by Anna Katmore
I scramble to my feet then pick up my towel from the ground. When I straighten again, I shriek, because Justin Andrews, counselor in charge and newly declared friend, stands right in front of me, glaring into my eyes.
“Whoa!” I clutch a hand to my heart. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
“You knew,” he growls, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Knew what, for Christ’s sake?”
“Kristina.”
“Oh. Yeah, that…” A snicker escapes me as the adrenaline from the shock eases out of my system. “I…had a suspicion.”
“You little witch! You let me walk right into it.” His accusation would have sounded a lot more sincere if he wasn’t starting to grin. “I thought we were friends now. Why didn’t you warn me?”
“And ruin the surprise?” No way! I smack him gently on his biceps. “Come on, even you have to admit it was funny.”
His butterscotch eyes lock with mine, and suddenly his expression turns a whole lot darker. He takes a dangerous step toward me and drawls, “So you’re looking for fun?”
Why does yes seem to be the entirely wrong answer all of a sudden? A slow wave of shivery excitement travels up from my toes to my neck. I bite my lip, not daring to grin, and warily shake my head.
He blinks a few times, his mouth stretching into a smirk. “Oh, yes, you are.” The next instant, he bends down and throws me over his shoulder.
Gasping, I drum on his back and protest wildly as he carries me around the lake in a resolute stride, heading for the dock. “Help!” I scream, choking with laughter. “Somebody help me, please!”
“Chloe?” It’s Julie’s voice. I knew she would come to my rescue.
“Help me, Julie! He’s gone crazy!”
Justin smacks me on my butt.
“Ouch!”
“What are you up to?” Julie demands, and whatever she does, it makes Justin stop.
“Helping her to a bath,” he explains with the sound of a wicked smile in his voice.
Soft hands grab my ankle. “I can’t let you do that.” Julie must be trying to get me down from his shoulder, but she’s weak and laughing way too hard to be of any help.
Justin swings me around, away from her, then warns her with a chuckle, “Get out of the way, Jules, or you’ll be next.”
Moments later, he heads on, leaving a guilty-looking Julie behind, and strides onto the dock.
“No, don’t listen to him!” I plead with my friend, casting her a desperate look. “Stop him! Please! I’ll do anything you want. Just help meeeee—” Arms and legs flailing, I fly in a high arc off the dock’s end, dropping into the ice-cold water. Freezing fuck! I hate Justin!
Chapter 14
Chloe
I think about nothing but the next drama lesson all through Sunday night and Monday morning. Who in the whole wide world would’ve thought the anticipation of working with the kids again would have me so excited?
I glance at my watch while I twist to the Latin-style music, mirroring Addison’s moves. Twenty minutes left. Dancing will be over in five, so that gives me enough time to shower and prepare to be a teacher again. And damn, have I got plans for the kids today.
Blondie starts the last song of the morning. It’s my personal favorite, and I have it down pat. I could probably take up the instructor position myself by now, but the girl is doing an excellent job and she obviously enjoys it. I don’t mind dancing in the crowd instead of center stage. However, one small thing is bothering me this morning. Minutes ago, a couple of boys walked into our campsite and slumped down at the picnic table, watching us with mild interest. Two more join them while we’re doing salsa steps to the left.
“You know this isn’t a Broadway show,” I call to them in irritation, wiping my brows with the sweatband on my wrist. “If you need anything, let me know. Otherwise, we’d appreciate it—”
“We’re here for the acting lesson,” one of them cuts me off quickly, his cheeks turning a soft red as he clasps his hands in his lap. “Nikki said maybe we could join?”
I stop dancing and turn to find Nikki Field behind me. The girl with a pink-dyed strand in her otherwise black hair shrugs and scrunches her face. “I thought maybe it was okay with you. Sorry if it’s a problem.”
A problem? “Not at all.” I offer her a beaming smile. “The more the merrier.” Then I skip the cool-down and dash into the Squirrel cabin to get ready.
*
“We’re going to stage a play.”
“Are you serious?” Everybody’s eyes widen, and a dozen mouths snap open with excitement.
“You heard me right. Better than all the theory in the world is performing on stage and learning by doing,” I assure my drama group. “And that’s what we’re going to do for the rest of the summer.” Or…for the rest of the week, because on Sunday I’m going to hightail it and return to civilization.
Addison raises her hand. When I prompt her to speak with a nod, she clears her throat. “What play are we going to do?”
I’ve been thinking on that one for hours and finally decided that the kids should pick a play themselves. “What would you like to do?”
She draws in a startled breath. “You mean it’s up to us?”
Her enthusiasm is exhilarating. “Mm-hm.”
“Can we do Romeo and Juliet then?”
“Sure. If everybody else agrees.” I lift my brows at the other kids and await their answer. The cacophony of screeches nearly knocks me off my feet as the girls holler and clap their hands, though the boys seem a little less impressed by the choice.
The blond soccer player who joined the group while I took a shower and who Addison apparently has an interest in folds his arms across his chest and frowns. “Romeo and Juliet? That’s a love story.”
“Kind of,” I agree.
“By Shakespeare.”
“Yes.”
