Camping

"If it has caffeine in it, I'd eat a spoonful plain so yes, it's not only okay, it sounds wonderful."

"Say when," he told her as he put in one teaspoonful.

At three she said, "That should be good. For now."

He poured hot water into the mug and stirred it for her. "I don't have cream or sugar so..."

She was already taking a first sip. "Careful! That stuff is really hot!"

"I hope it scalds me all the way down," she said still shaking from the cold.

Micah laughed as he stirred his own cup of coffee.

"The kids!" she said. She jumped up, threw open the flap then called out, "Addison?"

"Over here, Mommy!" she called back. They were playing frisbee again with Bingo and Summer finally exhaled. "Oh, my God that scared me. Sorry. Helicopter mom here."

Micah laughed as he set the lawn chairs near the 'door' and pinned the flap back. "So you can hover more easily," he teased.

"I can't help it," she said. "If something happened to Addy, I'd just..." She looked at Micah, her mouth agape. "Oh, Micah. I am so sorry. I didn't mean..."

"It's okay. I know what you meant and...I'd die too, if something happened to Connor."

He saw her still shivering and said, "Are you okay?"

"I will be after I finish this. It's perfect, by the way. Just what I needed." She smiled at him then said, "Well, this and the company. Thank you again for um...putting us up last night."

"You're welcome, but don't be surprised when you see the bill I'm gonna send you."

Summer nearly spewed her coffee as she laughed out loud. "Ouch! That is so hot!" She was fanning her mouth as though that would somehow help. She settled down then said, "I do owe you so you have every right to bill me. I mean, talk about a ditz, right? I bring my daughter camping and I can't even put up a tent. I forgot the cooler with all our food and water and then I leave us out in the rain and have to come begging to the man I insulted. Yeah, I'd say I owe you."

The way she smiled at him before taking another sip did something to him and that something hadn't happened in a very long time.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I have a brush with me to comb out this mess, you know," she said only partly kidding as she wasn't sure what he was staring at.

Her comment snapped him back to reality and he realized he had been staring. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to stare," he said looking away.

"Do I look that bad in the morning?" she continued to tease.

"That bad? You not only don't look 'bad' you look..."

"You know, you seem to have this habit of not finishing sentences," she said playfully. "Tell me. How do I look? Go ahead, be honest. I can take it. I mean, it's not like I'm a guy with short hair like you who wakes and after running his hand through it once looks fine. You don't even have to shave or put on makeup and you still look great. But me? Yeah, I know. I'm a mess. So go ahead and say it. Ed did—all the time."

Micah just shook his head.

"What? Now you're making me paranoid. What are you thinking, Micah?"

"Do you really want to know?" he asked still not looking at her.

"Yes, I do. As I said, I can take it. Go on. Pat Benatar me and 'hit me with your best shot.' Go ahead. I double-dog dare..."

"I was just thinking you're really very beautiful, Summer."

She snorted and said, "I'm sitting here wearing your jacket which is way to big for me, my hair's a disaster, I haven't brushed my teeth and yet you just said..."

"Hey. You asked me. I told you."

Micah wanted to change the subject and he didn't much care what the next topic was. "Speaking of too big, look at Addison in my sweatshirt," he said pointing to her. She looked like she was wearing a gray bag with sleeves.

"If it covered her head it could pass for a burka," Summer said chiming in. "Poor thing has no idea how she looks. I guess that's one of the advantages of being six."

"She's beautiful, too," Micah said before he could stop himself. He was aware Summer was staring at him now so he said, "Hey, you need some more coffee?"

She looked down and said, "I can't believe this is already cold. Is there any way to warm it back up?"

"I'll just pour you another cup. How's that?" he said without looking back at her.

"That—sounds perfect," she told him as she put the mug in his hand.

They chatted a while longer then when Summer finished her coffee she said, "Well, unfortunately, I think we're going to have to be heading back. As good as that granola bar or Addy's powdered donut were, I don't think they're going to hold us too long."

"Please don't," Micah said. "Go, that is. We're happy to share what we brought. In fact, we've got way more than we can eat. Won't you please stay?"

"I can't, Micah. It's hard enough letting my mom help out the way she does, but she's family. There's no way I can let a stranger—even a very nice one like you—just take care of us. That's my job. You understand, right?" she said not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"I do," he said. "I'd feel the same way. Can I at least give you a hand putting your things in the car?"

