scale of one to Dallas Cowboy football, how bad was it?”
“That’s a stupid analogy,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Give me a minute and I can think of a better one.”
“Do we really have to chat, though? Can we not and just say we did?”
“We could, but since we’re stuck with each other, communication isn’t exactly optional,” he said, taking off a Texas Tech lanyard hanging around his neck. “We have to talk. Let’s start with something small and easy to navigate.”
He handed me the lanyard, then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me too.
“Those are your counselor keys,” he said. “I figured you had nowhere to put them, so consider that a gift. Wreck ’em Tech.”
“I need caffeine,” I said, eyeing a calendar that included Team Building Sessions 1–5, Group Therapy, and Yoga for the Soul. “Are these optional activities?”
“Nope. That’s our preassigned schedule, courtesy of Loraine,” he said. “Check line three, on today. See the part where you’re scheduled for counselor prep from nine to twelve?”
My stomach dropped.
“That lovely line means you’re stuck with me for the better part of the morning,” Grant said. “It also means I’m here for all your co-counselor needs.”
“Where’s the nearest cliff?” I said, handing it back.
“Just drink in the moment and reflect on how lucky you are to have me as a co-counselor,” he said, cramming the paper in his pocket.
“I’d rather drink whiskey,” I said, shaking my head.
We entered a part of camp I had visited only once the day before. The mess hall sat at the end of it, its roof gleaming in the sunlight.
“Do you want a proper introduction to the junction?” Grant said, motioning at the freestanding buildings around us. “Or would you like to forgo the official camp tour, once and for all?”
“Is there anything I need to know about the junction?” I said, quirking a brow.
Architecturally, the buildings were different from the cookie-cutter cabins we were supposed to sleep in. Reflecting more of a western feel, their flat porches and solid exteriors were less lodge-looking and more rustic.
My brow furrowed as my eyes scanned their signs. MEDICINE AND MORE. THE HUT. OLD TOWNE OPRY.
“Not really,” he said, walking ahead. “The buildings are pretty self-explanatory.”
“Then I’ll skip this part of the tour,” I said.
We continued walking, nearing the mess hall at the end of the road. The metal-roofed building with large screened-in windows at the front, two benches outside, and a door on each end looked more like something concocted of Lincoln Logs. It was the perfect addition to the junction’s buildings, totally camp chic.
Grant reached the door before me. The hinges creaked as he opened it, and the smell of biscuits was overpowering from the other side.
With its wood-paneled walls and iridescent lights, the mess hall looked like school cafeteria goes to camp. Boat oars hung on the walls, pictures scattered beneath them, while Camp Kenton’s flags hung from the ceiling.
Large folding tables ran from wall to wall, sandwiched by metal chairs. Grant bypassed the tables and headed straight for two serving lines on the other side. Counselors stood there, divvying biscuits and gravy onto their plates.
We reached them, my stomach growling as I grabbed a plate from the stack. Two minutes later, I left the line with a loaded-down plate of biscuits, gravy, eggs, and bacon. Grant walked ahead of me to the other side of the room, taking a chair at the longest table in the middle. I set my plate beside his, the metal chair scraping against the concrete floor. A few people looked my way. I forced a smile and sat down, nerves on end at the number of people in the room.
“Okay, agenda for today,” Grant said, filling his glass with orange juice. “First things first, you need to meet the other counselors. I know I’m irresistibly charming, but you need friends other than me. Hard to believe, I know.”
“Uh-huh, what am I really doing?” I said, scooping eggs onto my fork.
“Primarily getting your side of the cabin set up,” he said, putting the pitcher of juice back on the table. “I’d consider you spending the night in the counselor cabin a complete cop-out of your responsibilities. Use today to get your cabin ready for campers. Show you’re actually capable of your position.”
“Don’t start on me,” I said, swallowing my food. “I have bigger things to worry about than your unneeded and inaccurate opinion of me.”
“Ooh. Did I strike a nerve?”
“Don’t kid yourself,” I said. “I