Best Laid Plans: A Summer Camp Swingers Novel

Chapter 2

I called Christy’s parents’ house before dinner. Her mother answered and told me she was staying with Brooke instead. I wrote down the number, said thank you, and called her next. I introduced myself and asked to speak to Christy.

“Oh, hey!” Brooke said. “Nice to meet you. Sort of.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

“Christy’s told me a ton about you. I can’t wait to meet you for real. Oh, and about that… Thanks for letting her come out. I know you had plans and all.”

“Nah. It’s all right. You’re more important.”

“Tell that to Fletcher,” she said, a touch bitterly. “No, don’t. He’s a loser anyway.”

“That’s the spirit.”

“Thanks. But hey, I’d better let you talk to Christy before she hurts herself bouncing up and down. Nice talking to you. Here she is.”

“Hello, Mr. Awesome,” Christy said when she came on the line. “Brooke just rolled her eyes. She says I make her sick talking about you.”

“Gag me with a spoon!” Brooke teased from the background.

“Well, it sounds like she’s doing better,” I said.

“She is. We’re having fun. I hope you don’t mind that I’m staying here instead of my parents’.”

“I don’t mind at all. I’m the one who told you to spend some time with her, remember?”

“I remember. I also remember the other thing I promised you.”

Brooke shouted, “Just do it already!”

“Oh my gosh,” Christy said, “she’s as bad as you-know-who.” She covered the phone, but I could still hear when she told Brooke, “Be nice. You know how I am.” She slid her palm off the mouthpiece and said to me, “Sorry about that. Anyway, where was I?”

“Spending the night with Brooke.”

“Yeah, probably till you get here. Is that all right?”

“It’s fine. Have fun. But not too much.”

“Oh my gosh, Paul! Her parents are out of town, so we have the house to ourselves.”

“Totally gnarly,” Brooke yelled. “Party all the time!”

“We aren’t really,” Christy assured me. “But… um… I’ll probably have lots to tell you when you get here. I’ve been working on my tan—”

“Naked!” Brooke added.

“Oh my gosh, will you behave?” Christy said to her. Then to me, “Yeah, while she was in class today. She just got home. That’s why she’s so wild. And… um… speaking of naked—”

“We wanna go to a nude beach!” Brooke shouted.

My eyebrows shot up. “For real?”

“Yeah,” Christy said. “Black’s Beach. It’s right below where her dad works. But we don’t want to go by ourselves—”

“Good idea.”

“—so we’re going to wait till this weekend, when you’re here.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said.

“I kinda told her about you, last night.”

“Pillow talk?”

“Yes, Mr. Understanding.”

“Yeah,” Brooke said from closer to the phone, “thanks for being so understanding. I needed a friendly shoulder to cry on.”

“Oh?” I teased. “Is that what we’re calling it these days?”

“She can’t hear you,” Christy said. “She’s a total spazz. Sorry. And she’s trying to drag me out the door, so I’d better say goodbye. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Call me tomorrow?”

“I will.”

We said goodbye and hung up. Then I chuckled. Brooke sounded a lot like Wren, which made sense. Christy’s girlfriends fit a certain type, and I was eager to meet this one.