Jayden Bennett was tough as nails, but just like always the tough side of Jayden melted when Skyler turned on the tears.
The pesky little voice inside Jayden’s head said that if she did this for her sister, it might go a long way in mending the fences that had been torn down five years ago when their mother died. But she wasn’t quite ready to say that she would do it.
For the first time in Jayden’s thirty-one years, Skyler wanted something from her. Jayden could make her squirm for a little while, but that wouldn’t be right. Gramps always told her to do what she knew was right and not worry about those folks around her who were doing wrong.
“Tell me what I have to do if I agree.” Jayden sighed.
“Mary does the cooking, so you’ll have three meals a day, and Henry takes care of the grounds. You’ll be given the rule booklet when you get there,” Skyler answered. “Going to Europe has been a dream of mine forever and this might be my only chance.” She pulled a tissue from one of those tiny packages that she always carried in her purse and delicately blew her nose.
Skyler was always ladylike and prepared for anything. If Jayden were to have a crying jag—even a fake one—she’d have to go to the bathroom and blow her nose on a fistful of toilet paper. The walls wouldn’t be able to contain the elephantine noise.
“What’s the name of this place again? Where is it? And when do I have to show up?” Jayden continued to not know anything at all, and then added, “If I decide to do this for you, then I’d like to know a little more than just ‘Mary cooks and Henry takes care of the yards.’ Did you already tell the people at your school that you would go?”
Skyler squirmed in her place on the sofa just a little. “Well, I had to tell them one way or the other so they could get the plane tickets bought and travel arrangements taken care of.”
“And you’re waiting until now to ask me to take your place?” Jayden asked. “Why would you do that?”
“What else are you going to do all summer? Lay around and drink that fattening beer?” Like always, Skyler’s mean streak came out when she didn’t get her way.
“Drinking beer and reading romance novels actually sounds pretty good to me after the semesters I’ve had. I’ve had to play catch-up all year for the time we lost last spring with the virus,” Jayden told her.
“So have I,” Skyler whined. “I need this vacation. Glory Bound School has already bought my plane ticket, and they need me to help with the music, as well as be a counselor to the girls on the trip.”
“And the boys?” Jayden asked.
“David, the official music teacher, will serve in that place,” Skyler answered. “Are you going to do this or not?”
“Tell me more about who I’ll be working with if I do.” Jayden covered a yawn with her hand.
“Counselors are Novalene Kemper and Diana Jackson. Novalene is a retired school counselor and Diana is still working as one. Then there’s Mary and her husband, Henry. The camp itself is located northwest of Alpine, Texas. You don’t even have to worry about travel arrangements—just show up at the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport by ten o’clock on Sunday morning. The girls arrive on Monday. Elijah has a little six-person plane, and he’ll pick all three counselors up at the same time and fly y’all down there.”
“And who is Elijah?” Jayden asked.
“He’s kind of like the drill sergeant at the camp. He’s a good guy. He was in the air force before he came to work for Henry and Mary,” Skyler said. “If you do this for me, sister, I will owe you, big-time.”
Skyler must really want to go to Europe with a bunch of kids to pull out the sister card and to actually tell Jayden that she would owe her. Jayden wondered if there was more to this trip than her sister was admitting. Was this David fellow her new boyfriend?
“Yes, you will, and I will collect,” Jayden said. “Tell me again when you are leaving, and when do you plan to be back home?”
“I’m leaving on Monday, and we’ll be gone four weeks.” Skyler smiled.
“What if I take over until you get back and then you step into my place for the final four weeks?” Jayden asked.
Skyler shook her head and her big blue eyes floated in tears again. “That won’t work. The girls in your cabin need to bond with you. You have to go for the whole eight weeks, or I’ll have to step down and let someone else go to Europe as a sponsor for the Glory Bound kids.” A few more sniffles emerged, and she pulled another tissue from the little container to dab at her eyes. Mustn’t ruin the makeup job that took her an hour to do every morning.
“There are only three girls to each cabin—nine in all. They come from wealthy families who can afford to send them to Piney Wood. It’s not cheap by any means, but it keeps them out of juvie. You’ve taught in Dallas schools for years, so I know you can handle them.”
A compliment from Skyler. Maybe Jayden should check the sky to see if there was going to be a snowstorm in Dallas, Texas, right there at the end of May.
“Well?” Skyler’s one-word question needed an answer.
Jayden popped the footrest down. “Oh, all right. I only need to pack jeans and T-shirts, right?”
Skyler jumped up, crossed the room, and hugged Jayden tightly. “Thank you so much. I really do owe you.”
Yes, you do, Jayden thought.
“When you get home in August, we’ll have lunch and I’ll tell you all about my trip to Europe,” Skyler promised.
Jayden wrapped her arms around her petite sister and gave her another hug. There was something so hopeful about hugging Skyler—she knew they could build a relationship—that it almost brought tears to Jayden’s eyes. “We could text and send pictures back and forth.”
“Probably not.” Skyler picked up her purse. “Maybe if the reception is good in Europe, I’ll try to send a selfie when I can. Oh, and pack a pair of good walking shoes, but you won’t need a hat. They provide a cap for all the girls and the counselors.”
“Why would I need good walking shoes?” Jayden followed her sister outside. “Don’t the girls go to counseling sessions and have classes?”
“You’ll have group therapy scheduled, and they’ll do one-on-one therapy once a week with Karen . . .” She drew her brows down. “I can’t remember her last name, but she’s really good with the girls,” she said with her hand on the doorknob. “You’ll need the good boots or shoes because you’ll be doing some hiking. The cap they issue to you will keep you from getting sunburned and adding more freckles to your nose.” Skyler closed the door behind her.
Leave it to Skyler to ruin the moment by reminding Jayden that she wasn’t the pretty sister. Jayden stepped out on the landing and watched her sister drive away in a little low-slung sports car. She leaned against the railing and looked down at her green vintage 1958 GMC pickup truck, so very different from Skyler’s fancy little car. Jayden had inherited it from her grandfather when she turned sixteen and had driven it for the past fifteen years.
It seemed fitting that each sister was like the vehicle they drove. Skyler was cute and fancy. Jayden was like her truck—sturdy, dependable, and gullible enough to let her sister talk her into giving up her summer to counsel little rich girls whose folks could afford to send them to a fancy boot camp. But then, Jayden wondered, how would Skyler survive without that extra money? She couldn’t imagine her sister gearing down her lifestyle.