The door creaks open, and I swivel around.
“Back for more?” I snap.
Dirk stands in the doorway. “Excuse me?”
I bite my lip. “Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”
His jaw clenches as he surveys the scene. “Bryce insists the candy is from home, but I don’t believe him, and I don’t think he did this alone.” His lips pull into a tight line. “After what happened with the broken arm, I’m tempted to call the entire cabin’s parents to come get their kids.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“They all know each other, all but the new kid, and he ends up with a broken arm. And they’re protecting each other, of course.”
I shake my head. Maybe being a counselor is over my head.
“Don’t clean up yet, Maddy,” Dirk says quickly. “I need to do a cabin search, then take some pictures for evidence. I’m going to get some confessions out of this one way or another.”
He storms out just as someone knocks on the window.
“When are you going to open up?” I hear a girl ask.
I push aside the box. “Not until later. Sorry.”
She makes a face, then leaves. I find the CLOSED sign and tape it to the window so no one else will bother me. I eye the mess, but I’m unable to just stand there. Taking out my phone, I quickly shoot some pictures. Then I inventory the candy in the pillowcase. The example bag of Skittles I’d renamed Pot O’ Booty in Sharpe tumbles onto the counter, along with a few others.
“Busted,” I say under my breath as I snag the bag, and turn, bumping into Logan.
He steadies me with his hands. I look up at him, and swallow hard. Temptation to tell him off or just kiss him floods me, but he looks so tired.
“This was in Bryce’s bag,” I say quickly, showing him the Skittles and the others. “He stole the ones we’d renamed.”
Logan nods. “This is the proof we need.” Around his neck hangs the camp’s camera. “Let’s lay it all out so I can get some photos.”
Excited to help, I assist. Though this is a huge mess, I don’t mind. I’m thrilled we’re working together again, and he’s talking to me.
He fixes the sign, and rehangs it, while I throw away all the trash. Luckily, the candy Bryce snagged is resalable.
“Do you think I should just refreeze these?” I say, holding up the package of melted ice cream.
“Maybe for a discounted price. Or we can do another skit and give it away.”
“Oh, yeah. Like maybe Captain Mack’s freezer breaks and he has to get rid of his booty.” I giggle and push into him.
Logan side hugs me, and I melt under his touch. How can I be so addicted to his attention?
“Oh my gosh!” Kat exclaims from the doorway. “What happened?”
The hope drains from my body as Logan leaves my side and walks over to her.
“You know, I think I’ve got this. You two go. You’ve got kids to attend to.” I flash a quick smile.
“Are you sure?” Logan asks.
I don’t even look up. “Oh, yeah.”
“I’ll take this.” He grabs the bag of trash and gives me one last look of apology.
I smile back, but I know the truth. I’ll always be second to Kat, and there’s nothing that will ever change that.
CHAPTER FIVE
Friday finally comes and camp still hasn’t returned to normal. And although Joe’s wife had stored a recent order in the kitchen, the popular frozen items are almost sold out. As I take camper orders, snippets of rumors, especially after the guilty parties disappear from camp, evolve with each retelling. It’s clear Logan’s cabin has shrunk in half.
“I heard the parents are going to sue,” one of the girls says as she leaves the snack shack.
“I would,” I hear her friend say.
I shake my head, but try to act as if nothing’s happened. If someone did sue, that would ruin the camp’s reputation. Dirk insists we keep things status quo, but it’s hard not to say anything to defend what’s happened.
Syd returns out of breath from the store with five plastic bags in hand. “I cleaned three stores out of ice cream sandwiches, popcycles and Drumsticks,” she says with a twinkle in her eye.
She hands me the receipt with the change, then stuffs the frozen goodies into the freezer. I take the “sold out” signs off the board. “Just in time to save us from munity.”
“Hey.” Dirk enters the snack shack. “Looks good in here.”
“Thanks.” I knock Syd on the back. “I have a good little wench assistant.”
“The best, actually.” She laughs.
