“I’m sorry, Van. I love your idea, but laser tag equipment is expensive, too much to spend for one night. How about we put it on the list next year? Then we’d be able to plan more events around it to justify the cost.”

Van almost felt bad for Heather, who looked as though she wanted to offer Van a lollipop and a BB-8 Band-Aid. Which Van would totally accept, although she’d prefer a cookie and dammit, most of all, to be able to execute her brilliant idea.

The thing was, though, Van wasn’t one to give up easily. If at all. If she thought about it hard enough, she could make this happen and it would be epic. Camp legend. Also, chasing Willa through the woods had a certain appeal. Not that she’d be able to keep up with her, but maybe Willa would take it easy on her?

The corner of Van’s mouth curled up. Not a chance. That’s when the lightbulb went off.

“So, okay. I get that you can’t outfit the entire camp in brand-new laser tag gear—especially since you’d probably use it a few times a season at most and the rest of the time it would sit in a shed getting spider-infested. But what if I provided you with the equipment?”

Heather looked skeptical, and frankly Van couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t entirely confident she could pull this off either, especially given they only had two weeks before the Aquitaine session started, but dammit, it was worth a shot.

“How exactly would you do that?”

Oh, how she wished there hadn’t been a pause there. She could still pull this out of the fire, though. The answer was—as it so often was—she was going to have to engineer the shit out of this. Game on. “If I can find enough spare parts from old video game systems and the swap table at the dump, I bet I could cobble together some pretty sick proton packs.”

Heather’s eyebrows crunched together in confusion. Right, she was talking to a non-geek. Better rephrase. “I think I can find enough spare parts on e-Bay and stuff to put together the guns and the receivers. We could have two teams: ghosts and Ghostbusters. Maybe the ghosts wouldn’t have guns, because I don’t know if I could rig up that many in such a short time, but they could have slime balls and if one of the ‘busters got hit, they’d be out. Please, Heather? At least let me try. If I can’t pull it off—” please let me be able to pull it off “—I’ll run a different evening activity, like making Stay Puft Marshmallow Man S’mores or something.”

She could tell Heather was on the fence by the way she chewed her lip and crossed her arms, but she could also tell Heather wanted to say yes. Because of course she did. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to play Ghostbusters laser tag? And Heather loved themes. Fucking loved them.

Van made her best puppy-dog eyes in hopes that would push Heather over the edge.

“Ugh, fine. You win.”

Van didn’t even try to hide her whoop of delight. It came spilling out of her mouth, and her arms went up in a V. V for motherfucking victory. Heather quickly cut off her celebrating with a finger waving in her face.

“If you don’t get this done, you need to figure out an alternative. I like your s’mores idea, but maybe we could have something else too? Like a haunted house?”

Van choked on a gag. No freaking way. She would rather die than have to put together a haunted house, but she wasn’t going to admit that to Heather. So rigged-up proton packs it was going to be. Now to scour the internet for leftover Duck Hunt guns and see if someone else had already figured out how to make this work. Also she’d need to dig out her soldering iron. Which conveniently was somewhere in the cabin, she just didn’t quite know where. What she did know was to never leave home without it. Van Thompson: Engineering the shit out of…well, shit since longer than she’d like to think about.

“Uh, I’ll think on it and get back to you with a few ideas. Thank you. You will not regret this.”

Then she booked it out of Heather’s office before she could change her mind. Now to put her plan into motion. Her first stop was the same as it always was. She dragged her phone out of her pocket and pressed the first number in her speed dial. To be fair, she hadn’t dialed it as recently as she should have. Nate was still in Connecticut, taking full advantage of his company’s loosey-goosey culture, and as awesome as the Carters were, they weren’t peers. It’s possible she’d been avoiding Nate, though.

Possible.

But if Van just steered clear of mentioning Willa, everything would be fine. It’s not like they usually had a summit on Nate’s baby sister when they talked, so why should things be any different now? Nate picked up on the second ring.

“‘Sup?”

“I have the world’s most awesome idea, but I’m going to need your help to pull it off.”

She could practically hear Nate perk up on the other side of the line. He’d decided to hang out at his parents’ rather than go back up to Boston, and she couldn’t really blame him. Mr. Carter was a way better cook than Nate was, and Mrs. Carter made killer drinks. Despite those perks, he was maybe regretting that decision some since he was bored as fuck. She could tell by the number of Sheep Leap invitations he’d sent her on social media. Yeah, he was working some, but there was no water cooler culture at the homestead. Hopefully she could turn his desperation to her advantage, and when he responded, she knew she had him.

“I’m all ears.”

“Well, you’d better be all fingers in a second because this is going to take some serious google-fu.”

“Got it, boss. Whaddya need?”

“DIY gear for Ghostbusters laser tag?” Van wasn’t usually hesitant, didn’t phrase declarations as questions, but even she knew this was a big ask. And when Nate was silent for a few seconds, she thought she’d lost him. “Nate?”

