9. Kayla
CHAPTER NINE
KAYLA
A fter a full week of camp training and a weekend of diner shifts, it’s nice to get into the woods. It’s still work, but being out in nature makes the job a little more peaceful. I pull through the Camp Bender entrance gate and follow the winding dirt road to the cabins. The tinge of nostalgia I feel from my days as a camper makes me smile as I park. A large activity building sits front and center, wooden logs stained dark, giving it the perfect summer camp aesthetic. The boys’ and girls’ cabins flank either side of the main hall, set back farther into the redwood forest and stained the same dark hue.
I step from behind the wheel, breathing in the relief of the fresh mountain air before grabbing my bags from the trunk of my silver sedan. When I walk into the mess hall, Claire is standing on a table, trying to hook an oversized Welcome banner on the wall.
“Need any help?” I grab the other side to keep it from sweeping the ground and hold it steady until she sidesteps across the table to grab my end.
“Actually, yes. You know how finicky the copier is in the office upstairs? Can you make copies of this week’s training itinerary, please?”
“On it!” I turn and walk right into Chase .
“Hey there,” he says playfully, steadying me with a hand on my shoulder. “We missed you at the diner this morning.”
“Oh yeah?” I shrug, acting like bumping into him didn’t just send my stomach belly flopping into my toes. “It must not be your lucky day then…” I don’t wait for a response before heading upstairs to the office.
Chase and Hunter have come into the diner at least once a day for the last week for coffee, meals, dessert, directions, you name it. They sit at the counter, taking their sweet time eating, finding ways to get me to engage.
“Hey, Kayla, what’s better: books or phones?”
“Hey, Kayla, who would win in a fight: a bear or a shark?”
“ Hey, Kayla… Kayla… Kayla .”
It’s juvenile and irritating, and sometimes a little hilarious. Patti thinks they’re a hoot and eggs them on. Ashlie will join in if they happen to be there for lunch—turning into a trio of laughing distractions. Before they leave, Hunter always heads to the car while Chase hangs back to try and work his charm. And charming he is, but I’m immune. Mostly . He usually asks some form of, “Do you have any free time?”
And I consistently disappoint him with my standard response of, “I’m working.” It doesn’t stop him from trying though.
The copier jams for the umpteenth time, and I give it a swift kick in the side. It spits out the rest of my copies, and I take a few extra minutes to crisscross the papers for easier sorting. I took the initiative of printing out the schedules for next week, too, so the stack of papers has grown larger than I anticipated. Carefully shifting the massive pile over my forearm, I reach for the stapler with my free hand before leaving the copy room.
Almost everyone else has arrived. The twins sit at the windowsill, having a thumb war, while Claire briefs Willie, the kitchen manager, on the dietary restrictions of the incoming campers. Then there’s Chase, holding a broom while he chats with Bo, the groundskeeper. Chase says something that makes Bo’s head fall back with laughter as he sits in a chair and rubs his knee.
The papers in my hand shift, dangerously close to falling on the floor, so I slam the heavy stack down on the end of a long cafeteria-style table. I may have been a little too ambitious with this project, but I’ll adjust. If needed, I can work during lunch and finish up while Claire gives the opening remarks for the day.
I move pages across the wood grain tabletop and organize the piles for stapling. Samson strolls through the door, looking like he just rolled out of bed with his messy hair and puffy face. He sits on the opposite end of the table right as Claire calls out a five-minute lunch warning.
“Hanging up your counselor hat already?” I gesture at the broom as Chase slides in next to me.
“And miss my chance at spending a week with you? Never.” He winks with a smirky grin on his face. My cheeks light on fire, and I suddenly notice how close he is. If I take too deep of a breath, we’ll touch shoulders. I clear my throat, hoping to settle the fog in my head, and focus on stapling the schedules in front of me. He continues, “No, I saw my buddy Bo limping around and asked if I could help him out. Turns out, he fell last week chasing his cat. I told him to direct me to the mess and take a load off.”
“Your buddy?” I swear this guy knows everyone. Even at the diner, he greets the regulars like he’s been coming there for years. In a week, he’s made friends in all my spaces.
“Well, he is now.” He smiles at me. Before I can stop myself, I look into those dark blue eyes. He takes a deep breath, our shoulders sharing the lightest touch, and my heart threatens to catapult right onto the table. “Need any help?” he asks, looking over the piles I’m working with.
“Nope. I have a system.”
“I’m pretty good with systems…” he tries again. The persistence this guy exhibits would be impressive if it was directed at anything besides me. Why does he insist on trying to help me with simple things I can handle on my own? I don’t really have a system beyond pick up papers, staple papers, stack papers …but accepting his help feels like I’m letting him win some unspoken challenge between us.
“I’m good,” I say, shaking my head. As a hint for him to leave, I try to act like I’m distracted. He doesn’t leave though, taking another deep breath instead, and it takes a hell of a lot more concentration to keep my mind focused on this easy task of stapling papers instead of the brushing of our shoulders.
After lunch, Claire gathers us outside at the ropes course. The sounds of the forest sing around us as we stand at the base of a large redwood. A platform and stairs have been built up the side of the tree, anchored next to a climbing wall. One side has handholds and footholds for climbing, and the other side has flat, wooden slats to rappel down.
“There are two things we want our campers to remember about the rules. Stay with your buddy, and don’t go higher than you’re comfortable with. Pair up and let’s get started with rappelling.”
As I look around the circle of counselors, my eyes lock on Chase’s across from me. I don’t mean to look at him. I’ve spent a week trying not to notice him, and yet, here we are, our eyes bolted together. Just when I think he’s about to walk over, Sami sidles up to him.
