Daphne packed her most necessary things: sunblock, a pair of lollipop-red water wings, a box of Band-Aids (because Benny was going to camp, too), her favorite crunchy cereal, a very loud whistle (because Benny was going to camp, too), crayons, one book for every day she’d be gone, opera glasses (because you never knew what you might want to see), a beach ball that said FORT LAUDERDALE, her plastic bucket and shovel, and a great big sheet of bubble wrap to pop if she got bored.

—Daphne Goes to Summer Camp

By Tuesday, Molly was worn out from the ups and downs of working on Daphne Goes to Summer Camp as well as trying to keep Kevin entertained. Not that he’d asked to be entertained. In fact, he’d turned surly after their Saturday-night dinner and gone out of his way to avoid her. He even had the gall to behave as if she were imposing on him. She’d had to threaten to go on strike to get him to come with her today.

She should have left him alone, but she couldn’t. The only way she could make him change his mind about selling the Wind Lake Campground was to convince him that this was no longer the boring place of his childhood. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to convince him of a thing so far, which meant it was time to make her next move. Resigned, she forced herself to her feet.

“Look, Kevin! In the trees over there!”

“What are you doing, Molly? Sit down!”

She gave a jump of excitement. “Isn’t that a Kirtland’s warbler?”

“Stop!”

All it took was one more small jump and the canoe tipped.

“Aw, shit!”

They tumbled into the lake.

As she went under, she thought about the earth-shattering kiss they’d exchanged three days ago. Ever since then he’d kept his distance, and the few times they’d been together, he was barely civil. Once she’d told him she wouldn’t sleep with him, he’d lost interest in her. If only …

If only what, you dope? If only he were banging his fists on your bedroom door every night begging you to change your mind and let him in? Like that would ever happen.

But couldn’t he look as if he were suffering from a little of the lust that had her tossing in her bed the last three nights until she thought she’d scream? It had even affected her writing. This morning Daphne had told her best friend Melissa the Wood Frog that Benny was looking particularly sexy that day! Molly had thrown down her notebook in disgust.

She felt above her head for the capsized canoe’s gunwale, then swam beneath it. With a kick she came up into the air pocket beneath the hull, which was just big enough for her head. This drowning thing was going to turn her into a prune.