Bonfires were a regular occurrence in Dragonfly. There was an annual one on Memorial Day Weekend, the official start of the summer season. There were all-ages ones, where families were welcome and young and old and everyone in between turned out. There were smaller ones, usually thrown together last minute and consisting of the twentysomething and thirtysomething crowd. That’s what tonight’s was. Memorial Day was still a month away, but the weather had been gorgeous all week, and people were in a celebrating mood.

I’d heard about countless parties on the beach over the years, but this was the first bonfire I’d ever attended.

“Will Seth be there?” I asked as we walked past his house, the third from the marina, which had been Holden’s family’s house growing up, including their grandmother. She’d kept the place when the rest of the Henrys had moved to Nashville. When Holden had convinced everyone to let him move back to Dragonfly Lake for high school, that’s where he’d lived again with his grandmother. I’d spent countless hours there in grade school and knew it as well as I knew my own home.

Holden was studying the house, where there was a light on in the back, on the lakeside. “I’d be surprised if he didn’t at least make an appearance,” he said.

Three more houses on the left and we’d hit the beach. As we came around the copse of trees that lined the beach, my mouth went dry with anxiety as my brain shot back to being the out-of-place, out-of-her-element kid.

I glanced down at myself and regretted letting Holden convince me that the tailored cropped pants, silk camisole, cloud-soft open cardigan, and my favorite wedge sandals were too much for the beach. Those clothes were my comfort zone. The clothes I’d finally settled on—denim cutoffs, black V-neck tee, zip-up hoodie, and plain sneakers—were comfortable around the house, but I wasn’t used to being in public in less than my best.

“You look damn good,” Holden said when he caught my glance downward. He pulled me closer and wrapped his arm around my middle, his big hand resting at my waist.

A couple dozen people were there, gathered in clusters, with drinks in their hands, some with food, most of them smiling or laughing. In the middle of everything was a fire, already burning strongly.

Before I could register who anyone was, I heard my name being called.

“There’s Anna,” Holden said, pointing to a group on multicolored beach chairs closer to the shore, facing the fire.

It was all the girls from girls’ night, plus a couple others. They were each waving, and Olivia gestured for us to join them, pointing at two empty chairs.

“We saved you a seat,” Olivia said warmly. “I love your shoes. Wish I’d worn something warmer now that the sun’s down.”