“What?” Bonnie’s heart skipped a beat. Why would she be getting fired if her background check came in? What had Mia found?
“Bonnie, if you’d like, I need someone to work with some of our kids. We have a lot of un-diagnosed behavioral issues. It’s hard to get a diagnosis for some of these kids, but they need help just the same.” Mia’s false sternness disappeared, and she grinned. “So, we need someone here to help come up with programming and activities for these high-need kids.”
“You want me?” Bonnie whispered, unsure if she understood correctly. “You’re giving me a job?”
“After your idea for the spaghetti bath and talking with your old boss, I think you’re perfect for the camp. We need someone with your qualifications,” Mia confirmed. “Are you interested in staying?”
Bonnie’s lower lip trembled, and she felt her eyes starting to fill with relief. “Yes! I would love the job.”
Chef’s arm tightened around Bonnie into a full-fledged hug. Bonnie wrapped her arms around Chef and hugged her tightly back.
“Thank you so much, Mia,” Bonnie said, releasing Chef and facing Mia. She wiped at her cheeks.
“Your boss had the most glowing and amazing things to say about you, Bonnie. She couldn’t speak highly enough about how well you work with kids and make them feel safe,” Mia replied. “I’m hoping that you can bring that same magic here. We need someone like you.”
Guilt pricked at Bonnie’s chest for half a second. She was going to have to leave this place eventually. Even if everything with her brother and the mob disappeared, her home was in New Jersey, not Colorado. She had a life there.
She pushed the guilt down hard. For now, she had a place. She had a place where she could use her skills and talents with kids to make their lives better. She wasn’t about to turn down this opportunity.
“Thank you, Mia. I promise to do whatever I can.” She could keep that promise, she told herself. It wasn’t promising to stay. It was just to do what she could.
Mia stepped closer and hugged her. “And I don’t want you to worry. I was incredibly discreet with the background check. Your boss doesn’t know what state you’re in, and I used a different office for all the paperwork addresses. No one can trace you back here,” she said quietly into Bonnie’s ear.
Bonnie hugged her tightly. “Thank you.” Mia had no idea how much it meant that she’d done her best to keep Bonnie safe. It meant more to Bonnie than she could ever say.
“You’re welcome,” Mia told her, giving her one more squeeze before letting her go. “You start tomorrow. Once Chef lets you go tonight, feel free to explore the camp. You’ve been cleared to work with kids, so you can enjoy what the camp has to offer.”
Excitement bubbled up through Bonnie’s chest, and she felt like she might burst into song. She was going to be able to stay at this beautiful place where she felt safe. It was more than she could have asked.
“Okay. Bonnie, I’ll see you tomorrow morning in my office to come up with a plan,” Mia said. “Everyone else, have a great evening and I won’t see you in my office.”
Chef and the other two kitchen workers chuckled as Mia left the kitchen. As she left, Dylan replaced her. He wore his soft denim jeans and T-shirt like a work uniform as he held up the small plastic and metal piece for the dishwasher. He smiled at everyone, but Bonnie felt for a moment that he smiled at her the most.
She shook her head as he went to the dishwasher and began taking it apart. She was just high on the job offer and seeing good things everywhere. She glanced over to get the perfect view of him reaching into the machine, his strong arms flexed and his legs braced against the floor as he worked the new piece into place. It was a great view.
She was going to enjoy her new workplace. Especially if Dylan was nearby.
Chapter 10
Bonnie
Once the dish-washing machine was fixed and loaded with dishes, there wasn’t much left for Bonnie to do in the kitchen. She helped with putting the food from lunch away and sweeping the floors before she left. Chef had her promise to stop in and say hello on a regular basis, but then promptly shooed her out of the kitchen to go explore the camp.
Chef had mentioned multiple times how nice the camp pool was after a hard day’s work. Now that her background check had cleared, Bonnie felt like she could go to the pool and not be afraid of interacting with the campers. Up until today, she didn’t want to go where she wasn’t allowed, but with the job offer, the camp opened up to her.
She put on her favorite one-piece swimsuit, a pair of sweatpants, and a light jacket and began to wander the ranch looking for the famed pool.
She found the barn where Laura was teaching some of the older kids how to groom horses. She waved, but since she wasn’t dressed for working with animals, continued on her way. She promised herself that she would convince Laura to give her riding lessons one of these days, though. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.
She found the ropes course, a fire pit, a badminton court, a horseshoe pit, and several other outdoor games, but no swimming pool. It was a great camp for the foster kids to gain life skills and have an amazing week where they were special. The more she walked around the camp, the more she shared in Mia’s vision to make this place a sanctuary for kids who didn’t have families.
Mia’s statement the night they met about this being a place to help people, really sunk in. This was a place for hope. This was a place for dreams and love.
She was about to give up and ask for directions when she finally saw it on the far edge of the property.
It was a beautiful pool. There were two lap lanes on the far edge, but the main pool area looked like something out of a travel magazine. The clear blue water had a beach entrance and a small slide shaped like an octopus. A larger yellow slide dropped into the deep end. There was also a hot tub nestled off to the side that bubbled and beckoned her to come and relax.
Two boys jumped into the deep end with a splash. They looked to be around five to six, and both shrieked with delight as they flew through the air and into the water. Elena laughed as the two of them came to the surface and asked her which splash was bigger.