“I told you,” I say as a roll my eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend, he has a girlfriend.”
“Speaking of Satan, where is she?” Janine began calling Viv Satan the second I texted her about the whole situation with Casanova and threatening me to stay away from Sampson.
I sigh and stare at the wood grain on the bunk above me. “Most of the other staff members are gone until later today, early tomorrow. It’s been pretty nice and quiet around here, the calm before the storm.”
“Whoah, wait! Hold up!” Janine says and I can practically see her stopping in the middle of whatever mall store she’s in with the excitement in her voice. “You mean to tell me it’s just been you and Sampson alone at camp all weekend and nothing has happened between you?”
“Janine, what did you expect to happen? I won’t steal another girl’s boyfriend no matter how horrible she is or what she’s done wrong. Sampson and I are just friends… he’s too old for me anyway.”
“So… what you’re saying is that if he weren’t taken,” she says, her voice drifting off to let me draw the sinister conclusion myself.
I glance at my watch and realize it’s already time for me to be ready. Sampson will be here in ten minutes and I haven’t bothered to get out of my sweat pants.
“Drop it, just help me figure out what to wear. I think all I packed are gym shorts and t-shirts.”
I can hear the smile in Janine’s voice. “Bottom of your duffel, I packed you that cute little sun dress you wore to the senior class dinner,” she says.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” I ask, finding the dress exactly where she said it would be along with a pair of wedges that I’ve seen Janine where on a ton of summer dates.
“You can repay me by promising to take off the last weekend in the month to come with me to the bonfire bash. Maybe by then Satan will be out of the picture and you can bring Sammy boy.”
“Wishful thinking, eh?” I ask, just as someone knocks on the cabin door. “Hey, I gotta go. Sounds like Sampson is here!”
Before I can hang up she screams over the speaker, “Don’t forget to get off for the bonfire! I’ll make it worth your time!”
I hang up without responding just as another knock comes from the door. I answer it, my heart pounding because I know it’s Sampson. Sure enough, he’s standing there with a smile on his face. He looks me up and down and shakes his head chuckling.
“What?” I ask.
“Staying in your pajamas all day?” he asks smiling. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for comfort but you might want to change.”
I glance down and realize I was so distracted by my conversation with Janine I completely forgot to get dressed in real clothes. My cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“This is awkward, sorry. I was busy all morning actually unpacking and organizing my stuff, I lost track of time,” I tell him as I open the door. “Come on in, it’ll only take me about five minutes to become presentable.”
Sampson follows me in and plops down on an empty bunk, “No worries. My parents don’t live far anyway.”
I grab my dress and wedges off the bed and head into the bathroom. The dress is now one size too small, and I remember it didn’t actually fit me when I wore it a few months ago. It had been the only size left when I bought it. Thank God Janine and I wear the same size shoes though. The last thing I would want to do is go back out there and trade out wedges for my gym shoes.
I look at myself in the full length mirror hanging on the door, my hair laying limp on my shoulders, zero volume, I run a hand through it trying to fluff it up. Sucking in my gut, I head back out to where Sampson is. It’s still hard for me to actually get used to seeing a guy in a girls cabin. When campers are here, it’s forbidden. A male counselor can’t even step foot in a cabin even if he just needs to talk to a female counselor or vice versa.
Sampson stands up and smiles. “You look nice.”
“Thanks, but don’t get used to it,” I say shyly, grabbing my backpack out of habit and putting the straps over my shoulder. “Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s get going.”
We leave the cabin, walking up the tree root covered trail to where his golf cart is sitting. Sampson hops into the driver's side and pats the spot next to him.
“Where’s your car?” I ask, sliding onto the cart and making sure my dress is tucked under my thighs. The seat burns under my legs from the summer heat, it’s almost too painful to sit down.
He releases the emergency brake and we roll back a few inches before he presses his foot on the gas and we move forward, heading in the direction opposite of the camp entrance.
“Don’t need it, told you we’re not going too far.”
“Oh God,” I say, clutching the little dash. “You’re not taking me to the very back of camp to murder me, are you?”
“We are going to the back of camp, but there won’t be any murdering... today...” Sampson teases.
“Sure, that’s what all murderers say before they slash the pretty girl’s throat.”
“Well, I can’t argue with the pretty part.”
We’re both quiet and I blush, but the sound of the gravel crunching under the wheels of the golf cart slice through the silence.
“You can’t say things like that,” I say bashfully. Part of me hopes he doesn’t hear.
“I’ll stop,” he says, but when I shake my head he continues. “I promise. You’re right. Friends?”
I turn to look at him and his smile seems sincere, but the words sounded slightly too painful to even say. “Friends. So, really, where are we going? There’s nothing back this way but the old farm.”
“Yep,” Sampson says just as we pass by the old log cabin. “And a huge Victorian house.”
“Really?” I ask, sitting up straighter hoping to get a quick glimpse of the house. “I’ve never been any further than the cabin.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much where the camp property ends, then the rest of the land belongs to the owners.”
“I thought your parents were the owners,” I say confused, and then it makes sense. “Wait, you live at Camp Arthur, you and your parents?”