“Wanna be partners?” she asks, smacking her gum and bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Sure.” He smiles, turning toward her. An unexpected wave of disappointment hits me, and I shoot my eyes down to my scuffed hiking boots to try and hide it. It doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter . This is for the best. The pang of unwarranted jealousy as I watch him pair up with Sami should be enough of a warning to my system that I need to refocus. Sami’s doing me a favor. I don’t need to be getting any closer to Chase this summer anyway.
I turn my back to them and pair up with Samson, trying to ignore that pesky feeling in the pit of my stomach. We do rock paper scissors to see who’s going first, and he scrunches his face in defeat when he loses. Sending a big smile his way, I grab a helmet and climb the ladder to the top of the platform.
Claire is up here with Kyle, handing out gloves and showing him how to secure our ropes. I’ve done this every summer since I was a camper, so I take a minute to enjoy the view and listen to the birds chirping in the trees. When Claire finishes her instructions, I double-check my ropes and peek over the edge, spotting a messy head of blond waves. Chase was already heading down the wall when I reached the platform, so I shouldn’t have another run-in with him until I’m down on the ground.
“Rappelling!” I yell down to Samson on the ground.
“Rappel on,” he answers, letting me know he’s ready to spot me. I test my feet on the edge of the wooden platform while standing backward. Crouching down low, I move to a sitting position with my break hand gripping the ropes tightly. I take a deep breath and ease my way down slowly.
Making it a little over halfway, I look down and see eyes on me. To my left is Chase, sitting comfortably in his ropes like he isn’t hanging from the side of a wall. Lowering myself a little more, I stop when we’re almost eye level. This better not be a ploy to get me alone.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he jokes.
I tip my head to the side, wondering why he isn’t moving. “Everything okay?”
He gestures to his feet, and that’s when I see his shoelace wedged in between two of the wooden planks, making his left leg cross over the right. “Think you could help me out?” He smiles sheepishly.
“How did this even happen?”
“I think I bobbed when I should have weaved, and my partner isn’t really the guiding type.” He tips his head down to Sami on the ground, who’s turned toward Samson, talking with her hands. “My shoe slipped, and the next thing I know, I’m sitting pretty,” he explains with a shrug.
“Everything okay down there?” Claire asks, peering over the edge.
“Just a little stuck, but I think I got it,” I call back. Moving sideways slowly, I place my feet next to his, reaching to pull on the shoelace with one hand while clinging onto the rope with my braking hand. The lace doesn’t budge. I try again, yanking harder, and almost lose my balance.
Taking a minute to think, I reposition my feet and scrunch up my face, looking at his shoe. I need to get some leverage, but there isn’t enough space for him to shift to the left without releasing his ropes. And I can’t use both of my hands without releasing mine. “I think I need to sit in your lap,” I say seriously, completely missing the blaring double entendre. His eyebrows shoot up suddenly, and color fills his cheeks as I try to explain. “I didn’t mean… I just can’t get a good grip unless I?—”
“Sit in my lap…” he finishes with a smirk. “Got it. I never thought you’d ask. Be my guest.”
Rolling my eyes, I release my rope a little more until I’m level with him. Slowly stepping side to side, I maneuver around his twisted lower half until my legs straddle the stuck shoe. His left arm encloses mine, and I have to choke down more butterflies. “You’ll need to hold my rope and yours at the same time,” I warn. He nods, brushing my gloved hand to grab the rope in my lap. Even with clunky gloves on, the flutters inside me abound. I look over my shoulder. “I’m serious, Chase. If you let go, we’re going to?—”
“I got you,” he whispers. His warm breath fans over my ear, leaving goosebumps trailing down my arms. The scent of sandalwood and something earthy wraps around me as his arm settles on my hip. I take a deep breath to try and release the excitement rumbling around in my belly. Bracing myself against him, I lean forward to grip his shoe and feel shifting underneath me.
“Really, Chase?” I say under my breath as I try to reposition out of the path of his bulge.
“Not exactly a choice right now…” he grits out.
With another breath, I yank hard, and the lace breaks, leaving a flimsy gray remnant as the only evidence of what just happened.
Silently, I wrap my hand around his and grab my rope from him. “I’ll-um…see you down at the bottom,” I choke out nervously, moving slowly to my side of the wall. He’s watching me, and I keep my eyes straight ahead to avoid looking at him. I can’t make it to the ground fast enough as my body tries to recalibrate after that sensory takeover. His arms, his cologne, his…well… him underneath me, it was a lot to deal with all at once. Hitting the ground, I get a high five from Samson, and Sami mentions something about being fearless. But all I can think about is the tickle of warm breath on my neck and the strong arms that were wrapped around me.
I’m not fearless, proven by my heart skipping several beats as Mr. Sandalwood lands next to me. The jolt to my senses while being that close to him, feeling the hair raise on my arms at his whispered breath in my ear, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of. Chase is getting under my skin, and I need to nip it in the bud.
“What did we learn?” Claire asks as she climbs down from the platform behind Kyle.
“Kayla’s a badass, and Sami talks too much,” Kyle chides. Sami punches him in the arm before mouthing sorry over at Chase.
Claire nods thoughtfully, looking between Chase and me. “You two made a really good team up there. Calm, cool, and collected. Great job! Sami, a word.”
Chase catches my eye and smirks. Suddenly, nothing is more interesting than the rock I’m staring at on the ground. I kick at it with my boot, trying to rid myself of the nervous energy coursing through me. This is so, so bad.