Snapshot (The Jamieson Collection) Page 6

  And now Marti too.

  He stood in the middle of the path still wet from the swim test. He didn’t feel like going back for his towel, so he followed the path to the cabin. No danger of running into Marti. She flew out of there so fast, she could be to town by now.

  When he reached the last two cabins, he glanced over at hers, but didn’t see any activity. Maybe Marti had left for town. He entered his cabin, unlocked his cabinet, and grabbed his cell phone. He knew the rules and not to use it while on camp property, but exceptions must be made.

  He pulled on a t-shirt, slid on sandals and took the hiking path that lead up to Eagle’s Point. Once the cabins and beach were out of sight, he called his brother. The one who understood girls and had experienced plenty of his own girl problems the past year.

  Peter picked up on the third ring. “How’s Boy Scout camp?”

  “Very funny.” Adam relaxed at the sound of Peter’s voice. They spent so much time together it felt odd to be apart these past couple days. “How’s everything with Libby? Did she turn you down again? Or even more likely, did she flee the country to get away from you?”

  “Nice one. Nope, she’s right here.” Adam could hear the happiness in Peter’s voice and was glad for him.

  “Hi Adam!” he heard Libby call through the phone.

  “Tell her hi,” Adam said. “So, where are you guys?”

  “You’re not gonna believe this. Wall Drug.”

  Adam burst into laughter. “What the hell are you doing there?” Wall Drug, famous for nothing more than serving free ice water, had grown into a tourist mecca.

  “I know, but Libby saw the signs, so we had to stop.”

  “Bro, you are so whipped, it’s pathetic.” But deep down Adam wished he had someone special too. He thought Marti might be that person, but apparently not.

  “So what’s up? What has lured you away from making candles in the sand and singing Kumbaya? Don’t tell me. Since the girls don’t know who you are, they’ll have nothing to do with you.”

  “Not exactly.” He hesitated. “See, there’s this girl.”

  “Hey Libby, Adam’s got a girl!” Peter yelled, ignoring Adam.

  “Way to go, Adam!” Libby called back. “Don’t break her heart.”

  Adam shook his head. Calling Peter was probably a mistake, as his brother couldn’t see anything in the world other than his girlfriend. Hell, Peter probably didn’t know if it was day or night.

  “Sorry, so there’s this girl. What’s the problem? You finally get a girl alone, and you don’t know what to do with her?”

  Adam rolled his eyes. “No, she has this huge issue with musicians. Let’s just say she hates us all.”

  “Harsh. Why, what did we ever do to her?”

  “Her dad is Steven Hunter.”

  “No shit! The Steven Hunter? The one who created Graphite Angels?”

  “Yup, the one and only.” Adam spied a log bench at the top of the hill and sat down.

  “I’ve heard he’s pretty messed up, so I guess I can understand why she doesn’t like musicians. I mean he’s a genius, but a dysfunctional genius. So you’re afraid she’ll figure out who you are?”

  “She just did.” He ran his hand over his short hair realizing it had been a waste of time to shave it.

  “Oh. So now what?” Peter asked.

  “That’s just it. I don’t know. Will she be so pissed off that she tells everyone? Then kids will be tweeting pics of me, and crazed fans will start showing up, or worse, paparazzi will start flooding into camp.” He drew patterns in the dry dirt with the toe of his sandal. “No one else seems to recognize me. Should I ask her not to tell anybody?” He wanted to head off trouble.

  “Is she a reasonable girl? Can you talk to her?”

  “Not right now. She’s pissed off that I lied to her.”

  “Give her some time to cool down. If she doesn’t spill it right away, you’re probably okay.”

  “I guess. But how do I get her to stop hating me?” How could he get things back to how they were last night in the moonlight?

  “That I can’t help you with. Just be yourself, and hopefully that won’t make it worse.” Peter laughed.

  “Not real helpful.” Adam gazed out across the expanse of crystal blue lake. A warm breeze rustled the leaves on the trees.

  “You know what they say,” Peter said. “There’s a fine line between love and hate.”

