When I Need You (Need You #4)(50)

I offered my hand to the woman. "You're Vanessa? I'm Jensen. Thanks for sticking with the program."

"I'm happy to be here. I love these kids and I should be thanking you for finding a way to make the camp happen."

Before I could credit LCCO, the hipster offered me his hand. "I'm Todd, the music teacher. I'll echo what Vanessa said. It's awesome that you were able to keep-and expand-the camp."

Astrid stepped forward. "Hey, everyone. I'm Astrid. I've talked to you all on the phone. I'm here for whatever you need."

"To add to that . . . I won't be here for all six hours of camp, but Astrid will. I'm the idea guy and she's the program administrator who makes it happen, so always talk to her first."

Astrid's eyes grew huge behind her glasses. But even from the short amount of time I'd spent with her, she'd proven herself more than capable of running this thing.

"Who're we missing?" Dallas said.

"Lucy." The door opened and we all turned. "And there she is right now."

Walker and Trinity joined us.

For the next hour as we went over every minute detail, my feelings of panic only increased. Talk about cocky, thinking I could just run a freakin' day camp. These people all had dedicated roles in this. What was mine?

I saw Walker and Todd separating conference tables. "Astrid. What am I supposed to be doing?"

"Just stand there and look pretty."

"It'll get real ugly real fast if you keep saying shit like that."

"Relax," she warned, holding up her hand. "I was trying to be funny, but obviously I didn't succeed, which is nothing new in my world." She stepped in closer to confide, "Look, Jensen, you are a celebrity. On registration morning, these kids' parents will want to meet you since you're sponsoring the camp-"

"Let's clear this up once and for all. LCCO is sponsoring the camp, not me personally. I'll be involved, but I'm not the key player. If not for Dallas, we'd be short two instructors. If anyone deserves credit, she does. Plus, she convinced her mom to loosen the purse strings on this project."

"She really came through, didn't she?" Astrid said as she focused on my petite cousin, holding court with Vanessa and Trinity. "She is absolutely amazing."

"Careful, that sounds like a girl crush," I teased.

Astrid tipped her head back and met my gaze. "Uh, yeah, about that. I pretty much crush on all women. Only on women."

I let that sink in. "Get out. So you weren't flirting with me in the office that day you begged to be part of the project."

She laughed. "'Fraid not. Bet that was refreshing for you, huh?"

"Very."

We walked back to the office. After we'd settled in, Astrid at her desk behind her laptop and me at the table beside her with a clipboard full of notes, she said, "As much as I'd love to flirt with Dallas now that I don't work for her mother, I'm aware that she's not even a little bi-curious. ‘Hopelessly hetero,' she assured me."



       
         
       
        

"You came on to her?"

"Geez, no. She read my aura, and apparently my attraction to her was as obvious as a big ol' neon sign."

I gave Astrid the side-eye. "You believe in that stuff?"

She shrugged. "I believe that more things in life happen because of serendipity than people are willing to admit."

That made me think of Rowan.

What doesn't make you think of Rowan?

What was my role in her life? Did I even have one?

Focus on the here and now. "Anything else I should know about you, Astrid?"

"Personally? I'm vegan."

"So I won't send you to pick us up lunch."

She laughed. "I'm a Taurus."

"Better to be one than to drive one," I said dryly.

"You are every bit as funny as Rowan assured me you were."

I stopped doodling in the margins of my notes. "Rowan said I was funny?"

"Yep." Astrid had refocused on her laptop.

Don't ask, man. Just . . . don't.

"What else did she say about me?"

"I don't remember specifics. But you've definitely found an admirer in her."

I should have told Astrid that Rowan and I were strictly friends.

But Rowan admitting I'm a shitty friend too . . . I couldn't seem to get that out of my head. Even when I shouldn't hold out hope things would veer off the "friends" path and we'd blaze a trail right into my bedroom.

Bedroom? Wishful thinking, man. The woman wouldn't even let you kiss her.

I sighed.

Astrid's fingers stopped clicking on the computer keys. "Why the heavy sigh, boss?"