She's Got a Way (35 page)

The girls paused, looking toward Gabi for permission, which half surprised her, even while it warmed her heart a little bit.

“Go ahead.” She smiled. “You've earned it.”

They scooted up the pathway as Gabi led Laura to her favorite Adirondack chairs and held her arm while the older woman sank into one.

“Gosh,” Laura said. “I'd forgotten just how beautiful it is up here.”

“You've been here before?”

“Oh, yes. We came up last year to tour the place.” She winked. “Had to know what I was getting for my money.”

“Your money?” Gabi tipped her head. “
You're
the anonymous donor who funded this?”

“Not
so
anonymous, I'm afraid.”

“I had no idea.”

Laura smiled. “You weren't supposed to.”

“Is it … would it be all right to ask you a really pointed question?”

“Sounds like the best kind.”

Gabi took a deep breath. “I apologize if this is out of line. But I have to know—what are Briarwood's plans for this property, really?”

Laura was silent for a long moment, and that silence told Gabi everything she needed to know. So instead of waiting for Laura to compose what she imagined was supposed to feel like a comforting line of bullshit, Gabi barged ahead.

“Laura, I've seen the project list, and I have some serious reservations about what I think is happening here.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “This camp—I think this camp was perfect just the way it was … before we came.”

“How so?”

“Because it served the right people, Laura. Oliver and Luke have dedicated their entire adult lives to this place, and their work is the kind that's pure, and good, and selfless. I have no idea what either of them makes for money, but I have a very strong feeling that whatever it is, it gets poured right back into this camp. Do you know how many boys have come through here in the past five years?”

“How many?”

Gabi paused, seeing a trace of amusement on Laura's face. Seriously? She thought this was funny? Gabi rattled off the figure Oliver had given her last week, and Laura's eyes widened appreciatively, though she didn't speak.

“Briarwood doesn't need to extend its seasons, Laura. Our girls have plenty of options, plenty of other camps that are designed for exactly what their families are looking for. This is not that place.”

“But it could be, don't you agree? It could be so much more.”

Gabi suppressed a sigh. “Of course it could be. It's beautiful, it's quiet, and it's surrounded by wilderness that's awe-inspiring and frightening at the same time. It's the perfect location … for exactly what it's always been. There are hundreds of kids who came through here, Laura, and those kids didn't
have
other opportunities. There
was
no other camp for them. They're foster kids, needy kids, last-stop-before-court kids, and Luke and Oliver made it their mission to turn things around for them, to give them a place where they could learn to believe people actually cared about them.”

“And you don't think Briarwood girls deserve the same?”

“Of course they do. But they don't need it
here
. Places like this just don't exist all over the country, and places like this should be reserved for exactly who they were designed for.”

“I see.” Laura nodded, but Gabi couldn't read her expression.

“I'm sorry if I overstepped.” She clasped her hands in front of her. “But the longer I've been here, the more I've seen Luke work with the girls, the more convinced I am that the mission of this place needs to stay intact.”

“And you don't think Briarwood intends to do that?”

Gabi took a deep breath, picturing Luke's damning project list. “No. I don't.”

Laura nodded again, slowly. “I don't, either.”

*   *   *

An hour later, Gabi pushed open the screen door of the dining hall to find Laura, Oliver, and Luke already seated at one of the picnic tables. She'd sent the girls to unpack the van, since it was now too late to head back to Briarwood, even if she'd dared. Laura had asked her what had felt like a hundred more questions—and Gabi had countered with her own, but when Laura had finally motioned for Gabi to help her out of her chair, Gabi knew the woman had had her fill.

And even though she'd boldly agreed that she didn't believe Briarwood was fully on the up-and-up, Laura had still lauded the property, the potential, the benefits they could extract for the right population of kids.

It just wasn't the same population Gabi thought needed them now.

She took a deep breath and stepped toward the table, where Laura had a pile of thick folders in front of her. Gabi felt her stomach sink as she imagined what might be lurking inside that stack of papers.

“Oh, good. You're all here. Come sit, my dear.” Laura motioned Gabi to sit beside her on the picnic bench. “I'm not going to beat around the bush here, mostly because I'm too old to waste the time, but also because it drives me crazy when people do.” She took a breath. “I have some things to go over with all three of you.”

Gabi swallowed, looking at Luke for the first time since she'd entered the building. His eyes were shuttered, though, barely registering her presence.

Ouch.

Not that she deserved any different.

Laura took a deep breath. “Oliver and Luke, I know you've been up here working really hard on the project list you were given at the beginning of the summer, and I know I speak for the board when I express my deep gratitude for all of that work.”

Oh, no. Gabi dug the fingernails of one hand into the palm of her other. Laura was about to dismiss both of them, and she'd invited Gabi in for the show.

“Now,” Laura continued, “it all looks wonderful … but unfortunately, I'm going to have to ask you to cease and desist on that list, effective immediately.”

Luke's head snapped up, and Gabi knew he'd come to the same realization as she had. “What do you mean?”

“I mean just what I said. Whatever you haven't gotten to on that list is hereby officially canceled.”

Oliver tipped his head, his mouth in a tight line. “Are you speaking for the board?”

Laura was silent for a long moment. “The board is … in flux at the moment.”

“What's going on, Laura?” Gabi tried to pull her hands apart before she drew blood. “Has something happened at Briarwood?”

“No. Nothing's changed at Briarwood.” She shook her head. “And that's exactly the problem. I was informed by my attorneys eight weeks ago that the Briarwood board has decided to take Camp Echo in a new direction. They have their reasons, and I understand them, whether or not I agree with them.”

Luke sighed. “What new direction?”

“They've decided they'd like to use the camp as an outreach of the school itself, to give families an opportunity to have their children be under the Briarwood umbrella throughout the entire year, rather than just the school year.”

