooked a pair of boxers lying on the ground to the end of it. She held it away from herself toward Will. “Boxers up the flagpole. An oldie but a goody.”
    He didn’t take the underwear. “It was pretty good, but you’re crazy if you think I’m touching those.”
    â€œHold this,” she said, thrusting the stick in his hand. She marched back into the cafeteria.
    When she returned with a black trash bag, Will still stood on the lawn, holding the stick awkwardly away from his body. Cassie opened the bag with a flourish.
    â€œSo how did you know how to get the knot untied?” he asked.
    Cassie held the bag open and nodded at Will to drop the underwear inside. “My little sister and I were in Girl Scouts together. I got the badge.”
    He shook the stick until he heard the boxers hit the bottom of the plastic sack. “I guess the Boy Scout comment was a little sexist. Do you have any other siblings?”
    She took a deep breath in through her nose, fighting down the emotions of her sister’s snarky e-mail. “Just the one.” One was enough for her to handle. “And I probably shouldn’t call her my little sister anymore. She has two kids and a husband.”
    â€œIt’s okay. My siblings still call me the baby of the family.”
    Cassie could have guessed he was the youngest. He stood before her dressed like a teenager in basketball sneakers, long shorts, and a baseball cap. “Let me guess. Your parents were easier on you than your siblings, and you could usually charm your way out of anything.”
    â€œFair enough,” Will said. “That sounds about right.”
    Cassie held the long stick out in front of her and tried to scoop the second pair of boxers onto the end. When the tip dug into the grass, she pushed harder. “And you never take anything too seriously.”
    The stick broke free from the ground and sent the boxers flying toward Will. He didn’t duck fast enough, and the underwear struck the side of his head. Cassie instantly dropped the stick and clasped her hands over her mouth.
    He looked up at her with his eyes wide. “You did that on purpose.”
    Her cheeks warmed. “I didn’t. I promise. I’m so sorry.”
    He playfully kicked the underwear lying on the grass toward her. She ran to keep them from hitting her leg. When Will dropped the last pair in the bag, he tied a knot in the top of it. “I guess I’d better figure out who these belong to.”
    â€œYou never told me how many siblings you have,” she said.
    â€œThere are five of us, three boys and two girls.”
    She envisioned them around the table with the turkey in the Norman Rockwell painting. “Are you all close?”
    He stopped to think about it. “You know what, we are close. I work with my brother and my sister. I even talk to my sister in Florida pretty regularly. I feel really blessed to have my family around.”
    Cassie couldn’t explain why, but Will’s words felt like a slug to the stomach. She