“I’m out.” He waves at his friends as he spins on his heel and walks away. Too bad. I don’t have to turn to Addison to know how disappointment is marring her face right now. But there’s nothing I can do to hold him back. Staging Batman or I Am Legend would be a tiny bit too complicated.
My focus is on the other four boys, who are watching their friend leave. “Anybody else want to go?”
They suck on their lips, shift their weight from one leg to the other, and rub their necks, obviously thinking really hard. But in the end, they all shake their heads. I guess Romeo and Juliet has enough drama that a guy can safely play a role in it without getting a bad rep.
“Do we have to improvise, or do you have a script we can read from?” Nikki wants to know, blowing her pink strand out of her eyes.
If it was any other play, we would have to make some dialogue up indeed. But since it’s the most popular play in the world, every bookstore in the area should have it in stock. There’s just the tiny issue of using the camp budget to buy twenty copies.
Justin will know if the camp is able to fund something like that. I whirl on the spot, looking for him. He’s been lurking around, supervising me pretty much every morning for the last week, but just when I need him, he’s nowhere in sight.
“Hey, you.” I point a finger at one of the Wolves. “Do you know where your alpha is?”
He just lifts his shoulder in a shrug. Damn.
“Mrs. Turner is here today.” At Julie’s voice coming from the porch of our cabin, I pivot to face her. “He’s in a meeting with her in the office.”
The big boss is here? All the better. “Thanks!” I blurt then turn back to the kids. “Group dismissed. I’ve gotta run an errand that can’t wait.” Their disappointed faces pull at my heartstrings, but if I miss this chance, the entire idea might fall flat before it’s even started. Without hesitating another beat, I clumsily jog off in my pink flip-flops, struggling not to trip over my own feet. Then in a shout, I add over my shoulder, “Practice some acting without me! Tomorrow, rehearsals start.”
Curling my toes in for a better grip in my un
practical summer footwear, I hurry all the way to the bungalow that’s the office. The door is closed when I arrive, but voices drift out from inside. Quickly, I run my fingers through my windblown hair, straighten my tee, and knock. Behind the door, the conversation dies, and Mrs. Turner calls me in.
“Good morning,” I greet her as I slip inside and apologetically lift my brows at Justin, who eyes me with obvious curiosity. “Sorry to disturb your meeting, but I was wondering if there’s any camp budget left that I could use for a project?”
Slowly and now equally as intrigued as Justin, Mrs. Turner leans back and offers me a seat. “What kind of project do you have in mind, Miss Summers?”
I slide into the black vinyl chair opposite her, then I lay out my plan in quick details. At the end of my explanation, she shoves her glasses farther up her nose and laces her hands on the table. “So you want to buy scripts for the theater group?”
“Exactly.”
“How many will you need? And do you know the price of one?”
“There’s a shop in San Luis Obispo that stocks scripts for schools. They’re really cheap, and with needing about twenty copies, I’m sure I can get a good bargain. Probably a few dollars per copy.”
“Hmm.” Her gaze skates to Justin, and she begins to smile. “Scripts for a play? Sounds like a reasonable investment to me.”
Yesss! Done deal.
She unlocks a drawer in the desk with a key she fishes from her handbag and brings out a small metal box. With another key on the same key ring, she unlocks that one, too, then hands me two worn fifty-dollar bills. “Good luck with your project, Miss Summers.”
Beaming like a firefly, I take the money, thank her, and swoosh through the door. I need to make a phone call to arrange a ride to town and back. Let’s just hope Brinna has no other plans.
Fortunately, the Owl has flown out again, and I can use my phone inside the cabin. “Hey, Brin,” I pant when she answers the call.
“Chloe! It’s so good to hear from you. I was worried someone found your phone last time we talked and took it away from you.”
“No, no. Everything’s fine. Just a little busy here. Guess what!” Ah, the hell with it, I don’t want to wait for her answer because she’ll never guess anyway. “I’m teaching!”
“You’re what?”
“They kind of forced me into giving acting lessons. I was really pissed at first, but it’s so cool. I’m rehearsing a play with the kids this week. And, yeah, that’s also why I’m calling.” I pause infinitesimally to draw in a deep breath, refill my lungs, and carry on—I’m not sure when Julie will get back and I need to get all this out before she or anyone else catches me with my phone. “I need to get to San Luis Obispo to shop for the script. Are you free today? To pick me up?”
“Er…”
Damn. She’s hesitating. That’s a bad sign. A very bad one. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m in San Francisco.”
“Uh, wh—” I squint and shake my head. “What are you doing in San Francisco? I thought you were spending the summer at home?”
“Yeah… I intended to. But…” She half whines and half snickers. “I missed Jace, and he wanted me to come for a few days.”
Isn’t love a wonderful thing? And so horrible at the same time. Totally binding. And Brinna’s heart is obviously made of butter that melts at the first sweet words from a guy. “Brin, Brin…” I sigh. No guy on this planet could make me change my plans once I’ve made them. And then I start to smile. That’s because no guy on the planet could hold me back from going to Europe.