“Sorry, just picking my brains up off the floor because you just blew my mind. That’s going to be sick, and I can’t believe I’m missing it.” There were some curses which Van assumed were directed at his busted leg.

“If I can pull it off, yeah, but at this point, it’s kind of a big if.”

“So what are you thinking? Duck Hunt guns would be perfect, but the receivers are a little trickier…”

They spent a few minutes brainstorming, and when they had a good base to build on, Nate turned their chat to a place Van did not want to go. “So are you being nicer to Willa?”

Did giving her shuddering orgasms count? “Um, yes?”

“Why did you say it like that? If you’re still being a dick—”

“I’m not. Swear.” Van would do anything to get them off this topic of conversation. “So how many Duck Hunt guns have you found so far?”

“Whoa, you are not getting off that easily.” There was a super-inappropriate yo’ sister joke in there, but Van kept her mouth shut and waited. “I need evidence. Tell me something nice you did for Willa.”

She sure as fuck wasn’t going to tell him about all the sex they were having, so it would have to be something else. Something nice so Nate would be satisfied, but not so nice that he’d be suspicious. “We…practiced our cosplay for Star Wars night and I did her hair.”

There. That sounded innocent enough, and it was met with a begrudging grunt of approval. Thank goodness for that, because with everything else that was going on, Van could not afford to be short a best friend.

“Good. Keep it up.”

Try and stop me. “Will do. Now, about those Duck Hunt guns…”

It was with a profound sense of relief Van listened to Nate rattle off the sources he’d already found and then start rhapsodizing about how they might equip everyone in camp with receivers. She didn’t want talking to Nate to feel like picking her way through a minefield, but she could hold out until the end of the summer when everything would go back to normal and Nate would never need to know about her and Willa.

* * *

Willa sent another easy lob over the net toward Heather while they had their now-traditional pre-lunch tennis match. Well, more of a lesson because while Heather was improving, she was no match for Willa. As evidenced by her missing Willa’s latest shot along the line.

Heather jogged after the offending ball and then tossed it to Willa. “So I had a nice chat with Van this morning.”

“About what?” Willa lined up her serve, conscious to make it an easy one. It was good practice anyhow, made her focus more on placement than on force.

Heather managed to return this one with a nice deep shot that actually left Willa scrambling. No way had Heather done that on purpose, but Willa didn’t mind the challenge. No, it felt good to stretch her legs and put some hustle in her bustle.

“Ghostbuster laser tag of all things. She’s got a real head of steam about this. Think she can pull it off?”

They settled into an easy rhythm of batting the ball back and forth, and once it was established, Willa answered. “If Van says she can pull something off, then she can. She’s crazy smart and she works really hard.”

Heather missed again, and as she was trotting back with the ball, she gave Willa a sly look. “What are you, president of the Van fan club?”

A bit of a blush came into Willa’s cheeks, hopefully covered up by her sun and workout-flushed face. “No. I mean, she’s great, but…”

“But what?”

Yeah, Heather had perfected that faux-innocent, intimating expression.

“But nothing.”

“Mmhmm.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you two have been looking at each other all starry-eyed for the past couple of weeks, and I thought it might be more than just a mutual admiration society. Or bunkmates. Is there something going on between the two of you?”

Heather took advantage of Willa’s distractedness to get her first—and likely only—shot past Willa. She grinned and jogged to the side of the court, picking up her water and taking a few gulps.

Hmm. Should she tell Heather? And if so, how much? It’s not like there was some kind of rule against fraternizing between employees—that would’ve been awfully hypocritical on Heather and Michael’s part—but Heather was her boss. Only for a few more weeks, though, and she was dying to dish to someone.

“Okay, okay,” Willa said as she trotted over to join Heather. They should probably wrap things up anyhow so they could grab lunch—it was a barbecue today, and Meg made ribs to die for. Also a kale, carrot, raisin, and walnut salad she usually served with them, so all together, Willa was a very happy girl. Not to mention that things were going so very well with Van. “We’re sort of a thing.”

Heather whistled and Willa rolled her eyes, but that familiar flush crept over her face again.

“Only sort of?”

On the one hand, Willa didn’t want to give in to Heather’s egging on, but on the other hand, she wanted someone to squee with. No one at Stanford had ever met Van, so they wouldn’t understand, and while she wasn’t averse to telling Nate about her dating life, she wasn’t quite ready to spill the beans about Van yet. Soon, though, because shit was getting real and Nate did not like to be the last one to know.

“Fine. We’re definitely a thing, okay? We’re not talking bed linens to put on our registry or what preschool our kids are going to go to, but I am starting to plan when we’ll be able to see each other once we go back to school. It’ll be a little rough navigating two academic calendars on opposite coasts, but I think we’ll be able to handle it.”