  Adam now understood what that saying meant. “And right now I’m feeling the hate!”

  “Hey, I gotta go. We found one of those Mold-A-Rama machines that make a plastic elephant.”

  “Alright, well thanks for the help,” Adam said.

  “Anytime. Oh, and could you build me a picture frame out of Popsicle sticks?”

  “You know what you can do with those Popsicle sticks. Later.”

  Adam ended the call and leaned back against the bench. An eagle soared overhead, catching the updraft. On the lake, a couple sailboats raced across the water. One took a sharp turn, the wind caught the sail and the boat flipped. He laughed. Somehow it made him feel better to see someone else take a fall.

  Chapter 5

  Marti tousled her long, damp hair. No need to use the hair dryer when outside the sun glowed bright and a light breeze blew on this eighty-degree day. She pulled on a pair of shorts, a coordinating tank and with a flick of mascara, felt complete.

  She slid the camera strap over her shoulder and headed back to the beach to join the others. The shower cooled her temper after the confrontation with AJ.

  No, Adam. She had to relearn his damn name. While she wanted nothing to do with Adam Jamieson, she wasn’t about to let his presence ruin her time at camp. She couldn’t wait to see if he ‘fessed up his identity to the others or kept playing his game.

  On the way to the beach, she saw a butterfly sail from flower to flower. She stopped and captured several pictures as it fluttered from one Black-eyed Susan to another. The vivid yellow-black flowers, together with the orange and black of the monarch displayed a brilliant array of color against the forest green backdrop. She reviewed the new pictures and knew she had some winners.

  As she arrived at the beach, she spotted a group of kids gathered at the sand volleyball court.

  “Hey Marti, just in time. We need you on our team,” Kyle called.

  Kayla ran up. “Where did you disappear to? All of a sudden you were gone.” Friendly concern lit her perky, freckled face.

  “Sorry about that. I realized I promised to email my grandma and haven’t yet. And then, as long as I was back at the cabin, I figured I might as well shower.” Marti felt a little guilty that she was lying over someone as stupid as Adam and that Grandma really would like a an email, but she hadn’t sent one.

  “Oh. I kind of wondered if you and AJ snuck off to make out.” Kayla grinned.

  “Not hardly. He is totally not my type.”

  “Who’s not your type?” Haley joined them.

  “Oh, Kayla thought I was off with AJ, but that’ll never happen. I promise you.” She kicked at a pinecone on the ground.

  “I thought you liked AJ. You even said he was hot.” Haley looked confused, since only an hour earlier Marti kind of said exactly that.

  “Okay, he is hot, but after talking with him more, I realized I’m just not that into him.” She yanked on her camera strap and tried to sound blasé.

  “Really? Maybe I’ll go after him.” Kayla said.

  Marti’s head popped up. She certainly didn’t want Adam, but she didn’t want one of her friends with him either. Wasn’t that an unspoken Girlfriend Rule?

  “Just kidding,” Kayla said after catching the look on Marti’s face. “He’s really fun, but I met this guy on the beach who is in the drawing camp. He is so freakin’ hot! OMG. I’m going to meet up with him later tonight. I’ll introduce you guys, but then you have to leave, because I don’t want any distractions.”

  “Okay,” Marti said, happy to know Kayla really didn’t hav
e her eye on Adam. All these conflicting feelings confused the heck of out of her. If she didn’t want to see him, why should she care if anyone else did? Why did she care? Her insides tangled into a jumbled mess.

  “Girls! Hurry up. It’s game time,” Kyle called again.

  Marti noticed that the whole gang—Brooke, Justin, and Ryan—assembled for the game, but not Adam. Had she hurt his feelings? If so, he sure needed to toughen up. What a wimpy rock star. A few others from the photography group filled out the team. They were playing against the watercolor campers.

  “Gather round.” Justin waved them over.

  Marti kicked off her sandals and joined Team Photag.

  “Okay team, we’re gonna go out there and crush ‘em!” He put his hand in the middle of their circle, and they all placed theirs on top. After a team chant, they cheered and took their places on the court.

