Chapter Twelve

       Max shoved another pair or shorts into her bag and looked thoughtfully around the
room.  Was there anything she had forgotten, she wondered, as she mentally went over
her hastily made list.  Lots of shorts, T-shirts, swimsuits and track suits should do the
trick, and she certainly wouldn’t be needing any make-up.  She tossed in her toothbrush
and toothpaste, and went over her list again for the fourth time.  Camp Logan was too
far away to just run home and pick up things she might have forgotten.
	Camp Logan was a sports camp located three and a half hours drive west of
Elmdale, where  Max had worked as a student councillor during University.  She’d put in
her application months ago to serve as a camp councillor, and although they had been
impressed with her qualifications, especially her basketball skills, they’d had enough
returning staff that they hadn’t needed her.
	But suddenly a boring Tuesday afternoon spent brooding over the fact that Jake
was hundreds of miles away and not going to be back for almost another two weeks;
and that Mikki was bonding with her sister,  had turned into a busy packing frenzy.  
Camp Logan's head councillor had called and asked her to join them since one of their
staff had had to back out at the last minute.  With Jake away, Max saw no reason to
refuse.  It would beat sitting around thinking about how empty her days were!  Besides,
the camp she was hired for would finish up the day before Jake was supposed to arrive
back in Elmdale, so timing was perfect.  It felt good to be back in the swing of things
again!
	After leaving a message on Jake's answering machine in case he got back
sooner than expected, Max threw her duffle bag over her shoulder and headed out. 
Mikki and Sandy were picking her up any minute to drive her to the bus station.  She'd
be taking the bus to the village of Smythe Corners, where one of the camp staff would
be picking her up.  Suddenly she was looking forward to the next two weeks afterall!

	The bus ride to Smythe Corners was long, but Max made the best of it. She'd
brought her portable CD player and headphones, and enjoyed the scenery that passed
by the bus window.  At least she didn't have to drive, so she could appreciate the view
better.  Soon the little village came into view, and she prepared to disembark.  When
she stepped down off the last step of the bus and looked around, she spotted a man
leaning against a pick-up truck wearing T-shirt with what she recognized as the Camp
Logan logo on it.
	"Hi," she called, walking towards the man, who hadn't been paying much
attention to the bus.  He looked up as she spoke, and she saw his eyes widen as he
gave her a heed to toe stare.  "Are you here to meet me?  I'm Maxine McGreggor, for
Camp Logan?"
	The man actually whistled!  Max laughed and shook her head.  She'd been the
recipient of many greetings in her time, but never had she been whistled at as a form of
hello.  Suddenly he stood perfectly straight, as if he had just returned to his senses, and
reached for her bag.
	"Well, hello there, Maxine!" he said, drawing out his words to accentuate his
obvious interest.  "My name is Calvin.  Most people just call me Cal."
	She smiled politely at him.  "Nice to meet you, Cal.  Most people just call me
Max."
	"Uh, yeah," he said, and she thought for sure she saw him blush.  "That's who
they told me I was picking up.  I have to admit, I was expecting a —" he looked at her
again, from head to toe, and whistled a second time.  "Well, I was expecting a guy."
	She laughed again. Not an unusual mistake, she thought.  At least it wasn't going
to be made again when they got to the camp.  She'd spoken to the Head Councillor
herself on the phone.  They knew she was female.  She wondered why they hadn't
mentioned the fact to Cal.
	She didn't have to wonder long.  The drive to Camp Logan took only fifteen
minutes, during which time Cal was on his best behaviour.  It seemed he'd gotten over
the shock that had hit him when he'd discovered Max McGreggor was a woman, and he
behaved like a complete gentleman all the way to camp. By the time they arrived, Max
had decided he was a nice guy afterall, and had made a mental note to forgive him for
having whistled back at the bus stop.  Not that he needed to be forgiven for that, she
thought, with a smile.  She was going to enjoy working with Cal.
