Sun Kissed (Camp Boyfriend) (21 page)

I slashed, my ax sinking deep into a fallen yellow pine, splinters filling the air like confetti. Only this wasn’t a party. It was mindless work, hard labor and I needed to stop thinking so damn much. Yet being back in North Carolina’s Pisgah Woods, where I’d hiked with my ex-girlfriend, Lauren, made staunching the memories impossible.

My blade flashed in the mid-summer light, shearing off boughs, each thud giving me a savage satisfaction. I might have lost my best friend, the only girl I’d ever love or trust, but I could sure as hell rip apart this rotted tree.

In fact, I wished it could chop it into a million pieces. Turn it into sawdust and grind it into the earth the way I wanted to bury the raw burn in my gut. But as a caretaker for my grandparents’ camp, Juniper Point, I followed orders: clear the pine off the trail and deliver the logs for the bonfire. Now that I was eighteen and too old for camp, I wouldn’t be sitting around that fire laughing with friends or flirting with my girl.

My ex-girl.

The memory of Lauren’s hand in mine as we’d watched the leaping flames each year, singing off-key until we laughed, cut through me, sharp as a fresh blade. But that ended last summer when she’d returned to camp with an ex who wasn’t an ex—someone she said she’d break up with, but then broke my heart instead.

I’d believed in her, in us, and—eventually—a future together. I thought that if I gave her space, she’d become her old self—the astronomer who quoted
Star Wars
and debated Marvel superheroes. Most of all, I’d had faith that she’d remember what we’d meant to each other and come back to me.

Dumbass.

Hadn’t my deadbeat mom taught me not to trust anyone when she’d dropped me off at pre-school and never came back? At least not until two weeks ago, after I’d graduated high school. Nice job, Mom. I couldn’t get out of town fast enough when she’d rolled up to the house in a cab last month, trying to make things all better. I’d heard that act before— that she’d gotten clean. That this time would be different. Cheers to Gramps for coming through with the caretaker job to spare me the latest episode of Reines family drama, even if it meant spending the rest of the summer at Camp Juniper Point. Better here than back in Indiana.

I shoved the thought aside and hacked a branch in half, my shoulders aching. A drumming sounded nearby, and I spotted the scarlet-topped head of a pileated woodpecker.
Dryocopus pileatus
, I automatically recalled. It banged its long white bill into a dead balsam, widening a hole from which scurried large, black carpenter ants. I dropped my blade and chugged warm water, the bitter tang of metal sliding down my throat. All around me, shrubs and saplings competed for the scarce sunlight in this dank, natural sauna. Had it been this hot in the North Carolina mountains every year?

Swiping the sweat from my forehead, I took a deep breath and hefted the ax again, my arms straining as I brought it down on the main trunk. The simple instrument was a lot more satisfying than a chain saw with the added bonus of no air and noise pollution. It felt good to use my own hands, my strength, and my will to slog through it after the shit year that I’d had. 

A cloud of dust rose as I chopped through the top of the tree; something whizzed by my ear and embedded itself in the white birch beside me.

What the hell?

I examined the yellow-tipped arrow, recognizing it from the camp’s archery course. One inch to the right, and it would have been in my skull.

Maybe that would have been preferable.

I yanked it loose and headed for the clearing on the other side of a copse of beech trees. I’d avoided the campers until now, but if I didn’t toss the thing back on the field, one of them would come searching in the woods— and I wasn’t in the mood to socialize.

When I burst through the trees, the bright sun made me see spots. The instructor yelled “Not clear” for everyone to hold, making me realize what a stupid move it was to walk onto an archery course without checking. I waved the arrow at a line of girls who pointed and smiled at me, someone yelling, “Seth.” It wasn’t until my vision returned that the arrow dropped from my numb fingers.

They were Lauren’s former bunk mates, the Munchies Manor girls. It was exactly the reminder I’d been avoiding by working on the edges of the property and leaving the onsite work to the full-time caretaker. My eyes skimmed down the line of familiar girls, my gaze automatically searching out Lauren, her absence feeling like a pulled tooth. Yet the sight of another girl distracted me, her long purple tie-dye skirt blowing in a light wind; her dreadlocks pulled off her face to show large gray eyes that widened when I met them.

Trinity.

