Holy manure.

Diego Ramos was here.

Her childhood crush and the boy whose anger and resentment had opened her eyes to a whole new universe one summer. She’d come back to camp every summer until Firefly Falls closed. But she’d never again seen the counselor who’d upended her narrow view of the world.

Their encounter had been strange, upsetting, and eye-opening.

Penny had never forgotten him.

She’d gone home that summer and begun learning about the world outside her tiny bubble. Which fortunately had saved her when her sheltered, rarified existence had imploded.

In a small way, Diego Ramos had been the one who saved her.

“Penny why don’t you…entertain our guest while I make up a room.”

Entertain conjured images she shouldn’t be thinking about. But dang, she’d like to entertain him.

Oh, bad Penny. She couldn’t think that way. But as she catalogued his swarthy skin, eyes the color of a fertile soil, and a mouth made for kissing, a flush started in her core and spread outward, her body tingling with desire.

Woo, she was hot.

“Sure.” Her voice came out husky. “Come on in.”

He hesitated for another second on the porch as if still thinking about searching out alternative lodging.

“There really isn’t anything close by.”

“Thank you.” He followed her inside the comfy common area of the lodge. “I am sorry to impose.”

His delivery was so stiff, so formal. Uptight. Closed off.

In her memory, the boy had stayed young and angry. Because even though she’d been nine, she understood that he’d been filled with rage.

Back then she’d been hurt and confused. He probably didn’t even remember her. Or their fraught confrontation.

Now she just wanted to climb him like the hundred-year oak that marked the entrance to her farm and cling onto his sexy body.

Diego Ramos had grown up fine.

A bit of stubble scattered over his chin and around his mouth, but clearly he’d shaved this morning, and his tie was still tight around his muscular neck. And she needed to get a grip—his neck? What the hell was wrong with her?

The common room was too casual, intimate. Especially with her inconvenient and really fricking stupid attraction. “Come on into the office.”

Penny led him into Heather and Michael Tully’s cramped office. She flipped on the bright lights, dispelling the dark, and banishing the intimacy from the common room.

The Tullys didn’t spend much time here. They preferred to be out and about at the camp. And they lived in Serenity Cottage on the camp grounds. But the office captured the essence of their commitment to recreating summer camp for adults.

Diego Ramos had been mostly silent, but she could feel his gaze on her.

Once they were inside the office, she headed around the desk so she could put some distance between them. “Have a seat.” Sitting behind the desk, safely far away from his too sexy body, appealed to her.

He moved with a liquid assurance, appearing relaxed but still…buttoned up. Every hair in place, his clothes perfect. His pants sharply creased, his shirt only slightly rumpled even though it was ten o’clock at night.

Penny shuddered. She couldn’t imagine spending all day cooped up inside. “Feel free to relax a little.” The wine simmering through her system loosened her thoughts and she suppressed a giggle. She’d like to relax with him.

Another flush spread through her. Thank goodness, he couldn’t read her mind.

An air of containment wrapped around him, as if he hadn’t relaxed in a long time. Her memories of him were different. When he was younger, his black hair had been a halo of curls around his face. He’d been loose, especially when he’d been leading them on a hike or showing the campers how to bait a hook. The only time she’d seen him uptight and angry was the last time she spoke to him in the parking lot. And that was twenty years ago.

Get over yourself, Penny. She sure wasn’t the same.

He still hadn’t relaxed enough to sit, and his presence seriously flustered her. Her gaze zoomed around the room until she settled on the giant bulletin board, an oversized calendar in the center showed the activities for the weekend, and circling the official schedule were pictures of couples.

He directed his attention to the board. He sauntered over to the calendar. “Who are all these people?”

“Ah, the camp is getting a reputation for bringing couples together.”

She sighed, thinking about the lovely story of how Heather and Michael Tully had met at the camp, gotten married, separated, and then reunited to make the dream of Camp Firefly Falls for adults come to fruition.

He studied the board. “You mean all these people hooked up?”

Penny flushed. Hooked up? No. Connected in a meaningful way and decided to combine their lives. Romance? Yes.

It was almost as if the Tully’s rekindled love affair had started a trend.

That certainly wouldn’t happen with her. She didn’t have time for romance, even if occasionally she wished she did.

“Found lasting love,” she said firmly. She wasn’t going to diminish the commitment of the camp couples. Between her stiff shoulders and clenched teeth, her tone was stilted and a little snooty.

His eyebrows bent into a frown, as he shifted his attention from the photos to Penny. “Have we met?”

Penny jolted. She really didn’t want to get into the last time they’d shared the same air. A shame and guilt she’d never quite gotten over flushed through her.

His stomach growled.

“Oh, you’re hungry.” She jumped up from behind the desk. “Let me see what we’ve got in the kitchen.” And she ran out of the office like her butt was on fire.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she yanked open the commercial SubZero fridge searching for something to feed Diego Ramos.

She’d thought of him often but, her memory was more of a caricature, representing her societal awakening rather than an actual person. But now he was here and gorgeous and all grown up and sexy.

And so very real.

