Page 63 of Who Let The Wolves Out?

“You didn’thaveto.”

She winks.

I try to disappear into my own shirt.

But she’s already turning back to the drawer, still smiling.

“I figured this might be coming. Actually,” she adds, flipping through a set of folders, “I’ve been planning to talk to Jason about a full-time role. Just hadn’t decided where he fits best yet.”

My head snaps up. “Really?”

Julie nods. “He’s got something rare. Heart. Leadership. An instinct for these kids that can’t be taught. I wasn’t gonna let that go to waste.”

Relief spreads through me, warm and golden.

“He really cares,” I whisper.

“I know,” she says, softly this time. “So do you. And yeah—we can make the housing work. You just let me know whenbothof you are ready to make it official.”

I nod, cheeks still warm, but smiling now.

Because everything’s starting to line up.

Not perfectly.

But honestly.

And that’s even better.

The next morning, I get up early.

Not because I have to.

Because Iwantto.

The lake’s misty, the air still cool, and the rec field is quiet. I stand there for a second, clipboard in hand, calendar tucked under my arm, just... breathing.

This is mine now.

Not in the possessive way.

But in thebelongingway.

I head to the arts shed first, unlocking the door and flipping the lights on. The faint smell of paint, glitter, and dried glue hits me and, weirdly, it calms me. I arrange the brushes, refill the bead bins, pull the weekly roster off the wall and adjust it with a pink highlighter.

By the time the first few campers trickle in—early birds with sleepy faces and wild hair—I’ve got three activity stations prepped, music playing low from the enchanted speaker, and a goofy new sign that saysMONSTER MACRAME – Weave or Be Weaved.

I guide Ferix to the clay table, help Mira pick out her yarn colors, and talk Rubi through knotting a bracelet with one hand while she holds her half-eaten muffin in the other.

They’re loud and messy and full of energy.

And I’m not overwhelmed.

I’manchored.

In the chaos. In the joy. In the squeals and the glitter spills and Nolan accidentally getting fabric paint on his ear.

Julie peeks in during mid-morning rotation, leans against the doorframe with a coffee in hand, watching for a beat before saying, “Looks like someone’s in their element.”

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