Chapter 3 #2
“Five more days,” he said.
“Can’t wait.”
I glanced at the calendar.
June 2nd. Camp day.
Five days later, Mom’s car rolled to a stop in front of Camp Blackshear’s gates, and for the first time in weeks, I smiled.
“When does Max get here?” Mom asked, pulling the keys from the ignition.
“Three o’clock,” I said, glancing at my watch.
She popped the trunk, and I stepped into the gravel. My Converse shoes sunk into the familiar dust. That’s when she handed me a small pink gift bag, her face lit with secret excitement.
Inside, there was a brand-new silver iPhone.
“What?!” I gasped, clutching it like it might vanish.
“You’re an adult now,” she said, grinning.
I gave her a look. I’d been an adult for a whole year already. I was only a few months shy of turning nineteen.
She lifted her hands in surrender. “I know. I know. It’s overdue. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“Mom! I can’t believe you got me a cell phone!” I exclaimed, looking at the shiny new screen. I hugged her, breathing in her floral scent. “Did West say it was all right?”
“Yes, he said it was time. It’ll be monitored—calls and texts only. No internet. You can’t download any apps. But at least now, we can text every day.”
West would see everything, but I didn’t care.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you, too. And maybe this year, I’ll finally meet Max.”
She’d said that before. Every year, she left before he arrived. She never made it to Parents’ Weekend, and when she came to pick me up, he had already left. He was always leaving early for baseball camp.
There was a strange tug at my heart when I thought about the two of them meeting. For some reason, I didn’t want her and Max in the same room. Part of me knew that worlds like mine and his shouldn’t touch outside of Camp Blackshear. It felt like it could explode.
Just as I thought it, I sensed him, like my body had tuned itself to his presence.
The hair on the back of my neck prickled, and I lightly touched my scar, turning towards the parking lot. When I turned, Max stepped out of his dark blue Chevy truck, and my entire world stuttered to a halt.
He stood just beyond the knot of counselors and older campers, taller than I remembered, moving with a maddening calm that made everyone else look like they were trying too hard.
His dark hair had grown past the neat boyish cut he used to keep, curling at the ends like he hadn’t bothered with a haircut in weeks.
I wanted to run my hands through it, feel its weight between my fingers.
I immediately bit my lower lip and shifted my weight, silently scolding myself for thinking that way about him.
He took off his sunglasses and tucked them into the collar of his white cutoff shirt.
The frayed sleeve edges revealed his strong, tanned forearms—evidence of his baseball training and outdoor lifestyle.
His physique wasn’t merely muscular; it seemed designed for movement, as if he’d forget how to breathe if he stayed still too long.
The sun had deepened his skin to a golden-brown, but the crooked smirk tucked into the corner of his mouth hadn’t faded. Only… it wasn’t boyish anymore. There was nothing innocent about it now.
When he reached for his duffel, his shirt lifted just enough to flash lean, toned abs where there had once been a soft belly. He had on scuffed-up combat boots under jeans, and when I dragged my gaze back up to his face, I hit the full force of his eyes.
God, those eyes. Had they always been that blue? Not sky blue, too pale. Not ocean blue, too blue. They were the impossible, glowing blue of water lit from within.
And just like that, I was back on the lake at sixteen, knees knocking in a kayak, both of us staring at the aquamarine shimmer beneath us.
“This is so cool,” he had said, leaning closer. “I had forgotten how blue it was. It looks like you.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing,” he’d muttered, then whispered so softly I almost missed it. “So pretty.”
I’d pretended I didn’t hear him.
But this Max McKinnon, the one I was staring at, wasn’t the boy from my childhood. He was a man.
And he looked dangerous.
“Mackenzie.” My mom’s voice was far away, like she was calling me from the bottom of a tunnel. She jabbed me in the ribs, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“What?” I yelped, too loud, heart racing like I’d just been caught doing something I shouldn’t. She followed my gaze and raised her brows. “Is that him?”
I tried to sound normal but failed. “Uh… yeah. Yes. That’s him.”
Fuck. I was stuttering.
Her lips curved knowingly. “Oh, I see. I get it now.”
“It’s not like that,” I blurted. “He’s just my friend.” I was already looking anywhere but his arms.
“Mmhmm,” she said, amused. “So not future son-in-law material? Because if he were, I wouldn’t complain. He’s super cute.”
Jesus Christ.
“Oh my God, Mom.” My cheeks were on fire.