  What Marti assumed would be a friendly game quickly turned intense. Justin torpedoed the first ball across the net. A stunned girl from the Water Color Team turned to the side so it wouldn’t drill her.

  Point!

  “Nice one, Justin!” Brooke, wearing a sparkly bikini top and micro shorts, fist bumped him.

  Justin raised a sexy eyebrow above his sunglasses and smiled.

  This time their opponents watched, alert for the serve. A skinny, red-headed guy returned the ball. Kayla nailed it back. A short stocky kid returned it. Ryan set the ball and Marti moved in and spiked it over the net.

  Score!

  “Nice one,” Ryan said.

  “Thanks.” Adrenaline pumped through Marti as she relished the chance to blow off some steam.

  “AJ! You’re late! We need you,” Kyle yelled.

  Marti turned to find Adam jogging down the footpath barefoot, still wearing his swim trunks. She huffed and her shoulders tightened at the sight of him.

  “Sorry, man.” He ran up and joined them on the court.

  Of course, the jerk would stand right next to her. She refused to look his direction. Traitor. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he bothered her.

  Justin served again. This time they volleyed back and forth a few times. Then, the ball soared right to Marti. She hustled to return it but smashed into Adam instead. The ball hit the sand.

  “What the hell was that? I had it!” Marti yelled and drilled him with her worst glare.

  “You didn’t call it, and someone had to get it.” Adam ignored her biting tone.

  “Well you didn’t!” She rubbed her shoulder where they’d crashed. Running into Adam felt like running into a wall.

  “My bad.” He shrugged and moved back into position. Marti fought the urge to smack him.

  Within minutes, all the guys played shirtless and looked a sweaty mess of tan, sand-covered bodies. The game went on with Adam continually moving into Marti’s playing space. She muttered under her breath a lot. Finally, Team Photog won.

  “Canteen is open. Anybody want something?” Haley asked.

  “I’m in,” Kayla said.

  “Definitely.” Marti joined them, along with a few others as they wandered to the canteen over by the lodge. Most of the guys went back to the beach to cool off.

  The girls ordered ice cream. Marti chose a toffee bar, and they all returned to a picnic table on the beach where they let the hot afternoon sun burn their skin.

  “So, Marti, what’s going on with you and AJ?” Brooke asked with a knowing look.

  “Nothing. He bugs the hell out of me. He’s so full of himself.” Marti ripped the paper off her bar.

  The silent look exchanged between the other girls did not go unnoticed.

  “What?” Marti refused to share the whole story. She could picture Adam flirting with all the girls if they knew his real identity. She could barely stand him as it was. She didn’t need him strutting around like some rock God.

  “If you ask me, it’s like you two are performing a mating ritual.” Brooke licked at her ice cream.

  “Oh my god, not hardly! If anyone is doing a mating dance, it’s you and Justin. I could feel the steam off of you two.” Marti looked at the lake where the guys tossed a football back and forth in the water.

  Brooke grinned. “I know. He is so hot.” She waved at Justin.

  “If you ask me, I say AJ is hot for Marti, and the more she pushes him away the more he’s going to keep coming,” Kayla said.

  Marti’s blood boiled. She clenched her teeth. That’s what she didn’t want, more attention from Adam. Let him chase after some other gullible girl. No, she didn’t want that either. It drove her nuts that he bothered her so much.

  “And he looks pretty fine with his shirt off,” Haley said, appreciating their view of the guys.

  “Where’s my camera when I need it?” Kayla said.

  Marti picked up her own camera and snapped a couple shots. “For you.” She smiled at Kayla.

  “AJ and Justin are both totally hot,” Kayla said. “Ryan needs to do a few push ups. The poor guy is like a pole.”

  Marti watched the guys throw the ball. AJ wasn’t overly buff. He was lean and fit, but obviously strong. His shoulders were solid, and his upper arms were muscular but not in a ‘I’m all bulked up way,’ more of a ‘I can lift anything you throw at me and you’ll never know how I managed’ way.

