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“My favorite problematic camper,” Kinsley cackles. “Guess you won’t be gracing my cabin this time, huh?”
“Sorry, Kinsley!” Melody squints and looks up at me. “But I can’t betray Redtail like that.”
“Dang right, she can’t,” I agree, watching as Kinsley gets to her feet.
She starts to say something as the sound of another car floods my ears, but her face falls just as Melody tugs on my hand.
“Is anyone else here from last year?” she asks, while I watch Kinsley’s face in confusion.
“Umm…” I blink, trying to remember. “No, not from our cabin, I don’t think. Just you and Lily.” I try to catch Kinsley’s eye, confused about why she isn’t moving. If it’s another camper, she would normally be the one to greet them, seeing as I have a Melody attached to my leg, and all.
But she just…stands there. Confused. Perplexed. And finally, when her eyes slide back to mine, she looks…concerned.
“Summer…” she murmurs. “I think?—”
“Hey Summer.” The familiar, warm voice makes every muscle in my body stiffen, and I can feel my eyes widen just as my mouth falls open so I can take a deep breath.
I turn, heart thumping in my chest, and every emotion in the world seems to go through me; from fear to relief to a few things I refuse to name.
Kayde stands behind me, his duffel bag over his shoulder and mirrored sunglasses concealing his eyes. His blond hair is up in a bun, and he’s wearing a new Camp Crestview t-shirt in bright red, with a pair of black shorts under it. His smile widens as I look at him, though I can only imagine the shock on my face, compared to the amusement in his.
“Did you miss me?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Did you miss me?
The words ring around in my head, pinging off the inside of my skull like a tennis ball. I stare at him, from the aloof grin on his face to his swept back hair. Then I move down his body, to the duffel bag he shifted into his hand.
But I can’t find anything to do other than, well, stare.
Melody is not as troubled. She launches off of my hip and wraps her arms around Kayde, grinning up at him ferociously as he matches her enthusiasm.
And, yeah, okay, it’s definitely looking like there’s some kind of weird, creepy connection between them. Like they recognize the sociopath in one another and love everything about it.
Maybe he’s right about her, and Melody really is going to grow up just like him.
I wonder if her mom knows.
“You came back!” Melody’s voice is full of glee, and she twists to look at me like I’ve personally offended her. “Summer, you lied,” she accuses flatly. “You told me he wasn’t coming back. Even though I told you, Kayde promised to teach me to swim faster.”
“I…” God, I have no idea what to say. The hatred is unfurling, petal by petal, though I clamp a metaphorical hand over the core of it to keep some of that hatred intact.
I’m glad to see him.
I’m horrified to see him.
I’m confused as fuck to see him.
“She didn’t know, Mel.” Kayde chuckles, his eyes leaving mine to flick down to my favorite camper. “I actually wasn’t sure I’d be coming back. I had to work out some shit.”
“Well, that’s crappy of you,” Melody is quick to tell him, a frown touching her lips. “I bet Summer was sad when she thought you weren’t coming back. I bet?—”
“Summer wasn’t sad.” The words are too quick, too slurred together, and from the look in Kayde’s eyes as he glances up at me again, I know for a fact he doesn’t believe me. But why should he? I’m certainly not telling the truth.
“Summer definitely wasn’t sad.” Kinsley sounds a lot more convincing than I do, at least. She takes a step forward, reaching out to grip Melody’s shoulder. “Can you take your duffel to Redtail cabin for us, please?” she asks her, forcing a smile onto her face. “Kayde’s going to help us get finished up here.”
Melody looks between us, her face full of calculation. Whatever she sees in my expression, which she studies the longest, must convince her that Camp Crestview isn’t about to implode, because she shrugs her shoulders and swoops down to pick up her bag. “I suppose,” she sighs heavily. “But you’ll help me this week, right? You promise they aren’t going to chase you off?” Her words are directed at Kayde, but she glances at me as if I’m the threat in this situation.