“So…” Dirk looks to see if anyone is outside of the window. “I know there’s only one more night, but I was hoping you two wouldn’t mind taking a Lights Out shift. It’s just for an hour.”
My eyes slide to Syd’s. “Sure.”
“Great. Syd knows what to do. The schedule is on the wall in the counselor lounge. Oh, and do you still have those refrozen ice cream bars?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“Good. Let’s hand them out as prizes for the field games. Do you want to help judge?”
“Sure,” I say again.
He pauses for a second. “And… the skit. Kitty did the cue cards, but with all the drama, I haven’t had a chance to practice with Kat.”
“We’ll do it,” Syd offers.
“Thank you.” He smiles.
“Of course,” I say.
“No, really. This has been a difficult week. Thanks for filling in.” His phone rings, and he looks at the display. His face falls. “I’ll be back.”
Dirk darts out of the shack, and I look at Syd. “That was weird.”
“Maybe after beach day, he sees you’re an asset.”
“You think?”
“It helps you have boobs.” She bounces hers up and down just as Dirk reenters the shack, grim-faced.
I stifle a giggle as Syd stiffens her spine and puts her hands at her side.
“Um…” He loses his train of thought for a second. “Something’s come up, and…” His eyes dart to mine, but he doesn’t say anything.
“What?” I ask.
“Not another eviction,” Syd says.
“No, no, no…” He shakes his head, then sighs. “I need to have a counselor meeting. After the games. I’ll extend free time.”
“And that’s all you’re going to tell me?” Syd asks with a curious frown.
“Uh, yeah. Let the others know.” He darts out of the snack shack.
“Okay, what was that?” I ask.
“Beats me.”
Curiosity eats at me. Dirk calls out on the bullhorn the change in schedule, and we get a rush of kids with renewed sugar cravings. The hour zips by fast before we close up the snack shack and lug the treats to the field in a rolling ice chest.
“So how does Lights Out duty work?” I ask.
“We walk around with a monster flashlight and try to bust kids making out.”
I laugh. “Man, what’s with kids these days? Do they just not know how to keep from getting caught?”
“Hormones make you stupid.”
“Touché.”
She leans over. “I think you should do the skit tonight.”
“What?” I glare at her.
“I need a break, which I’m not getting a lot of with everything that’s gone on. And I have a sneaky suspicion whatever bomb Dirk is about to drop will involve me.”
I blink at her. What is she up to? “Okay.”
“You’ll do great. And you can wear my dress.” She waggles her eyebrows. “Logan will have a hard time keeping his eyes off of you.”
I hit her in the arm.
“Oh don’t be modest, you’ve got the goods,” she says with a smirk.
“And Kat doesn’t?”
She rolls her eyes. “Those aren’t real, and we all know it.”
“Well, he must like perfection over nature.”
“Maybe.”
We lug the ice chest
up the hill and park it in the shade. Dirk directs the counselors to different stations. The kids line up by the color of their coordinated headbands, anxious to start.
“Hey, Maddy. Can you go over there and man the water station. Make sure the cup of water stays on their head the entire way. Cheaters have to start over.” He points to the far end of the field.
“Yeah, got it.” We’d played this game when I was a camper, so I know exactly what to do.
Syd’s directed to the giant slip and slide on the other end. Though I’m trying not to, my gaze searches for Logan. He’s not around, but still I can’t help but wonder. Would he find me sexy in Syd’s pirate dress?
I shake my head at myself. He’s taken, Maddy. Stop it! All of this wishing is so stupid.
Dirk starts barking out the rules and the kids chant. Then the buzzer goes off and the kids take off running, grouping around their assigned station for each leg of the relay. Though mine is one of the last on the relay, I know from past experience the judging is a two-person job.
Ten minutes fly by and the relays are neck and neck. Logan appears from over the hill, and jogs over with two water guns strapped to his back. I look left, then right. He can’t be coming my way.