She grabbed a bowl of chicken salad from the bottom shelf and shoved the door shut. She’d brought this from home so she knew it wasn’t needed for the opening tomorrow.

“Can I help?” His voice feathered over the back of her neck. Unexpectedly close.

She whirled around. “Holy manure.” Startled, she lost her grip on the stainless steel bowl.

Oh no!

She grabbed for the bowl at the same time as Diego.

Bam. They clunked heads. But he still managed to catch the heavy metal bowl before it hit the tile floor.

“Ow.” Penny rubbed her head where they’d connected. “Sorry about that.”

Diego Ramos’s eye twitched but besides that small flinch his face was impassive. “You okay?”

“Of course.” She laughed, a little embarrassed chuckle. She was always okay. There wasn’t any other way to be. “You need ice?”

“No, thank you.”

Penny bustled around the kitchen opening and closing cabinet doors searching for plates. Where the hell was Meg? “Have a seat and I’ll fix you a plate.”

“It’s not necessary.”

Penny dug through the produce drawers and found some romaine lettuce. She arranged the leaves on the simple white plate, then she scooped a generous portion onto the leaves and garnished the salad with a sprig of dill.

“We aim to serve at Camp Firefly Falls.” She smiled at him without meeting his gaze.

After plating the food carefully, she settled the offering on the table. “Sorry we only have the kitchen table. He looked like he’d be more at home in a formal dining room, a Georgian table surrounded by claw-footed cherry carved chairs and upholstered with rich gold formal fabric. Kind of like her parent’s dining room from her childhood home.

What a seriously bizarre thought. Clearly they’d switched places.

“Thank you. You really didn’t have to—”

“I’ll just go clear out the common room.” She escaped, no other word for it.

* * *

Diego wasn’t sure what just happened.

He rubbed the tender spot on his head and shrugged. The aroma of the food was getting to him. So he dug in to the best chicken salad he’d ever tasted.

Crunchy sweet apples and celery mixed with tender chicken and a seasoned dressing that held a bit of bite, and sweetness. Diego groaned. Damn, this was good.

“Oh.” The chef was back.

Only a long habit of suppressing his reactions kept his face blank. “The chicken salad is excellent.”

When was the last time he ate something homemade? Besides a sandwich eaten standing up at his sink?

“Right?” Meg plopped at the table, far more comfortable with him than the missing Penny. “Penny’s specialty.”

A random, completely inappropriate thought flashed through his brain as he wondered what else Penny was good at.

“Your room is ready.”

“Sorry to intrude.” Diego stood at the sink and rinsed his plate, then looked around for the dishwasher. Finally, he set the plate in the sink.

“It’s all good.” Meg grinned. “But tomorrow is a busy day. So we’d all better hit the sack.”

He smiled. “Do I need a password for the internet? I’ve got a little more work to do tonight.”

Penny had come into the kitchen, her arms full of dishes and the almost empty wine bottle. “Now? It’s almost eleven.” She dumped the dishes in the sink and eyed him speculatively.

“Well, I’m taking nearly three days off for this retreat.” He tried to answer reasonably but something about her tone set him on edge. It was none of her damn business if he had work to do. “Business won’t run itself.”

“There’s a difference between hard work and running yourself into the ground.” Penny propped her fists on her hips. He ran his gaze down her disheveled appearance.

Meg stepped in between them, trying to defuse the sudden tension in the big industrial kitchen.

“C’mon, Farmer Hastings.” Meg slung her arm around Penny’s shoulders. “Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

“Hastings? Penny…Penelope Hastings?” he blurted out.

The spoiled, wealthy kid who’d haunted his memories?

The chef glanced between the two of them.

“Yes.” Penny straightened, her gaze haughty. Even with the ratty jeans, hair tumbling around her face, and no makeup, this chick could seem like a princess talking to a peasant.

Suddenly he realized why she looked familiar. It was Penelope Hastings. “No wonder you don’t know anything about hard work.”

Shit. That hadn’t come out right.

She stared at him for another second. He swore the air shimmered with how he’d hurt her. Again.

Fuck.

Which seemed crazy. She’d probably never done a day’s hard work in her life.

“On that note…” Penny ducked her head and bounded up the stairs.

Meg raised her eyebrows. “Your room is up the stairs, second floor, first door on the right.” Her easy demeanor gone, she pressed her lips together like she was holding in harsh words.

But Diego’s gaze returned to the retreat of Penelope Hastings. His nemesis and his inspiration and motivation all in one. He’d long ago given up the urge to apologize to her. Assumed he had been a small blip on her summer of ’97 camp experience. After all, they’d been kids.

Diego shook off the regret. He had work to do. They couldn’t all be wealthy heiresses playing at being a farmer.

“Password?” he gutted out.

Meg rattled it off.

Diego grabbed his leather suitcase from the office and headed up the stairs.

He needed to put in another hour or two of work. But even as he tried to concentrate, his mind wouldn’t let go of the memories.

Penelope Hastings. Here at his retreat. Twenty years later, they were both back Camp Firefly Falls.

What were the odds?