Why'd you have to go and lose your temper? Kieran asked himself as he stared at his bloodshot eyes and dark circles the next morning. If Ben had been a little less annoying, Kieran might have been able to sleep. Paranoia had kept Kieran awake all night.
Not that he didn't trust Donovan. He did. Implicitly. But Ben had a tenacious personality and Kieran couldn't be sure that Ben didn't have a plan B.
The lack of contact from Donovan meant that Ben hadn't shown up again. Kieran had lost sleep, but at least he gained security about Naomi's safety.
No doubt the other chaperones would ask about Kieran's state of disarray, but he could handle that. So many excuses could be made for why he hadn't been able to sleep. Kieran could skirt around the real issue with ease. After all, at this point he might as well have a PhD in lying.
It bothered him more how easily Ben had gotten an emotional response from him. When it came to Naomi, Kieran had lost his temper too quickly. A sure sign that he needed to end things as soon as possible. Hanging on again and again had dug his own grave, or it would if he didn't do something soon.
The time had come to cut loose the little rich girl. For the greater good.
Just as soon as he got her away from Ben Porter permanently.
Since he couldn't do anything about his appearance, Kieran gave up and grabbed his bag from the end of the bed. The buses would depart in thirty minutes, which meant that he needed to get his butt in gear and get to the check-in. Thankfully, all the clipboards and attendance sheets were with Ms. VanCamp. One less thing to keep track of.
Kieran exited his cabin into a cloudy morning mist. Fitting, for his mood.
Someone had already brought the buses around. Various early-morning students wandered around the gravel courtyard, waiting to board. Kieran took note of each, surprised that he didn't find Naomi in their midst. She seemed like an early riser to him. Apparently there were many things he didn't know about her.
"Good morning, Mr. Colburn!" Ms. VanCamp appeared out of the fog, as ethereal and alert as always.
Kieran raised his chin in greeting. "You seem chipper."
"I have one rule in my life and that is to immerse myself in every moment." Ms. VanCamp held out a clipboard toward him. "Why don't you try it sometime?"
On cue, Kieran's phone rang. Thinking it might be Donovan, Kieran pulled the device from his pocket. Unfortunately, it was not Donovan who desired Kieran's attention.
Tawny, read the caller ID. Kieran silenced it and shoved the phone back into his pocket. Whatever Tawny had to say, she could say it later.
Ms. VanCamp raised a brow, but didn't question Kieran any further. Instead, she left him the clipboard and turned to take up her own position.
Kieran's phone trilled again. Jack, this time. With a groan, Kieran answered.
"What?"
"It's not okay for me to keep Natalie by my side, right? She's too good for me, isn't she?"
Kieran blew out a heavy breath. "I thought you called about work."
"You know your schedule, why would I call about that?"
Jack made a valid point. Kieran knew more about work than Jack did, most days. Lately all Jack talked about had been Natalie this, Natalie that. Kieran recognized his own mistake. He shouldn't have answered the call.
"I told you, I can't make your decisions for you. Grow a backbone, Jack."
"I have a backbone!" Jack retaliated. "It's just... Natalie's a really good woman and she wants to marry me, remember? What if I can't handle that kind of committed relationship?"
"The only real choice here is clear," Kieran admitted. "You either give up because you're afraid or you make an adult, educated choice about what to do. That's all the advice I'm giving you. I'm busy. Bye."
Kieran hung up before Jack could whine about his sob story any longer. Rehashing the same thing over and over and over again had not been Kieran's plan when he went to work for Jack. But he did what he had to do to keep his job. One day he would be able to save money instead of pouring it through a sieve. Then things would get better.
For now, Kieran kept an eye out for both Ben Porter and Naomi Rowe.
Ben, suspiciously, didn't appear in the first wave of student zombies emerging from their respective cabins. Either Kieran had scared him off for good or, true to character, Ben had something else up his sleeve.
Kieran had been lied to one too many times to believe that Ben had slunk off in defeat.
Little by little, the buses filled. Kieran's attention kept drifting toward the cabins, waiting for the arrival of a feisty, naive woman.
A sigh of relief slipped from Kieran's lips as Naomi and Claire came sauntering toward the buses. Donovan's presence behind them loomed like a shadow. No way Ben had pulled anything over on a guard like Donovan.
Kieran raised a hand to wave at Naomi.
Naomi spotted him and, for the very first time, a genuine smile lit her lips. It nearly took Kieran's breath away, seeing her smile at him. Naomi so rarely showed any emotion that her pure joy blew Kieran away.
No, stop. You can't let yourself catch feels. Kieran steeled his nerves and turned away, hoping that he could simply forget her and allow Naomi to move on with her life.
Fate always had a different plan than Kieran.
This time, Fate's Twist came in the form of a yellow sport's car that screeched to a halt near the second bus.