with their Blob time. It’s sacred.”
If Blob time was what Rocky thought it was, he understood completely. “I get that,” he said and scrambled to keep the conversation going. He wanted to make her stay, wanted to talk more, wanted to regain the courage to ask her out.
“Now, don’t watch me walk away,” she teased. “I have a wicked case of Pine Butt.”
Rocky was suddenly horrified. Pine Butt? Who is this woman?
She burst out laughing. “Sorry. That look on your face is priceless. Wish I had a camera.” She paused by his chair. “You’ll have to lighten up if you’re gonna work here, Rocky. Remember loose boundaries? Kids will say anything? And so you know, Pine Butt is this camp’s term for when you’ve sat in something wet, sticky, or gross and it’s still on your bottom for all the world to see. No time to change around here. I sat in a muddy spot after that rain and voila! Pine Butt.”
“Good to know.”
“You can also get Pine Cooties, Pine Grunge, and Pine Splats. But we’ll save that for another time.”
“I can’t wait,” he muttered.
She touched his shoulder. “I gotta run. See you next week?”
“Yeah, but wait.”
“Yes?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to see a movie or get some dinner one night when you’re off duty.”
Now who looked horrified?
“I uh... well—”
“Never mind. Didn’t mean to put you on the spot. Let’s forget I said anything. Agreed?”
“No, not at all. I’d like to go out with you, but I’m not sure how. I’m only off for a short time between Saturday when the campers leave and Sunday when they come back.”
“Saturday night, then.”
“But you’re an hour down the road, there’s not much to do around here...”
“Details.” He pulled a card out of his pocket. “Call me when you get phone time. We’ll figure it out.”
She took the card and turned it in her fingers before she tucked it into her pocket. “Sure,” she said and smiled. “We’ll talk. And hey, if you’re hungry, I’m sure I could find you a plate of spaghetti.”
“Sounds good, but what I’d really like to see is that Blob . I’m wondering if it’s still as amazing as I remember from my camp days when my parents shipped me to Arkansas.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said and started down the path. “There’s nothing better than the Blob .”
4
Rocky blinked against the late afternoon sun and prepared to circle the block again.
“If you would tell me what kind of parking spot you’re looking for, perhaps I can help,” Gia offered from the passenger seat.
He nodded, returned her curious smile, and hit the gas. The force knocked her back into the seat as if it were a rocket launch. His cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Sorry.”
“No worries,” she said with all the genuine warmth and sweetness of a pile of honey on a fresh-from-the-oven biscuit. “It looked more like whiplash than it was.” She looked down and wiggled. “I think this seat must be loose or something. It moved.”
Rocky gripped the wheel tighter. If he were alone he’d be banging his head on it until the blissful haze of unconsciousness set in. His last lucid thought would be how Max was going to die a slow, painful death for not bolting that seat in properly.
For some reason, this beautiful intelligent woman had willingly let him pick her up for a date. She was here. In his clunker. Looking and talking like a real girl and not a camp counselor. There was no water jug, no ID badge, and no cheesy camp t-shirt. Instead, there were little white shorts and jewelry. Her eyes were bigger, her lips were shinier, and her hair looked even silkier. From the leaf-like dangling thingies in her ears to the Jesus-fish ring on her left index finger, she was the very picture of beauty and grace—and all he’d managed to do in these crucial first date moments was drive her in circles as she sat wobbling in his death-trap of a car.
He let out an anxious bark
If Blob time was what Rocky thought it was, he understood completely. “I get that,” he said and scrambled to keep the conversation going. He wanted to make her stay, wanted to talk more, wanted to regain the courage to ask her out.
“Now, don’t watch me walk away,” she teased. “I have a wicked case of Pine Butt.”
Rocky was suddenly horrified. Pine Butt? Who is this woman?
She burst out laughing. “Sorry. That look on your face is priceless. Wish I had a camera.” She paused by his chair. “You’ll have to lighten up if you’re gonna work here, Rocky. Remember loose boundaries? Kids will say anything? And so you know, Pine Butt is this camp’s term for when you’ve sat in something wet, sticky, or gross and it’s still on your bottom for all the world to see. No time to change around here. I sat in a muddy spot after that rain and voila! Pine Butt.”
“Good to know.”
“You can also get Pine Cooties, Pine Grunge, and Pine Splats. But we’ll save that for another time.”
“I can’t wait,” he muttered.
She touched his shoulder. “I gotta run. See you next week?”
“Yeah, but wait.”
“Yes?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to see a movie or get some dinner one night when you’re off duty.”
Now who looked horrified?
“I uh... well—”
“Never mind. Didn’t mean to put you on the spot. Let’s forget I said anything. Agreed?”
“No, not at all. I’d like to go out with you, but I’m not sure how. I’m only off for a short time between Saturday when the campers leave and Sunday when they come back.”
“Saturday night, then.”
“But you’re an hour down the road, there’s not much to do around here...”
“Details.” He pulled a card out of his pocket. “Call me when you get phone time. We’ll figure it out.”
She took the card and turned it in her fingers before she tucked it into her pocket. “Sure,” she said and smiled. “We’ll talk. And hey, if you’re hungry, I’m sure I could find you a plate of spaghetti.”
“Sounds good, but what I’d really like to see is that Blob . I’m wondering if it’s still as amazing as I remember from my camp days when my parents shipped me to Arkansas.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said and started down the path. “There’s nothing better than the Blob .”
4
Rocky blinked against the late afternoon sun and prepared to circle the block again.
“If you would tell me what kind of parking spot you’re looking for, perhaps I can help,” Gia offered from the passenger seat.
He nodded, returned her curious smile, and hit the gas. The force knocked her back into the seat as if it were a rocket launch. His cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Sorry.”
“No worries,” she said with all the genuine warmth and sweetness of a pile of honey on a fresh-from-the-oven biscuit. “It looked more like whiplash than it was.” She looked down and wiggled. “I think this seat must be loose or something. It moved.”
Rocky gripped the wheel tighter. If he were alone he’d be banging his head on it until the blissful haze of unconsciousness set in. His last lucid thought would be how Max was going to die a slow, painful death for not bolting that seat in properly.
For some reason, this beautiful intelligent woman had willingly let him pick her up for a date. She was here. In his clunker. Looking and talking like a real girl and not a camp counselor. There was no water jug, no ID badge, and no cheesy camp t-shirt. Instead, there were little white shorts and jewelry. Her eyes were bigger, her lips were shinier, and her hair looked even silkier. From the leaf-like dangling thingies in her ears to the Jesus-fish ring on her left index finger, she was the very picture of beauty and grace—and all he’d managed to do in these crucial first date moments was drive her in circles as she sat wobbling in his death-trap of a car.
He let out an anxious bark
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