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ChapterThirteen
TESS
Ugh. This mirror—the one in the bathroom behind the camp office—is definitely not my friend. Sure, my smile is as big as always, and my ponytail is extra perky, but those under-eye circles give me away. I barely slept the past two nights.
This is partly because I’m nervous. Today’s the official start of camp, so I spent most of yesterday making list upon list of final preparations. Then I checked those lists twice, like some kind of red-headed, donut-eating Santa Claus. I just want to get every detail right.
That’s half of my problem.
The other half is Spencer. (Cue me being honest with myself.)
The whole time I was counting clipboards, printing out schedules, and assigning bunks, I kept flashing back to the moment I basically jumped on Spencer Saturday night. In my defense, I was excited by his idea to invite the town to some of our camp events. But after that, things got awkward. Awkward even for Spencer.
He’d already been twitchy at the coffee shop. And later, at the ranch, I’m pretty sure he smelled me more than once. The worst part is I didn’t even mind.
I probably sniffed him back.
The truth is, for more than a week now, Spencer has had me entertaining… thoughts. And this shift has been—in a word—unsettling. For a lot of reasons. For one, Mrs. Lockhart needs to believe I only think about Spencer as a coworker. That’s what I told her, and I meant it.
For another, Spencer likes Kayla.
That’s why I told the mayor that in the first place. Actually I think I said helovesher, but if his track record is any indication, he’ll hit that milestone soon enough. Still, just to be sure, I should probably try to speed that process along. For Mrs. Lockhart’s sake. For mine. For Kayla and Spencer too.
But I can’t worry about anyone else right now. I’ve got a camp to run, and I plan to make this the best experience these kids ever had.
Starting today.
So I tighten my ponytail, choke down my lukewarm coffee, and make my way over to Shady Hill. I want to practice my counselor pep talk one more time before anyone else arrives. The staff should be here in the next ten minutes. Luckily, Hunter and Bella and I trained everyone before the two of them eloped. As much as they’re responsible for camp almost being canceled, they’re also the reason I get to be director now. But thinking about that just reminds me of the commitment I made to Mrs. Lockhart. The mayor is counting on me, and I’m going to follow through.
No matter what.
So I pace around the base of Shady Hill, deciding which songs to sing for our first-ever morning assembly. I’ve got one where I’m the conductor and the kids are an orchestra of instruments. It’s got good crowd participation. My heart’s beating fast and fluttery. Maybe this is what I’ll be good at, finally. Something I won’t want to quit.
Today I’m wearing my staff shirt with cut-off jeans shorts and a pair of low-topped hiking boots. They’ve got just enough tread to make them perfect for the ranch’s terrain. Thinking about all the day’s activities fills my heart up so full, I can’t help myself. I start hopping around the base of Shady Hill, warming up, getting pumped for my first opportunity to make the day great for everyone.
I’m running through my welcome song one more time when Lucy pulls up. She’s dropping off Hannah, Brock, and Maddie. They’re her younger sisters and her brother. Hannah’s our official camp photographer. She’ll be taking pictures, updating our website, and running the slideshow at the end of camp. Brock will be helping with the art program and assisting the counselors with daily crafts. He’s going to put the kids’ best work on display in the dining hall, and rotate their projects in and out. Maddie, who’s on a break from college, is one of our two lifeguards.
“Hey!” I call out, trotting over to Lucy’s car. Hannah, Brock, and Maddie climb out wearing their staff T-shirts. They’re sky-blue cotton with a cartoon image on the back of a giant, grinning sun. Beams of light shoot out from all sides. The fronts of the shirts say Sunny Camp Staff, in a swoop that looks like a smile. The versions for the campers are almost the same, except they read Sunny Camp Kid.
“Have a great first day, everyone,” Lucy chirps. “That includes you, Tess.”
“I will,” I say, high-fiving Hannah, Brock, and Maddie. “I’ve got the best people in history helping out. It’s going to be great!”
Other cars start pulling up and parking in the dirt lot. My pulse picks up. This is it. Our camp is really happening.
The counselors greet each other, then collect their clipboards before lining up by the sign-in tables. I hand each of them a bag of name tags for their groups, and schedules detailing their daily agendas. As they compare their schedules and camper names, the hairs along the back of my neck stand up. I’m thrilled to be here, but there’s a twinge in my stomach.
I’m thinking about Spencer. Again.
This is normal, though, right? He’s my overnight partner, after all. I need him to be invested enough to show up here every night after his shift at the library. So I pull my phone out to text him something fun. Just a little motivation from one adult camp employee to another.
Me:I know you’re probably super sad you can’t come to camp until tonight (ha!) so as a consolation, I’m going to pretend you’re at Shady Hill, leading morning songs with me. Please don’t sing off-key. That would be embarrassing.
I add a crying-with-laughter emoji even though that’s supposedly not cool anymore. When I hit send, another twinge hits my stomach. Did that text sound too flirty? I was aiming for fun, but I think it might be too flirty. And even a little flirty would be bad. So I quickly send a follow-up text.
Me:PS: Say hi to Kayla.
There. Not flirty at all. And this also gets him thinking about Kayla. Who is perfect for him. Unlike me. Perfect and not associated with camp whatsoever.
