“I don’t know,” I tell him. “I just ended up there somehow.” The way he’s looking at me, with so much obvious concern, it makes me want to tell him everything.

“Were you sleepwalking?”

I shrug. “Not really. I don’t think I was asleep.” He’s staring at me. “I just got lost, I guess.”

“Av—”

“How are things with you and Jude?” I nudge him with my shoulder, and he turns as red as the big plywood lobster out front.

“Good,” he says. His smile spreads all the way across his face, and I know he’s thinking about Jude’s loose, dark curls and easy grin. “Really good. I’ve never had anything like this before. Shit. I’ve never had anything at all.” He hesitates. “Not since Sam.”

And boom. There it is. The name drop I’ve been waiting for all week. I knew there was someone.

“Who’s Sam?” I ask him. “An old boyfriend?”

“No,” Lex says. “Not really. Just a guy I knew.” But the look in his eyes tells me different. “He’s off at college now. Somewhere in Mississippi.” Lex lets out a long breath. “He was a senior when I was a sophomore, and we used to sit out in his truck and listen to music for hours after football games and stuff.”

“And?” I prompt.

“And that’s it,” Lex admits. “Nothing ever happened. I mean, we flirted a lot. But it never went any further than that. Not one single kiss. We never even held hands.” He sighs. “But, God. The way we talked. I’ve never talked to anybody like that.”

“Were you in love with him?” I ask.

“I think so.” Lex shrugs. “But how the hell are you supposed to know, when you’ve never felt like that before?” He steals one of my oyster crackers. Crunches it between his teeth. “That summer, after Sam graduated and went away, I hooked up with some random guy from out of town in the back room at a friend’s party. It was awful, but it was my first time.” He sighs. “Fuck. I don’t even remember his name. Dylan, maybe. Or something like that.”

“So, you’re writing a new story this summer,” I say, and Lex nods.

“And maybe that turns out to be a love story,” he tells me. “And maybe it just turns out to be a fun story. Either way. I’m sure as shit gonna find out.” He looks at me. “What about you?”

I turn around to check on Cole. He and Val are still waiting in line.

“I’ve never had a love story,” I say. “Not even a sad one.”

Lex raises a red eyebrow in my direction. “It’s time you had a real love story, then, Avril. You deserve one.”