She puts her fork down and leans over the table to get closer to me. “Why? What’s up?”
I shrug again. “I don’t know. I mean, I came here this summer to try to feel closer to my roots because of Maggie’s family’s legacy, you know? But I don’t feel like I’ve really done that.”
“No?” Olivia tilts her head.
“I’ve been a little distracted,” I remind her, my eyebrows raised.
Her cheeks turn pink. “Because of me?” she squeaks. “I’m sorry, Gage! I didn’t mean to distract you from your goals this summer.” She angles her head down, looking at the table instead of me.
I reach across and nudge her chin up with my hand. “Hey,” I murmur when her eyes meet mine, “I’m not complaining. The summer has been amazing so far.”
“It has,” she agrees with a smile that flips my stomach. “How about if I plan an activity for us tomorrow?” She falters. “Unless you’d rather have some alone time to process before your dinner with Maggie.”
I finger a strand of hair that’s escaped from her ponytail and tuck it behind her ear. “I’d rather be with you. What kind of activity do you have in mind?”
She bites her lip. “It’s a surprise. Meet me here for breakfast at eight—realistically, maybe 8:30—and we’ll go from there.”
I grin at her. “Can’t wait.”
Chapter twenty-seven
Gage
I’mawakebysixon Saturday morning, so I try to alleviate my nervous energy with a run. I’ve been so busy this summer at camp that I’ve traded my runs and sessions in the weight room for chasing campers around on nature hikes. I’m staying active, but in a different way than my body’s used to.
The burn in my legs and lungs feels good, and I find that I’m calmer when I’m done. I shower and get dressed with time to spare before meeting Olivia for breakfast.
When I see her, she smiles sleepily behind her coffee mug. “You look chipper this morning.”
I grin and sit on the bench next to her. “Chipper?”
“Yeah, you know, animated, bright, alert?” She nudges me with her shoulder.
Chuckling, I nudge her back. “I know what it means. It’s just not a term I hear people say often.”
“Do you want to do the activity I planned, or not?” Olivia huffs, feigning annoyance.
“I definitely do. I swear I’ll be good and keep the teasing to a minimum.” I hold up three fingers side by side. “Scout’s honor.”
She smirks and shakes her head. “You’re not a scout.”
I put on my most earnest expression. “For you, I could be,” I tell her with a straight face.
“Shut up!” Olivia laughs and shoves my chest. “Finish eating so we can go.”
Twenty minutes later, Olivia practically drags me across camp to the craft cabin.
“Are we doing crafts?” I ask. Not my strong suit, but we’ll make it fun.
“Sort of.” Her eyes twinkle as she holds back a smile. “Nina gave me permission to use some of the craft materials for a special project.”
Olivia leads me by the hand through the door of the craft cabin, the screen door screeching and slamming in the way I’ve gotten used to this summer. She gestures to a table piled with zip-top sandwich bags each filled with a different color. I squint to look more closely. Little rubber bands that remind me of the ones the orthodontist used to put on my teeth.
My forehead furrows. “We’re going to … adjust our braces?”
Olivia giggles and squeezes my hand. “No! We’re going to make friendship bracelets. For each other.”
My eyes snap to hers, and though she holds the contact, uncertainty flashes across her face. She swallows and presses her lips together in a tight smile.
