The Distraction

Untitled Part 9

"Okay campers! Welcome to Camp Sunburst! We are so excited you all arehere to hang out with us this summer!" My voice travels through my cuppedhands as I shout across the field at about three dozen kids of various ages."Now, we know you guys are just as excited, but before we hop into the fun,we need to go over our rules and guidelines to make sure we can keepeveryone safe and having a blast."I spend the next 10 minutes explaining rules and regulations that weexpect the campers to follow, then the other counselors and volunteers startworking on dividing the kids into the age groups they'll be in through thesummer. It's the first day of camp at the Center and even after all these years,it still gives me nervous butterflies.After a quick wave and smile at Rosie who is sitting excitedly in the grassand waiting for her group, I walk over to Maggie."An awesome group this year.""Yeah, a little bigger than last year. More families can't afford thosefancy camps across town this year," Maggie says. I sigh, knowing she's right."Going to be our job to give them the best summer we possibly can.""You mean it's my job." Maggie elbows me. "You refuse to accept aproper job here and let this old woman off the hook.""You know why, Mags. Plus, the girls coming here for free all summer ismore than enough." She won that battle last week when I tried to bring in thecamp deposit for Sara and Rosie."Hush, girl. You know what I'm saying. It's just my job to give you ahard time. Did we ever confirm those shirts for kids?""Yes! The donation department of Beaten Path told me they should bedelivered today," I say excitedly, relaying the conversation I'd had with Gina,Hunter's assistant via email Friday."That was very generous of them." She's baiting me, looking to get moreinformation. Chances are, she gossiped with Sadie this morning, evidencedby the iced Americano she walked in for me.While my best friend is typically a vault with my secrets, she has noproblem sharing with Maggie. Knowing the two of them, they either spentthe early morning chatting about how I'm stubborn and need to open myselfup or planning my wedding."Yes, Maggie, it was very generous. Luckily, I work for Autumn so I hadthe in." Evasion is my goal here. Maggie harrumphs, knowing I'mbullshitting her, but smiles at me all the same.Not much later, the words I've come to associate with butterflies in mybelly hit my ears, directing me to look to the parking area."UNCLE HUNTER!" A blur of pink and sparkles runs past, goingstraight for a man with a brown cardboard box under an arm.Hunter.I stand there, shock and confusion infusing my system as I take him in.But soon I'm following in Rosie's footsteps, walking in his direction andtrying not to seem too eager to see him. He catches my eye all the same andsmiles his knowing smile, an ever-present tease reminding me of his late visitto my cottage last night when he got back from the city. A shiver runsthrough me and his smile widens into a toothy grin through the dark of hisbeard."Hey." My voice is breathier than I expect, his eyes warm in a way I can'tquite explain. His hand subtly reaches out, brushing against mine but notgrabbing. Rosie is jumping up and down next to him, alternately saying hiand his name."Hey, princess! How's my best Rosie?" Hunter drops the box he'sholding in favor of picking up his niece."I'm your only Rosie, Uncle Hunter." She giggles like he's a silly boywho understands nothing."Ahh, that's right, I forgot," he says, kissing her hair before putting herback down."Whatcha doing here?" I ask, trying to seem uninterested."Delivering your shirts. And a few extras. It's all in the truck.""What extras?" I feel my brows furrow in confusion."Just some things for the kids we figured they'd like,""Do you need help getting them out?" I look to the distance, trying to seewhere his Bronco is in the parking lot."Yeah, I will."I bend to Rosie. "Why don't you go back to your friends, girly? It lookslike they're getting into groups, and you know the rule is to stick with yourgroup." She nods."Make sure you say 'bye, okay?" Her stern little face glares at her uncle,a tiny finger waggling in his direction making us both laugh."Got it. Now listen to Hannah and go," he says, pointing to the field withthe kids. She skips off and we both watch her go. I turn to him."Really, what are you doing here? Gina said the shirts would be deliveredtoday.""Yeah, by me. That's why I went to the New York location yesterdayafter I signed those papers. I had to get a few things.""Oh. I guess that makes sense." Why does Hunter delivering thempersonally make me feel all fuzzy and warm inside? Jesus, get it together,Hannah."Who's this, Hannah girl?" Maggie says coming up next to me, smilingbecause she already knows exactly who this is and wants to make memiserable. "Is this your new fella?"I could kill her."Oh, Mags, n-"Hunter sticks out his hand and answers before I can finish. "Sure am,ma'am. I'm Hunter, Hannah's man." At the same time, he wraps his armaround my waist in a clear statement."Well, isn't this just a lovely surprise? I'm Maggie.""Nice to finally meet you. Hannah talks extremely highly of you." Myface is a five alarm fire burn, capable of tearing down a forest in a moment.Maggie looks at me with warmth in her eyes."Our Hannah does love to see the good in others,""I've come to see that," he says, squeezing my waist."Okay, enough talking about me like I'm not here. Hunter is dropping offthe shirts his company donated. Can you go make