Carlisle pulled his car to halt to the side of an unpaved road that ended in a dusty dirt patch that overlooked Crystal Lake. In the distance he could see a tall, broad shouldered man pulling a rope that was attached to a portion of a dock. He and a blond woman were piecing it together like some type of puzzle, laughing as they failed to do so several times in a row.
Esme looked at him and smiled as the two of them exited the vehicle and began to unload the backseat, which was full of their belongings for the summer.
"I'm guessing we're working with those two," Esme said, motioning out toward the water.
"Looks like it." He grinned and leaned in to kiss her once.
"Hello." A voice from behind them greeted, making Esme jump and then giggle to herself for getting startled.
Carlisle turned at the same time and the two of them smiled a tall, lanky man with curly hair and glasses.
"I'm Steve Christy." He extended his hand, "I spoke with both of you on the phone several times over the winter and in the spring.
"It's nice to meet you," Carlisle said with a nod.
"Likewise," he replied with a grin that quickly left his face.
"Are those two going to be working here with us?" Esme asked. She pointed out to the two people assembling the dock.
"Rosalie and Emmett," Steve nodded, "Yep. They were our first to arrive about an hour ago. You two are second. We have a lot of work to do, so my suggestion is to claim your rooms in the main cabin." He turned and pointed toward a large, wooden house behind where he stood, "I also left a checklist of things that need to be done. Rose and Emmett started at the top with the dock. If you two don't mind taking on the next task that would be great."
"Sounds good," Carlisle told him with a nod. He looked at Esme, who smiled at Steve and nodded.
"Great," he told them both, "I have to head into town to get some supplies and fill the gas tanks for the grills. I'll be back some time in the early evening."
"Do you know who else is going to be working here?" Esme asked him, raising her eyebrows.
"There's a list of people next to the task list," Steve explained, fishing the keys to his Jeep in the pocket of his khaki shorts, "Um, there's a few kids from the Washington area - college kids that are looking to stay in the northeast because they go to college out here. Two others are originally from Texas, I think they're in the same boat. A couple local area kids as well."
"So similar to us then," Carlisle concluded, speaking to no one in particular.
"More or less," Steve confirmed. He jingled his keys and eyed the blue Wrangler that sat a few feet away, "I'll catch up with you guys a little more once I come back from the stores I need to hit. If you have any questions I'll answer them when I get back... or you can ask Rosalie and Emmett."
"Thanks," the two of them said at the same time, giving their boss a wave before he hurried to his car.
Carlisle and Esme watched him go before lugging all of their belongings into the main cabin that Steve had pointed out.
"Is it weird to stay in the same room?" Carlisle asked her, looking around the enormous living room that was highlighted by an oversized fireplace.
"This place is gorgeous," Esme gushed. She walked toward the fireplace and ran her hand along the stone. She then looked back at him and answered his question. "No way," she said, shaking her head, "I'm twenty-two, you're twenty-three." She shrugged. "Those two down at the dock look about the same age."
"Zero weirdness?" He flashed a smile.
"Zero weirdness," she confirmed.
Carlisle laughed and looked around again, taking it all in, before following Esme down the hall in the attempts to find a place to bunk for the summer, or at least for the several weeks leading up to when the kids came.
When the two of them had settled on a room and dropped off their clothes, they decided to make their way down toward the lake to introduce themselves to Emmett and Rosalie.
...
Emmett extended a hand and flashed a boyish smile, highlighted by a set of dimples. "Hey man, how are ya? I'm Emmett. This is my lady Rosalie."
Carlisle shook his hand and then Emmett proceeded to give Esme a hug.
"Nice to meet you guys," he added, and then slumped an arm over Rosalie's shoulders.
"I'm Rosalie," she greeted them both with a friendly smile, "And I'm not wholly into this whole camping out all summer thing... so bare with me if I get a little... irritable."
Emmett snickered, "I kind of pressured her into this. I love the outdoors."
"And I love kids," Rosalie added, "So it won't be all that bad. What I'm not a fan of is mosquitos, bears and sleeping on a twin bed with springs that pierce your back."
Esme smiled and snickered, "I can understand that part. I'm more in it for the kids, myself." She looked at Carlisle, who shrugged.
"So, you guys like a thing?" Emmett asked, "A couple?"
The two of them laughed and nodded, prompting Carlisle to link his hand with Esme's.
"Same," Emmett boasted. "This is the only one who's been able to tame me." He winked at Rosalie and she smacked him playfully on the arm, though kept her face stern as she did so.
"You guys seem happy," Esme told them with a smile, "That's hard to find."
"Seems like you've found it, too," Rosalie pointed it.
She nodded and looked at Carlisle again, "Yep."
"So, you guys like in college?" Emmett asked.
"I have one semester left," Esme told them, "And Carlisle is about to enter med school in the fall."
"Whoa, look out for the doctor," Rosalie said with a laugh, "Good for you."
"She's a nursing major," Emmett informed them, "And I have another year until I can officially call myself certified to be a teacher."
"I'm about to do my student teaching," Esme explained with a smile.
"Let me guess," he said, "Early childhood ed?"
"Elementary." A smile washed over her face.
"I'm going for my physical education and health degree," Emmett explained, "K-12."
"Awesome."
"We all seem to have a lot in common," Rosalie pointed out, "Teachers... doctors/nurses."
"I think we'll get along just fine," Emmett concluded. He swatted a mosquito off of the front of his blank tank-top.
"Except for the bugs," Rosalie repeated.
Esme smiled, "Except for the bugs."
"You guys want to give us a hand with this dock?" Emmett asked, "It's a real bitch."
Carlisle laughed and nodded, "Sure."
"Great!" Emmett grinned widely again. "The quicker we get all this shit done... the more time we have to party."
Rosalie rolled her eyes and smiled at Esme, who couldn't help but wear a grin.
"Sure you're ready to share your personal space with this one all summer?" she asked, pointing toward Emmett with her thumb.
Esme laughed, "I think I can manage."
The two of them shared a laugh, and then helped the guys in putting together the rest of the dock.
