Page 77 of My Star-Crossed Summer

“I shouldn’t have kept this from you,” I tell her. “But I felt like I was breaking the biggest rule, and I didn’t want to let you down. And the last thing I want is to get Noah in trouble. This job means the world to him, and he’s amazing with these kids.”

“He is,” she says. “And so are you.”

I hold my breath, because it sounds like a bigbutis coming.

She sighs. “Sweetie, you aren’t letting me down. Having intense feelings for someone isn’t something to be ashamed of. That’s not breaking any rules.”

I wince. “But kissing him is.”

She stops so abruptly that I bump into her. When she turns to me, she’s biting her lip. “Vic,” she breathes, her eyes pinning me in place. “What are you saying?”

“One kiss,” I tell her, keeping my voice low. We’re on the far side of the meadow now, which feels like ten miles from everyone. “But nothing more, I promise. We agreed we couldn’t cross that line—or, cross any further over it. Not here. And for the record,Ikissedhim. So if someone needs to be reprimanded or fired, it’s me. Not Noah.”

Hands on her hips, she closes her eyes and turns her head up toward the sky. She lets out a heavy breath, and my heart pounds against my ribs. This is it—the moment where she’ll fire me andtell me to pack my bags. I’ve ruined everything, just like I was afraid I would.

“Roxy?” My voice comes out in a squeak. “Say something.”

She shakes her head and squeezes her eyes shut. “Sweet baby cheeses.”

I wait, but she just starts pacing in a small circle, her lips a hard line.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “There’s no excuse. Just tell me what you want me to do. How can I fix this?”

She blows out a heavy breath. “Did anything else happen?”

“No.” I swallow hard, thinking of that night, how I wanted so much more. How I still do.

There’s a long pause, and my heart hammers so hard that it hurts.

“Here’s the thing,” she says finally. “Something like this usually means termination. At a site this small, I’d be losing two-thirds of my staff. Protocol is to send in replacements.”

Tears spring to my eyes. I’ve let everyone down—Roxy, Sophie, all the kids.

“But we’re at the end of camp,” she says, shaking her head. When she turns to me, her face softens. “That wasn’t the greatest move,” she says. “But you’re not a reckless, thoughtless person. I know you, Vic, and I know you care about these kids and this job. You don’t take it lightly.”

I nod, choking back tears. “I want a chance to fix this, Roxy.”

Her brow furrows. “If you tell me that nothing else happened, and nothing morewillhappen while you two are on site, then I believe you.”

“Of course,” I tell her. “Nothing else.”

She nods. “Then your supervisor Roxy is going to say that this was a misstep. Everyone has them. We’re going to chalk this up to an error in judgment that will no longer be an issue, and we’ll move forward.” She gives me a tiny nod. “Consider it fixed.”

Relief washes over me as I nod in agreement. “Thank you.”

“And your friend Roxy is going to insist that you not beat yourself up over this.”

I make a sound that’s somewhere between a grumble and a growl.

“Look.” She turns and puts her hands on my shoulders. “Is this an ideal situation? No. Was anyone hurt? Were the kids affected? Also no. You’re human, Victoria. I appreciate you telling me, but I’m not holding anything against you. You’re a good person who made a mistake. It happens.”

I nod, fighting back tears for what feels like the millionth time this week.

“I’ll withdraw my application,” I tell her, feeling my heart constrict at the thought. And that’s when I realize how badly I want this job.

“Because you kissed a guy?” she says. “No way.”

“Roxy,” I argue. “I think I should.”

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