“I’m going to talk to them,” Kayla says, standing up and taking her plate to the boys.
Andy watches her from where he’s sitting by the campfire. His expression is hard and his head tilted. Oh, come on, he can’t possibly want to separate us. This whole camp is coed.
I’m not spending the entire summer pretending that boys don’t exist.
“Shall we?” Tia asks.
Rebekah looks up and her eyes widen. “You wanna join them?”
“Yes, come on,” I say, standing up. With one hand I hold my plate and with the other I offer to help Rebekah up.
“All right, I’ll go with y’all.” She places one hand in mine and I tug her to her feet. She towers over me. “Thanks, Esme.”
Tia, Rebekah and I take a seat on a log bench. I strategically sit next to Olly. He has been looking at me, and he is totally cute. He looks athletic. I’m betting on football.
“Hey,” I say.
He glances sideways and smiles. “Esme, right?”
“Should I be flattered that you remembered?”
Laughing, he says, “You should actually. I forgot my cousin’s name once.”
“How do you do that?”
“I have fourteen. Most of us live on the same street.”
“Yeah, I only have five. Where are you from?”
“Missouri. You?”
“Pennsylvania. So, what made you want to be a CIT?”
He rips the end of a hot dog bun off. “I went to a camp when I was thirteen. It looked a lot more fun being a CIT. I guess I’ll find out. How about you?”
I think of the pamphlet, now buried away in my tiny dresser. “Pretty much the same as you.”
His insane green-blue eyes drift to the bramblebush that is probably going to shred my skin. I hope we don’t have to go through it to take the shortcut.
“Tia told you, too?” I ask.
He grins. “I think before she even said hello.”
“All right, guys, let’s finish up and organize the multi and the food cabins,” Andy says. “There’s lots to do before the campers arrive the day after tomorrow.”
Olly doesn’t move. He does glare at Andy’s back, though.
I sit straighter. “I guess we should…”
“Finish eating, Esme,” Olly replies.
My glance drifts between him and Andy. “Did you know him before you came here?”
“Kind of. Only through one of my cousins. They went to college together and I met him at their graduation. He talked to me a little about camp. When I got a pamphlet about becoming a CIT earlier this year, I figured he was the one who sent it.”
“He really likes this job, doesn’t he?”
Olly laughs. “Yes. He spends about ten hours every day promoting it. You should see his social media, it’s nothing but camp.”
“I don’t think I want to see his social media.”
I finish eating. The Buttercups—Mary and Catalina, I need to use their actual names!—follow Andy, almost tripping over themselves to get in first.
Is there a prize for best counselor or biggest suck-up?
That’s not a medal I’m likely to win.
Kayla and I dump our plates in the trash and head into the hall with our newly formed coed group.
Jake and Olly have broken away from the guys to stick with us four girls. We really don’t mind.
Inside the multiuse cabin is a sea of equipment. Tents, canoes, kayaks, sports gear, ropes, camping stoves and pans are spread out. It smells like a gym.
“Er, we have to check all of this?” Kayla mutters to our group.
“What qualifies me to assure anyone that a kayak won’t sink?” I mutter.
Olly chuckles, but I’m being serious.
Andy claps his hands. “Right, CITs can start by putting tents up and checking that they’re intact. I want to know if anything is missing or if there are rips, et cetera, et cetera. Counselors are to check outdoor equipment, and I will check the cooking equipment.”
We pair off and get to work. Kayla makes a beeline for Jake, so I end up with Olly. Not that I’m going to complain when his crazy shiny eyes keep making my tummy flip. I smile as I grab the first tent and try to hide my face with my long hair. My cheeks are probably tomato red.
The first tent goes up without a problem. It’s a small, simple four-person one.
We walk around it checking for rips, and Olly ducks inside, checking there too.
“It’s fine,” I say.
“Yep,” he agrees, poking his head out of the opening. “On to the next one, Esme.”
I like the way his rough voice says my name.
Enough, you weirdo!
The day rolls on, and we keep making good time with organizing. It’s nonstop work, but I’m enjoying it.
Nerves are swimming lengths in my stomach, though. What if I’m not good at this? What if my little team of campers doesn’t like me? I have to guide them and make them feel safe as well as learn new skills and have fun.
This isn’t just something that will look good on my résumé. I want to be good at it. I loved it here. I loved almost every part of Camp Pine Lake. There was just one thing. One night picked from a horror movie that still freezes my heart.
By nightfall we’re officially ready for the campers. Or at least the camp and equipment are.
We pushed on and got everything done. I’m a hot, sweaty, gross mess of a human, but because we finished, it means tomorrow we can have some fun. Then, it will be all about the young people we’re caring for.
After a refresh in the communal showers, we gather back outside. The air is a lot cooler, though I’m still in shorts and a T-shirt.
Tia grabs my elbow and I startle. “Let’s take a walk.”
I do a double take as she pulls me in another direction. “What?”
“Around the lake.”
She doesn’t wait for me to agree, but all right.
“What are we doing?” I ask when she lets me go.
“Walking.”
“I got that. Why?”
Grinning over her shoulder, she replies, “We’re checking out the shortcut. You just go straight along a man-made trail right through the trees. We should wait a week before we sneak out.”