His arms encircled her, as though to block out the future. “We still haven’t really talked about what happens after camp ends.”
“I haven’t wanted to talk about it.” She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. “The other day, I overheard Estelle tellingthe other kids that she wished summer camp could last forever. I guess part of me feels the same way.”
“Because you’re worried about the future, and your family?”
She gazed up at the stars, far more numerous and brilliant than any back home. Her body felt weightless in the warm water, as if she might float into the sky. All around, leaves whispered in the breeze, surrounding them with the quiet murmur of the forest.
“It’s more than that,” she said softly, admitting the truth to herself for the first time. “I’m just…happy here. I love waking up to birdsong rather than traffic, and getting to spend all day outside instead of being crammed into some windowless office. And the kids always make me laugh, even when they’re driving us both up the wall. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye at the end of summer. To them, and to the camp.”
Conleth went still. She turned her head, and found him staring down at her, gaze oddly intent.
“Do you really mean that?” he asked.
“Well, yes,” she said, somewhat puzzled. “Why?”
“Would you want to come back to camp next year?”
“What, as a counselor?” That possibility hadn’t even occurred to her. She sat up, hope rising. “Do you think I could?”
“I’m certain Zephyr would be delighted to hire you in any capacity. As a pack counselor, or even a more senior activity leader, if you’d prefer that sort of role. Buck covers general hiking and survival, but his knowledge of plants only extends as far as how to put out ones which are actively on fire. We could do with a nature specialist.”
“I’d love that,” she breathed. “But would you be okay with that? I didn’t think you’d want to come back to camp.”
“Well.” He looked away, fiddling with the hot tub control panel. “This place is still going to need a manager. And it wouldcertainly solve my recruitment problem if I could go back to my original candidate.”
“But you said he wasn’t available,” Paige started, and then feltunbelievablystupid. “Conleth. It’s you, isn’t it?”
He shot her a rather sheepish look. “I’d hoped you might be open to the idea of spending future summers here.”
“But you’ve been looking for other candidates. Why didn’t you tell me you’d planned to do the job yourself?”
“I didn’t want to put you under any pressure. Not after I learned about your mother. I assumed you’d want to stay close to her.”
“She’s been fine on her own this summer. I’m sure she’d be okay in the future, too. Especially if she doesn’t have to worry so much about Archie.” She hesitated. “But—are you really sure you’d be happy to go back to your old role? I know you care about this place, but that doesn’t mean you should be stuck in a job you hate. Do youwantto be the camp manager again?”
Conleth didn’t answer straight away. He drew her back into his arms, resting his head against hers.
“Yes,” he said at last, sounding a little surprised by his own answer. “It was hard being around kids, and having to pretend that I believed in Joe’s prophecy. But the actual job suits me, oddly enough. I get bored easily, and in a small business like this, there’s always something new to learn or a fresh crisis to solve. It may be less prestigious than running an international corporation, but it’s a lot more interesting. And it’s certainly for a better cause. The work means something.”
“I’m sure everyone will be glad you’re staying. Especially Zephyr.” She kissed him, then pulled back to fix him with a stern glare. “Though youaregoing to tell him the truth rather than come up with some complicated scheme to explain why you’re taking your old job back, right?”
He looked a little evasive. “Well, since you want to stay, and shifters always want to be close to their mates, I thought I could tell everyone I had no choice?—”
“Conleth.”
He groaned, sinking a few inches into the water. “Fine. I’ll tell Zephyr the truth.”
She jabbed a finger into the center of his chest. “Andyou’ll come clean about the prophecy. He won’t take it badly if you also admit you actually enjoyed working here. And I want everyone to appreciate what you did for the camp.”
“You’ll ruin my reputation,” he grumbled, pulling her down for another kiss. “People will stop thinking I’m a ruthless, self-centered asshole. How will I get anything done?”
“I’m sure you’ll manage somehow.” Something belatedly occurred to her. “But camp manager is a full-time role, right? You’d need to be here all year. Not just in the summer.”
He stroked her back. “I can do a lot of the work remotely. It’s not ideal, but I’ll manage. We can still spend the rest of the year near your family.”
That should have been reassuring…and yet it wasn’t. When she tried to picture dividing their time between her family and the camp, it somehow feltwrong,on a gut-deep level. She knew Conleth would go wherever she did, but he couldn’t actually want to spend most of the year in her run-down hometown.
In fact, if she was honest with herself,shedidn’t want to live there. After the wide-open skies of Montana, going back to looming apartment blocks and cracked concrete made her chest feel tight. If it hadn’t been for her mom…