"That would be nice. Thank you," she said.

They had all of her things folded up and ready to move when Addison came running over. "Why are you folding the tent up, Mommy?"

"Well, silly Mommy forgot the cooler so we don't have any food or water so we're going to have to go home, honey," she explained.

Addison's eyes filled with tears and they began running down her cheeks. "I don't want to go home. I want to play with Connor and Bingo." She was crying so hard she could barely speak.

"I know. I'm so sorry, pumpkin. This was all Mommy's fault."

"It's not fair!" she sobbed. "Everything I love goes away! Just like Daddy!" Summer held out her arms but her daughter wouldn't let her hug her.

Connor was standing there shifting his weight uncomfortably while Micah stood behind him with his hands on his shoulders.

"Summer? Could I ask you something?" Micah said.

She was kneeling down and as she looked up at him he could see tears in her eyes again, too. She stood up and he took her aside and said, "I don't know where you live but there has to be a park or something relatively close by. Would you be willing to go home and meet us somewhere after lunch so the kids could keep playing?"

They looked over and saw Addison standing in front of Connor in that goofy-looking, baggy sweatshirt. He was trying not to cry while Addy's tears flowed like a river.

"Won't Connor be upset if you leave? I mean, you guys haven't done anything together in so long and you said he was having such a good time. I can't be responsible for ruining that."

Micah nodded toward the kids and said, "Addison is the reason he's having so much fun. If she leaves, he's just gonna sad-sack around until we go home."

"Do you want to ask him just to make sure?" she suggested.

"Connor? Can you come here for a second, please?"

His son walked over while Addison stood there just heaving sobs. "Yeah?" he asked looking up at his dad.

Micah explained the choices and Connor's face lit up. "Seriously? We can leave?"

"Not just leave, but leave to go play somewhere with Addison."

"Can Bingo come, too?" he asked excitedly.

Micah looked at Summer who smiled and nodded. "Sure. Of course he can."

"Awesome! Can I tell Addy?" he asked.

"Maybe I should do that," Summer said. "Give me a minute, okay?"

Seconds later Addison's arms inside those huge sleeves were wrapped tightly around Summer's neck. "I love you SO much, Mommy!" she cried out. "Hey, Connor? Guess what? We're gonna go eat lunch then go play at a park!"

"I know! Bingo's coming, too, and I'll bring the frisbee!"

"Well, that went well," Summer said. "I guess we just need to decide when and where to meet."

She told him where they lived and he said, "How about Wapato Park?"

"We love that place! We go there all the time. If that works for you, then Wapato it is."

"How about two o'clock?" he suggested.

"Okay. Two o'clock."

They carried all of her things to her car which was a very old, beat-up Nissan Sentra that looked like it once had gold paint on it. The tent took up most of the room in the trunk and everything else got jammed in around Addison's car seat.

"Okay, we're all set," Summer said. "Thank you both for helping us out—again."

She started the car and a cloud of blue smoke belched out. "Bye, Connor! Bye, Bingo!" Addison said as they waved goodbye. "See you at the park!"

"Okay, let's go break everything down, shall we?" Micah said clamping his hand around his son's shoulder. Forty-five minutes later they were on their way home to shower, change, have something to eat then get ready to go to the park.

The sky was clearing and the dark, grey clouds were replaced by big, white, puffy ones that billowed in every direction. It still wasn't warm, but it was probably around 65 degrees and might end up hitting seventy by the time they got to the park. There was a breeze, but for this time of year, this was considered nearly perfect weather.

The guys put the camping gear in the garage then went inside to shower and change. Micah laughed when he found himself unable to decide what to wear. He hadn't cared about that in so long it struck him as funny that he was paralyzed by indecision. He'd even debated wearing cologne but wrote it off as too much. But trying to choose between jeans or khakis, a tee-shirt of a collard shirt was proving to be a formidable challenge.

In the end he settled on a dark-blue, three-button Henley shirt with the khaki pants. Connor was wearing a tee-shirt, shorts, and some flip flops. "You're gonna need some actual shoes, buddy."

"Daaad! It's sunny outside and there's grass everywhere. Come on, can't I wear these?"