“Hey.” His dimples drill into his cheeks, and my toes do that curling thing. I hate that I’m so attracted to him.
“Hey,” I say, startled.
He hands me a water cannon. “Ready?”
“Okay?” I chuckle. Our hands brush and my skin bursts in goose bumps.
Logan showers the oncoming kids with the water gun. The water, though, is tinted blue. The girls scream and hold their hands over their hair.
I laugh and shoot green water over the boys running to dump their cups. A shot of water hits me in the side. I’m covered in blue.
“Hey!”
Logan laughs, and hides behind the barrel. I shower him with green goo.
More girls run toward us with cups on their heads and dump them into their collection jug. Logan hits one of the cups square on, knocking it off the girl’s head.
“Hey!” she yells and has to run back.
“That’s not fair,” I say.
He shrugs. So, I squirt at the row of approaching guys, knocking off a few cups in the process.
“Two for me!”
“Three!” Logan yells.
I knock over another cup. “Tied!”
“Oh, no you don’t!” I shoot him just when he’s about to hit another unsuspecting girl. “Leave the girls alone.”
“Oh, yeah.” His stream hits me, and I hide behind the water barrel.
Our game turns into a competition, but I’m pretty sure Logan is letting me win. He keeps turning his gun on me when I get ahead. I dunk my gun into the water barrel to reload, and I’m showered with blue. At this point, I’m soaked.
I pull off my shirt, revealing my bikini top, which I’m not supposed to wear in front of the kids. Logan stops, and his eyes fall to my chest and my stomach zings. He looks away with a wicked smile. I hit him in the chest with a spray of water.
“Hey, you two!” Dirk calls on the bullhorn.
We turn to find the relay is over, and we’re the only two not part of the group. I bite my lip to stop my burgeoning smile and pull on my shirt as we jog over. Logan bumps into my shoulder. “This isn’t over.”
I laugh, when I catch Kat’s smirk.
She is pissed, and I’m beyond thrilled about that.
~|~
I camp out in front of the snack shack (though I’m locked out by the mysterious new deadbolt) showered, and anxiously waiting for signs of life from the counselor lounge. I suspect Joe has the key, but I don’t want to miss out on the news.
Besides me and two other counselor lifeguards, we were the only ones supervising at the pool, which is fine. Most of the girls had left to glam themselves up for dinner anyway, and the guys were having a splash off at the pool. Ever since the troublemakers have been evicted, the atmosphere is less deviant.
As the meeting drags on, I can’t fathom what could possibly be going on. Is the camp getting sued by one of the kicked-out kids’ parents? That would really screw up my chances of a winter job if it were true.
When I don’t think I can last another second, the doors open and the counselors spill out, but I don’t see Logan or Kat. Syd walks over with neither a frown nor a smile. She’s still covered in colored paint from the afternoon games.
“So?” I ask. “What happened?”
She looks over her shoulder. Dirk is following closely behind.
“You’ll find out in a second. See you at dinner.” She snags her bag and heads toward Aspen.
“Have a minute?” Dirk asks.
I gulp down the lump in my throat. I can’t help but feel like I’m in trouble. “Sure.”
He heads toward the snack shack doors. I stop him. “I’m locked out.”
“Oh, right. Here.” He hands me a shiny new key. “Logan put on a new deadbolt for you before the games.”
Logan? I take the key and smile, though on the inside I’m dumbfounded. Why didn’t he tell me, but more important, what the heck has changed his tune?
Once we’re inside, I turn to face Dirk. He moves into my personal space, too close, in fact. “I got a call from Kitty. Things aren’t good with her mom.”
I take a small step backward. “Oh, no. Really?”
“Yeah, so…” For a second, I wonder why he’s telling me this in private when it dawns on me. He needs someone to fill her spot.
“Is she going to be coming back to camp?” I try not to sound too happy about that fact.
“No, not next week.”
I hold my breath. With Kat leaving, this puts Dirk in a bind. He needs someone to step in right away. I’m the only person he has left.