	When they pulled up in front of the camp office at last, the reason for Cal's lack of
information about her suddenly became clear.  A group of the staff had obviously been
alerted to their arrival, and were standing around outside the office expectantly. 
	"What the ..." Cal said, leaning forward in his seat to get a better look as they
pulled to a stop.  
	Max laughed.  "I think I understand," she said, glancing at her driver.   "I'm afraid
they're having some fun at your expense.  You've been set up."
	"Set up?" he asked, looking confused.
	She smiled, and pointed to two of the councillors among the group, who looked
like they were primed and ready to laugh.  "Dwayne and Suzanne were here when I
worked here during University.  No one was safe from practical jokes with them around." 
She glanced at Cal.  "I bet they had something to do with sending you out to get me
thinking I was going to be a man."
	Cal shook his head.  "Well, I'll be!" he said, as Max stepped out of the truck.
	"Were you two scoundrels responsible for sending this poor guy to get me?" she
asked, giving first Dwayne, then Suzanne each a hug.  
	"I'd have given anything to have seen the look on his face," Suzanne said,
laughing, while Dwayne gave Cal a friendly pat on the shoulder. 
	"Oh, it was priceless," Max assured them. 
	"Told you it would be a trip to remember," Dwayne said, and at last the
disgruntled Cal cracked a grin.
	"Well, it sure was a surprise," he agreed, glancing at Max.  
	Dwayne introduced her to Roger, the Head Councillor and the rest of the staff,
while everyone continued to tease Cal over the joke they had played on him, then
Suzanne showed her to her cabin.  The women would be sharing a cabin, and Max was
looking forward to renewing the old friendship.
	"I was so glad when Roger told us he'd called you in to replace Marcy.   Poor girl,
didn't even make it here.  But I assured Roger that you were a good choice.  It's great to
see you again!"
	Max agreed with her.  "And who's idea was it to set poor Cal up?" she asked.
	Suzanne laughed.  "Oh, Dwayne put Roger up to that.  But Cal more or less
walked into it on his own.  He was the only one who wasn't at the staff meeting when
Roger told us he'd called you, so everyone else knew you were a woman.  Tell me, what
did he do when he realize it was you he was there to pick up?"
	Max laughed,  "He was a little speechless.  He whistled," she said, and the two
women rolled on their beds in laughter. 
	Suzanne eyed her with a sly look then, and leaned in a little closer.  "Apparently
he's single too," she winked.  
	Max felt her smile slip just a little as she thought about what Suzanne meant. 
Her friend was considering the possibility of a little camp staff romance, and no doubt
thinking how she would be able to take some of the credit for getting it started.  As if to
further emphasize her point, Suzanne grinned even wider.  "He's a real nice guy, and
you've got to admit, he's not too hard on the eyes either."
	"I suppose so," Max sighed.  She supposed she had to agree that Cal was good
looking.  With his shock of curly blond hair and blue eyes, he could turn any girl's head,
she was sure. Not to mention that he looked like he worked out, and sported a deep tan. 
The fact was, however, that when she'd arrived in Smythe Corners to find him waiting for
her, she hadn't even noticed his good looks.  She frowned to herself as she realized that
the reason for that was that she had begun measuring every man she saw against Jake,
and unfortunately for her, none ever managed to measure up.
	"What's that far away look in your eyes all about, Max?" Suzanne asked, leaning
back against the wall.
	"Nothing," Max said, but her friend wasn't convinced.
	"Sure, and crows are fuschia.  So, I talk about how dreamy our Cal is, and you
get a distance glaze over your eyes and all you can say is I suppose so?"  She shook
her head.  "Sounds like there's a man involved,  to me."
	Max laughed, and tried to perk up.  "Of course not," she insisted.  Afterall, she
and Jake were just friends.   Why, just the other day he had reminded her that he
wouldn't stand in her way should she need the time to date other men.  They were
having a damn good time together, but there was no future for them.  If Max was looking
for a man to make a future with, she knew Jake wasn't the one. But then, was she
looking?  
