Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Dammit. Now he'd done it. Overstepped his plan to gently woo Hilly into accepting him on her own time and terms. Letting his dick do the talking.

But if the bright color on her cheeks was any indication, he might have gotten a lucky break. It seemed that she was interested in what he'd just proposed.

Maybe his new strategy should be to keep her off balance. Tease her with the possibility of carnal association—like that which he'd just spewed—juxtaposing it with the light flirting he'd already been doing. By the time summer was up, when he made his long-term intentions known, Hilly would be putty in his hands; primed enough for him that there'd be no doubts or arguments over where he wanted to take them.

Over the past couple weeks, Cisco had solidified—at least in his own head—his current and future positions regarding Hilly. He realized he was all in, having quickly morphed from being a player to becoming a goner, and…he didn't mind at all. The thought of being "off the market" and tied to one woman wasn't terrifying. It was exhilarating. Hilly was everything he hadn't known he was looking; someone with whom he could share the rest of his life.

He couldn't even imagine how much deeper he'd fall once he finally got her into bed. Cisco knew it would be epic. It didn't worry him in the least that they hadn't accomplished that yet, nor did he have plans to go there before summer's end. But when he finally did…get her horizontal—or vertical against a tree trunk—he just knew it would be something he'd only dreamed about. It was fucking amazing, but Hilly hadn't just captured his physical attention, she'd shanghaied his entire being.

Cisco grunted to himself. Was he ready to say the word "love" yet? Not quite. But he was close. And that didn't scare him, either.

"The kids have free time next," Hilly told Adeline and Crash as the lunch hour came to an end. She'd put on a good front of ignoring Cisco's previously whispered comment, but with that pretty blush still dusting her fair complexion, he knew she hadn't been able to dismiss it from her head, entirely. "Which means we have time to show you around." She turned to Mason who'd just polished off an enormous double-serving of American Chop Suey. "Would you like to join us?"

Mason shook his head happily, picked up his tray and stood. "As much as I'd like that, I have to get back to work. I know I'm leaving Crash and Adeline in good hands." He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. "And now I'm going to thank my mother for the awesome lunch before I take off."

"Thank her for us, too," Adeline spoke up. "I haven't had a bacon cheeseburger this good, in…well, forever." Indeed, the grinning woman was licking the last of the double-stacker off her fingers.

"I'll tell her," Mason replied with a chuckle. "Although with eight sons who still make it a point to drop in for her food, she already knows she rocks it." He walked toward the kitchen, whistling.

Hilly laughed, nodded, and finally turned to Cisco. "Do you think you could start the tour for our newbies without me, Cisco? I have something I have to take care of before I join you."

Her face held a displeased cast, so he had to inquire. "Is everything all right?"

Adeline and Crash's ears had clearly perked up, as well.

"I, umm…" She looked hesitant before she eventually spoke. "You remember I had a talk with Bailey a couple weeks ago?" She gave a quick explanation to their new companions. "Bailey is a counselor who…may or may not be going a little overboard with her teasing of a fellow counselor."

Cisco definitely knew who Hilly was talking about. She was the girl who Lance was crushing on, and she had been, purportedly, bullying the poor sap.

"I remember." Cisco urged her to continue.

"Well, it seems she didn't take my initial warning to heart. I've had word from Lisha and Franny—two second year counselors," she added for Crash and Adeline's benefit, "that Bailey is still acting like she's better than everyone else, and treating Lance like dirt. I'm putting her on notice. If she refuses to knock it off, I'll have to fire her."

"Will you have trouble getting a replacement?" Adeline asked.

Hilly shook her head. "Actually, I've talked to Buffy about it. She's shown an interest in expanding her duties. Apparently, there isn't a huge rush to see Buff while she's wearing her therapist's hat. She's excited to possibly become an integral part of the camper's daily activities and a cabin-mom so they'll start to trust her."

A slight thrill moved through Cisco. If the move was made, Buffy would be sleeping in one of the kids' cabins. That would mean Hilly's would be completely hers…

No. Now was not the time to contemplate getting Hilly alone. Cisco needed to continue to pace himself, to show the skittish woman just how serious he was about pursuing her for reasons other than her body; letting her wrap her head around the fact that she was worthy of everything he could give, and more.

