Page 23 of The Summer Intern

I stared at him, my brain short-circuiting.“What?No.He doesn't like me.He’s always scowling and always arguing with me—”

“He hired you,” Ben interrupted, his tone matter of fact.“Trust me, if Matt didn’t like you, he wouldn’t have kept you around.”

My face was red hot, and my stomach was doing a little twisty-turny thing.“It doesn’t matter anyway, since he’s straight.I need to stop crushing on straight guys.”

Ben snorted.“Matt is not straight.”

“He’s gay?”

Ben shook his head.“Nah, he dates women, too.And he had a thing with a nonbinary architect last year.He has a type, though… cute, short, and feisty.”

“I’m not short!”I protested, which was ridiculous, because Ben was a full head taller than me, probably, and Matt was even taller.

Ben shrugged again, his expression softening.“Anyway, maybe you’re overthinking this.Even if he wasn’t into the kiss, Matt’s not the type to hold a grudge.”

My mind was racing faster than it had any right to.“But what if I ruined everything?What if he fires me—”

“Casey,” Ben said firmly, cutting me off.“Take a breath.”Junji tugged on the leash and he sighed.“Come on, why don’t you walk with me?Matt would kill me if I left you alone on these trails with the sun going down.”

I squinted up at the sky and frowned.“These trails are dangerous?Everyone keeps assuring me that hiking is safe and fun — is that all lies?”

“It’s not lies, but the trails can be confusing with all the intersections.If you turn left, you end up at camp.If you turn right, the trail climbs the ridge to the Homestead — my parents’ house.So walk with me and tell me more about this kiss.”

“Oh god,” I groaned.“I really don’t want to think about it.I mean, I kissed him.Like, full-on, no-takebacks kissed him.And he just...stood there.Didn’t kiss me back.Didn’t push me away.Just froze.”

Ben didn’t say anything right away.He just kept walking, his hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie, his expression unreadable.I could feel the heat creeping up my neck, my cheeks burning like I’d stuck my face in a campfire.

“He’s probably freaking out just as much as you are.Knowing Matt, he’s worried about the ethics of kissing his much younger employee,” Ben said finally, his voice calm but firm, like he was stating a fact and not just trying to make me feel better.“Matt’s not the type to get pissed over something like that.If anything, he’s beating himself up about it right now.”

I froze, my hand stilling on Junji’s soft fur.“Why would he be mad at himself?”

Ben shrugged, leaning against a tree trunk with that infuriatingly casual air of his.“Because that’s what Matt does.He overthinks everything.Trust me, if he’s upset, it’s not about you.It’s about whatever’s going on in that big, messy head of his.”

I stood up, brushing dirt off my knees, and stared at Ben like he’d just told me the sky was green.“But...I kissed him.Out of nowhere.That’s kind of a big deal.”

“Yeah, and?”Ben raised an eyebrow, his lips quirking into a half-smile.“You think Matt didn’t want you to?Please.Sutton said the guy’s been staring at you like you’re some kind of snack since you walked into that job fair and started yelling at him about the art program here.”

My face burned, and I looked away, pretending to be fascinated by a squirrel darting up a tree.“He has not.”

“Uh-huh.”Ben’s tone was dry, but there was a hint of amusement in it now.“Look, Casey, I don’t know what’s going on in Matt’s head, but I do know he’s not going to be mad at you.He's the most reasonable, empathetic person I know.So stop freaking out and just...talk to him.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then snapped it shut.Ben made it sound so simple, like all I had to do was walk up to Matt and apologize.But it wasn’t that easy.Nothing with Matt was ever easy.Somehow, everything turned into an argument, even when I meant to work well with him.Still, as I walked, the weight of Ben’s words settled over me, and for the first time since the kiss, I felt a flicker of hope.Maybe Matt wasn’t mad.Maybe he had wanted it, too.Maybe, just maybe, I hadn’t completely screwed everything up.

Junji barked, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I glanced down to see him pawing at the dirt.I scooped him up, carrying him for a little while as we walked in silence, letting the cute little ball of fur nuzzle against my chest, soothing my anxiety.I took a deep breath.Okay.I could do this.

“Thanks, Ben,” I said, my voice quieter than I meant it to be.“For...you know.Not thinking I’m a complete idiot.”

He snorted.“Oh, you’re still an idiot.But maybe you’re the right kind of idiot for my big brother."

I stuck my tongue out at him as we approached the familiar camp buildings.He and Junji had led me home.

Ben stopped, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced towards the camp lodge, where Matt's office was."Go talk to him, Casey.Before he drives himself crazy.”

I nodded, setting Junji back down and handing the leash to Ben, then waiting until he turned and walked back down the path before going to my cabin to sort out the mess in my own brain before talking to Matt.

eleven

Casey

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