I watched him grab his Atlanta Braves cap from the truck bed and quickly flip it backwards on his head. His eyes scanned the parking lot, stopping briefly before moving on.
“He’s looking for you,” Mom whispered. “Let’s go.”
I trailed behind her, stomach flipping, as Max swung his duffel bag onto his shoulder, locked the truck, and spotted me. In an instant, he was moving toward me, all warmth and confidence, arms wide. He wrapped me in a hug so tight I could barely breathe.
“Max!” I protested. “You’re going to break my spine!”
He set me down slowly, his hands skimming my waist a fraction longer than necessary, and gave me a smile that made my knees threaten mutiny.
My pulse was a drum in my throat. He smelled like summer, a mixture of salt and sun, and I wanted to drown in it.
When he turned to my mom, recognition sparked in his eyes. “Wow, is this your mom?”
“Yes, I’m her mom,” she said, stretching out a hand.
“I’m a hugger, Ms. Hamill,” he grinned, pulling her in.
I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. My mother giggled.
Giggled.
I yanked him back.
“Okay, that’s enough.” My fingers curled around his arm, warmed by the muscle there.
Mom whispered as she hugged me goodbye.
“Make the most of this summer.” Then, tighter, her lips brushing my ear: “He likes you.”
I pulled back, flustered. “Mom—No.”
“Okay,” she laughed. “What do I know?”
But her eyes said something else as she walked away. She briefly looked around her, staring a long time at some of the senior counselors before walking off to her car.
It was weird. Her behavior was off. But I didn’t think much about it because Max was crowding my space.
“Wait… no way. You got a cell phone?” Max’s voice was rough, almost amused, as he grabbed my hand and lifted it like a trophy, eyes gleaming with something unreadable. “Look at you. Finally, one of us.”
I scoffed, snatching my hand back like it burned.
“Says the imposter who’s taken over Max,” I shot back, already moving toward the check-in. He slid beside me, shadowing my pace.
“When did this happen?” I asked, twisting my hand on his bicep, feeling the muscle tense under my fingers.
His grin split his face, part cocky, part dangerous.
“Told you I had to bulk up for the scouts. Worked like a charm.” He lowered his voice, lips curling into a playful smile. “Jealous?”
“Jealous of your fake muscles? Hardly.” I grinned, challenging him. “I could still make you eat dirt.”
His eyes flickered, sharp and calculating. He leaned in, breath hot and low.
“Careful, friend. Keep talking like that, and I might have to make you eat dirt.”
The word ‘friend’ rolled off his tongue differently this time, a warning disguised in a casual tone. We were talking like childhood friends.
But we both knew we were holding back. His tone was different. It wasn’t entirely playful; it was flirtatious. My breath caught before I recovered.
“Please,” I shot back, stepping closer, voice dropping with something reckless. “Too bad for you, I’ve been living dangerously since day one. I don’t care that you’re a fucking giant, standing there at six-foot-three, or whatever. I’ll beat your ass.”
He chuckled low, a growl deep in his chest that scraped something raw inside me.
“Six-four, Trouble. I had a growth spurt.”
I leaned in too close, standing up on my tiptoes. His eyes immediately went to my lips.
“Six-four? Huh? Guess I’ll need a step stool to smack that cocky smirk off your face.”
What the hell was I doing? I was flirting back with him.
He opened his mouth to say more, but I spun away, heart pounding too loud. “I’m going to check in.” My voice was shaking, betraying me.
At the check-in, we split lines. I could hear his rich voice carry as he told the staff he was glad to be back.
“Great to see you again, Mackenzie,” Graham greeted. He was older now, in his late twenties, but still as eager as ever. He was now full-time staff.
“Great to see you, Graham,” I said, rifling through my folder. “Am I in Cabin 5 again with the girls?”
He glanced up, fingers tapping keys.
“Didn’t get the email? We had to adjust cabins this year. Renovations.”
“You sent the email to my mom?” I blinked, confused.
“Yeah. Needed her okay on this. Some junior counselors are bunking together. You’re technically an adult, but since we’ve mixed your cabin with boys, we needed her consent.”
My stomach dropped.
“Your mom said it was all good. She approved it.”
I blinked. My brain did not compute. I was staying in the cabin with the boys. That meant…
“Hey, roomie!” Max’s voice cut through, his hands gripping my shoulders like I was his prize.
“Um… yeah.” My mind was screaming chaos.
Shit.
I wasn’t going to survive the summer.