“Ah, took you long enough to figure it out!” Sampson puts the golf cart in park in front of the most gorgeous ivory colored colonial house that I’ve ever seen. A spacious porch wraps around the entire house with a few porch swings and some patio furniture.
“How long have you been living here?” I ask, staring at the house in awe.
“I haven’t been living here too much. I have a room, but I either stay in my cabin or during the school year, I’m in a dorm. We’ve only owned the place since last Christmas.” I follow Sampson up the rock sidewalk to the front porch.
The smell of freshly baked cookies sneaks through the screened windows of the kitchen. Sampson opens the squeaky screen door and holds it open for me to follow him through.
“Mom,” Sampson calls as we walk through the foyer and into the kitchen. “We’re here.”
“Oh, good. Is Viv with you?” his mom asks, but she doesn’t turn away from the stove to look at us, a pot of boiling water in front of her.
“No, she hasn’t gotten back. It’s just me and one of my friends, Penelope. She just started working here.”
His mom turns around and wipes her hands off on a towel. She smiles brightly at me and comes over to shake my hand, “Penelope, what a pretty name. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs…” I say, realizing I don’t even know their last name. I’ve heard it once, from his dad on the first day, before I even knew it was his dad.
“Mrs. Garreth, but you can call me Molly. You guys ready for your campers to get here?” she asks.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I say. “I’m used to the other way around. I’ve been a camper here for years.”
Molly claps her hands together once, a smile growing across her face. “That’s great to hear! Maybe Sam, my husband, would love to hear some of your stori
es. This is our first year running Camp Arthur. We want to make sure the kids keep coming back for all the things they love. You’ve met Sam, right?”
I remember back to my first day here earlier in the week. “Yeah, he introduced himself to me and the other CIT’s.”
“Well he should be here in about an hour. He had to run to the store. Sampson, why don’t you take Penelope out and show her some of the farm?” Mrs. Garreth says. “I just started lunch. Should be done in about 45 minutes.”
“You don’t need any help?” I ask.
She smiles, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “You’re our guest, go enjoy yourself and have fun. You’ll have your hands full for the next two and a half months.”
She reaches into a jar next to her and pulls out two cookies and hands them to us.
“Shouldn’t you warn us about spoiling our appetite?” Sampson asks, but I take the cookies anyway.
“It’s the weekend,” Mrs. Garreth says simply. “You can have cookies whenever, besides, they’re fresh right now.”
Sampson taps me on the shoulder and I follow him out the back door, my cookie already in my mouth and chewed up. I try to hand him his but he smiles and shakes his head so I shrug and pop the other one in my mouth also.
The wrap around deck opens in the back of the house to some land with a vegetable garden and a larger lake, bigger than the one in front of camp. Sampson sits down on the steps and I walk down them to take in the scenery.
“She likes you,” says Sampson. “My mom, she seemed to like you a ton.”
“How can you tell?” I ask. “We just met, she doesn’t even know me.”
Sampson shrugs. “She’s a good judge of character. So what do you want to do?”
“What do the owners of camp normally do? I’ve never paid attention to what they do.”
“Well, we have some farm animals,” Sampson says. “And some trails that lead into camp. There’s not much, we can just walk around the lake.”
“Sure,” I say but then glance down at my shoes clearly made for aesthetic and not walking.
“Take ‘em off,” Sampson says sliding his own sandals off. “Who needs shoes?”
“I don’t think so,” I tell him. “I did that once and got stung by a bee.”
He slides his shoes back on. “Alright, if you’re feet start to hurt, I’ll carry you. Problem solved, but just promise you never force yourself to wear uncomfortable shoes again. I hate when girls do that.”
I smile and nod my head. “Promise.”
“Sampson, honey, can you clear the table?” Molly asks her son as we walk back in from outside. “You’re dad said he’s about 10 minutes away.”
Sampson and I take our shoes off by the back door and something about having my bare feet on the floor of his family's house seems very intimate. I tiptoe across the wood floors, over to the island where four plates are sitting with silverware on top.
“I can set the table if you’d like,” I offer to Mrs. Garreth.
“Thank you, sweetie,” Molly responds. “Sampson, you need to bring her around more often. You’re too sweet, Penelope.”
“It’s no big deal,” I smile back. “I just like to pull my own weight wherever I go, and it’s the least I can do since you’re having me over.”
I carefully grab the plates and silverware and head over to the dining room table where Sampson is closing a few textbooks and notebooks. I place a plate on each of the four place mats and put a fork, knife, and spoon at every spot.
“Taking summer classes?” I ask Sampson as he slides his books into a backpack.
“Yeah, one a month for the summer. It’s more expensive,” he says. “But I’m a semester behind.”
“Where do you go to college?” I ask, finishing setting the table.
“Maryville.”
I slap my hand on his chest. “No way! That’s where I’m going! I start in August. Well…hopefully. I applied a little late.”
“Really?” he asks, smiling. “Why’d you choose Maryville of all schools?”
“It’s kind of stupid. I was planning on keeping a summer job here and then going to school at MC since it’s so close. I’m kind of over the town I grew up in. Figure I’ll live in the cabins while camp is going on and the dorms during the semester.”