“I know,” she wails. “I’m sorry I can’t pick you up, but I promise to be back before the weekend. Sunday night, all it takes is a text or call from you, and I’ll be on my way. As for now, you could ask Lesley. Kirsten is out of town, but Les should be home. She’ll be happy to come and spring you free.”
Lesley. And Justin. In the same place. Even though the odds are slim that they would actually meet, I don’t want to risk it. Not now, after Justin and I have buried the hatchet. Too many questions, too many things to explain. And I’m not in the mood to choose between friends again. Not today, because it started out too awesome for that.
“Never mind,” I tell Brinna. “I’ll find another way. Say hi to Jace for me and enjoy the week with him.”
As we hang up, I drop onto my bed, pushing my phone under my pillow. How will I get to town and back today? Mrs. Turner could give me a ride down, but how would I get back up here? There aren’t any buses covering this area. Hmmm, maybe Julie can help.
I dash outside and shout her name, leaning far over the banister. Seconds later, her answering call comes from deep within the woods. “Do you have a car?” I shout again.
“Yes.”
Fantastic!
“But not here. My sister drove me.”
Crap. My shoulders droop. “What about Greyson? Do you know how he got here?”
“I think his parents brought him and his brother.”
Dammit! Digging my nails into the banister so hard that some old paint splinters off, I bend down and rest my forehead on the back of my hands. Why is luck against me today?
“What’s the problem, tiger?”
Startled, I yank up my head and stare into Justin’s eyes through some wayward strands of my hair. He’s leaning against the outside of the porch banister, scrutinizing me with the same interest he held before, in the office. After a quick breath, I lick my lips and inform him, “I need to go to town to get the scripts, but I don’t know how to get there.” A much too warm breeze brushes my hair out of my face. “And without the scripts, there’s no point in even starting the play with the kids.”
His eyes remain fixed on me, but a multitude of expressions zoom across his features. Random guess, but I think something about what I just said surprised him. Then his mouth shifts into a lopsided smirk. “Get dressed, you can ride with me.”
Like I was zapped by an energy bolt, I jerk upright, still holding tightly to the banister. “You’ll take me?”
“Of course.” He rolls his eyes. “It’s been years since I saw you this excited about something. Can’t ruin it for you, can I? And it wouldn’t be fair on the kids either. Now go get some jeans on and meet me in the parking lot in twenty.”
“Oh my God! I can’t tell you how much I love you right now!”
Justin lifts an amused brow, questioning my sanity. Instantly, I bite my tongue and stammer, “Y-you know, not looove”—now I’m the one rolling my eyes—“but luv. As in, you’re my lifesaver today.”
“Yeah, whatever.” He chuckles and heads away without looking back once.
Oh, that man is impossible to be around. But he is my lifesaver. So I don’t give it another thought but rush inside to change my pink miniskirt for a pair of white…jeans? Wait a moment! Why doesn’t he want me to go the way I’m dressed?
A snicker escapes me. The dude probably can’t handle me sitting next to him in the car half naked. Right, because you’re so immune to me, Justin Andrews. I kick my flip-flops into the corner and slip into my jeans, pairing them with black, rough-leather boots. The money disappears into my pocket, then I start off toward the camp exit.
I wonder what kind of car Justin drives. Somehow I can’t picture him in a big one, like a BMW or Chrysler. Maybe it’s a VW. That would fit him much better. Or—
As I walk through the high, wooden entrance to Camp Clover, my chin smacks my chest—and stays there. Gravel gnashes underneath my boots as I stop dead and freeze.
Ankles crossed and hands tucked halfway into the pockets of his leather pants, Justin is leisurely leaning against his wheels.
No BMW. No Chrysler. No VW.
But a fucking motorcycle.
The glossy black surface reflects the sun in my direction and makes me squint as I read the silver writing on the metal body. It’s a Ducati. Oh, hell.
“It’s just a bike, not a freaking dragon,” Justin points out when I refuse to move closer.
“Jesus! You can’t compare butterflies to birds. This one’s not for stunts.” So he says, but he has yet to prove it. Over the seat of the black monster hangs a leather jacket, which he grabs before walking toward me. “I behave like a complete gentleman on the road, I promise.”
Paralyzed, and still staring at the damn thing that’s supposed to take me to town and back today, I don’t even notice when Justin drapes his jacket over my shoulders. “Arms in,” he orders.
I comply. But then I look down at myself, confused, and finally tilt my head at him. “What the heck is this for?”
“Precaution. Just in case we—”
“Have an accident and slither along the road?!” I screech, swamped by a new wave of terror. “That’s enough. I’m out!”
Before I can spin on my heel, Justin snatches the parted front of the jacket and pulls me forward until our noses bump against each other. His eyes flash dark with the look he gives me. “You need to get those books, and I said I’ll take you. Now be a big girl and get over it.”
Taking advantage of my current stupor, he zips me up like a child then grips my hand and hauls me across the parking lot toward the devil’s ride. “Jesus, it can’t be much harder to drag a freaking bag of cement,” he complains when I make sure to leave a trail in the gravel with my heels digging into the ground at each step.
He also brought a helmet. Just one. I fold my arms in this stiff jacket, whose sleeves are just a little too long for me. “Are we going to play Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who of us is going to die in an accident first?”