Page 105 of Until Next Summer

I can’t seem to find any words, so I nod.Same.

His lips curve in a smile as he leans in, and—

My walkie-talkie crackles on my belt. “Jessie? Jessie, where are you?”

It’s Hillary. She sounds worried.

I hesitate, not wanting to stop, but Luke takes a step back, turning away so I can’t see his face. My heart sinks; is he doing this again? This stupid push-and-pull he’s been doing all summer?

“Jessie? Are you there?” Hillary says on the walkie.

Luke is still facing away from me, so I sigh and grab the walkie-talkie off my hip.

“Here,” I say into it. “I’m in the woods north of camp.”

“On my way.”

I replace the walkie on my belt. Luke turns to face me. He’s shut down again, all the softness erased from his face. It’s like looking at a brick wall, and I’m so fucking sick of this response afterheinitiates something withme.

“I should go,” he says.

“Yes, you should,” I say, not bothering to hide my irritation.

His mouth falls open. “That’s not—”

“I’m done with this,” I say, motioning between us. “Okay? Don’t tell me youwantme and then pull away and act all shocked that I’m annoyed.” I shake my head. “Have the day you deserve, Luke.”

I head back toward camp, leaving him speechless behind me.

—

It doesn’t take long before I see Hillary on the path, her face red and blotchy. Behind her is the rest of my staff: Dot, her eyesglassy with tears; Zac and Zoey, arms linked, faces etched with sadness; and in the rear, Mr. Billy, his angular face wrinkled with worry.

No Cooper, though, and I’m about to ask where he is when Hillary pulls me into a hug. She’s crying, which makes me start crying again, and this is exactly what I need in this moment: friendship. Support. Understanding.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “We’re all so sorry.”

I shake my head. “We did the best we could, and I’m proud of us.”

Dot puts her arms around Hillary and me and squeezes. Zoey does the same, followed by Zac, and finally Mr. Billy, his long arms wrapping around all of us.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Luke moving past, through the trees, watching us.

I close my eyes and pretend like this hug will never, ever end.

twenty-seven

Hillary

It’s over. Really, truly, officially over.

And it’s all my fault. Jessie says she doesn’t blame me, but I don’t know how she can’t. It was my job to convince the Valentines our plan wasn’t just the best option; it was the only one. I had all the data I needed to speak to Jack’s wallet and Mary’s heart, but I failed.

And I can’t even blame Aaron for throwing me off with his surprise proposal. I was on top of my game, but I still couldn’t close the deal. And now, Jessie is going to lose the one thing that matters most to her. Camp Chickawah isn’t just her job. It’s her home, her family. Her whole life.

Jessie has every right to be upset with me, but somehow, she’s not.

It’s Cooper who’s treating me like I have the plague. Mr. Billy has said more words to me in the last forty-eight hours than my so-called fling. Cooper can barely look at me, which makes no sense. I’ve been honest with him from the start; he knew everything about my history with Aaron: how we were on a break, and—most importantly—that I ended things before I slept with Cooper.

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