Lucie's head shot up at the sound of Squid's voice. Could it be he was actually giving her a chance to explain herself? His tone sounded civilized, not cold and when she looked into his eyes they looked sincere, not hurtful. She turned her head to look at Caveman who smiled and nodded for her to go. She stood up slowly and walked over to Squid. He looked around at all the campers walking around in front of the mess hall.
"Is there somewhere we can go to talk?"
Lucie looked back over at the cabin. "We can go to the cabin. I saw Aunt Lou leave a few minutes ago."
Squid nodded. Caveman started toward the tent, giving Lucie an encouraging smile on his way by.
When they got inside, Lucie motioned for him to sit down on the couch, which he did, and she sat down beside him. Squid took a deep breath.
"I have to know what's going on with you." He said.
Lucie nodded. "I know. You deserve and explanation and I've wanted to give you one."
"Well, now I'm listening."
"Okay, Squid, here's the honest truth. I can't explain exactly what I'm feeling, because I don't know. What I do know is that I do have feelings for you. When I told you that you reminded me of Jake and that I saw him when I kissed you, it came out all wrong. I do think you two are a lot alike in many ways, but that's not why I saw something in you. I wasn't kissing you because I wanted to be kissing him. I'll admit I miss him sometimes, even after what he did to me, but I don't want to be with him anymore. It's over and I'm trying to move on."
Squid didn't say anything, so Lucie kept talking.
"I like you for you and that's the bottom line. The only thing that worried me was that you two are alike and I was afraid you would be like him in the bad ways too. But I know deep down you are a kindhearted person." She smiled slightly, testing his reaction and was relieved when he smiled at her.
"I'm glad to hear you say that. All I kept thinking was that you were using me to pretend you were back with Jake, and I couldn't bear to think that."
Lucie put her hand on his. "I'm sorry I made you think that."
Squid rubbed her hand with his thumb.
"Now, here's the part that isn't so great." She said reluctantly. "I have decided not to get involved with anyone here since all it does it cause problems."
Squid's face went from happy to sad in a split second. His smile turned into a frown and he cast his eyes downward. "If that's what you want." He said quietly.
Suddenly there were loud voices on the front porch.
"I told you it would work!" cried Mr. Sir and the warden said something in reply that they couldn't hear over the loud clump of shoes on the wooden stairs.
"Oh no!" Lucie shrieked in a whisper.
Squid looked panicked. He jumped up and looked around frantically.
"My room!" Lucie said suddenly and grabbed Squid by the arm, pulling him toward her room. Just as they rounded to the corner into the hallway, the front door opened and the voices entered the house.
"The deal's off if you don't give me your word!" Mr. Sir said.
Lucie and Squid slipped into her room and she quietly closed the door.
"You don't think she'll come in here, do you?" Squid asked.
"I hope not."
They were both breathing heavily, partly from running and partly from the sudden fear that swept over them both.
"Aunt Lou would kill me if she saw you in here." Lucie told Squid.
"She would kill me for being here."
"Let me make sure Lucie's not here." The warden said from in the living room.
Lucie cursed under her breath and her eyes widened. "We're dead!" She whispered, almost in tears. Squid suddenly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her toward the closet.
"Yes! The closet!" She said running to open the door. They both stepped inside the small, dark closet and closed the door just as the warden was entering the room. They cupped their hands over their mouths to muffle the sounds of their heavy, panicked breathing.
"She must be in the wreck room with the boys." The warden announced, her head still inside Lucie's room. "Good, I don't need her overhearing this." She did not close the door, but she went back in the living room.
Squid and Lucie listened intently for a moment and heard two other voices, besides Mr. Sir's and the warden's.
"Stanley and I saw Aunt Lou and Mr. Sir leave with those two men a little while ago. I don't know what's going on, but something is." She reached for the doorknob to open the closet door but Squid grabbed it.
"Are you crazy? She didn't close the door to your room. We can't just be wandering around in there. What if she walks by and sees us?"
Lucie sighed. "You're right. I wonder how long they're gonna be out there."
"Who knows? If they go back outside I can climb out the window. I don't have a ladder but I think I can-"
Mr. Sir's loud voice interrupted Squid's sentence. "Lou, it's the only way."
The two got quiet and listened again.
"I don't have to do this, you know. I know those boys will find it eventually, even without your bulldozers."
