The Matchbreaker Summer

A pitch-perfect summer camp rom-com about two teens with nothing in common who come together to help break up a romance and unexpectedly start one of their own...

Sixteen-year-old Paisley Manning has been attending Camp Starling since she was a little girl, when her parents ran it together. For the last few years, since her father s death, she s been the one helping her mom run the camp behind the scenes. This year, however, will be Camp Starling s last hurrah because Paisley s mom has met a guy online and they re getting married.

Enter Hayden Bennett, who is working alongside Paisley. Paisley and Hayden are like oil and water. She follows the rules, and he seems to live to break them all. But when Hayden catches wind of Paisley's predicament, he has an idea. If a matchmaker in some computer algorithm caused the issue, a couple of real-life matchbreakers can fix it.

As they work to break up the happy couple, Paisley discovers that maybe Hayden's not so bad after all. Has she met her own perfect match in her fellow matchbreaker?

Autorentext

Annie Rains

Klappentext

Includes an excerpt from Salaam, with love by Sara Sharaf Beg.

Zusammenfassung
A pitch-perfect summer camp rom-com about two teens with nothing in common who come together to help break up a romance and unexpectedly start one of their own...

Sixteen-year-old Paisley Manning has been attending Camp Starling since she was a little girl, when her parents ran it together. For the last few years, since her father’s death, she’s been the one helping her mom run the camp behind the scenes. This year, however, will be Camp Starling’s last hurrah because Paisley’s mom has met a guy online and they’re getting married.

Enter Hayden Bennett, who is working alongside Paisley. Paisley and Hayden are like oil and water. She follows the rules, and he seems to live to break them all. But when Hayden catches wind of Paisley's predicament, he has an idea. If a matchmaker in some computer algorithm caused the issue, a couple of real-life matchbreakers can fix it.

As they work to break up the happy couple, Paisley discovers that maybe Hayden's not so bad after all. Has she met her own perfect match in her fellow matchbreaker?

Leseprobe
Chapter One

Camp Time: Sunday. July 17.

I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life. For the first time ever, I get to be a Camp Starling counselor. The first and last time.

My cursive loops on the blank page of my camper’s journal. This one has a purple leather cover with a tree embossed on the front. A lone bird soars in the right corner, which is what drew me to this specific journal. I don’t take choosing the perfect camper’s journal lightly. This one will stay with me over the next two weeks and document all the camp moments I never want to forget. That’s especially important this year.

A lump tightens my throat as I lie on the bottom bunk in my empty cabin, staring up at the wood planks of the bed above me. The other counselors aren’t here yet. It’s just me and one big secret that presses in on me from all sides. I put my pen to paper and prepare to unload that secret—­that’s what journals are for—­when I hear a rattling noise outside.

My spine straightens. What kind of bizarre sound was that? It reminds me of the obnoxious way my mom’s boyfriend Dave shakes cubes of ice in his glass—­only louder. The rattle is followed by a loud SHHHHHHHHH.

The only other people on the grounds right now are my mom—­the owner of Camp Starling—­and Dave, who gets to serve as assistant camp director just because he’s dating my mom. Camp Starling is a camp for all ages to enjoy nature at its best. The next two weeks are designated specifically for teenaged girls and boys ages twelve through fifteen. Sixteen and up—­me!—­get to serve as camp counselors.

I hear the noise again and briefly wonder if it’s my best friend, Nora. Nora is going to be the counselor in the cabin next door to mine. It’s early, though, and Nora is a fashionably late kind of friend. I, on the other hand, view arrival times as a rule never to be broken. Actually, I view all rules as unbending lines in the sand.

The rattle and SHHHHH noises start again. I still myself and listen. It almost sounds as if it’s right outside my cabin. Unable to contain my curiosity, I leave my journal to walk over and peek outside the door. There’s no one there. Just Blue Lake, which is little more than a hop, skip, and a jump down a stone path ahead of me. To my left there’s nothing but woods because Chickadee Cabin is the last before an expanse of tall pines and oaks. To my right . . .

I pull in a sharp breath. “What are you doing here?”

Hayden Bennett whirls to face me as he stops walking away from my cabin. He has a surprised expression, as if he had no idea anyone else was here. Even though we’ve had plenty of classes together over the last couple years, I wouldn’t say that Hayden and I are friends. He’s that guy who’s cute in theory, but who’s always in trouble. I know this better than anyone because my mom is the principal of our high school. Usually when I stop in to see her, Hayden will be sitting outside her office, inside it, or he’ll just be leaving. It’s not that he does horrible things. He’s just perpetually tardy, turns in his assignments late, and doodles on everything except paper.

I cross my arms over my chest. “This is private property,” I tell him, waiting for an answer to why he’s standing outside Chickadee Cabin. Camp Starling isn’t even in the town where we live. It’s a thirty-­minute trip if my mom’s the one driving. If I’m behind the wheel, it’s more like forty because I only just got my license and I’m a cautious driver.

Maybe Hayden is a counselor here. I seriously doubt he filled out the application, though. Even if he did, my mom would never choose him. Must be good with kids is also a requirement. And from what I’ve seen, Hayden lacks people skills in general.

Case in point: instead of making conversation right now, he’s just standing there. He kind of looks nervous, which is different from his usual apathetic demeanor. Even when he’s outside my mom’s office at school, he’s slouched in the chair with his long dark bangs hanging over his eyes like he’s just waiting to go inside to . . . what? I don’t even know because I am never that unfazed about anything.

As I watch him, his eyes are wider than I’ve ever seen them, drawing me in to the color of his irises. They’re brown. His gaze shifts from side to side. His feet are shifty too, making him look like he’s ready to bolt. I notice the fabric messenger bag on his shoulder. It looks heavy and there’s a bright green stain seeping through the canvas material. Before I can ask more questions, Hayden starts to back away.

His eyes dart around anywhere except to meet mine. What was he doing right before I peeked out of my cabin? I’m certain he was the source of the strange noises. “Hey, Pais. I, uh, didn’t know anyone was here yet.”

“Just me and my mom, Principal Manning,” I tell him, emphasizing the word principal even though my mom takes that hat off during the summers. I’m just trying to ignite fear in Hayden’s eyes. He doesn’t look scared, though. Just suspect. “A few of the camp counselors are starting to arrive too.” The counselors arrive one day before the campers. It gives us a chance …