[ discovering you ] - sequel to camp discovery || a tayvis story.

chapter ten.

JULY 4, 2013

5:45 PM

"What do you think he found out?" Lance asked Tree as he took the last round of burgers off the grill. Their backyard was not filled with friends, friends who felt like family. Having Taylor and Michael here meant that their house was filled with people more often now.

"What do you mean?" Tree asked. She looked over at Taylor and Travis, who were both in the pool talking to Kylie, Ross, Jason, and Selena. They were holding on to each other as if the other was going to float away and never come back. They were clinging to each other more than they usually did.

"Travis is holding on for dear life. He keeps soothing her as if something happened. I don't think you've been paying as much attention as I have since I've just been standing at this grill. You've been more of a host," Lance told his life.

"They just spent a very intimate night together; I'm sure it's nothing," Tree replied, wanting to brush off Lance's thoughts. She didn't think she would be able to handle another new tragic thing that happened to Taylor at this moment. She was still trying to calm down from viewing every picture and knowing every detail of her near-death experience. She didn't know how she would handle even the smallest bit of new information right now. 

"Are you saying that because you believe it? Or are you saying that because you don't want to hear anything new right now?" Lance asked, knowing how his wife was. He could tell by the look on her face that something was brewing in her mind. 

"The latter," She stated, picking up the pan of burgers and taking it over to the table that sat on their patio, where everyone would be eating. "Dinner!" Tree called to their houseguest. 

"Yay!" Michael yelled from across the yard. He jumped a few more times before landing on his butt and making his way to the edge of the trampoline, and getting off. Donna and Ed, who were watching him do a number of flips and tricks, followed behind him over to the patio, where dinner was being spread across the table. 

Taylor, Travis, and their friends emerged from the pool, laughing and talking as they wrapped themselves in towels and took their seats at the table.

As they all gathered around the patio table, piling their plates with the food Lance had been grilling for the past few hours, Taylor couldn't help but think about what she was surrounded by. Family. This was what she had been missing—sitting around with people who loved and cared about each other. As they ate their dinner of burgers, hot dogs, chicken, ribs, corn, and salad, the conversation flowed naturally. It felt good to be a part of it. "Yeah, Mom has to help me with my résumé since she said I forgot to put that I speak Spanish on it," Taylor said as the topic of jobs and money came up.

"What was your job before you went back to working at the restaurant?" Tree asked Taylor, not remembering if she had ever said it or if it was on the résumé she had seen when Taylor applied to be a camp counselor.

"You majored in accounting, didn't you?" Donna asked, taking a bite of the chicken she had been holding in her head.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" Taylor asked.

"Accounting? You hate math," Kylie said, which made Travis start laughing as he remembered their conversation from the night before.

"It wasn't that bad once I started. It just took a couple of semesters for me to get it," Taylor explained.

"Kim told me that you barely had a C in Math in high school. She was so worried about you majoring in that field, sweetie," Donna added.

"What made you major in accounting, Tay?" Lance asked, looking at his daughter, who wasn't officially his daughter yet.