I move my luggage to my side of the cabin and start unpacking. The screen door creaks open and slams shut. I look up to see a Black woman with mahogany skin, light brown eyes, and dark hair slicked back into a ponytail. Her bright orange patterned tunic is tucked into cut-off denim shorts. I remember seeing this woman in the orientation classes today, usually partnered up with a slim guy with dark brown hair and board shorts.
“Hi!” I greet her brightly.
“Hey! You must be Delaney. I’m Nina.” She eyes me, as if sizing me up.
I take a step toward her and extend my hand. “Yeah. Nice to meet you, Nina.”
“Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier today during the orientation sessions.” Nina raises her eyebrows. “It looked like you already made a friend, and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
My cheeks heat. “Oh, no. That’s just Gage. We know each other from back home.”
She crosses her arms. “That’s what Brynn said.”
I shift my gaze behind her searching for a subject change. I gesture to the art supplies. “Are you an artist?”
Her face brightens. “Yes! During the school year, I’m an elementary school art teacher in San Antonio with an Etsy shop on the side. I’m the craft counselor here. My second summer. It’s such a fun summer job.”
“Oh, cool. It’s my first time here, or any camp that’s not centered around soccer.” I shrug.
Nina chuckles. “Fair warning, my boyfriend works here, too, so you won’t see me around much on weekends. They won’t let us share a cabin because we’re not married, even though we live together at home.” She rolls her eyes. “Rocky’s the camp lifeguard. He’s bunking with Jake, the nature counselor.”
Between arriving late at camp and being a little preoccupied that Gage is here, I haven’t been great about introducing myself to my coworkers today. I met Brynn, of course, and now Nina, but I barely noticed the other staff members in the orientation sessions today. “I guess I missed all the introductions yesterday, huh?”
She waves away my concern. “You’ll meet everyone tonight. After dinner, Linda has an ice-breaker activity planned.” Nina walks toward the bathroom as she continues talking to me over her shoulder. “You should move your car, though, if you’re all unloaded. If you keep following this dirt road past the lake, you’ll find the staff parking lot near Linda’s cottage.”
“Thanks.” I wave to Nina and grab my keys. I’m not sure what to think about my roommate. She seems nice but also like she’s not really looking to be friends. I’m sure we’ll get along in the cabin, but I probably need to look elsewhere to find a buddy for the summer. That will be my focus tonight at dinner and at the activity afterward. I’ll put Gage out of my mind and make friends. Fun, cool Delaney has always been good at that.
Chapter nine
Gage
Atdinner,Olivia’sbackto sitting as far away from me as possible. I didn’t mean to make things weird by complimenting her smile during the CPR training. It slipped out. To be fair, I have a hard time concentrating when Olivia smiles at me.
So now, she’s down at one end of the table, surrounded by several of the other female counselors whose names I can’t remember, and I’m on the other end of the table. Matt, the counselor from the cabin next to mine, sits across from me.
Brynn approaches and takes the seat next to me, setting her plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes on the table.
“Hey, Gage!” she chirps as she settles onto the bench well within my personal bubble.
“Hey, Brynn,” I greet her, quickly scootching over to put a few more inches of space between us. “Have you met Matt?”
Like Olivia and me, Matt is also new on staff this year. We seem to be in the minority. Camp Prairie Star has a lot of returning counselors, many who started working here during college and now are on their fourth or fifth summers. Some of them even attended camp here when they were kids. Matt is younger than me, still in college, so maybe this will be his first of many summers at Camp Prairie Star.
It will be my one and only, I already know. By next summer, my life will be fully occupied by my doctorate program. I knew coming in that this is my only chance to experience a summer at Camp Prairie Star and hopefully connect with where I come from in the process.
Matt and Brynn finish their introductions, and meanwhile, Brynn has somehow closed the gap between us again. Our thighs are almost touching already when she leans closer and puts a hand on my arm.
“So, Gage, what’s up with you and the new girl?” Brynn asks.
I lean away, but I’m already at the end of the bench so I can’t scoot any farther over. “We told you already, she’s friends with my sister.”
Brynn hums. “She made it sound like it was a bit more than that.”
I freeze.Really?“What, uh … what did she say?”
She shrugs. “Something like y’all almost dated once?”
Even though “almost dated” is a fitting description for what happened between us in high school, it also feels like a vast understatement. I’m equal parts disappointed and intrigued. I’m intrigued that Olivia would admit even that much to a total stranger. I’m disappointed that “almost dated” might actually be how she categorizes our past together.
