Canyon Walls (10 page)

Cassie looked amazing. The soft light of the porch light reflected off her face, framed by a new, shorter hairdo. He leaned in and hugged her but pulled away when she stiffened. “I love the new look,” he said. “You look amazing.”

Cassie pushed her bangs from her face. “It was for charity.”

He wrinkled his brow but didn't ask her to explain. Whatever it was, it made her even more of a knockout than she already was. He wanted to tell her she looked beautiful, but he knew she would just resist his compliments. “What are we doing tonight anyway?”

Cassie held the blanket up to him, and he took it. “You'll see.”

They strolled toward the tabernacle, taking their time as she limped beside him. They walked near a group of boys laughing about their counselor snoring when he slept.

“I have no idea what's going on here,” he said.

Cassie smiled at him. “Just trust me.”

A clearing in the trees formed an open grassy area between the tabernacle and the chapel. Campers and counselors were lying on blankets staring up at the sky. They clustered
in small groups, their blankets lined up in neat rows. He followed and helped as she spread the quilt behind all
the kids. Will stretched his long legs out in front of him while Cassie sat cross-legged on the ground beside him.

“This is a tradition,” Cassie explained to Will. “Every year the campers get to stay up late and star watch, but there's a twist.”

Will didn't take his eyes off her as she spoke.

“Anyway, the dean always puts things in perspective,” Cassie said. “And I thought you might enjoy it.”

After some time of spreading out sleeping bags and adjusting and readjusting where they sat, a man finally walked out in front of the crowd. Campers began shushing and whispering.

Completely dark now, stars twinkled in a cloudless sky.

Will leaned in close and whispered into Cassie's ear, “Thanks for inviting me.” He loved being near her.

They lay on their backs, Will with his arm under his head and Cassie with her hands resting on her stomach.

“ ‘God made two great lights,' ” the man's booming voice announced. “ ‘The greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars,' Genesis 1:16. ‘When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?' Psalm 8:3–4,” he continued dramatically. “ ‘He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name,' Psalm 147:4.”

The man stepped carefully through the bodies. Will looked around to see each one staring up at the clear sky and the same stars Abraham and Moses looked at so many years ago.

“The distance from the Earth to the sun is about 93 million miles.” The speaker took long, dramatic pauses between each of the statements. “The nearest star is approximately 4.3 light-years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year and is the equivalent to over 5.8 trillion miles. There are 100 billion stars in our galaxy.”

Chills ran up Will's back. His God was a great God.

He looked over to Cassie who had her mouth open with a look of amazement on her face. Will took a deep breath for courage, reached out his hand, and clasped her hand in his. He breathed a sigh of relief when she squeezed his hand. He struggled to listen as the pastor continued to talk about how vast and impressive God's creation was. He stared up at the sky with Cassie's hand in his and thanked Him.

Before he knew it, the man was ending his talk with Deuteronomy 4:19–20. “ ‘And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the L
ord
your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. But as for you, the L
ord
took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are.' ”

The campers were completely silent for several minutes. Will took in the fresh air and the stillness of the night. Slowly campers began standing and gathering their blankets and bags.

“That was awesome,” Will said, feeling like he had watched an action movie in the theater.

Cassie stretched her arms over her head. “I thought you might like it. It's one of my favorite parts of the summer.”

The kids laughed and talked as they cleared out of the area. Will held out his hand to Cassie and pulled her up off the blanket, and when she stood on her feet, Will didn't let go of her hand. Cassie squeezed his and then pulled her hand away to fold the blanket. The disappointment ran through Will's veins.

“Let me drive you up to your house,” he said, not wanting the night to end.

She tucked the blanket under her arm. “That would be nice.”

As they walked back to his truck, he noticed her lingering a little closer to him. He hoped her hard shell was softening—that she was beginning to trust him.

He opened the door for her, and then he closed it softly behind her. They didn't speak on the short drive to the house.

As Will remembered his meeting with Hartley, guilt crept in and threatened to ruin his night. He needed to tell her the truth, but he didn't want anything to come between them. Knowing would only hurt Cassie. She was finally letting down her defenses with him. Would she ever be able to trust him if she knew the truth?

Will tried to push it out of his thoughts and take in every moment of the evening.

When they pulled up to the house, he jumped out of the truck and ran around to her side and held her hand as she stepped out of the vehicle. “Thanks again for coming,” she said.

He ran his fingers through his hair. It was like he didn't know what to do with his hands. Why was he so nervous? He felt sixteen again.

Cassie smiled.

“I. . .um,” he said. “I would love to take you to dinner sometime.”

Cassie brushed a strand of hair off her face. “That would be nice.”

Her answer surprised him. “Great. When?”

