Nick Scipio
Three Little Words
Summer Camp Swingers: Christy Series Book 3
CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
Book 3
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
About the Author
More Summer Camp Swingers
Also by Nick Scipio
PREFACE
Hello and welcome to Camp! If you’ve been here before, let’s talk about some changes.
First, the book titles. They’re new. Duh. But why? For starters, they’re more descriptive now. The old Volume X titles didn’t tell you a thing about the books, other than their order in the series.
The new titles are mostly for new readers. If you’re a fan from before, you probably don’t care what the books are called. But new readers don’t know me or my stories, and titles are an important part of the sales pitch.
Next, the series and universe, Summer Camp Swingers. Why the change?
Amazon. Specifically, their search and recommendation algorithms. I don’t want my books to appear beside ones about regular summer camps. Adding Swingers should make it clear that mine are for grown-ups.
Okay, that’s enough about the changes. If you’re new to Camp, let me tell you how this all began.
Back in the summer of 2002, I had a story growing in my imagination. It started as a simple fantasy that sprang from events in my real life.
My family vacationed at a nudist camp in the seventies and early eighties.
My parents were swingers at the time, although I didn’t figure it out until much later. And when I was a teenager, I knew a woman who was similar to Susan. As an adult, I always wondered what would’ve happened if she’d been more like the woman in my imagination.
So this “what if…?” story was growing in my head, and I kept remembering things and adding new details. It quickly became too much to keep track of, so I decided to write it down. I finished the first few chapters
and posted them online. People liked them, so I kept writing.
In the process, my coming-of-age story evolved into something far bigger than I’d ever imagined. I added an overall plot: Who died? Who’s the wife?
Then I sketched out the people and events in several more stories. Other writers wanted to play in my world, so I created the universe, Summer Camp Swingers. My own stories grew into books, and the books became series—
five of them, as it turned out.
So, where are we now, with this book? Christy is the fifth and final series in the main Summer Camp Swingers saga. You don’t need to read the first four series to enjoy this one, but they add a lot of background for the people and events here. If you’re interested, the earlier series are available on my website.
Whew! That was a lot of introduction. Yeah, sorry. I’ve been writing Summer Camp Swingers since that fateful day back in 2002, so we’re talking about 30 books, nearly 2.5 million words. In any event, I’m sure you’re ready to start reading. You bought the book, after all, so let’s get to it!
Nick Scipio
August 1, 2020
INTRODUCTION
Summer Camp Swingers has always been a serial, published a chapter at a time. So the books in this series don’t begin and end like normal ones do.
They’re meant to be read as a complete story, one after the other. When you reach the end of this book, pick up the next one and keep going.
And when you get to the end of the series, the Epilogue will wrap up the whole saga and answer the two big questions from the very beginning—
who’s the wife and who died?
Book 3
Chapter 13
A couple of days later, I returned from my run to find Christy and Wren sitting at the kitchen table. They were talking in light tones, but they’d been speaking about something serious a moment before. They had that air about them. Besides, Christy had “conspiracy” written all over her face. Wren followed my glance and immediately jumped into the breach.
“So, we were thinking…,” she said. “It just doesn’t seem like Christmas without a tree.”
I poured a glass of orange juice and leaned against the counter. We’d all agreed that we didn’t want the hassle of a tree since none of us would be home to enjoy it. So why the change and why now? I took my time and sipped juice while the girls wondered if I’d go along with their scheme, whatever it was.
“What do you think?” Wren finally asked. “Maybe after Trip’s had his coffee, you guys can go buy one.”
Christy nodded and said, “Lights and ornaments and decorations too.”
“Right,” Wren agreed. “All that.”
I took another drink and gazed at them silently. They could tell I wasn’t buying it, but neither of them cracked.
“Sure,” I said at last. “Sounds like fun.”
Christy’s relief was almost comical, and even Wren blinked as the tension faded.
In the spirit of being helpful, I asked, “Do you want us to pick up anything else while we’re out?”
“Maybe stuff to make eggnog,” Wren said.
“Can do. Make a list.” I drained my glass and set it in the sink. “I’d better go roust Trip and then jump in the shower. Sounds like we have several hours of errands.”
“At least,” Christy said. She wasn’t the worst conspirator in the world, but she wasn’t going to stage a coup any time soon. Still, she bounced up and offered a kiss. “I’ll make it worth your while,” she said. “I promise.”
Wren didn’t say a word, but her I-told-you-so grin was more than enough.
Trip and I left about an hour later.
“So,” I asked mildly, “any idea what the girls are up to?”
“Yeah. Can’t tell you though. It’s a surprise.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
“It’s a Christmas present. From Christy.”
“You okay?” I asked with a sideways glance.
“Bit of a hangover,” he said. “Last night was my night to drink too much.
Wren had to drive us home.” They’d gone to a honky-tonk bar to hear a band and had been out until the wee hours. “It’s okay, though,” he added. “I needed to get out today anyway.”
“Oh? What for?”
“Stop by the bank. Christmas present. For Wren and me.”
“Sounds like something big.”
“Yeah. I didn’t tell you ’cause I didn’t want it to get back to Wren.
Sorry.”
I was mildly annoyed that he didn’t trust me enough to keep a secret, but it wasn’t worth an argument.
“So, what is it?” I said instead. “That is, if you don’t mind sharing now.”
He glanced at me guiltily. “Yeah, I had that coming. I tell you everything else. Dunno why I kept this to myself.”
“Neither do I.”
“Well, this is more than just a gift, so I guess I had to get used to the idea first. You know how I am.”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, I’m buying a new car for Wren and me.”
“Wow! Okay… that is a big deal.”
“Told you.”
“Hold on,” I said as I connected a couple of dots in my head, “is that why you’ve been so uptight about money lately?”
“A little, yeah. Been looking at finances. Problem is, Wren still acts like daddy’s little princess with a credit card. She’s getting better, but it still bothers me.”
“Remember to compromise,” I told him. “Also, don’t expect her to change overnight. I’m dealing with the same thing with Christy. I want everything to happen now, but I can’t force it.”
“You got that right.”