Secrets & Seductions by Pamela Toth Page B

five cabins according to age and sex, the names of secret pals were distributed. The salad, chili and pans of cornbread prepared by Cookie were consumed down to the last crumb and kidney bean. As darkness fell, everyone sat around the fire pit for a sing-along and marshmallow roast.
    Emma sat next to Petie and Emily, directly across from Morgan. After his welcoming speech, he surprised her with a string of corny jokes that destroyed the last bits of the image she’d had of him. They cracked some of the remaining ice in the group, too.
    In the firelight he was so attractive when he grinned at Emma that she had to look away. After that, she was careful to watch everyone else except him.
    Heidi and Derrick led the group in singing a couple of the silly songs, which provided a good diversion for Emma. The campfire songs reminded Emma of her Girl Scout troop. When the leader quit, Sally Wright had stepped in, despite having no experience, so the girls could stay together. Had Emma ever thanked her for that?
    By the time she crawled into the sleeping bag on her cot that night, she was exhausted. The main lodge was a rather primitive log structure with plumbing facilities and a phone line, but no electricity. In Emma’s eyes,her tiny private room was still infinitely better than bunking with a cabin full of hyperexcited young campers.
    Franny and Sarah each slept with a group of girls. Jeff, along with the bus driver, whose name was Frank, and Mohammed, who had ridden up with the cook, were in charge of the boys. Morgan and Cookie each had rooms at the lodge. Heidi and Derrick shared, of course.
    Although Emma had been warned about early reveille in the morning, she had trouble falling asleep. She tried thinking about her duties the next day, conducting craft projects, helping in the kitchen and making herself available in case anyone wanted to talk. Despite her best efforts, her mind, like a boomerang, kept returning to Morgan and his transformation.
    She could see him as he acted out the words to “The Wheels on the Bus” at the campfire. His clowning had caught her by surprise.
    Which was the real Morgan Davis—the stuffy director in the gray suit or the unselfconscious camp leader whose goal was to bring smiles to a circle of children? Emma’s last thought before she finally drifted off to sleep was that getting to know him might be more interesting than she’d originally thought.
    Â 
    Everett felt as though everyone in the hospital cafeteria was staring at him as he stood in front of the vending machine looking for an empty table. Hishands were damp with perspiration and he worried about dropping his tray.
    He had done that once. It made a huge noise when it hit the floor, splattering his soup across the vinyl. For two weeks afterward, Everett had brought a sack lunch to work and eaten alone at his desk. Now he was careful to hold his tray tightly and not bump into anyone.
    He’d thought the pretty nurse, Nancy Allen, might be here. He’d been working so hard that he had lost track of the time and now it was late enough for the lunch rush to be over.
    A cafeteria worker was wiping off the empty tables. Employees were supposed to bus their own dishes, but not everyone did. Everett found that annoying. Rules were made for a reason. If no one followed them, there would be chaos.
    Disappointed that he had missed seeing Nancy, he ignored the view from tall windows that opened onto the meditation garden. Instead he set his tray down on a clean table facing the doorway. He probably should have e-mailed her, but he didn’t want to come across as pushy in case she was only being polite. She seemed to like him, but maybe she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
    He stared down at the food in front of him. Lasagna was served every Thursday and he always selected it, just as he always had chicken on Mondays. Routine made him comfortable. He didn’tlike surprises. A person couldn’t prepare