“Shit, I’m sorry.” He reaches across the small space separating our chairs and links his sticky fingers with mine. “That was a stupid thing to say, but honest, Drew, the only thing I remember about that day was it was the day I finally got to kiss you.”

“Solid recovery.” I grin at him because even if I wanted to stay irritated with him—which I don’t—I couldn’t.

He’s right. That was a great day. Not only did my dad get his ass handed to him by Collette; my ass got properly handled by Jasper.

“Thank you.” He smiles huge and it’s even more transfixing with the orange glow of fire dancing across his skin.

Whereas it’s still too hot to turn off the air-conditioning in Denver, I made sure to pack a jacket before heading up here. Even with the fire popping and crackling in front of us, I pull my hand away from Jasper’s so I can grab one of the blankets we brought out here with us. I fold my legs crisscross into the chair and spread the blanket across my lap.

“I always forget how many stars there are.” I lean back, my gaze drifting to the endless black sky above us. “My mom is obsessed with astronomy. Whenever she had a long weekend off, we’d load up into the car and head into the mountains. I remember lying next to her as she would point out stars and constellations that I’d always pretend to see. I loved listening to her as she’d tell me all of the stories about how they came to be. And then one weekend, we went when there was a meteor shower . . .” I trail off as the memory flashes in my mind just as vibrant as the day it happened.

I can smell the pine trees around us and taste the hot dog I charred because I insisted on cooking mine over the campfire. I can even feel my mom’s arm as she held me in her lap while we tried to keep count of every meteor that flew overhead.

I’m glad my mom is living her life the way she wants to. Every time we talk, she’s telling me how much she loves being back home. But I know she’s worried about me. I think when I get home, I’ll call her and fill her in on everything that’s going on with the Book Nook. I might even try to schedule a time to visit her.

Maybe even bring Jasper . . .

“Sorry.” I shake my head, a sad smile pulling on my lips as I look at Jasper, who’s staring back with watchful eyes. “Do you want another marshmallow?”

“No.” He shakes his head and one of his overgrown curls falls across his forehead. “But I could use some of that blanket.”