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“Yeah. Not only did they use that for the movie set, but they had to feed the crew and stuff.”
Spencer puffs out a laugh. “I imagine you’d work up quite an appetite running from an axe murderer all day. I’m glad I’m a librarian, not a movie star.”
“See that field?” I point across the ranch. “That’s where we’ll do all our outside games. Volleyball. Capture the flag. Ghosts in the Graveyard. Freeze tag. There’s plenty of space for relay races and competitions too.”
“Sounds fun.”
“And over there is the lake. It’s manmade, but deep in some parts, so we’ll always have at least one lifeguard on duty.”
“Sounds smart.”
“And this.” I lower my gaze to the bottom of the grassy slope. “We’re going to call this Shady Hill. It’s a good spot to gather. We can sing songs here to get the day started. And in the afternoons, even when the temperatures are up, this place will be cooler.” I sweep an arm down to the cluster of elms and maples at the base of the hill.
“Shady,” he says. “Good call.”
My heart swells. Fun. Smart. Good call. These are pretty close to compliments. From Spencer Crane. “On the other side of the hill is the spot for campfires,” I continue. “There are log benches in place for seating in a circle, and up onto the slope. It’s a natural amphitheater.”
Spencer blows out a breath. “Wow.”
I turn to face him, head on. My heartbeat’s picking up. This is because I’m excited about camp, not because of the way he’s looking at me. “I’ve got everything planned already,” I say. “Weekly schedules for the whole camp, plus daily breakdowns for each group.”
Spencer glances down the hill and back at me. “This is a lot for you to manage. Kids. Counselors. Schedules. Lakes. Nursing.” He shakes his head and chuckles. “Ghosts in the Graveyard.”
“You don’t think I’m up to being the director?” Even as I say this, my throat clogs up. For a minute, I thought Spencer was impressed by me, but he’s only amused. That’s what I’ve always been to everyone. Entertainment. Not accomplishment. “It’s okay,” I choke out. “I’m used to people underestimating me.”
“I wasn’tunderestimating you. I was… plain old estimating.”
I scoff. Kick another rock.
“No, seriously.” Spencer reaches out, but I step away from him. “You’ve taken on a ton of responsibility here,” he says. “Am I wrong about that?”
I gulp. “No.”
“Okay.” He straightens his shoulders. “Please don’t put words in my mouth. Or thoughts in my head. You don’t know the first thing about what I’m thinking.” His voice is deep, and a chill travels up my spine. Why do I even care what Spencer thinks? I don’t. That’s the answer. I don’t care. Ican’tcare. And I can’t let Spencer know he has any kind of effect on me. We have all summer to get through, sleeping in cabins right next door to each other.
“Let’s drop the subject,” I say.
“Can I just say one more thing first?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s something.” I huff out a breath. “I said youcouldn’tsay something.”
“Yeah, and then I did anyway. So I’m sorry again. Twice.”
“Well, I’m not listening to you. Either time.”
“Nah. I’m pretty sure you heard me.” He clicks on his flashlight and holds it up under his chin. His dimple is lit up, but the planes of his face are still in shadow. “And I’m pretty sure I hurt your feelings. Even though I didn’t mean to.”
“Hardly,” I grumble, but it doesn’t sound sincere. It sounds… I don’t know. Wounded. “I don’t even care,” I say.
“Yeah you do.” Spencer nods. “That’s why you agreed to be the camp director in the first place.”
“Ihadto.”
“Because you care.”
A breeze blows a strand of hair in my face, and I spit it out. I’m uncomfortable with this conversation. It feels weird to be seen like this by Spencer. I don’twantto be seen by Spencer. “It’s not about that.” I shrug. “It’s just that somebody had to step up.”
“And you chose to be that someone. That’s something. That’s caring.”
“Mrs. Lockhart was going to cancel camp,” I protest. “And I couldn’t let that happen. It wasn’t about me. It was about the kids.” I blink. “And you. You get more money now.”
Spencer takes a beat, and his mouth goes crooked. “Your honor, I rest my case.”