Cassie cocked her head to the side. “Let's do it after the men's retreat.”

Will didn't want to wait that long, but he would let Cassie make the rules. He leaned down and pulled her into a tight hug. This time she didn't stiffen.

He breathed in the sweet, clean fragrance of her hair. She leaned into him like she belonged there. He clung to her tightly, wanting to remember every heartbeat.

When she loosened her grip, he took a chance, leaned in, and touched his lips to hers.

Without giving her a chance to react, he stepped backward to his truck, staring into those moonlight-filled eyes and doing everything he could not to scare her away.

Ten

“We need to talk,” Will said.

Marvin Hartley's eyes peered over his plastic-rimmed glasses. “You drove an hour and a half when you could have picked up a phone?”

Trying to change Mr. Hartley's mind on his turf would be difficult, but it was better than doing it over the phone. “This is important.”

Mr. Hartley opened his hand in the direction of the metal chair across from his desk. A fluorescent light buzzed and flickered overhead. “Why didn't your father come along on this field trip to my office?”

Will rubbed his hands together and considered his response carefully. “He wasn't available, but he's aware of what I came to discuss.”

Mr. Hartley smirked.

When Will told his father what he planned to do, his father made his dissatisfaction clear, but surprisingly he hadn't tried to talk Will out of it. His father either trusted his instincts or aimed to teach him a lesson. Will took a deep breath to quiet his self-doubt. “After considering it, I've come to the conclusion that before we move forward with further talks of closing the camp, I would like to revisit the idea of—”

Before Will could finish his sentence, Mr. Hartley shook his head. “We've been through this, Mr. Overman.”

This wasn't going to be easy. Will normally enjoyed these games of mental chess, but a lot hung in the balance, including his relationship with Cassie. “If you bring me in as a consultant, I could help the camp generate more money.”

A deep grunt came from the back of Mr. Hartley's throat. “Mr. Overman, we would simply be prolonging it, which would cost the conference more money. Our analysis shows that it will be more profitable to expand another of our camps when Sunset Camp closes.”

Will saw an opportunity and pounced on it. “Then I'll work for free. I thought you of all people would want to try anything to save the camp before closing it. If I'm offering to do this for no cost to the conference, how could you turn it down?”

Mr. Hartley's face puffed up like a red balloon ready to pop. “I'm here to do my job. Part of my job description is to make decisions based on the success of all our camps in the state. If it means making a difficult decision to lose one camp, it's what I'll recommend to the board members.”

“Closing Sunset Camp isn't good for anyone,” Will said.

Mr. Hartley removed his glasses and leaned back in his chair. “Your father seems pretty set on making this deal happen. What's in it for you to keep the camp running?”

Will swallowed. It was a question that kept him awake at night. Was he doing this for the camp, or was he doing this for Cassie? Even if he saved the camp, he didn't know if Cassie would keep her guard down long enough to return his affection. Was it worth the risk of losing his father's respect? “A lot of lives have been changed in that camp, and there are a lot of people who don't want to see it close. Myself included.”

Mr. Harley kept his eyes on Will's. “What about Miss Langley?”

“I doubt your staff members want to lose their jobs,” Will said. “I believe Miss Langley is very passionate about the camp.”

Mr. Hartley straightened a pile of folders on the corner of his desk. “That's another thing I wanted to discuss with you, Mr. Overman. The board has heard rumors about a relationship between the two of you.”

Will opened his mouth to defend himself and Cassie, but Mr. Hartley didn't give him the opportunity to speak.

“The camp director and the real-estate investor getting cozy makes them more than a little nervous. Quite frankly, it makes me nervous, particularly because of our past experience.”

Cassie would never do what Henry Mason had. Will had recently learned Henry hadn't retired as everyone, even Cassie, believed. The board had fired him when they learned he was letting the camp's finances go down the drain. The investigation found that an investor had agreed to cut Henry in on the deal if he helped give the board a reason to close the camp and sell the property. Now Cassie was left to clean up the mess, and she had done a pretty good job of it.

And Will was trapped in the middle of it all. He rubbed his hand across his chin. “That's unfair. You shouldn't base anything on hearsay.”

“You're right, but your trip here today leads me to believe it could be true,” Mr. Hartley said. “With the alleged relationship with Miss Langley and the differing opinions between you and your father, I may need to seek out other investors. I would like to keep things as uncomplicated as possible.”

Mr. Hartley had stolen Will's only bargaining tool. He had planned to threaten to walk away if it came to that, but Mr. Hartley had beaten him to the punch. Normally he would have called it a bluff, but Mr. Hartley didn't work that way. He meant what he said, and he could tell from the inflection in his voice that no amount of persuading would change things. Will had done enough bargaining and negotiating in his business to know when he had lost.

