I got sent here to fix myself. The end.”
“Who sent you here?”
“The end,” he repeated.
“For someone who gave me a lecture on trying to connect with my campers, you’re having a hard time connecting with me.”
“I’m not obligated to connect with you,” he said.
“Fine. Help me connect with them, since I’m doing such an epically bad job at it.”
He raked a hand across his stubbled jaw, frowning. “I already gave all the advice I have. You have to want to make it work with them. If you distance yourself, they’re going to feel it. If you judge them, they’re going to feel it.”
“It’s hard not to judge people who are judging me.”
“They’re the campers,” he said. “You’re the one who has to make the first step. If you can’t, you’re setting yourself up for failure. If you can’t, they win. It’s that simple. Besides, you managed to get along with me and I’m twenty times more difficult to deal with.”
“Got that right.”
“I’m being serious.”
“So am I,” I said. “You’re stubborn and difficult, despite this good-looking exterior. You’re like a Venus flytrap. You wait, drawing people in with your charm. Then bam! You crush them with your sarcasm.”
“No one has ever compared me to a Venus flytrap.”
“Because you’ve never met anyone as smart as me.”
He shook his head, grinning. “Where are you from, anyway? What type of background has given you this awesomeness you seem to think you have?”
“It’s my Cajun coming out.”
“You’re from Louisiana?”
“South of Shreveport. Born and bred.”
My smile faded. Shreveport was the birthplace of my parents’ ultimatum. It was also Nikki’s favorite city.
“And what landed you out here?” he said. “You just randomly decide to be Loraine’s niece of the year and volunteer yourself as her newest employee?”
“I’m her only niece, and I don’t think volunteer is the right word for it,” I said, watching the rain.
Grant nudged me in the side, his face tilting my way. “I gave you a fraction of my story. It’s your turn to give me a fraction of yours.”
“That wasn’t a part of the agreement,” I said, shaking my head. “Besides, it’s more mysterious to keep those parts of me from you. Keeps you wanting to learn more about me. Makes it more of a chase.”
“You think I’m interested in chasing after you?” he said.
“We do a pretty good job of flirting. I don’t think it’s totally far-fetched.”
“What if I don’t consider what we do flirting? What if it’s just random conversations with a girl I was forced to pair up with for the summer?”
“Then it’s your loss,” I said.
“A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E,” he said.
“I think you like it more than you let on.”
“I do, but I think it’s one of the biggest issues between you and your cabin,” he said. “You do a good job ebbing and flowing when it comes to you and me. You need to figure out how to apply that tactic to your cabin.”
“Getting along with you and getting along with my cabin are two different things,” I said.
“Then figure it out,” he said. “If you don’t, that failure will fall on both of us.”
He stood, grabbing his umbrella from the concrete. Rain was still cascading around the pavilion, but he didn’t seem to care.
“I’ve got people looking to me to do this job, expecting me to do a good job, so I need you not to fail.”
“I’m not trying to.”
“Then don’t.”
He stepped into the downpour, glancing at me over his shoulder as he walked toward the path. I could’ve stayed in that pavilion with him much, much longer, but he was right. This was a job. Whether I chose it or not, being a counselor was a part of the gig and there was money on the line. Substantial money.
The rain stopped just before Grant and I got back to our cabin. I split off and headed to my side, opening the screen door to an almost pitch-black interior where snores encompassed the space in hushed hums.
Thankfully, someone left the bathroom light on. I could see well enough to navigate the path to my bed, only to find Erica passed out on top of the covers with a copy of some Nicholas Sparks book in her hand.
Quietly, I shook my head and retrieved a fresh set of clothes. After grabbing a quick shower, I changed and headed back into the room. With Erica still passed out on my bed, I found an empty one near the door and slid beneath the covers. It was lumpier than mine, the comforter