We stared at each other for a long moment and it all came rushing back, her stolen journal last year, her secret crush on me revealed. My eyes darted away then returned, our gazes locking. I wondered if she still felt that way. Not that it’d change anything. She was pretty with those larger-than-life eyes, her chin a soft point beneath her full mouth. But looks didn’t matter to me. Trinity and I were just friends. Friends who had less and less in common as she’d gotten more involved in astrology and fortune-telling— stuff I didn’t believe in.

“What are you doing here?” she called.

For the first time, I noticed her smile, the kind that lit up her whole face. Where would I be now if it had been Trinity who’d held my heart all those years? Just my luck, I’d care about someone who wouldn’t stick around.

The universe had a perverse sense of humor.

“Working. I’m staying at my grandparents’ house.” I nearly smacked my head. Why had I shared that? It wasn’t like I wanted a visit. 

After a last look at Trinity, I waved back at the girls, spun on my heel, and headed into the woods. I was done trusting in things I couldn’t count on. Trinity could have her superstitions. As for me, reality was all that mattered, and right now, that meant I needed to finish up, deliver the wood, and forget about camp for today.

Chapter Two

Trinity

“You’re going to catch flies if you don’t close that thing,” my bunkmate Jackie drawled beside me.

My mouth clamped shut, but I kept my eyes on the tree line where Seth Reines had just disappeared, willing him to come back. Despite the light breeze, perspiration dotted my forehead, and I lifted my long dreadlocks to cool off my neck. He’d really been here. As in, not an astral dream but reality. Though with his gorgeous blond curls, topaz eyes, and golden skin, he resembled some fae king of the summer court. If only he wanted to make me his fairy queen.

I sighed, refitted the arrow on the string, and lifted the bow.

A girl could wish.

I tried to slow my racing thoughts, but they sped along anyway. Seth had been carrying one of my yellow-tipped arrows. Was it a sign? Cupid’s attempt to bring us together? If only. I’d crushed on Seth for years, even before my former cabin mate Lauren saw Seth as more than a guy to swap comic book trivia with. But I’d sensed they were into each other and didn’t speak up. It was bad karma to betray your friends. So I’d stayed on the sidelines, telling only my diary about my secret crush, until Lauren’s mistake exposed it to the entire camp…including Seth.

It would have been mortifying, but, a part of me had hoped it would make Seth see me in a new light. But our stars had been determined not to align, even after he and Lauren broke up.

 “I heard he’s doing some volunteer work to rebuild the old gazebo out by Crystal Falls, where we used to picnic,” I heard Jackie say to Yasmine, the new girl in our cabin this summer. “Some of the Wander Inn guys are signing up to help him during their free period.”

My pulse pounded. How had Jackie known Seth was here, and I hadn’t? I hoped she was right, that he was sticking around for a full, summer-long stay. A thrill shot through me, sending my thoughts in a million directions.

“Cool,” Piper, another member of our group, said as she stretched her arms over her head. “It’s great to re-use those building materials. It’s just been sitting in a heap for years.”

Kind of like my broken heart
, I thought.

But she was right about the gazebo. It had still been in use the first couple of years I’d attended camp, but then they declared it unsafe and had roped it off. Over the last two years, the roof had fallen in.

“Ladies!” Mr. Barry shouted, calling me back to the archery exercise. “Ready! Aim!”

As I sighted the shot, I wondered if anyone could sign up to help Seth with the gazebo. I had worried I would never see him again, and now he appeared out of the forest like I’d dreamed him back to Camp Juniper Point. What if our stars were finally in sync? My fingers itched for the feel of my tarot cards to do a reading and see for myself. What a crappy time to have taken a break from divination. Why had I let my art teacher get under my skin with his crack about me being too interested in the supernatural? That my art wasn’t grounded in the real world and wouldn’t get me accepted into art school.

“Fire!” came the command.

The air reverberated with the collective release of our arrows, and I sighed, wishing I’d been able to express myself better to Mr. Slater. But what if he’d been right when he said I wasn’t a “serious artist”— whatever that meant. I’d never shied away from fanciful subjects, embracing Chagall so tightly I wished I could fall right into his bright paintings filled with myth and mysticism. But maybe I wasn’t showing enough range. A sigh escaped me as I imagined painting boring fruit bowls or flower arrangements.