“That’s not stupid, sounds like you have a plan.”
The front door opens then and a man's voice travels down the hall and into the kitchen. “Something smells fantastic.”
“You’re just in time,” says Molly. “We’re getting ready to put lunch on the table.”
“Ah, I see we have company,” says the man as he takes off his baseball hat. The camp director from my first day, Sampson’s dad, Sam Garreth, I try to wrap my head around this. How am I ever going to think of him as the same person?
“Sam Garreth,” he says holding out his hand to shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“Penelope,” I say, shaking his hand. “We met last week… sort of. I’m one of the CITs.”
Mr. Garreth gives Sampson an odd look, but then turns his attention back to me. “Ah, so are you excited to be working for us this summer?”
“Yes actually,” I start to say, but he cuts me off.
“Oh, no you’re not. You can be honest with me, I’m always looking for suggestions on how to make Camp Arthur a better, more enjoyable place.”
“No, no,” I say, shaking my head. “What I was going to say was, working here has always been a dream of mine. I’ve been coming here every summer, this was always my home away from home.”
“Yeah?” Mr. Garreth asks. “That’s so nice to hear. I knew we had some former campers. So what is it that keeps you coming back every summer?”
Mrs. Garreth motions for all of us to sit down and she brings over a plate full of chicken breasts, along with some sides. As Sampson’s parents pass around the food, I try to impress my boss with my answer while also giving him my honest opinion on my previous Camp Arthur experiences.
“It’s not one specific thing,” I say as Sampson hands me a bowl of roasted potatoes. “The first year I didn’t like camp and my mom told me to try it again the next summer and if I didn’t like it, then I wouldn’t have to go back.
“The next year things were a lot better. I had fantastic counselors, I made a ton of friends, and I didn’t want to leave when the summer was over. I guess I just love that it’s a break from reality. I assume it’ll be different as a counselor, but I’m still excited to be here and try it out.”
“We’re happy to have you with us,” Mr. Garreth says as I hand him the potatoes in exchange for the chicken. “Who’s training you this summer?”
Sampson beats me to the answer, “Viv, actually.”
“That so?” replies his mom, and I’m not sure if I imagined it or not, but her tone didn’t sound pleased.
“Yeah,” I say, picking up my fork and knife to slice through my chicken. “I haven’t had too much time around her, but I’m sure that’ll change once the campers arrive.”
“Well if she gives you any trouble, let us know,” says his dad in a joking manner. “Speaking of Viv, what’s she up to, son? Haven’t seen her around lately.”
I zone out the rest of the conversation between Sampson and his father and only glance up from my plate once. Mrs. Garreth gives me a sad but somehow reassuring smile.
Did I miss something?
Once the conversation about Viv is over, Mr. and Mrs. Garreth ask about where I’m from, my plans for college, what my parents do, and so on. Part of me treats it as if this is my interview for a full time summer counselor position, but the other part of me is just enjoying the warm embrace I feel from sitting around this family. That’s what camp is supposed to feel like: like you’re around family. Friends that turn into family.
I feel homesick suddenly and wonder if I will be able to handle moving my whole life here, year-round, away from my family and away from my friends. Of course, I would go off to college in a different state, but w
orking in a different state too? Packing up all my stuff and only coming home for the holidays?
“You okay, dear?” Mrs. Garreth asks.
I nod, getting way ahead of myself. “Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking.”
“What I was saying,” Mrs. Garreth continues. “Was if you ever need a place to go, you can come here. You’re always welcome. It must be hard to be so far away from your parents.”
“Yeah, harder than I thought,” I say honestly. “My dad is probably taking it harder.”
“You and your dad are close?” Mr. Garreth asks smiling.
“Super close. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl,” I smile back.
“I’ve always said if we had a daughter, she would have me wrapped around her tiny little finger.”
“You would lose your mind,” Mrs. Garreth chuckles, pointing her fork at her husband. “You’d be worried sick about her anytime she left the house. Always critiquing her outfits to make sure she didn’t have too much skin showing.”
Sampson laughs. “I couldn’t imagine you having a daughter, dad.”
“Alright, I want you to make a goal this summer,” Mr. Garreth says, folding his hands together and resting his elbows on the table. “Take a few campers under your watch, not just the ones in your cabin. Pick two or three campers outside your cabin and pay special attention to them.”
Mr. Garreth looks between the two of us. “You too, Penelope. You guys might not think these kids look up to you, but some of them will. You’ll be their friends while away from home, an older sibling, a role model, a parental figure. Always remember that they’re watching.”
“Totally,” I say bursting with excitement. “That’s actually why I have my heart set on working here! I had some counselors that impacted my life, and I would love to be a role model for the campers. I feel like there would be nothing better than being a CIT this year and then coming back full on next year, where I have a camper or two glad to come back to see me.”
“That’s what I need here at Camp Arthur!” Mr. Garreth says. “I love when counselors take interest in getting to know their campers. Watch out Sampson, this one might snag your job next year.”
The Last July: A New Adult Romance Page 6