food.â
âI guess that makes us really poor people, doesnât it?â Christy curled up into as tight a ball as she could on top of the wool sweater and tucked the blanket all around her in hopes that the cocoon method would make her feel warmer. âSo how are things going between you and Tonio?â
âFine.â
Christy waited for more details. When Katie didnât offer any, Christy prodded. âDo you think you guys might have some feelings for each other like you had last summer?â
âItâs all just a game, Christy,â Katie said in a low voice. âYou know that. Iâm nothing special to him. Itâs no big deal.â
âBut how does that make you feel?â
âItâs my life, Chris. Iâm everybodyâs buddy and nobodyâs honey.â Katie adjusted her position and added, âI donât want to talk about guys right now. Iâm really, really tired. Can we get some sleep?â
âSure,â Christy said, wishing she felt warm enough to sleep. She tried rubbing her legs together and pulling the blanket over her head.
Katieâs rhythmic breathing soon indicated she had fallen asleep. Christy lay awake for hours, shivering. None of her thoughts could be trusted, but she allowed all of them to paradebefore her. Thoughts of Todd. Thoughts of what would come next for them in their relationship. Thoughts of getting married. Thoughts of what precise words she would use when they finally had their heart-to-heart talk.
When dawn came, Christy felt exhausted. She wanted to drop off into a deep, dreamless sleep. But the others were up with the birds, coaxing Christy to join them for some of Antonioâs specialty coffee.
She gave in, thinking the coffee would at least wake her up. Crawling out of the tent with the blanket around her shoulders, Christy couldnât believe how grungy she felt. Her face and teeth felt sticky, her hair was a tangled mess, and she knew she now carried with her the disagreeable odor of the knit sweater she had slept on all night.
Todd, however, looked fresh and friendly. He bent down and reached for the coffeepot on the grill. âHey, howâs it going?â he asked, holding out a coffee mug to Christy.
She replied with a groan before sipping the strong coffee, trying hard not to make a face. Tonioâs special morning brew had to be the thickest, strongest coffee she had ever tasted. If she had a spoon, she could have eaten it like hot pudding. He had added lots of sugar, which made it seem even more like a dessert than a beverage.
âThis should wake me up,â she said, noticing that Toddâs hair was wet. So was Antonioâs. âYou guys didnât tell us they had showers here. Which way?â
Antonioâs face lit up with a mischievous grin. âRight through there.â He pointed to the trail through the trees. âSame place where we get our food.â
âVery funny,â Katie said. The morning sunlight poured through the trees like golden syrup, spilling all over Katie, who sat on a log, sipping her coffee.
âHow cold is the water?â Christy asked.
Todd and Antonio looked at each other. âItâs refreshing,â Todd said.
Christy knew all about Toddâs idea of ârefreshingâ water. âWould it be okay if I use this pot to heat some water?â Christy bent down to pick up a well-used cooking pot and noticed part of a fish head in the dirt. âDid you guys leave the fish guts out on purpose for the raccoons last night? Those were mean-looking critters.â
âI heard you and Katie talking to them in the middle of the night,â Todd said.
âWe were not talking to them,â Katie stated. âWe were talking about them. Thereâs a big difference.â
Christy took another sip of coffee and deduced that if Todd was awake, listening to them talk about the intruders, that meant Antonio was the one doing