Page 15 of The Perfect Deal

Everyone nodded in understanding, and a few people wrote that down.

“Just remember, regardless of what your role at camp is, whether you’re a counselor, a coach, or support staff,” my eyes went to Liberty, and she smiled at me, “the kids come first. I want everyone to participate in the activities as much as possible. Get to know the kids. Focus on meeting their needs and building relationships with them, and that makes everything else come easier. Kids don’t care what you know until they know that you care about them.”

“How profound,” Karrie muttered, shaking her head, giving me a look like she was in awe of my wisdom.

I arched an eyebrow, not sure how to respond to that. Clearing my throat, I continued with the presentation. We went over the logistics, everyone’s assignments, a map of the facilities, our schedule, and lots of other important details before I spent several minutes answering questions. Finally, it was time for lunch. I got a text from the receptionist that the food had arrived just in time.

I had it brought in and set up buffet style, with the food on the sideboard where we usually kept water and other amenities for our guests. The staff was eager to dig into the tacos and other Mexican food, so I let them all go first, watching them pile their plates high and reclaim their seats at the table.

When I got in line, it was right behind Liberty. She had been lingering toward the back as well, watching the others go first. I had ordered plenty of food, so there was no reason to think we might run out. I was about to say something to her when Karrie, who was in front of her, said, “So it looks like the two of us will be assigned to the same bunkhouse.”

I couldn’t read her voice, but after the way she’d spoken about Liberty earlier, I wished this hadn’t been the case. I’d told Myra, who was handling the room assignments, to plug Liberty in somewhere so she’d have a bed and could get to know the kids better. I wished now I would’ve handled it myself.

Liberty was always polite. “Oh, really? That’s great. I’m Liberty, by the way.”

“I know,” Karrie said a little rudely. “Karrie.”

“Nice to meet you.” Liberty cleared her throat and moved down the table, piling some nachos onto her plate. “Have you been to camp before?”

“Yes, I went last year,” my manager told her. “It was so much fun. I’m glad I get to be with the same girls this year.”

“I can’t wait to meet them,” Liberty gushed as we finished making our plates. She turned and looked at me, and I could tell she was trying to feel out whether or not I thought Karrie was cool. I gave her a reassuring smile, but I wasn’t so sure about that myself.

During lunch, a few people asked Liberty about her background, and she mentioned that her brother was my best friend. Several people knew Landon because he came to work out at our facilities so frequently. In fact, I was scheduled to meet him there later in the day. It seemed that Liberty was getting along well with everyone, which was no surprise to me.

After lunch, I walked Liberty out. “Going to the office?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “I’m done for the day. Gonna go home and pack.”

I nodded. “I’m so glad you were able to take this job.”

She turned to look at me, her lips parted slightly. I found myself leaning down toward her, waiting for her to say something intimate.

Before she got a word out, we heard Landon’s booming voice. “Fancy meeting you here, sis. You wanna come to the gym with us?”

I looked up to see Luke and Landon walking through the door, gym bags in hand, and my entire body deflated.

“Nope,” Liberty told them. “That’s all you. But you guys have fun.” She patted my arm, sending electricity screaming through my body. “See you tomorrow, Joshua.”

“Bye, Liberty.” It took everything within me not to watch her walk away. “Hey, guys. Glad you could come.” I pasted a smile on my face and greeted my best friend and Luke, whom I’d also invited.

“Thanks for having us,” Landon said, and Luke echoed his sentiments. As we walked back to the facilities, Landon said, “Do I need to go scare the shit out of your other coaches to make sure they know to leave my baby sister alone?”

“Nope,” I assured him. “I’ll take care of it. She’s in good hands.”

“She’d better be,” Landon replied. “Or else someone’s going to pay.”

I took a deep breath, wondering if there was any way he could make an exception to that rule—for me.

10

LIBERTY

The moment my alarm went off the next morning, I hopped out of bed, a huge smile on my face. Today was the day! I was going to camp for the first time in a really long time. While I was excited to get to take pictures of all the kids, as well as getting to know all of the young people, most of all, I was excited to get to spend time with Joshua out of my brother’s shadow.

I’d packed the night before, but as I took a quick shower and went about getting ready, I went over everything I would need for the next two weeks in my mind. I needed to remember to grab my phone charger off my nightstand and shove it in my bag, but other than that, I was pretty sure I had everything.

Out of the shower, I finished my makeup and put my hair up in a ponytail. I figured I should dress for the summer heat, though it hadn’t quite reached the scorching Tennessee highs this early in the season. It was coming, though. Every day, it seemed to get a little hotter. I was wearing shorts that almost reached my knees for modesty’s sake around the kids, and a T-shirt, though I was pretty sure Joshua had shirts for all of us that he’d hand out when we got there. I couldn’t wait to feel like part of the team, especially when he was our leader.