"I'll start the tour," Cisco told Hilly. "Take your time. Make sure Bailey understands you're dead serious."

Right. Cisco would give it twenty-eighty odds. Teenagers tended to have minds of their own; either tuning out adults altogether, or mentally manipulating their words of warning and wisdom to fit their own agendas.

Hilly's face took on a resolute tautness. "Oh, she'll know I'm not kidding around by the time we're finished."

Cisco hoped so.

Now that he knew Hilly had suffered bullying at a young age, he understood her commitment to the underdogs among them. He realized where her passion regarding all her charges came from. She'd clearly suffered at the hands of classmates, and although she hadn't discussed it with him, it was now also apparent to Cisco that her father had been a major prick to Hilly whenever he'd been around. The nerve of the guy. Coming here and spewing hateful names at Hilly. If he dared do it again while Cisco was close, Marty Smittfield would find his teeth rammed down his throat.

Cisco's jaw tightened. It was the least he could do for Hilly; keep her—and the people in her charge—safe from bullying now, where he'd failed to do so during her middle school years.

Cisco gave Hilly's arm a squeeze. "Good luck. If you need help, we'll be close."

Hilly nodded, but he couldn't help from repeatedly looking back as he led Crash and Adeline from the dining hall.

"Want to share what's got you so uptight all of a sudden?" Adaline asked. "I know I've only met you a couple times, so if I'm overstepping with my question, just tell me to back off."

Crash purposely slowed his gait the minute his wife had started in with her concern. "Umm, I'm going to use the facilities," he called out, slowly walking backward toward the washrooms. "I'll catch up." He turned and disappeared.

Cisco let out a huge sigh. "Smart man."

Adeline nodded, waiting for Cisco to either deny her assertions, or spill.

Was he prepared to share?

Why not? Maybe a female ear would help sort him out.

"I like Hilly. A lot. And I only found out recently that I went to school with her when we were young."

Adeline raised a brow, but otherwise stayed quiet.

Cisco changed tracks, giving the woman a little of Hilly's background. "You may have wondered why Hilly opened a camp for children with low self-esteem."

Only mild curiosity showed on Adeline's face. Right . She'd probably come to some conclusions on her own, or perhaps Mason had already filled her in. Despite that, Cisco continued. "It's because of who she remembers herself as being. According to my recollections, she was a cute kid. And a little on the…solid side, if you know what I mean."

"She was pudgy," Adeline supplied with only a slight hesitation.

"Yeah. You could say that," Cisco begrudgingly agreed. It didn't sit well with him to label Hilly, even now. "And because of her weight—or maybe because her father is such an asshole—he taunted and belittled her until her mother put an end to it and kicked him out. By then, though, Hilly's self-esteem was already shot, so her whole posture; her demeanor screamed her insecurities to the world. Her peers at school picked up on it, like kids will, and made her academic life, hell." Cisco wasn't proud of himself when he admitted the rest. "I was a part of the group that teased her."

Adeline laid a comforting hand on his arm.

"I see where this is going, Cisco. But hear me out on this. I'm sure Hilly doesn't hold any kind of grudge. The way she looks at you now? She has stars in her eyes."

Cisco groaned. "Which blows my mind. Because I mostly turned a blind eye to her tormentors. I didn't protect her like I should have."

Adeline slapped his bicep gently. "Cut yourself some slack. You were a child," she rebuked. "If?—"

A branch cracked in the woods somewhere behind them, and Adeline turned with a smile on her face, thinking it was her husband.

There was no one there.

"Hello?" Cisco called out. Peering into the trees he saw a flash of something he couldn't identify. Whether it was a person or an animal, someone or something had been following them. He started in that direction.

Adeline stopped him, her grip on him turned solid. "I know you're on edge right now, Cisco, but that was probably just a camper having a little adventure. You don't need to be scaring the crap out of anybody with the look that's on your face." She then grinned as he ceased moving. "It's hard to turn off your cop-brain, isn't it?"

"Busted," Cisco admitted with a wry smirk, his eyes still busy assessing the woods. "I see bad-guys and plots everywhere. But here…" He groaned. "I know there's no danger. Yet I still want to make sure Hilly's camp is exactly what it needs to be; a safe place for her, her staff, and her campers."