Gabi looked at Luke, and this time he met her eyes. It was exactly what he'd said, and she couldn't be more ashamed of her employer right now. How dare they? Apparently her words of an hour ago had fallen on deaf ears.

Laura cleared her throat. “However, all is not lost.”

“Laura.” Oliver sighed. “If they sent you up here to offer us a severance check and a wave, I have to tell you, I won't go willingly.”

“There's no severance check.”

Gabi watched Luke's jaw tense. He looked straight ahead, out the window toward the beach, and she could only imagine the thoughts screaming through his head. It was his worst nightmare, and Gabi sat there as a representative of the entity that was causing it.

“Gentlemen, before I tell you the rest, I do want to let you know that Gabi did her level best this afternoon to convince me that Camp Echo's mission should not be derailed … that the population you served up until this year is exactly the population this property
should
be serving … and that the two of you as a team are the right people to be directing this place.”

Gabi took a careful breath, trying to be thankful that Laura was trying to extract her from blame. But it didn't feel any better knowing the result was going to be the same.

Laura nodded. “And I have to say, I agree with her on many of those points.”

She did?

Gabi's head came up, and she darted a glance at Luke, but his eyes were still locked on the window.

Laura opened her folder, pulling out three fat packets of stapled papers and handing one to each of them. “One question for you all before we look at this—how old do you think I am?”

All three of them looked directly at her, and Gabi almost nervous-laughed at the expressions on Oliver's and Luke's faces.

Oliver shook his head. “It wouldn't be gentlemanly to answer that question, Laura, and I'm sure Luke would agree with me.”

Luke nodded, his eyebrows pulled together as he studied her.

“Well, I'll tell you, then.” Laura smiled. “Eighty-eight. Which is a nice round figure, don't you think?”

No one answered.

“Here's what's so nice about that age—it takes a lot to get here, and when you are worth what I'm worth, it takes a lot of
attorneys
to get here. I've got the best of the best, and now?” She winked. “Now I've got a little surprise.”

 

Chapter 34

Surprise? Gabi looked down at the papers in her hand. A surprise couldn't be bad, right? Had Laura figured out a way to keep Oliver and Luke employed, even though the board was ready to turn this into an all-girls' camp?

But would they even
want
to be here if that happened?

Laura took a deep breath, lifting her own packet. “Here's the thing. It was my financial gift that bought this property, on the recommendation of one of those attorneys. I had heard of Camp Echo, and he convinced me that there wasn't another venture in New England more deserving of my investment. I did my research—though none of you probably even knew I
was
doing so—and the more I learned, the more I came to agree with him.”

Gabi could practically feel Luke's wheels turning, wondering who this attorney was … and where Laura was going with this.

“I managed this bequest through Briarwood, because I truly wanted to believe that we could do better work for more children, and I was assured that the camp would be updated, staffed, and reopened next summer. I believe that's all under way, so that makes me happy.” She tapped on the folders. “What
doesn't
make me happy is that this board took that vote eight weeks ago. What makes me even
less
happy is that I suspected that's exactly what they
would
do.”

“But—” Gabi shook her head slowly. If she'd known, why had she funneled the donation through Briarwood? Why not just do it outright, if she suspected they'd rejigger it in the end?

Laura put up both index fingers, stopping her. “I bought this property, and I donated it to Briarwood, but I didn't give it freely. My attorneys wrote in a provision requiring that any change in purpose or mission be approved by me. We were sure they'd balk, but they approved it.” She shrugged. “Obviously they were anxious to get their hands on the land, and I imagine they see me as the old, doddering fool who either didn't understand the legalese, or who wouldn't notice if they buried the mission changes in a pile of other things that came up for blanket approval at that meeting.”

She arched her eyebrows. “I noticed. And I did
not
approve of the changes. An-nd, since we were unable to come to an agreement, the original bequest requires that the property be moved into a trust administered by my attorneys and myself.”

“Wha—” Gabi felt her mouth fall open as a tiny glimmer of hope took hold. “So Briarwood no longer owns the property?”

Laura smiled. “I have very, very good lawyers.”

Luke set down the papers he hadn't yet looked at, but Gabi couldn't tell from his face whether he thought Laura's news was positive, or just more of the same garbage.

“So what does this mean?” he asked.

“Well, that's why I'm here. I have some ideas, but before I finalize them, I want your input—all three of you. You're the ones who built the place, live here, and have seen it work. I want to hear what you have to say.”

Gabi backed up on the bench, putting up her hands. “I've only been here for a few weeks, Laura. I can't possibly participate. I shouldn't.”

“Wrong.” Laura's voice was so strong that it made all three of them jump. “Why do you think you're here, Gabriela?”

“Huh?” Gabi blinked, knowing full well that Laura had been in the board meeting where Gabi's summer had gone up in smoke. She'd even voted, presumably. Why was she asking?

“Um…” she stammered. “I'm here because my girls got into hot water and this was the board's solution.”

“Wrong again.” Laura smiled, gentling her tone. “You're here because I've been watching you for years, and I love your spunk and your spirit and your heart … and I wanted you to fall in love with Echo Lake. I knew damn well what this board was going to do—that's why I made sure the provisions were written into the agreement in the first place. But a small part of me wanted to give them a chance to prove me wrong.”

She sighed. “They didn't. So I sent you here.”

“
You
sent me here?”

“Yes.” Laura smiled like she was quite entertained with herself. “I'm quite good at influencing others when I put my mind to it. I just have to know their triggers. Since Priscilla Pritchard's particular trigger is misery, I suggested Camp Echo as a consequence to the girls' little escapade, but I made sure it sounded ever so much worse than it really is.” Laura winked. “She went for it like a dog for a steak.”