CHAPTER ELEVEN
BRITTANY THREW HERSELF into camp life. As well as running an archaeology activity, or Mini Dig, as she named it, she helped out on and around the beach. For many of the children, camp was the end of their summer and soon they’d be back home and into the new school year. Some would be seniors, all would have learned something different over the summer months and hopefully left Camp Puffin having made new friends. The knowledge that the end was in sight made those final days all the more precious. The camp continued over the fall months in a leaner version, directed towards school
groups who used it as part of the biology or geography syllabus, and teachers who signed up for wilderness training. Philip was keen to add archaeology and Brittany was still exploring the options for that.
She formed a habit of rising early so she could walk to the camp. There were two routes from her cottage. One curved around the rocky coast, and the other cut through the forest. Either way, it was a long walk but she loved being outdoors and enjoyed the exercise. In Greece the summer months were too hot to allow for long walks, but here on the island the combination of sun and sea breeze made for perfect hiking conditions. When the weather was bad and the fog settled over the ocean, she zipped up her raincoat and stayed under the protection of the trees.
She loved the seasons in Maine, even the long winter. During the freezing winter months the nature of the island changed, but if anything she loved it more. As an unbridged island they relied on the ferry. The service was scaled down in the winter and sometimes didn’t run at all if the weather was too wild. As a result the community relied on each other, watched out for each other and created a web of support.
Although Brittany didn’t love being the object of pity, she did enjoy the community spirit.
Winters for her had meant cozy evenings indoors with her grandmother and friends, playing cards, games or chatting over a meal while snow fell outside the window. She’d done her homework on the scrubbed kitchen table to the sounds of bubbling on the stove as Kathleen had cooked their supper. Her grandmother had prepared warming casseroles and homemade soup from vegetables she’d grown herself and stored in the freezer. Sometimes the snow had been so deep they’d had to dig their way out of the cottage, and sometimes they’d endured ice storms and long power outages. Kathleen had kept the cottage well stocked and treated every obstacle as an adventure.
Being back at camp reminded her of those times.
As the days passed, her wrist ached less and when Zach flew her over to the mainland for another checkup, this time the news was better. The doctor told her that the bones appeared to be healing well and the plaster could be removed on her next visit.
“And the first thing I’m going to do,” she told Zach as they prepared the kayaks for an afternoon of water sports, “is swim in the sea.”
“Happy to throw you in anytime. Just say the word.”
“You did that once before.”
“Yeah. You were spitting mad.”
“Because I was still wearing my clothes!”
“Not for long. Seem to remember I helped you out of those wet things pretty quickly.”
She remembered it, too. She remembered all of it. “Very generous of you.”
“There are no limits to the sacrifices I’m prepared to make to get a woman naked. Push that kayak farther up the beach or it’s going to end up halfway across the Atlantic.”
“I know as much about kayaks as you.”
She pretended to be annoyed, but the truth was that working with Zach had proved easier than she’d anticipated. Of course there were days when he wasn’t around. Days when he disappeared to fly people with more money than she could imagine to remote parts of the state or up to Canada. But the rest of the time he pulled his weight in the camp, helping out wherever he was needed. There was a quiet strength about him, a self-assurance and confidence that meant the camp counselors often turned to him for advice. And so did the children.
Except for Travis.
He turned to no one.
Each week of camp ended with Starlight Adventure, and Brittany was hoping that this particular activity might give her the opportunity to spend time with Travis.
The day before the overnight camp, she dropped into Harbor Stores to buy a selection of snacks for the hike through the forest. Today there were no issues with the weather, not even a hint of the fog that so often plagued this part of Maine in August. The bright sunny weather had brought a flood of summer visitors and the store was busy. Grateful to be able to avoid a conversation with Mel, she got in line behind a family loaded down with beach gear and two excited children, paid for her purchases, and then strolled out into the sunshine.
Main Street was busy, a mix of locals and tourists, all keen to make the most of the last days of summer.
On impulse, she took a detour via Summer Scoop, the ice-cream store that Emily had been trying to turn around over the summer.
One look at the line told her that her friend had done a good job.
She stood patiently, admiring the murals on the walls that Sky had painted along with some of the locals. The fresh paint and cheerful decor was proof that when things were tough, the islanders pulled together.
“Brittany! What can I get you?” Lisa beamed at her from across the counter, her smile yet more evidence of the turnaround in the fortunes of her business.
“You’re busy.”
“Insanely busy. I could cry with relief. I sold more ice cream this morning than I did in the whole first week of July. And it’s all because of Emily. She’s a genius. Scoop of the day is Salted Caramel Crunch.”