He was never much of a disciplinarian but then, Connor really didn't need to be disciplined. He really only needed some direction. He was just a good kid who was always eager to please.

"Okay. Flip flops it is," he said giving in. He knew Claire would have made him change, but Micah wasn't Claire and if this made his son happy, then he was happy, too.

About a quarter 'til, Micah told Connor it was time to get ready to go. He'd left the frisbee in the Land Rover so all they needed was to round up Bingo and head out.

Micah was amazed at how nervous he felt as the park came into view. It was just a play date for their kids and he barely knew this young woman. Even so, his heart was beating fast as he saw her wreck of a car in the parking lot.

"There's Addison!" Connor said pointing to the grassy area as they got out. "Can I go over there, Dad?" he asked.

"Sure. Just be careful in those things," he said pointing to the rubber sandals.

Connor kicked them off, picked them up, called the dog, and ran toward Addison. "Addy! Hey! We're here!"

Micah walked toward Addison and looked around for Summer. There were several adults there and quite a few children. As he got closer, he finally picked her out. When he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks and just stared. She'd first heard then seen Connor and was turning around to find Micah when she spotted him.

"Hey! Over here!" she said as she waved at him.

He waved back then started walking. The closer he got, the more amazed he was. This did not look anything like the cute tomboy he'd met out in the woods. This woman looked...amazing.

Summer's dark hair had not only been shampooed and blown dry, it had been styled. It was soft, silky, shoulder length and incredibly attractive. She was wearing a light amount of makeup and her previously pretty eyes were simply stunning. It looked like she was perhaps wearing some lip gloss, but with or without it, she looked more like a model than a nurse.

Gone were the boyish clothes and she was wearing a very pretty white top with a pair of jeans. She had on a pair of white hoop earrings and a thin, silver necklace. If that wasn't enough to take his breath away, her smile flat out did it.

"Hey there!" she said pleasantly. "Wow! Look at you all spiffed up!"

"Me?" he said as she held out her arms for a hug which he gladly accepted. "You look like a beautiful movie actress or something. Where's that other woman I met last night? You know, the one I thought was just really cute."

"Ha! You really are a sweet man. I guess I should say 'thank-you' as that's twice you've made me feel good in what...less than 24 hours?"

"What was for lunch at the Harvey house?" he asked.

"I had tomato soup with half a grilled-cheese sandwich and Addison had a hot dog and pickle. I swear she's all but lived on those since she started chewing."

"I hear you. Connor ate nothing but crackers, grapes, and cheese for a couple of years. He's better now but not much."

"Sounds like me when I was pregnant with Addison. Crackers were about all I could eat for three or four months."

"Morning sickness?"

"Ugh! I threw up almost every day that whole time. If you've never had white rice come out your nose, you haven't lived," she said with a bright, warm smile.

"You know, I'm just gonna take your word on that."

"Good call," she said. "Shall we go sit down?"

The walked over and found a bench where they could see the kids playing out on the open field. When they moved over to the playground, Micah called Bingo over and told him to lay down next to them.

"They seem to really get along," Summer said as she watched them take turns going down a slide.

"They sure do," Micah agreed. "Connor's mostly stayed to himself since his mom died and I haven't been much of a friend so this is really nice."

She looked at him in a way that told him she didn't mean just the kids as she said, "Yes, it is." She smiled again then said, "So tell me more about yourself, Micah. Your job, what you enjoy, or whatever else you care to share."

"Oh, wow. I'm afraid I'm not all that interesting, Summer. I write, review, analyze, and develop software. It's a lot of wonky, nerdy stuff that would probably just bore you to tears."

"Okay, I'll give you a pass on that—for now," she said still smiling. "Is it too personal to ask if you're seeing anyone?" He could tell by the way she asked she knew she might well be picking at a scab that still needed to heal, but Micah wasn't at all offended.

"No. I'm not seeing anyone. I haven't even really dated. I've been out a handful of times but pretty much just with a group of friends who made sure there was someone there I could meet. You know, just in case."

"Fixer-upper stuff?"

"No, not really. More like just creating the opportunity. The only actual date I've been on was with someone I used to work with. That was a couple of months ago and it just didn't do it for me." He looked over at Summer and asked, "How about you? Are you dating at all?" He paused then said, "Don't you just hate that word? Dating? It sounds like we're back in high school or something."

