3. June #2
My gaze is so laser-focused on them, I don’t register the man crossing my path until it’s too late—I knock his elbow, spilling his drink all over him and me. “Shit, I’m so sorry!” I gasp as cold and sticky alcohol soaks through my navy romper.
The surrounding crowd turns toward the commotion. Nick’s dark stare sticks out, and my eyes snag on his because, beyond that intensity, there’s something … soft in his gaze. Warm. Why is he looking at me like that when I was so rude to him?
“It’s cool,” the stranger mutters. When I finally pull my eyes from Nick, my brain connects the voice to the man …
Shaw .
I spilled Shaw Richard’s drink. My previously squared and confident shoulders slump forward. We head for the bar, where he grabs a fistful of napkins, and realization seems to hit him as he meets my gaze.
“Juniper?” He grabs more napkins and hands them to me.
My last summer at camp, I’d decided when I got to college I’d go by Juniper—not Junie—for a fresh start. I tried it out at Conservatory that summer but couldn’t shake my old nickname. Except for Shaw. He’d called me Juniper and I’m pleased the name stuck in his mind.
“Shaw, hi. I’m so sorry again. I was hoping to run into you, but not like this.” I dab at the front of my romper with the napkins, then wipe it along my collarbone and neck, even though his drink hadn’t spilled there. But it has the desired effect as his blue eyes travel down my throat.
“I should’ve watched where I was going.” He’s certainly watching now, giving me a once over. His chiseled features have rounded slightly with age, but it suits him. “Damn, it’s been what? Since senior year of high school? You look really good.”
I wait for his heated stare to do … something. But my body has zero reaction to Shaw. Which is fine, everything’s fine. Maybe if I think the word fine once more, it will be. Fine . Nope. “It has been a long time. Do you remember that last summer before college?”
“I do.” He smooths a hand over his artfully tousled blonde hair.
“I’ve actually been thinking about it a lot since I got back.” I look up at him from lowered lashes, ignoring the way my body is attuned to someone else. Nick has crept closer, standing a few feet away. It’s strange, but I think I could pick him out of a lineup with my eyes closed.
“Have you?” Shaw smiles, leaning against the bar, clearly enjoying himself.
“Uh huh.” I step closer.
“Babe?” A gorgeous woman slides her arm around Shaw’s waist. She’s model tall with Zendaya-esque cheekbones to die for—or kill for, a la Death Becomes Her . Her bright green eyes size me up and dismiss me, sweeping a curtain of dark hair over her shoulder.
“Oh, hey Juniper, this is my fiancée, Hannah.” Shaw turns to his fiancée and disgustingly nuzzles into her neck. Jesus, I’m right here. And I catch his little smirk. Ugh.
“He proposed yesterday.” Hannah sticks out her left hand, a massive diamond winking in the low lights of the bar.
My throat is painfully dry. He let me make a complete ass out of myself. He and Hannah will probably laugh about it later—how desperate and pathetic I am. My eyes flick around, gauging if anyone else overheard.
“Congratulations,” I manage to rasp.
“Thanks. I’m teaching the dance track at Conservatory. I’m looking forward to spending the summer with Shaw.” She laces their fingers together.
Dance track students and theatre track kids have a heated rivalry—at least they did when I was a camper.
Their end-of-summer performances are back-to-back.
It’s not a competition, obviously, except it’s totally a competition.
Who has the bigger cast, whose sets are better, who draws a larger audience at their performances.
“That’s so great,” I choke out through gritted teeth.
“And you?” Hannah asks.
“I’m an actor,” I answer, realizing that doesn’t explain what I’m doing at Conservatory this summer, so I rush on, “but I’ll be teaching Acting While Singing this summer, and vocal coaching the kids.”
“Oh, but you’re an actor, not a teacher?” She cocks her head to the side, dark hair shining, cheek bones cheek boning.
“This is, um, my first teaching job,” I admit, forcing my spine straight. Fake it ’til you make it, right?
“Wow, your first teaching job is a six-week intensive with a bunch of high schoolers? You must be amazing. And brave.” She laughs.
“Juniper was a camper once upon a time, same as me. She’s like, legacy,” Shaw supplies. My stomach turns—I hadn’t thought of it that way.
“And they just gave you a job.” Hannah blinks once, slowly, followed by a few fast ones. Morse code for this bitch .
But … she’s right. Mal vouched for me. I know Shelley.
I applied, of course, and sent along a loose syllabus of what I’d teach in class, but this job was handed to me.
I take a deep breath, fighting the strangled feeling in my throat.
“I’m not a nepo baby, I swear. But it does help, knowing the general flow of camp. ”
“And knowing other faculty members.” Shaw winks at me. My eyes flit to Hannah, and hoo boy, she caught that.
“Funny, you never mentioned her.” Hannah says the word funny, but it very much feels not that. I love being privy to another couple’s bickering. “How well did you know each other?”
Shaw blinks, hopefully catching on to his fiancée’s annoyance. I look away, swallowing around the feeling of an over-inflated balloon in my chest. I don’t care about Shaw, not like that, but I can’t stand here and listen to him downplay exactly how well he knew me to appease his fiancée.
He shrugs. “We used to hang out.”
Blood rushes loud in my ears, and it takes every last ounce of strength to hold back my angry tears.
Hannah’s mouth moves, but I can’t make out the words.
My brain floats high up toward the ceiling, looking down on this whole embarrassing night, staring at myself in horror as my body reaches out and snakes my arm through the crook of Nick Harper’s elbow.
Oh no, baby, what is you doing ?
Nick wears an expression of polite confusion that darkens as I hear myself say, “Nick and I are so happy to spend the summer together, too. Right?”
All the air whooshes from my lungs as I wait for Nick’s response. He’ll say I’m out of my mind. He’ll push me away and ask what the hell I’m thinking. The reality of my wild stunt slams into me at breakneck speed.
“It’s gonna be great.” He smiles down at me and slides an arm over my shoulder. His touch, warm and solid, finally brings my consciousness back to my body. My heart calms as I suck in a breath. Even though I laid into Nick earlier, he’s going along with my goofy plan. For now, at least.
“So great.” I rest my head against him but he tenses beneath me. So I shift back to give him some space, hoping Shaw didn’t notice.
“We’ll have to double date,” Hannah says, her tone implying we’ll do no such thing. She and Shaw move along, and I’m not sad to see them go.
Once they’re out of earshot, I turn to Nick, but his arm is still around me so we’re much closer than before. I have to look up to meet his gaze. “Thank you.”