Page 43 of The Summer Intern

Matt waggled his eyebrows."You want it, though."

seventeen

Matt

June16

The days following Casey's birthday were complete chaos.The counselors arrived, and we had to train them, show them the new plan, get the schedules set and finalized, and prepare for arrival.And arrival day was even more chaotic, and it always left me feeling like I'd been hit by a truck.Nothing ever went perfectly — there were housing snafus and missed flights and kids who were so homesick they cried through the night.

The second full day of camp was much calmer, and as I stood on the porch of the lodge after afternoon activities, I could see that things had started to settle.I watched a frisbee arc lazily across the meadow, cutting through the golden afternoon light like it had all the time in the world.Sutton jogged up the stairs and leaned on the rail beside me, watching the kids.

“It was a good day,” Sutton said, bumping my shoulder with his.“The new schedule is going smoothly so far.And it always feels better once we’ve put out the arrival day fires.”

“It does.”

There was something about that first full day of camp—when everything clicked into place—that made the chaos worth it.The kids had already started to settle in, to make friends, and enjoy the activities we had to offer.Three kids who hadn’t known each other before yesterday now looked like best friends as they chased after the frisbee, their laughter carrying across the grounds of Camp Eagle Ridge, filling the emptiness that had been there all winter.

Yesterday had been the usual beautiful disaster.A bus had arrived forty minutes late, throwing off our entire check-in schedule.Two sets of parents had gotten into a heated argument about whose car should be unloaded first.Three kids had shown up with paperwork listing severe allergies that hadn't been mentioned in their online registrations.Five campers had decided they absolutely...couldn't be separated from their new best friends they'd met on the bus ride in and needed room changes immediately.

And that was all before lunch.

By evening, I'd rearranged seventeen room assignments, swapped eight activity schedules, talked down one homesick twelve-year-old, and sent Sutton to town for the additional EpiPens doctors had called into the local pharmacy.My ADHD brain thrived on the problem-solving aspects of arrival day, even as the administrative side of things made me want to climb the nearest tree and refuse to come down.

Somehow, all that chaos had transformed into this—kids scattered across the camp property, laughing and playing, settling into their summer home, enjoying their free time after activity.I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the pull in my shoulders where tension still lingered.

“So, you gonna ask him out or what?”

I blinked, turning to Sutton with my brows up.“What?Ask who out?”

“You two were so cute at his birthday party, but since then you've both thrown yourselves into work."

"Because it's busy.Or maybe he doesn't want more."

"Doubt it.When you’re not looking, Casey stares at you like he wants to lick you from head to toe.Don’t tell me nothing happened between you two.”

My cheeks felt hot as I kicked at a glob of dirt on the porch.“Something happened, and he backed off.”

“Are you sure he backed off?Maybe he’s just busy, because camp just started.”

“Hopefully that,” I said, but I didn’t quite believe it."I kind of expected him to...hang out more after work, I guess."

"So ask him to hang out after work, dumbass," Sutton said, rolling his eyes.

"Matty!I missed you!"A loud screech from my left interrupted me before I could admit anything to Sutton.A girl with braided hair and braces barreled toward me, almost knocking me over with her enthusiastic hug.

I stepped back and ruffled her hair."Emily!How's the cabin working out?I saw Zoe didn’t return this year."

Her face lit up."It's okay—my new roommate is awesome."

I felt a small glow of satisfaction.Remembering details about returning campers was one of my strengths—something my father had taught me was essential to making kids feel seen and valued.

Emily dashed off to join a game of soccer starting up near the flagpole, and I separated from Sutton and continued my rounds, greeting campers and counselors at their various free-time activities, even as my mind drifted back to Casey.It had been days since our sexy evening after his makeup birthday party, and I'd tried to make a little time for him each day, walking him to lunch, or helping him train the art counselors, but nothing came close to what I wanted.

Between busy counselor training days, the arrival day chaos, and the first day of activities, we'd both been swamped with work.And I hated to admit it, but I missed him.Hell, I even missed his unsolicited feedback and tendency to challenge things at every turn.

Sex with Casey had been...unexpected.Intense.I'd wanted him, for sure, but the way he'd felt in my arms had been an awakening in more ways than one.The memory of Casey's skin against mine, of his gorgeous, slender back arched as he challenged me to thrust deep inside him, sent a flush creeping up my neck, and I quickly redirected my thoughts.This wasn't the time or place.

A faint sound caught my attention—musical notes carried on the breeze.I turned my head, trying to locate the source.It was coming from the direction of the new music cabin, and I was drawn to the possibility of spending a few minutes with Casey, too tempting to ignore.I waved to Sutton and wandered in that direction, following the music without thinking.

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