sure the kids are listeningto the councilors while I go help him?""What, are you trying to stop an old woman from gushing andembarrassing you?" Her thin, weathered hand goes to her chest like she'saghast at the idea."Yes, now go," I say, pointing to the field. Maggie laughs, throwing herhead back, her long grey braids falling down her back."Okay, okay, I'll leave you be this time. Hunter, it was great meeting you.Hope you'll be back again soon." She says, walking away with a wave, herfloaty skirt trailing behind her."Sorry about her. She's a nosy nuisance. You can leave that box here, thekids can help with it later.""I think she's great." Hunter grabs my hand as we walk toward the lot.Glancing over my shoulder to check if anyone is looking, I see the kids areoccupied with an ice breaker."Yeah, wonderful. Where's the Bronco?" I ask, scanning the lot andseeing it nowhere."Back at Autumn's." My body slows, but his warm hand tugs me towardsa big box truck."Is this yours?" I'm confused. Less than 100 t-shirts shouldn't need a boxtruck. Hell, you could probably fit them in two boxes, easily."Yup," is all he says before he pulls me around to the other side, facingaway from the field. Pulling me in close quickly, he pushes me into the warmmetal of the rented truck, boxing me in with his body. He's looking at me,eyes on my lips. We're breathing the same air, warm breaths hitting my lips."Hunter, what are you-" Before I can finish asking, his lips are on mine,controlling and possessive. I should push him away, remind him there aredozens of children just yards away, but I missed him. Somehow in the twelvehours, since I've seen him last, I missed this confusing and sexy man.When I woke, he was already gone from my bed, leaving it and mefeeling cold and empty.Instead of pushing away, I roll onto my tiptoes, pressing into him as mymouth opens. Without hesitation, his tongue slips into mine, as domineeringand aggressive as the man himself. He tastes of fresh air and sin and a hint ofcoffee. He continues to kiss me, slipping his hands to my ass to squeeze asmy hands go to his neck to tangle in his hair. We continue like this for whatfeels like a mix of hours and as quick as seconds. The kiss stops only when,in desperation for more, I grind my hips into Hunter's, making him groan."Jesus fuck, woman," he says, pulling away and pressing his forehead tomine. "What are you doing to me?""Uh, sorry, honey, but you're the one who professed you were my man tomy surrogate grandmother and then pulled me behind a box truck to suckface." I smile at him."Suck face?" His face has broken into an easy smile, a beautiful sight tosee on his normally serious face."Yeah, Suck face, make out, swap spit."He chuckles, warm breath across my lips before kissing me once more,this time chastely."You're doing it to me too, you know. I missed you this morning." I rub athumb over his beard feeling the rough texture on the pad."You have no idea. Can't think of anything but you for weeks. Distractedat work, when the last fucking thing I need right now is to be distracted. I'mthinking of your sweet laugh and your sweeter pussy all fucking day long,daydreaming during meetings and planning out when I can get to you next."A shiver runs through me, a shiver that grows when he pushes his hips intome, showing me how much I'm affecting him."Yeah." It's the same for me. How did things get this confusing this fast?"So you're my man, huh?" I ask with a smile."Are we just friends?""Well, I hope not. I don't do that thing with my tongue on my fri-" I start,cut off with an utterly feral growl from deep in Hunter's chest thatreverberates straight to my core, making me quiver."Hannah," he warns."I'm just saying.""Are you fucking anyone else?""No, honey. Are you?" My gut drops, scared for the answer."No. Are you mine for now?" For now. I can't quite verbalize why thatcuts a bit, but it does."Yeah, I'm yours. For now."As if he can sense what I'm thinking, his face softens. "Baby, I can'tpromise you forever right now. Not in that place. I've got too much going on.Don't want to lead you on, but I enjoy spending time with you and I want toexplore that more." I can respect that. And if that's what I get from him, ifthat's what I need to do to have him, I'll take it."Okay, honey," I whisper, my lips brushing his once again. He looks inmy eyes like he's trying to decide if I mean it, if I'm really okay with this.Whatever he sees, he seems to accept it."Alright Hannah, Let's get all this stuff out.""What stuff? What's in the truck?" I ask, confused. He smiles, then leadsme to the back of the truck and opens the door.Inside are stacks and stacks of boxes.More boxes than one would need for 100 shirts.My eyes scan the hand-scrawled words written in black marker and tearswell in my eyes at the realization of what is happening.SunscreenBug spray.First aid kits.And there are fun words written, too.Soccer balls.Yard games.Baseballs and mitts.T ball stand.Helmets,The brown boxes are stacked high in the box truck, all with the BeatenPath logo stamped on them. There are even a few bikes and scooters invarious sizes strapped in."Hunter, what is this?" I whisper, both in a panic and in awe. Thesekids... some of whom haven't had much at all are going to be absolutelyspoiled this summer and it's all because of this man. I step forward to thetailgate of the truck and lean in, grazing a rough brown box with the tips ofmy fingers. Trying to reassure myself that these are real. This isn't anelaborate dream."It's for you."This is more