  The guys charged out of the water and approached the picnic table. Kyle stood in front of Kayla and shook his mop of hair.

  “God, Kyle, grow some manners would you!” Kayla yelled.

  Kyle grinned.

  Adam’s stare burned into Marti. She huffed and looked away.

  “Want some?” Brooke held her ice cream up to Justin. He leaned in, took a lick and smiled. Brooke grinned and took a lick of her own.

  “Somebody needs to get a room,” Haley said, under her breath.

  “Let’s go. I’m hungry,” Adam said to the guys.

  The girls watched as the guys, dripping in their wet, tanned awesomeness, headed for the canteen.

  “You know,” Marti said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say Kyle has a thing for Kayla.”

  “Oh, ick! You are so wrong. Oh my god! You don’t even know how wrong you are.” Kayla scrunched her face in disgust.

  “What? You just said the same thing to me about AJ.” Marti laughed.

  “That’s different,” Kayla said.

  “Sure it is.” Marti looked out to the lake and hid a smile. She liked seeing someone else in the hot seat for once. Still, her mind kept drifting back to Adam and she didn’t know what the heck to do about it. Maybe she could drown him.

  * * *

  Later that night, during lights out, instead of the low tones of the cello, the sound of an acoustic guitar came over the loud speaker. The gentle plucking of strings played Brahms lullaby.

  “That’s cool,” Kayla said.

  The sweet sounds of the lullaby played over the airwaves. Marti suspected immediately it must be Adam, but how the heck did he pull that off? He should be in his cabin, lights out. She just saw the guys a few minutes ago. She pictured Adam in the lodge office, holed up with a guitar across his lap. Despite her anger with him, the blending chords soothed her.

  “I wonder who it is,” Brooke said.

  They knew that the cello player was the camp director, Tony. Maybe he played guitar too. Probably. Adam said he didn’t want people to know who he was. Why would he risk anyone finding out he was the hot shot guitarist from Jamieson?

  “I really like this,” Haley said.

  The song came to a gentle end. Marti sighed. “Whoever it is, they sure know how to play.”

  And then another song began. This time it was upbeat and intricate.

  “I know that song. It’s Classical Gas!” Haley popped up in bed.

  “I think someone snuck in the office and is going rogue. I’ve been coming here for years, and there is always only one song, and it’s the lullaby,” Kayla said.

  The girls sat up in their beds as moonlight shone through the
windows. The music trailed and twined up and down the scales with chords and intricate notes. Marti couldn’t help herself. No average guitar player could perform this song at the expert level they heard. She imagined Adam’s long fingers dancing over the strings, moving up and down the neck of the guitar, and changing key.

  “Sometimes my dad would play for me at bedtime when I was little,” Marti recalled out loud. When he wasn’t on tour, or too strung out from a hard day of partying.

  “That must have been so awesome,” Brooke sighed.

  “Yeah, it was.” Her dad would sit on the side of the bed with his acoustic guitar. Usually it was Brahms Lullaby, but as she grew older, he would play lots of different things. Sometimes Puff the Magic Dragon, her all-time favorite, or Beatles music or Nirvana. He’d take pretty much anything and play it in whatever style he was in the mood for. His long hair, the same shade of blonde as hers, would fall forward like a curtain of privacy. His face softened and the distractions of his crazed world disappeared.

  Those were their special moments, which happened less and less as she grew older. Strange. She hadn’t thought anything positive about her dad in forever. It must be camp and getting away.

  The guitar music changed key and tempo. A tiny part of Marti itched to see Adam play, to watch his relaxed concentration. She envisioned his easy smile and the way his body would move to the song as he went to that special place musicians go when they’re really into it. Then she reminded herself who he was. Adam Jamieson. A rocker who would lie to get what he wanted. He’d grow more self-absorbed and spoiled as he grew up. He’d end up stomping all over everyone else.

  The song ended and silence echoed in her heart. Despite herself, she wanted more.

  Kayla whipped back her covers, still dressed in shorts and a tank top. “Do you think the coast is clear?”