	"Well then," Suzanne said cheerily.  "If there's no man involved, then I declare it
open season on Cal and you the hunter."
	"Don't be silly! I'm not even hunting," she insisted. 
	
	"Why not? What's wrong with a little summer camp romance?"  Suzanne winked.
	Max rolled her eyes. "Nothing, if that's what you're looking for.  Are you?"
	Suzanne laughed.  "No, not me!  I've got a perfect man back home.  But you, on
the other hand — " she grinned.  "You say there's no man, so why not Cal?  He's sweet!
And he's mighty good looking too, if I do say so myself."
	Max laughed.  "I never said he wasn't."
	Suzanne looked hopeful.  "Well then, what are you waiting for?"
	Max shook her head and chuckled.  "Suzanne, I'm not looking for a man, that's
all."
	Suzanne grunted. "Of course you are!" she scoffed. "All single girls are looking
for a man in their life!"
	Max groaned to herself.  "Why don't we go do what we're here to do?"  She said,
hopping of her bed and heading out the door, with Suzanne on her heels.  Knowing
Suzanne, however, Max was sure she hadn't heard the end of the subject of Councillor
Cal.

	By the end of the first full day of camp, Max was tired, but it was a good tired. 
She welcomed the activity and threw herself into her work.  She loved basketball, and
she loved coaching, so this was perfect for her. Aged fourteen to seventeen, the
campers  were there to learn more about their favourite sport of basketball.  They were
eager to try new skills, which made her job easy.  Instead of taking basketball in gym
class just to get a credit, these kids were there because they wanted to be there.  They
listened, they asked questions, and they made suggestions of their own.  They were a
pleasure to coach, and Max found herself looking forward to each day.  And forgetting
how much she missed Jake.
	That, she saved for night time, as she lay in her bunk and listened to Suzanne
chatter about how cute Cal was and how Max should really give him a chance.  No
matter how much Max assured her roommate that she wasn't looking for romance with
Cal, Suzanne didn't seem willing to give up.  On the third evening when the staff and
campers gathered around a campfire for an evening of sing-song and marshmallow
roasting, it became obvious Suzanne was going to meddle as much as she could.  
When Max appeared walking down the path toward the fire, Suzanne waved at her with
a bright smile.
	"Saved you a seat," she called out, and shifted along the log she was sitting on
until there was room for Max to sit down.  It wasn't until she was seated that Max noticed
that she was now sitting closely between Suzanne and Cal.
	"Hi," Cal said with a bright smile.  "Enjoying yourself so far?"
	Max nodded.  Cal seemed like a nice guy. There was nothing wrong with being
polite to him, she just wished Suzanne wasn't so insistent on setting up together.  She
felt an involuntary shiver run through her spine, and before she knew it, Cal was slipping
his sweater around her shoulders.
	"Chilly?" he asked her, moving closer to try to block the wind.
	Max smiled at him. "I'm fine, thanks for the sweater."
	Cal smiled, but just then the song leader stood up and called out the first
sing-a-long.  With a smile toward Cal, Max joined right in to an animated chorus of
Michael Row Your Boat Ashore, complete with clapping and swaying back and forth,
and some of the campers pretending to fall out of the boat.  One song rolled into
another, and before she knew it the evening of singing and fun was winding down.  Her
side sore and her face wet with tears from the laughter.  She hadn't had so much fun in
a long long time.  
	At last she stood up and reached to take Cal's sweater off her shoulders, 
"Thanks so much for letting me use this," she said, smiling down at him.
	Cal jumped up immediately and stepped over the log they had been sitting on. 
"Keep it. I'll walk you back to your cabin, you can give it to me then. There's a cool
breeze picking up," he offered, and fell into step beside her before she had a chance to
assure him that she'd be fine on her own.  What harm would it do to let him walk her
back to the cabin.  He was a co-worker, afterall, and he was sweet, as Suzanne had
pointed out.  She didn't want to be rude to him, and besides, they'd had fun together all
evening and it was kind of nice to have his company.  They'd just walk, and then she'd
thank him and turn in for the night. 
