“Need any help?” I grab the other side to keep it from sweeping the ground and hold it steady until she sidesteps across the table to grab my end.
“Actually, yes. You know how finicky the copier is in the office upstairs? Can you make copies of this week’s training itinerary, please?”
“On it!” I turn and walk right into Chase.
“Hey there,” he says playfully, steadying me with a hand on my shoulder. “We missed you at the diner this morning.”
“Oh yeah?” I shrug, acting like bumping into him didn’t just send my stomach belly flopping into my toes. “It must not be your lucky day then…” I don’t wait for a response before heading upstairs to the office.
Chase and Hunter have come into the diner at least once a day for the last week for coffee, meals, dessert, directions, you name it. They sit at the counter, taking their sweet time eating, finding ways to get me to engage.
“Hey, Kayla, what’s better: books or phones?”
“Hey, Kayla, who would win in a fight: a bear or a shark?”
“Hey, Kayla… Kayla… Kayla.”
It’s juvenile and irritating, and sometimes a little hilarious. Patti thinks they’re a hoot and eggs them on. Ashlie will join in if they happen to be there for lunch—turning into a trio of laughing distractions. Before they leave, Hunter always heads to the car while Chase hangs back to try and work his charm. And charming he is, but I’m immune.Mostly. He usually asks some form of, “Do you have any free time?”
And I consistently disappoint him with my standard response of, “I’m working.” It doesn’t stop him from trying though.
The copier jams for the umpteenth time, and I give it a swift kick in the side. It spits out the rest of my copies, and I take a few extra minutes to crisscross the papers for easier sorting. I took the initiative of printing out the schedules for next week, too, so the stack of papers has grown larger than I anticipated. Carefully shifting the massive pile over my forearm, I reach for the stapler with my free hand before leaving the copy room.
Almost everyone else has arrived. The twins sit at the windowsill, having a thumb war, while Claire briefs Willie, the kitchen manager, on the dietary restrictions of the incoming campers. Then there’s Chase, holding a broom while he chats with Bo, the groundskeeper. Chase says something that makesBo’s head fall back with laughter as he sits in a chair and rubs his knee.
The papers in my hand shift, dangerously close to falling on the floor, so I slam the heavy stack down on the end of a long cafeteria-style table. I may have been a little too ambitious with this project, but I’ll adjust. If needed, I can work during lunch and finish up while Claire gives the opening remarks for the day.
I move pages across the wood grain tabletop and organize the piles for stapling. Samson strolls through the door, looking like he just rolled out of bed with his messy hair and puffy face. He sits on the opposite end of the table right as Claire calls out a five-minute lunch warning.
“Hanging up your counselor hat already?” I gesture at the broom as Chase slides in next to me.
“And miss my chance at spending a week with you? Never.” He winks with a smirky grin on his face. My cheeks light on fire, and I suddenly notice how close he is. If I take too deep of a breath, we’ll touch shoulders. I clear my throat, hoping to settle the fog in my head, and focus on stapling the schedules in front of me. He continues, “No, I saw my buddy Bo limping around and asked if I could help him out. Turns out, he fell last week chasing his cat. I told him to direct me to the mess and take a load off.”
“Your buddy?” I swear this guy knows everyone. Even at the diner, he greets the regulars like he’s been coming there for years. In a week, he’s made friends in all my spaces.
“Well, he is now.” He smiles at me. Before I can stop myself, I look into those dark blue eyes. He takes a deep breath, our shoulders sharing the lightest touch, and my heart threatens to catapult right onto the table. “Need any help?” he asks, looking over the piles I’m working with.
“Nope. I have a system.”
“I’m pretty good with systems…” he tries again. The persistence this guy exhibits would be impressive if it was directed at anything besides me.Why does he insist on trying to help me with simple things I can handle on my own?I don’t really have a systembeyondpick up papers, staple papers, stack papers…but accepting his help feels like I’m letting him win some unspoken challenge between us.
“I’m good,” I say, shaking my head. As a hint for him to leave, I try to act like I’m distracted. He doesn’t leave though, taking another deep breath instead, and it takes a hell of a lot more concentration to keep my mind focused on this easy task of stapling papers instead of the brushing of our shoulders.
After lunch,Claire gathers us outside at the ropes course. The sounds of the forest sing around us as we stand at the base of a large redwood. A platform and stairs have been built up the side of the tree, anchored next to a climbing wall. One side has handholds and footholds for climbing, and the other side has flat, wooden slats to rappel down.
“There are two things we want our campers to remember about the rules. Stay with your buddy, and don’t go higher than you’re comfortable with. Pair up and let’s get started with rappelling.”
As I look around the circle of counselors, my eyes lock on Chase’s across from me. I don’t mean to look at him. I’ve spent a week trying not to notice him, and yet, here we are, our eyes bolted together. Just when I think he’s about to walk over, Sami sidles up to him.
“Wanna be partners?” she asks, smacking her gum and bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Sure.” He smiles, turning toward her. An unexpected wave of disappointment hits me, and I shoot my eyes down to my scuffed hiking boots to try and hide it. It doesn’t matter. Itshouldn’tmatter.This is for the best. The pang of unwarranted jealousy as I watch him pair up with Sami should be enough of a warning to my system that I need to refocus.Sami’s doing me afavor. I don’t need to be getting any closer to Chase this summer anyway.
I turn my back to them and pair up with Samson, trying to ignore that pesky feeling in the pit of my stomach. We do rock paper scissors to see who’s going first, and he scrunches his face in defeat when he loses. Sending a big smile his way, I grab a helmet and climb the ladder to the top of the platform.
Claire is up here with Kyle, handing out gloves and showing him how to secure our ropes. I’ve done this every summer since I was a camper, so I take a minute to enjoy the view and listen to the birds chirping in the trees. When Claire finishes her instructions, I double-check my ropes and peek over the edge, spotting a messy head of blond waves. Chase was already heading down the wall when I reached the platform, so I shouldn’t have another run-in with him until I’m down on the ground.
“Rappelling!” I yell down to Samson on the ground.