I was trying like hell to be a Real World Girl this summer, and it sucked.  

“I can’t believe he’s working here.” I shook my stinging hand and tried to sound offhand, like I didn’t care either way anymore. As if Seth hadn’t gotten even hotter now that he was an older guy, a college guy, and way out of my league. “Isn’t it weird that he’s staying so close to camp, but he’s not hanging out with us?”

Siobhan and Piper nodded, and hope surged. Maybe they’d find a way to invite him over. He might not be a camper anymore, but his grandparents owned the place. They could bend the rules. I wanted to break a few with him…

Jackie jogged closer and thumped our friend Alex, who never hit the board, on the shoulder. “Good job!”

I studied the arrow sticking on the left edge of her board.

“Isn’t that Trinity’s?” Yasmine retied the ends of her head scarf.

“Oops.” I forced a laugh. “That is mine. Guess I was distracted. Sorry, Alex.”

Distracted? Hah, that was an understatement.

I’d been in a fog even before I saw Seth, since I still hadn’t come up with a good project to balance out my art portfolio. How could I create art that was “grounded” and “authentic” when I could care less about real life— which— in my opinion, was overrated. Developing fantasy worlds on canvas helped me escape. I’d never stopped to think about what else I could do. Wasn’t that being false to my Muse or something?

Unless the gazebo could be a kind of art…

“All right, ladies, retrieve your missiles; we’re finished.” Mr. Barry gave the order that set us free.

Fueled by the idea taking shape in my head, I raced downfield to gather mine, hoping to catch a glimpse of Seth and ask him about the gazebo project. It was so reality based, it was perfect. Almost like destiny. Was my karma finally smoothing my way to at least make amends with Seth? I missed the friendship we’d had a long time ago.

 “If some of the boys are helping Seth, you ought to be able to do that too, Trinity,” said Siobhan when we reached our targets, her bright mind picking up on my earlier question. “You should ask, Emily. You know she always fights for girls to be able to do anything the guys can.”

She plucked arrows from her archery board, and I dropped my nearly full quiver and had to start over. Alex helped me scoop up some, her expression surprised as she watched my shaking hands fumble.

“You should go for it, Trinity,” she said with a wink that made me blush.

How much more obvious could I get? They all knew about my crush, but I’d hoped they’d think I was over it. I’d seen firsthand how much drama a camp romance could bring, and I really needed to focus on my art this summer so I could knock Mr. Slater off his feet when I went back to school this fall.

Piper handed Alex one of her red-tipped arrows. “Let’s all sign up.”

“I’m in.” Yasmine pulled another arrow from her yellow bull’s eye.

Despite my turmoil, I was impressed. Was there anything our level-headed roommate didn’t do well? Maybe I should ask her for Seth advice since I wasn’t going to ask the tarot cards or even do a quick astrology reading.

“I can’t.” Alex grabbed the last of my missed shots and stuffed them in her quiver. “I’ve got to get my skit organized; and, as much as I want Trinity to have her chance with Seth, I really need the rest of you guys.”

Horrified, I pretended to look for another arrow behind an archery board. How could they discuss my feelings so casually? I might commune with spirits, but I wasn’t one.

“And why should your friends do what
you
want them to all the time?” I cheered silently and watched Yasmine’s hoops swing as we headed back to Mr. Barry. “Maybe they have their own dreams to explore and stars to follow.”

Yes! I wanted to shout, but Alex was having a tough summer and my issues could wait for later. I’d tell my new diary, the one I only wrote in under the covers with my flashlight. I wouldn’t take the chance of letting anyone see it again after last summer.

“Thanks for the life lesson, Yoda,” Alex shot back, earning a scathing look from Yasmine and a giggle from Jackie and Siobhan. Although I hated to admit it, Alex could use a few of those lessons. She’d returned to camp this year with an angry dark aura that sparked all around her. “But I can’t make all those costumes or sets by myself.”

Piper brushed past me, the faint smell of patchouli tickling my nose. She slung an arm around Alex. 

“We can do both. Okay? No worries.”

My heart leapt. Both. As in, we’d all work with Seth, and I’d see him again. After a year of trying to turn off my feelings, putting my fingers in each hole in the dam that had held them back all these years, my resistance crumbled. I wanted to see him.