“Whoa. That’s pretty serious. I didn’t know you were thinking about ‘The Future.’”

The way Heather verbally capitalized those words caught Willa up short. No, they hadn’t exactly discussed it, but what else could all this mean? It was more than a fling for sure. But the way Heather was eyeing her… “What?”

“You might want to think about making sure Van is planning for the future too. That is, if you haven’t already.”

Well, duh. Willa wasn’t going to go back to the cabin and buy a year’s worth of plane tickets, but she had maybe, possibly, written out a list of possible long weekends they could see each other. Of course, that would depend on their class schedules and department obligations and all that, but wasn’t it obvious? It certainly was to Willa…

“Of course she is. We’ve talked about next year.” Not exactly specifically about their relationship, but about classes and stuff. So Van must be thinking about it. Of course she was. Willa needed to stop letting Heather making her crazy. “So there will be planes involved, but that’s fine. Plus, there’s always skyping and talking on the phone—”

“And sexting.”

“Heather!” Willa’s eyes bugged as she whipped her head around to look at her boss.

“Sorry, I just always wanted to say that. But really, that’s great. Have you told Nate yet?” Willa sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, and Heather laughed. “I’m taking that as a no?”

“No, but I will soon.”

“Do you think he’ll be mad?”

“No.” Willa shook the hair out of her face and pushed the sweat-sticky strands back further before taking another sip of water. Her brother wasn’t one of those guys who wanted to lock his little sister in a tower and keep her there until she was forty. “He might be a little worried because it’s like his two favorite people’s happiness eggs all in one basket, you know? But I don’t think he’ll be worried after he sees us together.”

“You are an awfully cute couple.”

Willa curtsied her thanks and gave Heather a quick goodbye hug. Her boss had to run so she could meet up with Michael for lunch, and she had to book it back to the cabin to grab a Band-Aid to put over a rapidly forming blister.

On the way, she broke out her cell and called her brother. “Nate the Great, how’s it going?”

“I have a bendy straw, a Tipsy Arnie, and a new project to keep me busy. I’m good. Also, you’re the second Camp Firefly Falls staff member to call me today. Is Heather not keeping you guys busy enough? Because I’ve got to tell you, that doesn’t sound like her at all.”

“No, she’s definitely keeping me on my toes. I’m just on my way to the cabin to grab a Band-Aid before I get lunch. Ribs today!”

Nate groaned. “Seriously? You’re going to tease me like that? You’re a cruel one, Willa the Killa.”

“Oh my god, you’re a dork.” But he was her big brother, and he was the best kind of goofball. She wouldn’t have him any other way. But that did make her wonder… “Who else called you?”

“Van did. She roped me into her Ghostbusters laser tag venture. I am desperately jealous of you guys getting up to shenanigans in the woods.”

Willa had to cover her mouth so Nate wouldn’t hear the strangled sound she made. Yeah, there definitely had been shenanigans in the woods, but not the kind he was thinking of. She cleared her throat and then, in the coolest voice she could manage, asked, “Did she say anything about me?”

“Who? Van?” There was an uncouth slurp on the other end of the line, and Willa rolled her eyes. No wonder her brother hadn’t found someone to settle down with yet. His manners were somewhat lacking, despite their mother’s best efforts. “Not really. Why?”

Not really? What was that supposed to mean? It was a simple question that should’ve yielded a yes or no answer. But clearly, Van hadn’t mentioned them dating because Nate would’ve called Willa, not waited for her to call him. Okay. That was fine. She probably just wasn’t ready yet. It’s not like they were carrying on some covert affair and she was Van’s shameful secret. No need to freak. All in good time.

“No reason.”

“Is she still giving you a hard time? She said you were getting along better, but if that’s not true, you give me the word, and I’ll give her a tongue-lashing.”

Pinching her nose shut was the only way Willa could stop the snort this time. She would much rather it be herself giving Van a tongue-lashing, but Nate really did not need to know that level of detail.

“No, no. It’s fine. We’re on, um, much better terms.” Fucking terms. “No need for you to intervene.”

“Okay, good. Van is great, but sometimes it takes her a while to warm up to new people, you know? And I know you’re not new new, but you’ve never hung out as adults, so it’s different than when she basically used to live at our house when we were kids.”

Yes, yes, it was. And thank heaven for that. She needed to get off the phone before she completely lost her shit. Plus, she was skipping up their cabin steps so she’d have to hang up soon anyhow. That Band-Aid wasn’t going to cover her blister by itself.

“I get it. And hey, I gotta go, but I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Go off and live your glamorous camp life. I’m going to have another drink and then try to figure out how Van can mass-produce DIY laser tag equipment.”

Because that could only end well. Nothing bad could possibly come out of drunk Nate fooling around with electronics. “Don’t be stupid. Play with electricity and then drink.”