“Estelle’s right,” Finley said. “Shouting at each other won’t solve anything. Look, let’s sit down and talk it out, okay? You two can’t fight over this all summer.”
“Wanna bet?” Estelle muttered.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Finley.” Beth lifted her chin. “Paige is Conleth’s mate. They’re meant to be together.”
“Oh, yeah?” Archie spat, fists clenched. “We’ll see about that.”
He shoved past Beth, storming away from them all. Finley started to go after him, but Rufus caught his wrist. The griffin shifter shook his head.
“Well,” Estelle said with forced optimism. “At least he didn’t turn into a bear.”
“We have to do something,” Beth said. “He’s going to cause trouble.”
“I wastryingto do something,” Finley said, a touch acidly. “You didn’t help.”
“Talking can’t solve everything, Finley.” Beth paced a few steps, brow creased with worry. “Oh, this is bad. This is really bad. Archie could ruin everything.”
“Can he really, though?” Estelle asked. “You said it yourself, Beth. Conleth and Paige are true mates, whether Archie likes it or not. Can’t we just leave it up to fate?”
Beth shot her a look. “Like Buck and Honey?”
“Oh.” Estelle wrinkled her nose. “Good point.”
“Conleth’s not Buck, though,” Finley said. “It’s not like he won’t be trying to win Paige over. I appreciate you want to help your uncle, Beth, but I don’t see what we can do.”
“I have an idea,” Beth said slowly. She cast a glance at Estelle. “But you aren’t going to like it.”
CHAPTER 12
Paige was brushing her teeth—and fuming—when her phone rang. One glance at the screen knocked all thoughts of a certain red-haired, smirking shifter out of her head.
“Oh, crap!” Hastily spitting out the last of her toothpaste, she lunged for her phone. “Mom? Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“That’s my line,” said her mom’s warm, wry voice in her ear. “I haven’t heard from you since you left for camp. I just wanted to check in and make sure everything’s okay.”
Guilt stabbed through her. “I’m sorry. I completely forgot to call. There’s been… a lot going on.”
Her mom’s deep sigh crackled in her ear. “What’s Archie done now?”
“Nothing!” Honesty compelled Paige to add, “Well, nothing much.”
Her mom made a skeptical sound. “I hope he’s behaving himself. How’s he settling into camp?”
“Okay, I think. I haven’t really seen him around much, what with counselor training and everything. It’s been pretty busy, getting everything ready for opening day.” Paige checked thetime. “Sorry, Mom, but I can’t talk too long. The campers will be arriving any minute.”
“That’s why I called so early. I wanted to wish you good luck on your first day as a counselor.” A tiny pause. “And how are you settling in, Paige? It must be difficult, being the only… normal person on the staff.”
Paige didn’t try to correct the unfortunate choice of words. Her mom always avoided using the term ‘shifter.’ Even ‘non-shifter’ made her uncomfortable. It was understandable, given how thoroughly their world had been shattered by the revelation of Archie’s true nature.
“It’s okay. I’m fine.” Even to her own ears, it sounded unconvincing. She scrabbled for something genuine she could say. “It’s really beautiful here. You wouldn’t believe how good the air smells, or how far you can see. It’s like a little corner of Eden. And the head counselor is really nice. Her name’s Leonie. She’s been going out of her way to try to help me. Some of the other senior staff have been very supportive as well.”
“I’m glad you’re making friends. What about your co-counselor? Is he nice too?”
“‘Nice’ isn’t exactly the word I’d use,” she muttered. “I wish I was working with someone else. I don’t think he’s got any experience with kids, and he’s definitely not here because he cares about the campers. But I’m kind of stuck with him.”
“I’m sure the camp is careful about who they hire. Maybe he’ll surprise you.”
Paige bit back an ironic laugh. “Oh, he’s already done that.”