"Which is highly commendable," Adeline laughed, "but probably not necessary."

Cisco shrugged sheepishly. "You're right. Most likely," he conceded.

This time when twigs snapped behind them, Crash's voice rang out. "You guys didn't get very far."

Cisco took the hit. "My fault. I was hearing things in the woods that weren't there."

Still, he couldn't help himself. "While you were walking toward us, did you happen to see anyone heading in the opposite direction?"

"No one, unless Coco and Nel count," Crash chuckled. "The two of them have been zooming around the property like long-lost pals."

"See?" Adeline told Cisco with a nudge to his ribs. "No spies. It was just the dogs."

Cisco reluctantly admitted defeat. His spidey-senses were rarely wrong, but this time could be the exception. He was probably on edge because Hilly was tackling a distasteful task at the moment. He hoped the reprimand she was delivering, was well-received.

The three of them walked the rest of the way to the climbing wall, and of course—when they got there—both Adeline and Crash immediately wanted to try it. The pair had fun, laughing and teasing, racing each other to the top, until, from their lofty perch, they spotted the ropes course in the distance.

"Can we try that, too?" Adeline pointed, practically squealing.

Crash looked down at Cisco, deferring to him.

"Of course you can," Cisco smiled up at them. "But for that one, I'll have to insist on the safety harnesses." The couple had eschewed them for the climbing wall, and Cisco had agreed, since their levels of expertise far surpassed that of the young campers. But the more difficult additions that he and Alvi had added to the ropes course, demanded an increased amount of safeguards.

Crash—for Adeline's sake, Cisco was sure—readily okayed the augmentation of helmets, etc., and once they walked there, he and Cisco spent the next five minutes securing ropes, carabiners, and tethers, which Cisco would then oversee.

They climbed to the top of the first platform where Cisco gave direction. Not that Crash needed it, but Adeline was all ears.

Hilly showed up just as the fun was about to begin, having come up the ladder to join them. And although she smiled, her lips looked pinched.

"What did I miss?" She attempted a bright face, but in Cisco's eyes, she failed miserably.

"These two are just about to try their luck on the new course," Cisco told her. "You want to suit up and try it?"

"No. I'm good," she told him.

Adeline gave him a quick wink and a reassuring nod before she and her husband began traversing the rope bridge, letting him know they'd leave him to suss out what was eating Hilly.

Once they were out of earshot…

"You want to talk about it?" Cisco asked, while at the same time making sure the safety line was secure before nodding his head toward the direction in which the couple traveled. "We need to head to the next station to make sure they're clipped in again."

Hilly headed down first, with Cisco right behind. She hadn't answered him, but Cisco figured the descent might give her time to find her words.

She huffed and scrunched up her face as Cisco alighted onto the ground next to her.

"Bailey was…difficult," she began, walking slowly toward their destination. "She denies throwing around the superior attitude that the other counselors have told me about. She also refutes having anything to do with Lance; positive or negative. She says he's not on her radar in any way, and that several of the girls are just jealous of her, and how well she gets along with the guys."

"What does your gut say?" Cisco asked, as they reached the next ladder. Hilly didn't look convinced.

"That she's not exactly a team player, and that she has an awful lot of excuses at the ready." Hilly sighed again. "I told her she's on notice, and that if I get any more negative reports where she's concerned, I'll have to relieve her of her duties."

"How did that go?"

"She cried a little, although… Damn, this is hard to say, but… I think it was fake. Crocodile tears, at best."

Cisco couldn't help himself. He pulled Hilly into a warm hug. "It will all work out. She knows you have eyes glued to her now, so it's on her, what happens next."

"I know. I just…hate conflict."

Cisco kissed the top of her head. "Try to let it go," he soothed. "Worst case scenario? She acts out and you send her home. Best case? She behaves for the rest of the summer—even if she is a bit of a snob—and you don't hire her back again for next year."

"You're right. I'm probably overthinking things," Hilly agreed, then began climbing the second ladder. Cisco tried not to get distracted by her very fine ass which was only inches from his hands on the rungs.

"Don't worry, Hilly. I'll have your back," he managed to assure her, raptly following her vanilla scent.

He wasn't about to mess up this time.