“And here are your counselors!” Dad says, waving a hand to us. The gym explodes with applause and soon enough the parents are saying goodbye to their kids.
Dad turns to us. “You all have your schedules. Head to your first section.”
“Aye aye,” Aiden says, holding his hand to his head in a mock salute.
Dad turns on his professional face and his normal jovial nature is lost. Lily takes Aiden’s hand down from his head and drags him off the stage.
“Hadley and Will,” Dad says. “May I speak with you two for a moment?”
The rest of the counselors assemble into their groups.
Dad turns his back to the kids and crosses his arms. “As you know, Mrs. Yates has her concerns about Oliver. I am hoping you two will be able to bring him out of his shell. Mr. Yates is a significant donor to the department so we show him that our program is above the rest. All right?”
“We’ll try our best,” I say.
Dad smiles tightly. “That’s all I ask for.” He and Will share a weighted glance before he walks away.
I open my mouth to ask Will what that was about, but he is already off the stage before I can.
More secrets Will Carson? This time involving my dad.
I take the stairs off the side of the stage and walk to the group. Will already has his boys in a straight line and their mouths closed. I’ve always had trouble with the boys, they don’t listen to me, but Will holds a commanding stance above them. But his secret tactic was sneaking candy to the kids when he thought I wasn’t looking. We didn’t buy any the other day so I wonder if he grew out of that. Until I see Harry sneak something with a shiny wrapper into his pocket.
The five girls preen at Will who appears unfazed. “Casey, Jaclyn, Allison, Kelli, Lauren.” Their hands go up when I call their name. I quickly put faces to names.
Will turns to his boys and they do roll call themselves. Will smiles at me in a See how quickly I trained them? look. I don’t give him the satisfaction.
“We have the Art elective first this summer, and this week is painting.”
A few of the kids groan but I ignore them. It’s always best to establish authority the first day. “Let’s put a little shake in our step!” I say, leading them from the room.
***
After a morning of keeping paint off the kids during their art elective and avoiding the wild free throws during basketball, I’m glad for a break during the swimming lessons. As much as I’m not looking forward to seeing Carter, at least he’ll be busy with the kids.
“Pool time!” I say to the bunch.
Jaclyn, Kelli and Casey huddle together and walk off the basketball court. Jaclyn scoops her black hair into a ponytail as she talks to the girls. That was quick. Forming cliques within groups is usually discouraged, but rarely successfully. Allison, the tomboy, looks longingly at the boys’ group but her expression is torn between them and the other girls. Instead she sidles next to Lauren, a skinny girl with glasses and braces. They pick up their bags, walking close behind the others.
The boys grab their bags and I’m right behind them. Jaclyn holds the other girls attention. I hear her say Harry’s name but as soon as she notices me she clams up and diverts the conversation back to a werewolf book series she’s reading.
The boys take off at the same time.
“Slow down!” Will and I call at the same time. The boys are ahead of the girls by several strides but all slow down at the same time. I can almost feel the excitement in their veins.
Will walks beside me. “Are you going to be okay?”
I look at him. “With what?”
Will stares ahead. I follow his gaze to the closest lifeguard chair where Carter sits overlooking the empty pool.
“It’s fine,” I say, not entirely sure I believe it myself.
I sense a shift in his attitude.
“Do you have a problem with Carter?”
Will frowns and shakes his head. “I barely know the guy.”
I nudge him. “I know we haven’t talked much in a while.” His fault. “But you can tell me.”
“Just let me know if you have an issue with him,” he says, and I sense the conversation is over.
We enter opposite doors into the bathhouse on the other side of the pool. The girls talk animatedly to each other as they change into their bathing suits. Dave Matthews Band streams out of the staff office filling the space.
Daisy leans on the wall watching the entrance to the pool. I’ve heard Ethan talk about her but never actually come face to face with the girl besides orientation. Her silky brown hair is up in a high tight ponytail, pulling the skin around her eyes taut. She does make the red one piece bathing suit look good. And, not for the first time, I’m happy I chose to be a counselor. It takes a lot of confidence to wear that all day.
“Hey Daisy.”
“Hey!” she reaches out, wrapping her arms around me.
I awkwardly pat her on the back as she hugs me.
“How’s your first day? I’m having such a blast. Everyone is so nice. And Ethan has been great. Has he mentioned anything about me?”
Her eyes are wide and I really don’t know what to say. Ever the people pleaser though. “He did say you were a great swimmer.”
Her smile falters slightly but she lifts it quickly.
The girls walk around us towards the pool deck.
“I’m helping with lessons…” Daisy trails off, following them.
I make a mental note to ask Ethan more about her. She seems sweet but if he’s not interested I don’t want her to think she has an “in” with me.
I step out onto the deck. Heath waddles with bare feet, his top-heavy muscular frame propelling him forward over the hot surface toward the chair. He and Carter swap positions. I glance at Will who has Isabelle, one of the bitchier girls from my class, practically on his lap.
To everyone else he looks comfortable but he shoots glances at Ethan, whose attention is purely on Isabelle’s chest.
I sigh. Men.
Carter is beside me before I know it. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I say, turning to the pool to watch the kids in their first swimming lesson.
“How was the rest of your weekend?”
“We did see each other yesterday,” I say under my breath.
“Really?” he scratches his head. “It felt like forever.”
I roll my eyes and he grins. The happy Carter is with us today. Thank goodness. His mood changed a lot during the last few months of our relationship. Whether it was anxiety about moving on after high school or something else, it definitely factored in our breakup.
He glances at the others in the group and indicates for me to follow him. Last year we made it a habit of walking the deck during swimming lessons. I find myself slipping back into that safety net as we make our first lap.
“What were you assigned for the carnival?” he asks. The night before the 4th of July the town puts on a carnival for the surrounding areas. Dad volunteers the summer staff to help out.
“Balloon Darts,” I say. “You?”
A flash of disappointment crosses his face. “Leap Frog. The one where you have to