Page 36 of Romantic

She nearly trips over a rock but quickly rights herself.

“He told you about that?”

“Yes . . . you’re not up to any of your tricks are you?”

“No, not at all,” she looks up at me innocently. “I was inspired by you and your apology bars. I made Jack some ‘I’m sorry’ cookies. Except I didn’t tell him that I was sorry because then I’d have to tell him about the tarantula. And I don’t think he’d be nice about it.”

“And what did you tell your dad about the cookies?”

“He lets me bake cookies whenever I want.” Pepper pushes her pink glasses up her nose. I gaze at her dear face and feel a pang familiar to parents but new to me. She’s growing up. Last year she was a little girl with a big vocabulary; this year she’s a lanky tween carrying a stuffed animal.

“Oh! Well . . . that was really nice.”

“What did you think I was doing?” Pepper asks.

“I don’t know. Just after the whole tarantula incident, I’m wary.”

“Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson.”

“I see that, yeah, sorry. Okay, I need to get campfire started.”

After we sing a couple songs together, it’s time for open guitar. Pepper’s hand shoots up.

“Pepper? You want to play?”

“No, but my dad does. He’s really good.”

“How about it?” I ask Brandon, already knowing his answer. Pepper has been volunteering her dad to play since the first campfire they attended, and he always quietly refuses.

“No thanks; everyone would much prefer to hear you play.”

“I’ll give it a whirl,” says Jack.

“You play?” I ask, a little surprised that I don’t already know this about him. Sure, we’ve only known each other a month, but it’s been an intense month of long conversations. We’ve covered a lot of ground. It seems weird that he never mentioned that he plays guitar.

“I only know a handful of songs, but I’m decent.”

“Alright then.” I hand him my guitar, which he takes up eagerly. I recognize the song after the first two chords. “Free Fallin” by Tom Petty. Jack’s performance is practiced and polished. He’s very relaxed as he sings. It’s obvious he’s played this song many times. He’s quite good. Everyone sings along with the chorus, and Jack is eating it up. Every eye around the campfire is fixed on him, except for Brandon. I’m so aware of Brandon’s gaze on me that I find it hard to focus on Jack’s near-perfect performance. I cave during the guitar solo and glance at Brandon. Our eyes meet, and I quickly look away. When Jack finishes, the group cheers and asks for another song.

“Okay, okay, just one more,” he says, sounding very much like he’s just getting started. This time he’s playing “Light my Fire” by The Doors. He’s strutting around the fire pit. Whenever he hits the line “Come on baby, light my fire” he turns toward me. I have no idea how to react to this, especially with Brandon watching. I just laugh awkwardly. Midway through Jack’s performance, I see Brandon get up to leave. I don’t want him to leave. I stand up and follow, certain that Jack won’t notice my departure.

“Brandon!” He’s halfway to the community kitchen. He turns abruptly. “Hey! Um . . .” I have no idea what to say. I didn’t really think this through. Why did I follow him? I think because he looked upset, and I had to see if he was okay.

“You’re leaving early?” I ask. “Is everything all right?”

“No, Pepper went home without asking.” He pulls out his phone and shows me the Pepper dot on his tracking app. I can see that she’s almost to Jack’s cottage. “She said she was getting another hot chocolate.” He shakes his head. “I’m not sure why she lied to me. I need to make sure she’s home safe.”

“Yeah, of course.”

He hurries off, and I slowly make my way back to the campfire.

Jack passes me on the trail in a hurry. “You’re leaving?” I call after him as he trots by me.

“Sorry! I’ve . . . got to go home. I don’t feel good.”

“Okay.” What a weird night. It’s only a few steps till I’m back to the glow of the campfire, where a teenage girl is playing Taylor Swift. I’m just getting comfortable when it hits me: the Pepper dot on Brandon’s phone wasn’t simply passing by Jack’s cottage. She’s in his cottage. Trying my best not to interrupt the performance, I go straight to Elinor.

“Can you wrap up tonight?”