“Anyone got food?” Aidan asked.

“Uh…” Brooke put her hands to her cheeks. “I have cookies on the top shelf.”

“Score.” Aidan helped himself while Brooke rose to her feet.

“Gotta clock in,” she said and, with a last glance at Zach, left the room.

Zach thunked his head to the table.

“What?” Aidan took two fistfuls of cookies and plopped himself down next to Zach, peering at the laptop. “Trying to link them.” He nodded. “Hey, maybe if you—”

“Aidan.”

“Huh?”

He had to laugh. “I was sort of in the middle of something with Brooke.”

Aidan blinked. “Oh. You mean…” He pointed a finger at himself. “You wanted me to leave you two alone?”

“Man, you are quick.”

“I thought you two already knocked it out.”

Zach winced, and Aidan sat back. “Wow.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, it’s something.”

“Okay. You’re falling for her.”

The door burst open again and Brooke stood there looking more than a little ruffled.

Aidan got to his feet. “Apparently I’m supposed to leave you two alone.”

Zach rolled his eyes.

Brooke just kept staring at him until Aidan was gone. “Did you know everybody is talking about us? Why is everyone talking about us? It feels like we’re twelve and in middle school.”

“Since there’s sex involved, let’s call it high school. Ignore it. It’ll blow over.”

She glared at him. He couldn’t help it; he laughed. “It will.”

“You’re not bothered at all?” she asked.

“I’m just saying it’s what they do. Seriously, it’ll all fade away if you just—”

“Yeah, yeah. Let it go. But maybe I’m not like you, all cool and calm and so laid-back that I have to be checked for a pulse.”

Before he could say anything to that, she sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. I guess I’m still having bad new-kid flashbacks.”

He moved toward her and lowered her hands from her face. “We’re adults, and we made a decision. A decision that turned out to be the best night of my entire summer. Don’t regret it, Brooke. Please don’t.”

As she looked at him, her eyes softened. Her body softened, too, and she nodded. “It was nice, wasn’t it?”

“Nice?” He shook his head. “Nice is a walk in the park. Nice is a sweet goodbye kiss. Nice is a lot of things, Brooke, but it doesn’t come even close to covering what we did on that rock.”

“Okay, so maybe nice isn’t quite the right word. How about good? Do you like that word better?”