Will stood, pulling the cuff of his dress shirt over his watch. “Well, thank you for your time.”

“And Mr. Overman,” Mr. Hartley said. “If I were you, I'd stay away from Miss Langley and the camp until everything is finalized. We don't want any more of those rumors going around.”

Eleven

On Saturday morning Cassie and Beth stood in line at Donna's Donuts. Cassie's mouth watered at the sugary smell.

“Did I see Will Overman's truck at camp a couple of nights ago?” Beth asked, like she had caught Cassie in a massive conspiracy.

Cassie stared at the back of a cowboy hat on the man in front of her and struggled to keep the smile from spreading too far across her face. “You did.”

Beth gasped. “And? Aren't you going to tell me about it?”

Cassie pretended to read the menu written on a chalkboard hanging behind the counter. “I invited him to come for the star talk.”

“You invited him?” Beth's voice moved up an octave. “Don't you know the rules?”

“What rules?” Cassie said, humoring her.

They stepped up a place in line. “You know, let him make the first move. Play hard to get. Let him feel like he's in control.”

“Ah, those rules.” Cassie looked at Beth. “Apparently he didn't mind.”

Beth's mouth dropped open. “Why? What happened?”

Cassie laughed, remembering how nervous the normally calm and smooth Will had been before asking her out. “He asked me out to dinner.”

“You're going on a date with him?” Beth twisted her mouth to the side. “I mean, he's good looking and successful, but what about the whole real-estate thing?”

Cassie had surprised herself with her change of heart. “I think I underestimated him. I think he's a good guy.”

“You don't think he was spying?” Beth asked. “That he wants to take over the camp?”

They walked to the counter. “Let's just say that I'm willing to give him a chance.”

Beth's face softened. “Then I'm really happy for you. But be careful. It's the cute ones who will break your heart.”

That's what Cassie was afraid of, but right now she didn't care. She felt like a giddy teenager. She crouched in front of the glass case with glazed donuts, bear claws, and apple fritters.

“Go ahead,” Beth said. “Get one. It won't bother me.”

Cassie stood. “Just a coffee for me, please.”

“Make that two,” Beth said to the lady with the messy hair piled on top of her head.

Cassie leaned in close to Beth's ear. “Remind me again why you chose a donut shop when you're on another diet.”

“They have the best coffee in town—except for my coffee, of course,” Beth whispered.

“And I need coffee right now.”

Beth elbowed her. “Why? Were you up all night thinking about a certain someone?”

The woman handed them each a Styrofoam cup of coffee. Cassie shook a paper packet, ripped off the top, and poured the sugar into her coffee. “Only if that certain someone you're referring to is Mr. Hartley.”

“That's not exactly who I had in mind,” Beth said.

Cassie handed the woman a five-dollar bill. “I'm just getting nervous about the meeting. I have a lot to do.”

Beth blew steam from the top of her cup. “You've been working your tail off. Mr. Hartley will see that things are turning around.”

The woman smiled and nodded as Cassie dropped the change in the mason jar with a piece of paper that read
Tips
taped to the outside of it. “Are you girls talking about Marvin Hartley?” the cashier asked.

Cassie and Beth looked at each other. “Yes,” they said in unison.

Cassie asked, “Do you know him?”

The waitress tucked an ink pen in her hair. “No. I mean, not really. He was here earlier this week. Tried to pay me with a credit card. Had to tell him I don't trust those little pieces of plastic, especially for a two-dollar ticket.”

Cassie's chest tightened. “Mr. Hartley was here?”

Beth put a hand on Cassie's shoulder. “He probably stopped through when he was visiting the camp. No big deal.”

Cassie stared at the glass door of the refrigerated case. “I don't know.” The donut shop was small and out of the way. “I guess.”

Cassie picked up her coffee with a shaky hand and turned to leave.

“Oh, and that man, he was with the Overmans,” the woman said.

The words jarred Cassie, and scorching coffee sloshed on her hand.
The Overmans and Marvin Hartley together?
Cassie's empty stomach felt sick.

The woman walked around the counter. “Oh my.” She took Cassie's coffee and handed her a handful of napkins from the counter.

“Will didn't say anything to you about it?” Beth asked.

Cassie held her breath and shook her head. She couldn't speak.

“Maybe it wasn't him,” Beth said, looking hopeful.

The cashier used a napkin to wipe coffee from Cassie's arm. “From the look on your face, I think I said too much.”

Cassie straightened and tried to compose herself to find out more. “No, it's fine. I just didn't know they knew each other. Which of the Overmans were with him?”

The woman looked up at the ceiling tiles. “It was Leonard and one of his boys. The youngest, I think. Will?”

Cassie's fists tightened, and her fingernails dug into her palms.