Page 7 of The Summer Intern

As Matt and my brother made more tux jokes, I stood there, spinning.Sutton had a boyfriend?But...but Sutton was supposed to be here!Sutton's hotness was the whole reason I'd agreed to come to this camp in the middle of fucking nowhere!I considered turning on my heel and marching right back to the car.What was even the point of being here without Sutton's biceps to ogle?

A cool gust of wind slammed into us, blowing snow into my face, and I yelped as my hair whipped at my forehead.“What the hell, even the wind is out to get me?”

I brushed my hair out of my eyes and looked up to find Matt and Oliver both staring at me.Matt had a little grin playing around his lips, like maybe he was trying to stop himself from laughing at me.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave a little shiver."Well, enough standing around outside.Come on in, guys!I've got some hot coffee and soup waiting inside.And Casey, I can't wait to hear more about those ideas you mentioned last week!"

I’d mentioned ideas?There had been so much yelling, I wasn't quite sure.

I watched as Matt jogged up the porch steps, his athletic frame moving with an easy grace that was...distracting for a lumberjack.Shaking my head to clear it, I turned to Oliver, my eyes wide with panic.

"I didn’t prepare any ideas," I hissed, grabbing his arm.

Oliver pushed his glasses up his nose, a telltale sign he was trying not to laugh at me."So?Just tell him.He seems nice," he whispered back, tugging me towards the steps."Why were you yelling at him at the job fair last week?"

I felt my cheeks flush hot with embarrassment."I wasn't yelling," I muttered."I was...passionately expressing my opinions on the need for arts and music at his camp."

“Well then.I suppose he’s expecting some ideas for that.”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to bring them today.I pictured…” Nope, better not mention the daydreams about Sutton cuddling up naked by a fire.“I don’t know, having more time.”

“Maybe it’ll come to you once you’ve eaten the food he’s offering.What would Halmeoni say if she heard you were turning down a free meal?”

We stared at each other for a long moment before simultaneously shrugging and following Matt inside.We were both suckers for free food.Our grandmother was the kind of old lady who stuffed her purse with extras at restaurants just in case she got hungry later.And she was a pediatrician, so she really didn’t need to do that.

People always told us we took after her: I had Halmeoni’s chaos, while Oliver had her sharp scientific mind.And then they’d quickly tell me that I was smart, too, like they felt guilty for implying otherwise.

The interior of the summer camp’s lodge was dim and quiet.Most of the furniture was shoved to the sides of the room, and there was a wood floor sander thingy — or maybe a polisher — sitting in one corner.

A massive fireplace dominated one wall, and Matt must have used his natural lumberjack skills to light a fire in it.It was crackling merrily and casting a warm glow over everything.My eyes were drawn to an enormous slab wood table in the center of the room, piled high with steaming bowls of soup and platters of sandwiches.My stomach growled.

"Have a seat, guys," Matt said, gesturing to the chairs around the table."Let me pour you some coffee.We don’t have to get to work straight away.I know you’ve had a long drive."

Oliver plopped down in a chair, reaching for a mug.I hesitated, still feeling dazed and out of place.

Everything around us was made of wood.Wood tables that looked like someone had sawed a few trees in half, chairs that seemed to be crafted from smaller bits of the same tree, wood paneling on the walls, and wood beams in the ceiling.While it had a certain rustic charm, and wasn’t hideous, it was certainly not my style.It made me feel like I’d stepped about 75 miles outside my comfort zone.

To a place where you craft everything you own from materials you find in a nearby forest.

Hadn’t they ever heard of Ikea?

As Matt poured the coffee, the rich aroma hit my nose, and I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders.At the very least, there was food and caffeine.Matt settled into a chair across from us, his piercing blue eyes flickering between Oliver and me.

"So," he began, his voice warm, "I'm sure that you're wondering why I invited you up here after the whole thing at the job fair."

My brain short-circuited."You invited me up here?But Sutton…”

“Called you because I asked him to, of course.”Matt's brow furrowed in confusion.

“Oh, I thought maybe I’d impressed him.”

Matt shrugged.“You might have, but he was calling you in his role as my assistant.”

“Assistant Director sounds more like an executive role,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.Shit.Shit, shit, shit.I'd been operating under the assumption that Sutton had orchestrated this whole thing.My cheeks burned as I realized how spectacularly wrong I'd been.I chewed on my bottom lip.“So you want me to pitch an arts camp to you?I don’t get it.”

I looked up to find Matt watching me, like he was waiting for me to speak.“This is still an outdoor adventure camp,” he said.“We don’t need to turn it into an arts camp.”

“Oh my god!Being an outdoor adventure camp doesn’t mean it can’t have music!The arts belong in every facet of life.”

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