	He talked as they walked, and Max laughed at what he said, then when they
arrived at her cabin door, he smiled at her as she stepped onto the bottom step.  "You're
fun to be around," he said.
	Max swallowed hard, and bit her lip.  The last thing she needed was to have Cal
falling for her.  She liked him, and didn't want to see him get hurt. If only Suzanne would
stop trying to fix them up!
	"Listen, Cal — " she started, but he held up his hand and took a deep breath.
	"It's OK," he said, looking a little dejected.  "I can tell when a gal isn't interested in
what I have to offer.  I can take it."
	She shook her head. "It's not that what you have to offer isn't just fine, Cal," she
said, trying to think of a good way to explain what she meant. "It's just — "
	Once again he stopped her, leaning on the railing.  "Hey, it's all right.  You don't
have to explain." He paused for a moment as she looked at him wondering if he was
right or if she really did need to try to explain better, then he went on.  "So who's the
guy?"
	Max shot him a surprised look. "What guy?"
	"The guy that stole your heart before I got a chance to do it?"
	"There is no guy, Cal," she said, shaking her head, but as soon as she looked at
him she knew he didn't believe her.  She sighed, and sunk down onto the steps.  "OK,
you don't look like you're buying that."
	He shook his head. "Nope."
	Max shrugged, and Cal sat down beside her on the steps. "What's the matter?
He already taken?"
	Max rested her elbows on her knees and propped her chin on her hands, staring
out at the dim glow of the moonlight stretching across the lake in the distance.  "No,
nothing like that,' she said. 
	"What then? You're in love with him and he's all wrong for you?"
	Max laughed.  "No, he's perfect.  We're best of friends."
	"Ah," Cal nodded, turning to look out over the lake with her.  "It's like that then."
	"Like what?" Max asked, chuckling.  
	Cal turned to look at her and gave her an understanding look.  "You corrected
me on  the 'wrong for you' part, but you didn't disagree with the part about being in love
with him." He smiled at her knowingly, and she sighed. "Well, for what it’s worth, you're a
beautiful woman, and if he doesn't figure out what he's missing eventually, you just give
me a call."
	Max smiled at him and giggled, then opened her mouth to speak. He held up one
finger to let her know he wasn't finished talking yet.  "In the meantime, I'm here for you. 
Unless of course we're on the basketball court.  Then it's my team against your team
and may the best kids win.  That would be mine, of course!"
	She laughed. "Oh you are so wrong on that one!" she challenged, and they
leaned on each other and laughed. They sat for a while longer talking and staring out
over the lake under the clear, starry sky, then Max stood up and yawned.  "I'd better get
to bed.  It's been nice talking to you tonight, Cal," she said, as she slipped his sweater
off her shoulders and handed it to him.
	"I had a good time," he assured her. Then he winked at her and grinned.  "But
don't think for one minute that's going to change things on the court tomorrow."
	She smiled and wished him goodnight, then slipped inside.  She was still smiling,
and actually humming to herself, when she suddenly noticed Suzanne sitting on her
bunk with a silly grin on her face.
	"So?" Suzanne quizzed her, looking expectantly across the room.
	"So, nothing," Max said, ignoring the other girl and moving towards her own
bunk.
	Suzanne hunched forward more.  "Well? You sat out there for hours. What were
you doing all that time?"
	Max looked at her watch. "Was it hours?” she said, coyly. Then she shook her
head and smiled.   “We were just talking, Suzanne."
	"Sure, I bet you were!" Suzanne said, with an exaggerated nod of her head to
show she didn't believe a word of it.  But she didn't say anything more as she slipped
into her bed with one last wink at Max.  Max shook her head and slid under her own
blankets.  Let Suzanne think what she wanted, she thought.  She was tired, and morning
would arrive before she knew it.