I nod, getting it on the first spelling, but he looks skeptical, unsure if he can trust that I actually did.
Natasha stares at me. Isaac signs something fast with the word “worried,” but that can’t be right. He nudges her to interpret what he signed for me.
“How do you not understand? He’s signing so English,” Natasha mutters, maybe assuming I wouldn’t catch it, but it makes me feel even more intimidated around her. She sighs and translates for me. “He says it was an accident. And not to worry about all this, because I can be a little extra with stuff like this.” She heads back to her campers.
“Can you help me?” Isaac asks, undoing the plastic. “I don’t need this. It’s freezing.”
“Sure.” I reach up to unravel it, having to step closer to Isaac. I lean against the fence beside him.
Isaac is sitting on the middle rung, his eyes perfectly aligned with mine. I reach forward to undo the wrap around his head; we are inches apart. I’m doing everything I can to look anywhere but directly at him. I blush as Isaac stares at me. He notices my hands and reaches out to inspect them, mouthing the word “ouch.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask.
“Perfect now.” He smiles, wiping the condensation from his skin. “You should have been my first aid partner.”
I laugh, my response coming to me in sign easily this time, with my confidence growing. “But Mackenzie knows everything.”
“True.” Isaac lets out a quiet chuckle, raising his eyes to the sky.
Mackenzie made sure everyone knew she’d been certified in first aid/CPR before. And then there’s me . . . just trying my best and already the cause of 100 percent of the injuries that have occurred this summer.
“But we would’ve had more fun,” Isaac signs.
Part of me wants to ask why we didn’t team up, then. The way I remember it, we locked eyes, and he could have just walked right over to me. But I’m not going to ruin this moment by bringing that up.
“Well, next time,” I sign.
“Next time?” He raises his eyebrows. “More training?”
I laugh. “Right, wait one year and we can be partners.”
Isaac presses his lips together to suppress a smile. “I guess I’ll wait.” He nods toward the campers, who are shuffling about, since the next game of tug-of-war just ended. Time to get back to work.
I step away from the fence as he tosses the wrapping in the nearby trash. Isaac catches up to me. He uses one hand to hold the ice pack to his head, but as we walk past the lifeguard stand, he casually slings the other around my shoulders.
Chapter Eleven
Who knew counselors were this exhausted all the time? It’s been a week with the campers, and having to remain high-energy through everything takes effort. Keeping the peace between Honey and Blake is a lot.
My first on-duty night was largely uneventful. I’d been a little nervous, anticipating spending an entire evening alone with Isaac and trying to stock up on conversation topics I could sign about—but the entire staff ended up gathering around the campfire that night until curfew anyway.
If I’m not hanging out with the counselors, I usually either go down to the lake to see Oliver and Ben or relax somewhere alone, scrolling through my phone to catch up on what’s happening in the outside world.
Somehow, despite the long, busy days, the staff stays up late every evening. Which is great . . . until Mackenzie has to shake me awake the next morning at seven.
I’m fighting through yawns all breakfast, hoping the girls want a chill Sunday morning at the lake. But nope. They all just agreed they want to try the canoes. Of course.
We throw our cover-ups on the beach chairs. After I get the Otterbox out of my backpack, Blake yanks out her hearing aids and tosses them in. One of the other girls, Savannah, is standing near me, so I ask her if she wants to be in my canoe.
“I do!” Blake shouts, infinitely louder now.
“I figured,” I say. “And you?”
Savannah nods. She’s one of our younger ones, and a bit shy, but has been slowly venturing out of her comfort zone.
“Can I hold your cochlear?” I extend the Otterbox. She’s deaf in only one ear. She shakes her head and doesn’t pull off the processor. “Are you sure?”
“It’s waterproof. I swim with it all the time.”
I guess there’s no harm in letting her keep it. I’ve seen cochlear receivers fall off and float in the pool all the time, with campers having to constantly put them back on. So I add my own hearing aids to the box and clasp it shut, securing it in my backpack.
“Make sure you get their hearing aids,” Mackenzie says and signs to me.
“I know.” Even though we’re practically acting like co-counselors, Mackenzie has a tendency to micromanage. It’s as though she needs to prove she’s a better counselor than me and remind me that I’m here to assist her. But let’s be honest, I’m practically just Blake’s babysitter at this point.
Mackenzie and I lead the girls over to where the canoes are stacked against a tree at the edge of the water. I hand out life jackets to everyone. Since Ben is up in the lifeguard chair, it’s Oliver who comes to take down the boats for us.
Standing by the storage shed, I get a glimpse into the connected cabin where the lifeguards bunk. I’d assumed it was just a hangout spot for them to cool off in the shade while they weren’t working, not where they sleep. But there are bunk beds and a kitchen table and a very nice and complete setup. It must be strange for the two of them to be down here at the lake, so far away from everyone else.
Oliver slides the canoes into the water. “Counselors in the middle first.”
I climb in slowly, tiptoeing a few inches into the water before placing a foot square into the center of the boat. Oliver offers his hand to help me complete this balancing act. Mackenzie is overeager and doesn’t wait, hopping too fast and losing her balance as it wobbles.
“Easy there.” Oliver reaches over to hold her canoe steady, as well. He doesn’t let go and nods for the campers to join with their paddles, Blake and Savannah taking the benches in front of me.
I assume I’m going to be doing more than my fair share of the paddling, but Blake surprises me. As soon as Oliver pushes us out, she starts tearing through the water. We’re soon in the middle of the lake, with Mackenzie far behind us.
We stop paddling and sit still on the water, letting the ripples fade away. The morning air is fresh and crisp; the sun beats down on us.
Back at the enclosed swimming area, Bobby and his boys are sitting on the edge of the pier, fishing. My guess is Max will join their group when he gets here. Simone and her girls are building a giant sandcastle. Natasha, Jaden, and their campers are in a war, trying to bounce the opposing group off the giant trampoline. Meanwhile, Isaac and his young kids are climbing the giant inflatable iceberg. He leaps off the top, cannonballing into the water.
Blake’s growing impatient. “Let’s go out there.” She points to the far end of the lake.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to go that way,” I say.
“So what.” Blake starts paddling again.
“It’s hot,” I say. “We can go back to the beach and swim.”