Daring the Bad Boy (Endless Summer)(60)

“I miss her,” I said, my voice scratchy.

Dad met my gaze. He didn’t look angry or upset with me, and I couldn’t help but feel relieved. “I do too, son. I miss her a lot.”

“But you never talk about her.”

“It was too hard.” He sighed and shook his head. “And that was wrong of me. I’ve been thinking a lot while you’ve been gone. I missed you, too, you know.”

“You did?” I was surprised.

“Absolutely.” He reached out and ruffled my hair, but I ducked away from his hand before he could mess it up too bad. “Can I tell you something?”

“What?”

“Your uncle did the same thing.” Dad hesitated. “Dated girls at camp.”

“Seriously?” I could hardly wrap my head around it.

He nodded. “He—how do you kids say it today—hooked up with plenty of girls, especially when he became a counselor.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I muttered.

“It’s true. I think it was the megaphone.”

I busted out laughing. I couldn’t help it. “He had it back then?”

“He sure as hell did,” Dad said, chuckling and shaking his head. “I went and talked to your Annie.”

The laughter died. “She’s not mine.”

“Aw, come on, Jake. You’re going to pull that? She only did what she thought was right.”

“And what was that? Telling on me? Getting me busted? Because that’s exactly what she did.” I paused, ran my hands through my hair. “He was so angry, Dad. He wouldn’t even listen to me. Just told me to pack my stuff and that you’d be here soon.”

“He was mad at himself more than anything. That’s what he told me, at least. When I sent you here for the summer, I gave him implicit instructions that you weren’t allowed to get away with shit.” My dad’s face became serious. “You had a way of worming yourself out of everything since you were a little kid, and it got worse after your mom died. You became so angry. And then you started acting out when I wasn’t paying attention to you, and you were feeling neglected. I didn’t see it that way then. Only recently have I been able to figure this all out, you know.”

Surprise coursed through me at his admission. “I was angry. And sad.”

“I know. I was, too. I just didn’t know how to deal with it.”

“Me, either,” I admitted softly, hanging my head. I blew out a harsh breath. “Do you think she did this on purpose and tried to get rid of me?”

“Absolutely not. She was devastated at the thought of you leaving. Even more devastated that you were mad at her.”

“Then how can I fix all of this?”

“Well, first you need to go talk to your uncle. He’ll say sorry, you’ll say sorry, he’ll give you your job back, and you’re here for the last week.”

“What about me and Annie?” I lifted my head. “I said some mean things to her, some things I regret, all because I was mad. I don’t know if she’ll forgive me.”

“Do you care about this girl, Jake?”

I nodded, trying to swallow past the choked-up feeling that clogged my throat. “A lot,” I croaked.

“Then if she feels the same way about you, I’m sure she’ll listen. And I’m sure she’ll forgive you.” He smiled. “Just brush yourself up on your begging-for-forgiveness skills first. That’s my recommendation.”

His words made me smile, but I was still a nervous wreck inside. “Thanks for convincing Uncle Bob that I’m not a screwup, Dad.”

“He knew you weren’t a screwup. He mentioned that you’d been doing a great job around here this summer, especially the last few weeks. Does it have anything to do with you being together with Annie?” Dad raised a brow.

I shook my head. “She’s changed me.”

“For the better?”

“Yeah.” I was embarrassed, admitting this stuff to my dad. “She’s made me see I don’t need to be so angry all the time.”

“You’d better not let go of this girl, Jake. She sounds like a keeper. She reminds me of your mother.”

“What?”

“One of those quiet, sweet girls. The kind that makes you realize one day that the perfect girl has been sitting in front of you all along.” He smiled, his tone wistful. “If she’s anything like that, make it right.”

I nodded, my mind spinning with all the possibilities. I needed to make it right with Annie.

But how?

…

ANNIE

Would I ever stop crying? No, I didn’t think so. Though I needed to get a grip because the tears were blurring my vision and I’d just tripped over a branch in the middle of the trail that I should’ve noticed, since it was about as big as my leg.

But no, I kept thinking of how angry Jake had looked. How furious the normally sweet Fozzie Bear had been. What a nightmare. I hadn’t gone back to the cabin, not wanting to hear any more input from my friends. I knew they meant well, but they’d be so mad at Jake for saying those things. I didn’t want to alter their opinion of him and make it even worse.

So I hung out in the arts and crafts building for a while, helping Nancy clean up and organize everything. Keeping busy took my mind off everything for a little while, though I still felt sick to my stomach over what happened and what Fozzie Bear said.