"Ugh! Tell me about it! My sister, who's my best friend, is always trying to set me up. And then there are the other nurses at work who are constantly telling me about doctor so-and-so who just got divorced or whatever. No thank you!" she said.

"Seriously? Come on. There's gotta be at least one young, handsome, single doctor you could go out with."

"Oh, I'm sure there is, I just don't have any interest in dating anyone that young. Ed was a year younger than me and look how that turned out," she said with a laugh.

"Claire was five years younger than me and it never made a difference. She was just so..." He was getting choked up again and stopped.

"That wouldn't bother me at all, either," she told him. "I mean, what's five years, right? Even ten, for that matter." She didn't tell him she was 28 nor did she know yet he 41 making the difference 13 years. "I just want to find someone who'll love me the way I want to be loved and who'll love Addison as his own child. That's probably asking too much, but I can't change how I feel." She looked over at Micah and said, "Are you looking for anything in particular in a woman, Micah?"

"Um, well, I guess the main thing is believing love is an action word rather than just a noun."

Summer turned sideways and said, "That's my line! That's what I've been saying for several years now. You don't just say I love you. You..."

"Show it," Micah said filling in the blank.

"Yes! Exactly!" Summer replied animatedly. "What else?"

"Well, like you, I want her to be able to love Connor like her own child. Beyond that, I would have a hard time with anyone who was overtly religious or a hyper-partisan politically."

"Oh, amen to that, brother!" Summer said still excited by the fact Micah understood her meaning of love. "I'm not religious per se, but I think I have a spiritual side. I'm just not a church-going person, you know?"

"Same here. I have no axe to grind with religion, just let me do my own thing."

"Here, here. And I find people who are politically strident a big turnoff, too. I have my own views, I just don't run around telling people about them."

Micah raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. "We have quite a bit in common, Ms. Harvey."

She looked out at the kids who were swinging side by side and said, "Yes, we do, Mr. Gibson. We do indeed."

They talked as they walked over to the kids and Micah kept Bingo at heel hoping no one would complain about him having his dog at the park. He had a plastic bag with him just in case, but he'd had someone go crazy once for bringing Bingo to a public park without a leash even though he was very well trained.

"You guys doing okay?" Summer asked.

"Uh-huh!" Addison called back. "Watch me go high, Mommy!" she said as she pumped her legs.

"That's very good, honey!" she told her. Connor was watching Addison more than he was swinging. "He seems very protective of Addy," Summer offered.

"That's Connor. He tends to put everyone else first. That's why I've felt so bad about not doing things with him. He almost never complains and just 'sucks it up' no matter what 'it' might be."

"Yeah, I can tell he's a very sweet boy," she said.

They watched them play for another hour before Summer said, "I suppose we really should get going. I have to be at work at 6am tomorrow morning and I've still got laundry and other stuff to do."

"Oh, sure. Yeah, we should probably head out, too," Micah said aware of how incredibly disappointed he was there time together was ending.

"This was nice," she said. "We should do this again sometime."

"I'd like that," Micah told her.

The kids were also bummed out to learn they had to go, but they reluctantly tagged along behind their parents. Micah opened Summer's door after she unlocked it and waited for her to get in. She rolled the window down then said, "For the umpteenth time, thank you—for everything, Micah."

"You're very welcome," he said. He looked into the back seat and waved. "Bye, Addison."

"Bye," she said glumly.

"She is not happy about leaving," Summer said.

Micah looked at Connor and said, "Someone else isn't too happy about it, either."

"I guess that comes with trying to be a good parent," Summer said as she started the gold bomb. It belched blue smoke again and she apologized. "It needs a ring job whatever that is," she said. "But with expenses the way they are, I'm just um...praying...it holds together another year or so."

Micah backed up then he and Connor waved goodbye as she pulled away. "I really like Addison, Dad," Connor said. Micah could feel the sadness in his voice.

"Me, too, buddy. Me, too."

That night, Micah couldn't sleep. He knew it was irrational, but he couldn't get Summer off his mind. He stayed up until midnight then tossed and turned for hours trying to make sense of what he was feeling. It was around 4am when he finally dozed off.

He forced himself out of bed at eight then stumbled into the kitchen where he saw Connor eating some frosted Cheerios. "Hey, buddy. You been up long?"