“So, I was wondering if your offer of filling in—”
“Yes, of course.” I agree before letting him finish, and almost tackle-hug him. Instead, I work to stay subdued. “But… I mean it’s the least I can do for Kitty and the team.”
“Well, I thought you and Syd could partner up, so if you have any issues, she knows your girls. Next week isn’t as full, so it won’t be as stressful.”
“Okay.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate your trust.”
“Of course.” His eyes lose focus as a grin spreads across his lips, like he’s thinking about something naughty. I remove my hand, instantly creeped out.
“Okay, so I need to prep for dinner.”
“Oh, right.” He sobers. “About that, I’ll have to come up with a rotation schedule, so we’re all filling in. Can you still cover the snack shack?”
“Yeah, sure.” We step outside, and I lock the new deadbolt.
“Dirk?” Kat calls across the pool area, flagging him down. “I need to talk to you.”
Dirk’s face lights up as he turns to her. “Thanks again, Maddy.”
She trots toward him with a big smile, and I wonder why she’s so happy. Once he meets up with her, he slides his hand around her waist and hugs her.
I slip behind the snack shack and watch them. Kat leans up and whispers something in his ear. They both laugh, then they hug. It all seems way too friendly. Shouldn’t she be sad she’s leaving?
The dinner bell rings, and I run off to the kitchen, late again.
CHAPTER SIX
Syd and I jump up and down in the corner of the kitchen.
“I’m a counselor!” I squeal.
I can’t believe it. My dream has finally come true, and I feel part of the group now instead of the hired help.
“We’ll make cute welcome posters this weekend. And I have extra crepe paper. We should go to the dollar store and get some favors for your girls, or make matching bracelets.”
“Yes.” I gasp to catch my breath. My heart is a flutter, until I remember my mom is visiting.
I quickly pray that she’ll be sober. She can’t mess this up for me.
“Girls!” Joe barks. “It’s time to
work.”
“Sorry.” I scurry to the serving area and bring out the salad while Syd grabs the garlic bread. “So, do you have any advice?”
“About what?”
“Have you already forgotten? I’ve never been a counselor before.”
“Oh, it’s cake.” She hits me on the arm and smiles. “Just be yourself. They’ll adore you.”
Myself. I didn’t even know who that was anymore. But at this point, I don’t care. I finally feel included, wanted.
Dirk stands at the podium to do announcements, and I take a chance to glance at Logan. Did he know yet? For some stupid reason, I can’t wait for him to find out.
Kat sits with her girls, hugging onto the ones next to her, yet still beaming. For someone who is leaving in two days, I don’t understand why she’s not upset.
“Welp, today’s the last day of camp, Mateys.”
All the campers groan.
“Aye, and we’ve learned a lot, about ourselves, about rules, and about life. We’ve had a few swabbies walk the plank, which is never something we want here at Redwood Springs. But I’ve watched ya’ll make new mates, commit to making better life choices when you get back to yer homeland, and that’s what matters.”
The girls start to tear up, hugging each other. The guys grunt and bump fists.
“After our meeting in the auditorium, we’ll have sharing at the campfire. Dress warm, and bring your s’mores appetite.”
“Chocolate,” Syd whispers while nudging me.
I just can’t stop myself from grinning. This is the best day ever.
The campers are dismissed by cabins after they sing for their supper. Even after the treat announcement, the kids swarm the desert table first.
Dirk walks up to me, somberly. “Hey, can we talk?”
I glance up at him, and put down the salad tongs. “Sure, of course.”
He pulls me aside and takes a deep breath. “So, it looks like Kat’s going to be able to work next week after all.”
The blood drains from my face, making it hard to breathe. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t need you next week after all,” he says slowly.
I clamp my mouth shut and fight back tears.
He puts his hand on my back. “Most likely I’ll need you the week after that, depending on Kitty’s situation. So, it’s a good thing. It’ll give you a week to train…”
Truly Madly Deeply: Volumes 1-4 Page 19