“I still had fun,” I said, wiping my eye. “That was the point, right?”

“I think the point was to actually be able to eat what you made,” Mattie said.

“Oh, right.”

We went into another fit of giggles.

Oliver slipped his arm behind my chair, and a sense of comfort settled over me.

The four of us ended up calling out for Chinese takeout and we ate it on the floor of the living room, talking animatedly the entire time.

After dinner, Mattie switched on a movie—some horror-comedy that I would have typically never picked but Oliver was excited to watch. We sat squished together on the armchair, me in his lap and his arms wrapped around me. I dozed off halfway through, my cheeks sore from smiling.

TWENTY-TWO

Oliver

“Come on. It’ll be fun.” I placed a glass on the top of the bar and filled it with soda water before using my other hand to grab the neck of a bottle of vodka.

“It annoys me to no end that you’re already so good at this.” Frankie glared at the ease with which I made the drink and slid it to the woman across from me.

“Don’t change the subject.” I bumped my hip against hers.

“What’s fun about sleeping on the ground?” she whined before reaching under the bar and grabbing a glass. She put it against the beer tap and cursed when it immediately filled up with too much foam. I chuckled, watching her. She still hadn’t gotten the hang of pouring a beer. She passed it to the older man sitting at the other end of the bar.

“It’s not just sleeping on the ground,” I continued. “It’s about being out in nature. Looking up at the stars. Taking in that crisp mountain air.” I took an exaggerated breath to make my point, but immediately regretted it when the sharp smell of spilled beer hit me, making my nose crinkle in disgust.

“Camping isn’t for me, okay? I’ll probably get some stupid injury or get eaten by a bear or something,” she said.

“I promise I will not let you get eaten by a bear.” I held up three fingers on my right hand, giving her the scout’s honor. “I will throw my body in front of yours if it comes to that.”

“What a gallant gesture,” she said, rolling her eyes but still smiling.

I clasped my hands together and held them up. “Please. I’m begging here. I don’t want to spend the whole weekend without my girl.”

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly as a light blush crept across her cheeks. I knew I almost had her. After staring at me for a beat too long, she blinked rapidly a few times and turned around, pretending to get something even though no new customer had come in to order a drink.

“Fine. Don’t beg. I’ll go,” she said.

“Yes!” I cheered, raising both arms in victory.

“What are we celebrating?” Bev asked, wheeling out a keg from the back area, the door to the kitchen swinging shut behind her. I hurried over and took the keg from her and dropped it off underneath the bar.