Last Chance Summer - Shannon Klare Page 0,67

her eyes. She closed them again, returning to her former position on the folding chair.

Grant stared at her a moment, scowling as he returned his attention to me. “I know I said all campers need someone to relate to, but geez. How do you tolerate that one? She annoys me and I’m used to it.”

“Meh, she’s not that bad when she’s got Jess around to keep her in check.”

“Um, I keep Jess in check,” Brie said.

“Anyway,” Grant said, ignoring her. “So you and me are good? No weirdness? No deciding you’re really not into me?”

“I mean, I was never into you. You just kind of annoyed me until I had to pay attention to you,” I said.

“Same,” Grant said, grinning. “We’ll just continue annoying the crap out of each other until we either can’t stand one another or we can’t stand to be without the other. Which ought to be fun either way.”

And complicated.

“Oh!” he said, snapping his fingers. “That reminds me! I have this top-secret assignment I was hoping to hit you up on. If the thought of being around me more than you have to be doesn’t seem like something that would make you want to get lost in the woods again.”

“I wasn’t lost. I was just looking for my way out,” I said.

“You were sitting on the ground, pouting.”

“Tomato. To-mah-to. What’s the assignment? Let’s focus on that.”

“Camper talent show,” he said. “The midsession event that sends all the campers scouring for hidden talents. Everyone wants to participate, but only the strong survive.”

“So they battle to the death?”

“What kind of organizer do you think I am? Clearly they go three rounds.”

I quirked an eyebrow.

“Three rounds of auditions,” he said. “We start off with a big net, narrow it down to fifteen, then narrow it down to ten. The counselors also organize a skit, and most of the camp admin staff does something too. We’d be in charge of narrowing the list.”

“You mean I get to be Simon Cowell for a day?” I said.

“Yeah, and when you’re not crushing the hopes and dreams of people auditioning, you get to spend time with me. It’s a win-win.”

“Alone time?”

“You think I’d offer this side job to just anyone?” he said, putting his hand in front of his heart. “No. This is an Alex kind of job. No other counselor could hack it.”

While the camper talent show seemed far from fun, spending unchaperoned time with Grant was hard to turn down. Then again, I should turn it down. Finding more time with him was just another way to dig a deeper hole for myself.

I was already in too deep.

“You know, I think I’m actually going to sit this out,” I said, stepping backward. “Thanks for the offer though.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Grant said, keeping a hold on my hand. “What happened in the last two seconds that sent you from serious contemplation to no not interested? I feel like I missed something.”

“It’s too vanilla for me.”

“Too vanilla? Do you think I do vanilla?”

I surveyed him, the smile in his face dying as seconds ticked by.

“I’ve adjusted to this whole counselor thing, but I’m just not interested in helping with a talent show,” I said. “Even if you’re included.”

Despite his eyes being covered by the aviators, Grant’s furrowed brow and slightly pursed lips told me enough of what he was thinking. He was either annoyed, confused, or both.

“But I appreciate the offer,” I said.

“Right. Okay.” He cleared his throat, taking a step backward. “Noted.”

I pushed a piece of hair behind my ear and stared at the pool for the millionth time, because pretending to watch the campers was way easier than facing him straight on.

“I think I’m going to get back on my perch now, where the sting of rejection is easier to deal with.”

“I’m not rejecting you,” I said, an unmistakable tension forming between us. “I’m rejecting the talent show.”

“Got it,” he said. “You have the right to say no, and you did that. I guess I just wasn’t really expecting it.”

“Grant.”

“Let’s just pause the conversation,” he said. “For when there aren’t a bunch of campers floating around, eavesdropping. Later?”

“Yeah.”

I stepped away, crossing through the opening in the pool’s concrete wall while echoes of the conversation rang through my mind. Rejection was the only real way of keeping myself safe, but Grant had no clue what he did wrong.

He couldn’t know. He never would.

16

Fate

Around nine forty-five, I dragged a hoodie from beneath my bed and hauled it over my head. The girls were