sigh, irritation bubbling. “Look,” I said. “I’ve had a day full of scrubbing that side of the cabin and I’m literally a handful of comforters away from being prepped for campers. Give me my sheets and quit being difficult.”
“Nope,” he said, shaking his head. “First you need to squeeze in the mandatory CPR training and get the other necessary credentials you were supposed to have before you came out here.”
“Are you kidding?” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “We were making such great progress and now you want to swoop in and wreck it?”
“What?” he said. “You might have pulled your cabin together, but you’ve still got a million other things to do before you’re actually ready for campers. I’m just being a realist.”
“No, you’re being a jerk!” I said, throwing up my hands.
“I’m not being a jerk,” he said, hurrying after me. “You’re being sensitive again.”
“Sensitive?!” I turned on him, eyeing his smug expression with clenched fists. “I literally came here for bedding and all I got was another go-around with you. For crying out loud, you can’t even have one conversation with me without being negative. I’m untrained. I get it. I’m incapable. I get it. But I’m here to stay. Get over it!”
I hurried down the steps, landing on the dirt with a thud. If he couldn’t even help me with bedding, how on earth was he supposed to help me with campers?
“Why are you running?” he said, dirt crunching beneath his feet.
“Because every time I’m around you, you find a new way to annoy the hell out of me.”
He slid in front of me as I passed cabin one, blocking my path.
“Get out of my way,” I said, trying to dodge him.
“I feel like you’re blowing this way out of proportion,” he said, blocking me again.
I stopped, glaring at two burning hazel eyes as they watched me beneath the brim of his cap. He was gorgeous, despite his personality flaws, but trying to deal with someone as hotheaded and stubborn as Grant wasn’t worth it. I had money on the line. He had nothing.
“You can get out of my way, or I’ll get you out of my way,” I said.
“Alex.”
“Get. Out. Of. My. Way.”
“Here we go again,” he said, letting me pass.
Counselors, most of whom were more than ready for campers, sat on the counselor cabin’s porch. I walked the path to the main office, glancing at Kira as Grant slowed his pace. She could be his co-counselor. She was better equipped to put up with him.
Classic country drifted through screened-in windows. I took the steps two at a time and then rapped my fist against the door rapidly. The door opened seconds later. Loraine stood on the other side, her smile dropping as I pushed my way in.
“Do you have a minute?” I said, turning on her before the door was even closed. “Better question: Do you have a replacement for the terrible co-counselor you stuck me with?”
Loraine froze in place, her glasses low on her nose.
“Because he’s making me question my college fund. I’d rather drop out of school and be broke than try to spend the summer with Grant,” I said.
“Sit down,” she said, crossing the room.
Sandwiched by a copier, fax machine, and two rows of filing cabinets, Loraine’s office had too many mountains of papers and hardly any organization; it was surprisingly chaotic given her otherwise put-together demeanor.
I plopped into one of the oversized chairs across from her desk, letting out a long exhale as I sat forward. “Let’s cut to the chase, Loraine. I’m not qualified to be a counselor and you know it. Give me a job I can do, and put me out of my misery before campers get here and make everything ten times harder.”
She took a seat in a rolling leather chair, staring at me. “Who said you weren’t qualified?” she said, an edge in her tone.
“It’s common knowledge,” I said, frowning. “I’m the least capable counselor you have, and more of a hindrance than anything.”
“You aren’t a hindrance,” she said, shaking her head. “You can relate to these kids on a level most can’t. Certifications aside, you’ll be a great counselor. If someone has an issue with it, they’re more than welcome to take it up with me. I’m here all day, every day.”
I pulled my lip between my teeth. Her confidence far exceeded my own. “You and I both know Grant would be better off paired with someone who can tolerate him. That