“Cut it out now. I don’t want you to get me all hot and bothered right now. I would like to fool around with you, but I don’t want to get caught and hurt Bob’s feelings, and I certainly don’t want to get him mad at me. So you’ll have to be patient and let me handle how it happens, and when it happens.” She stepped back. “I just wanted you to know I wasn’t just flirting, and I wanted to be close up with you for a minute and see if I still wanted to.”

“Do you?”

“I just said that I did. Do you?”

“Of course.”

“Then we will. But you’ve got to stop staring at me like you do. And don’t act like you never saw me before either. Treat me like you treat everybody.”

“I will.”

“All right then.” She turned away and took another branch of the path that went off to the right. He went to the left, and took his time getting down to the big clearing where the buildings were so they wouldn’t arrive at the same time.

For the next few days Ed kept at the project he was working on. He saw Charlotte only a couple of times and even then from a distance. She did more digging and planting at the big vegetable garden with about thirty other people. He saw her once bringing drinking water in buckets to share with the crew of planters. He saw her another time at the lake where people swam, keeping an eye on a dozen children from the age of about twelve down to the size she had to carry while she held another by the hand. He moved on as quickly as he could without looking at her again.

Two nights later he was at the dinner serving line holding a plate and silverware. He accepted a good-looking piece of beef from Adam Hayes, who had the unofficial title of “grill master.” He felt pleased about the beef, because Hayes had been known to give people he didn’t like or respect inferior cuts. He thanked him and went on to the table of casseroles and bread and salads, and let the women there put a couple of spoonfuls on his plate. He said, “Thank you, ma’am,” and moved on.

Then, from somewhere behind him, he heard Charlotte’s voice. “Don’t turn around. Look to your left. That’s my house, with the wooden bluebird nailed to the door.” He looked that way and identified the bird.

“Be at the back window at eleven thirty-seven.”

He didn’t look behind him, just moved to the next station, which had cups of water. He took one and went to sit with Lee Wolf, the first one at a picnic table.