Page 60 of My Star-Crossed Summer

Same,she replies.

Something churns in my belly and I can’t decide if it’s excitement, or nervous energy, or a different feeling I can’t quite name.

Through the lasthalf ofThe Martian, I’m trying hard to forget about waking up with Noah’s arm draped over my waist. I can still feel the weight of his hand, the way he held me close against his chest. I could have stayed that way for days.

He laughs at a line in the movie,I don't want to come off as arrogant here, but I'm the greatest botanist on this planet, and even from my chair a few feet away, I can see those adorable creases at the corners of his eyes. When he turns toward me, he smiles just enough to make his dimple pop, and it tugs at a spot deep in my chest.

There’s so much I still need to say to him, and none of it can be said here at camp. I’m trying to be honest with him about my feelings, but the truth is that I don’t quite know how to put all these swirling thoughts into words. I just know that I’ve missed him so much it hurts to breathe—and I don’t want the end of camp to be the end of us.

The logical part of me is building a case for taking this job with Diana. It would mean building up my savings account and getting back on my feet. It would be the smartest career move I could ever make.

But it would mean leaving Noah again and abandoning this new path that shows so much promise. It’s only been two weeks, but I love working with these kids and seeing them grow self-confidence. It’s something I didn’t have at their age, and somehow helping them discover their strengths is healing a part of me, too.

I hate that these things I want are at odds with each other. I don’t know how to choose.

Chapter Eighteen

VICTORIA

Three days later, I still can’t get Noah—okay, more precisely thatkiss—out of my mind.

At breakfast, he’s alone at the staff table, sipping that awful coffee with a straight face as he studies his binder of notes. When I sit across from him, he gives me a tiny smile, but his gaze is hot enough to turn this cafeteria into cinders.

“No Sophie this morning?” I ask him.

He takes a bite of breakfast burrito and shakes his head. “She’s finishing up a call with the admins.”

I steal a strawberry from his plate and he lifts a brow. “There’s a whole pile of those on the buffet, you know,” he says, teasing.

“Yeah, but it’s way over there.” When I take a bite, his eyes drop to my lips, and an honest-to-goodness shiver runs down to my toes. “Besides,” I say. “This one tastes better.”

Under the table, his leg slowly brushes mine in a way that feels indecent. “It looks delicious.”Noah gives me a sly smile, one that says he will not be on his best behavior even before camp is over, and that job with Diana is looking less tempting by the second.

When Sophie plops down next to me, her plate loaded with fruit and scrambled eggs, I nearly jump from my seat. “So we have a surprise visit from admin,” she says. “They’re coming tomorrow and will leave the next day.”

Noah’s brow lifts as he turns to her. “I thought they were skipping this year.”

Sophie shrugs. “Changed their minds, I guess.” She takes a bite of toast, her brow furrowed. “They’ll get here by lunchtime tomorrow so they can see part of each class, then they’ll hang around for the evening activities. I’ll do the tour, if you two don’t mind handling the afternoon games.” She looks flustered, which is unusual for her.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah, it’s just annoying that they didn’t give more notice,” she says. “But we’ll adjust.”

Of all of us, Sophie’s the one who’s most married to schedules and spreadsheets. She claims to like surprises, but only if they don’t disrupt the flow of her plans.

“Usually someone from the home office visits each site at some point during the summer,” Noah tells me. “They were supposedly skipping us because everything here is the same as it has been the last few sessions, and they have less staff to travel now.”

“Also Roxy wants you to call her ASAP,” Sophie tells me. “It sounded time-sensitive.”

“Okay, sure.” When I glance at Noah, he gives me a reassuring smile. Does he know something I don’t?

My heart flutters as I remember the job that Roxy said would be open soon. First it seemed like an unlikely stretch for me, but now that we’re nearing the end of the session, I want it even more. This camp has reminded me that I’m stronger than I gave myself credit for.

Plus, I’d like a reason to turn down Diana’s offer. And a solid job with the College of Charleston, right in Noah’s backyard? Heat blooms in my chest as I think about it. This is not a camp bubble—these feelings are real. I don’t know how we’ll navigate working together while dating, but now that it feels like a real possibility, I want to try.

Sophie leaves me alone in her office, where I can use the land line to call Roxy. She answers on the third ring.

“How’s it going?” I ask her. “I’ve wanted to text you about a hundred times, but I have to stand under this one tree in just the right way…”

---