"Bulldozers?" Lucie whispered.
"But the bulldozers will make it go a lot faster. We can even train three of the boys to use them and we won't have to do it."
"I know it would go faster, but I'm not sure it's worth it." The warden replied.
"Look, Lou, we're both going to be living here no matter what, so, we might as well be married."
"Married?" Lucie and Squid said in unison.
"I just don't know that I want to marry you, Marion."
"Well, unless you say you will, I will send these two gentlemen and their bulldozers away and you can just keep having those boys dig until the day you die."
"Oh my gosh." Lucie's mouth was hanging open.
"Did he just say if she would marry him, he would get bulldozers to do the diggin?" Squid asked with wide eyes.
Lucie nodded even though Squid couldn't see her in the dark closet.
"But why? What are they looking for?"
"I don't know." Lucie said.
"Fine!" The warden's voice echoed through the house. "Fine, Marion, I'll marry you! Okay? Are you happy now?"
Lucie and Squid were silent for a moment and then they both burst into laughter at the absurdity of the conversation they were overhearing. Lucie grabbed the sleeve of a shirt hanging in the closet and buried her face in it, trying to muffle her laughter and Squid covered his mouth with his hands.
The adults continued to talk and Lucie and Squid continued to laugh. "Your aunt and Mr. Sir are getting married." Squid said when he was able to contain his laughter.
Lucie shook her head. "What is going on here? What are they looking for that they need bulldozers to dig the lake up?"
"Now, gentlemen," the warden said, "Let's discuss money and time here. We need to talk business."
"Great. We'll be in here forever." Lucie said crossing her arms. She suddenly felt Squid hand on her waist and then she felt him step closer to her. His body was touching hers now and she felt her heart speed up.
"It's not so bad to be trapped in a closet together, is it?" He asked, a seductive tone in his voice.
She stepped back, taken off guard by his sudden movement.
"Do you think," he continued, "that even though we can't be together, maybe we could still occasionally kiss and stuff?"
"You mean be friends with benefits?" she asked into the darkness.
"Yea. Because honestly, I don't think I can just be friends with you." He told her, still respecting her distance and not touching her.
She felt her stomach flutter and before she knew what she was doing, she had stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. She brought her face very close to his and whispered, "I don't think I could just be friends with you, either."
He kissed her strongly, putting his hands around her waist. She ran her hands through his hair, as she loved to do, and did the same to her long hair.
"I missed kissing you." She told him when he pulled away from her lips and allowed his lips to travel down her neck.
He moaned, "Mm hm," in response. His lips finally came back up to hers and she ran her hands down his arms, feeling his muscles under his shirt. She stumbled backward under the force of his embrace and suddenly lost her balance on the suitcase lying the floor of the closet. She squealed and they both went crashing down, yanking down the clothes that were hanging up too. The clothes piled on top of them as they hit the ground with a loud bang.
"Oh no!" Lucie said, trying to wriggle herself out from under Squid who was wrapped up in clothes and helplessly flailing around trying to get off of her.
The closet door swung open and the warden gasped. Mr. Sir yelled, "What the-" and the two other men with them startled snickering.
"Lucie! Squid! What is going on here?" The warden yelled.
Lucie removed the sweater that was draped over her head and started pulling clothes off Squid, who was finally raising himself up.
"Aunt- Aunt Lou, this is not… This is not what it looks like…" Lucie stuttered as Squid took her hand and helped her up. There was a clothes hanger stuck through her shirt and she pulled it out, tossing it into the heap of clothes and hangers.
"Oh, really? Because I think it's exactly what it looks like."
"No, no, no, Ma'me, you don't understand. We-"
"Squid, you aren't even supposed to be in this cabin, let alone in my niece's closet."
"Yes, ma'me, I know, but-" He tried again but he warden stuck up her hand.
"I don't want to hear it. Get back to the tent, I'll deal with you later. For now, I want to talk to my niece."
Squid looked apologetically at Lucie and shrugged. He walked around the warden and the other three and out the door.
The warden watched him leave and then looked back at Lucie who was trying to smooth down her disheveled hair.
"First of all, don't ever bring one of those boys in here again. Second, if you can't keep your lips and other body parts to yourself, I am going to have to lock you in your room for the remainder of the summer. And third," She took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder at Mr. Sir and the two men. "What did you hear?"