than four years of fundraising could afford."You mean the campers." My head swimming with thoughts andemotions, words that are too dangerous to slip from my tongue.He laughs. "Yes, the campers, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't for you,as well.""Hunter, we can't accept this. It's way too much, a fortune.""You can, and you will. We have a non-profit budget, a healthy one. I'mactually pretty pissed that you've never talked to Autumn about sponsorship,but we can talk about that later," he says, bending close to my ear, "maybewith my hand on your bare ass."I shiver, a constant reaction when he's around before turning to him. "Inever wanted to create that expectation. I do things myself, not because Iknow people." Embarrassment heats my cheeks at the words. At the fact thatI feel I need to say that. He spent all of this time and money on... me. No onehas ever done something like this for me."Well now, you do them with me."-hunterIT TAKES about an hour to unpack all the donations from the truck and bringthem into the Center. The entire time Maggie's eyes water with a mix ofdisbelief and gratitude. Guilt eats at me a bit since I told Hannah it wascompletely a donation, but in truth I paid for at least half of it out of pocket. Icouldn't stop myself. Every time I saw something in the catalog, I'd thinkabout how it could be used and utilized to benefit these kids.Walking back to the truck to return it to the rental store, I'm humming tomyself. As I was leaving, Hannah told me to stop by the cottage tonight forher to show her 'gratitude' - her words, not mine - and Jesus fuck if I cannotwait for that.My phone rings again. Jonathan. Fuck. I have no desire to answer andhave him ream me out, but I've missed four calls already from him and hewill not get more friendly with a fifth."Hello Jonathan, how are you on this bright, sunny Monday?""Don't fuck around with me. Where have you been?""Delivering the donations to the camp in Springbrook Hills, helpingBeaten Path's image in the community. Why?" I ask, because this seemsmore than a general frustration that I wasn't answering."Why? Why?! Are you fucking kidding me? I've been calling you since10 a.m. when the zoning department called me to say that one paper you weresupposed to have signed yesterday is missing. But you're so busy fuckingaround with some chick and being Robinhood that we missed the goddamnmeeting."My stomach drops like a rock, knowing how important that meeting was.The paperwork needed to be submitted so when the zoning department hadits weekly meeting they could add our issue to the agenda."Fuck!" I shout the words at my windshield. Angry that I missed this call,angry that I missed this meeting. "What now?""What now? That's all you have to say? Are you fucking kidding me?""What do you want me to say, Jonathan? What's done is done. I can't goback and sign the paper, I can't go back and answer your call." Though Iwish I could do just that. Knowing the zoning meeting wasn't so far fromwhere I am, knowing I could have dropped off the paper in person,schmoozed a bit. Fuck, that's what I would have a month ago, even twoweeks ago, without having an unsigned document as an excuse. But instead, Iwas..."I want your fucking head in the game. You're off fucking around withthe hot nanny - yes, I've seen her, Hunter - while we try to make your insanevision happen. I get it, Hunter. I do. But I will not have history repeatingitself and this blow up in our face because you're off fucking some hotpiece."He's right, of course. The reason we're even in this position, trying tomake this location work, is because 10 years ago I was so caught up in awoman that I lost sight of common sense. 10 years ago, I let a woman wrapme up so deeply in her charms that I almost lost everything.But still... anger and a strange protectiveness threaten to suffocate me."It's not like that, Jonathan, and I'd appreciate you not talking to me likeI'm a fucking child that you have the right to reprimand. I'll remind you whoyou work for. And I don't appreciate your commentary on my personal life.""Fuck off, Hunter. If you want to tackle this insanity on your own, have atit. But if you want to succeed, you'll need to listen to me and think with yourhead, not your cock.""Send me whatever information you need immediately and then call Ginato inform her of the next steps." Ignoring his threat, I swipe to end the callbefore throwing my cell to the floor. I probably just cracked the screen, but Idon't fucking care.Putting my hands in my head, my frustration and confusion consume me,sucking all the oxygen from the parked car. This project is so important - themost important, but Hannah is such a delicious distraction right now. I needto focus on what's in front of me. Last I heard, Dad still hasn't improved orentered the clinical trial. The clock is on to get this done.I can't see my dad yet. Not until I have something to show him. Lookingat him like this and knowing that I haven't turned things around isn't anoption.Autumn doesn't get it. Every day she tells me I need to go see him. It'snot like I've avoided him for the past 10 years. But it's not about that. It'sseeing him like this, sick and vulnerable, knowing that I may have had a handin this, knowing that any visit could be the last. I can't bear to see thedisappointment, the exhaustion, the pain in his eyes and know somewheredeep and hidden that I'm to blame.Sighing, my hand reaches to turn the key in the ignition and I'm off to dowhatever it takes to make this happen