Page 21 of Until Next Summer

With just about twenty minutes to spare before dinner, I put on a breezy maxi dress and a minimal amount of makeup. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, but first impressions matter. Second impressions, even more so.

As I retrace my steps back toward the dining hall, the camp seems more familiar. There’s the crunch of gravel under my feet, the rustling of leaves, the slight chill in the evening air. My shoulders loosen and my stiff exterior chips away, revealing the carefree camper I hope is still in there somewhere.

Inside, the dining room looks the way it always did: shiny wood floors and row after row of long, rectangular tables. The one difference is the rich scent of garlic wafting from the kitchen—our camp fare never smelled this decadent.

The kitchen door swings open, and out walks the guy I ran into earlier, wearing an apron covered in hot pink lips and the wordskiss the cook. My cheeks heat with the memory of our run-in. He isdefinitelybetter looking than old Chef Cindy.

Before he can notice me, I make a beeline for the table where Jessie is sitting. She’s talking animatedly to Dot, who looks just like I remember: short gray hair and stocky build. Across from them are a young couple—a petite, dark-hairedwoman sitting on the lap of a big, blond man. Presumably the Zac and Zoey who have the room next to mine. They’re all laughing and talking like they’re best friends. At the end of the table, I recognize Mr. Billy, the old groundskeeper. He seemed ancient back when I was a camper, and I’m impressed he’s still working.

It feels like walking into my junior high cafeteria and realizing everyone has a group to sit with except me.

My muscles tense. Should I leave?

“Get over here, Goldberg,” Dot calls. Her voice is gruff, but she’s smiling. “Good to see you again.”

“Hi.” I wave. I literally wave. Like an awkward loser. Quickly, I stuff my offending hand into my pocket before I do something even worse, like give them all a thumbs-up.

“Make room,” Dot commands, and Zac slides down the bench, Zoey still in his lap. I take a seat across from Jessie, who barely acknowledges my presence.

I might have been better off sitting by Mr. Billy.

Dot makes introductions, ending with the chef. “And you remember Coop, of course.”

My cheeks heat as I look up at him.

“Hi…again?” I say awkwardly. Am I supposed to know him?

“Cooper,” he says. “It’s been a long time, Hill. How’ve you been?”

He says this so casually I almost wonder if he doesn’t recognize me as the nearly naked woman he ran into. And how does he know me?

But then he bites his lower lip, and the gesture brings it all back. The two of us, standing a breath apart down by thelake. I was fourteen that summer, and after Sara Verkest kissed Matt Berger, I was the only girl in our cabin who hadn’t gotten to first base yet. I hadn’t even made it up to bat.

Jessie, being the best friend she was, set out on a mission to find a guy for me to smooch. She was strategic, narrowing it down to two: Toby from Cabin Eleven, who had kissed a lot of girls, and Cooper from Cabin Twenty-One, who was friends with a lot of girls, but as far as we knew, hadn’t kissed anyone. In the end, we decided kissing Cooper would be less intimidating. He wasn’t exactly cute by most teenagers’ standards, but he was sweet and funny.

I’m still not sure what Jessie did to convince him, but she got Cooper to meet me down by the lake after dinner. The view, with the early evening sun casting a shimmering light across the water, took my breath away.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about the kiss, which was awkward and wet. I tried to look him up once after telling someone the story, but Cooper is his last name, and I never knew his first. I guess I can ask him now that he’s here, standing right in front of me, waiting for me to say something.

“Wow,” I say. “You look amazing—I never would have recognized you.”

I cringe, wishing I could stuff the offending words back in my mouth. He doesn’t seem bothered, though. His eyes light up and he flashes me a grin.

“I shot up five inches when I turned seventeen and realized I needed to burn calories instead of just consuming them,” he says.

I laugh, and accidentally glance down at his ring finger,which is bare. Not that it matters. Even though my current relationship status is single, this guy has “player” written all over him. Literally.

“Nice apron,” I say.

“Nice dress,” he replies.

Is he teasing me for being overdressed? His eyes dip down my body and he gives a smirky little smile like he’s remembering exactly howunderdressed I was just an hour ago.

My cheeks flush. “Uh—thanks.”

“Any time.” He looks like he’s about to say something else, but a timer goes off in the kitchen. “Better go get that.”

As Cooper excuses himself, I look over to see Jessie watching me. Her jaw is tight, and I search her face for a glimpse of the girl who orchestrated that first kiss.

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