Page 29 of Not Until I Found You

“Maxinne. I already know,” Wren interrupts and tosses a thumb my way. “This one hasn’t shut up about you since you arrived into town.”

Heat crawls up my neck. All that talk about Wren being a good friend and she goes and embarrasses me the second she can. What a traitor.

Maxinne smiles, and bless her, she changes the subject as her eyes look down at the small wooden table in front of her and sees the assortment of s’mores choices.

“Wow, you really go all out for s’mores.”

“It’s the only way to get the best s’mores experience. Have you ever tried one with a Reese’s cup?” When Maxinne shakes her head, Wren inhales as if the statement insulted her. “Girl, I’m about to change your life.”

As Wren rummages for her ingredients, my gaze drifts back to Maxinne. She seems lighter now. The redness in her eyes has faded, her shoulders aren’t as tense, and she’s smiling up at the sky as she takes in the stars. The glow from the fire flickers across her face, highlighting the curve of her cheeks and the warmth in her brown eyes.

She’s beautiful in a way that seems to sneak up on me, and now that I’ve noticed, it’s impossible to ignore.

Wren breaks the silence. “I swear there’s something about sitting around a campfire that makes people either want to share their deepest secrets or tell a scary ghost story.”

Maxinne laughs under her breath. “Do you have a deep secret to share?”

“That depends. Are you going to share too?” Wren asks.

Maxinne glances up. “Maybe, but you have to go first.”

Wren gasps dramatically. “Me? Fine.”

She pulls her knees to her chest and stares into the fire dramatically.

“When I was a kid, my little sister and I accidentally broke one of my mom’s favorite records. I’m talking about a one-of-a-kind that was her prized possession.”

I glance toward Wren. “I know this story.”

“You know the edited version.”

“Uh-oh.” I shake my head. It’s untelling what Wren’s about to share with us.

“Olivia cried so hard that I convinced her the only logical solution was to bury the evidence. We dug a hole behind the shed and held an actual funeral for the record.”

I bark out a laugh as Wren keeps going.

“We said a few words, and I may have hummed ’Amazing Grace.’ And then I blamed the entire thing on our brother.”

Maxinne covers her mouth to suppress a laugh. “Did he get in trouble?”

“He was grounded for two weeks.”

I scoff. “You’re terrible.”

“I know.” Wren grins. “And don’t you dare tell my mother!”

The three of us laugh until the sound fades into the crackling fire. Maxinne looks over at me. “What about you?”

I shake my head. “Not a chance.”

“Come on,” she says. “One secret.”

“Not happening.”

“Zane would rather wrestle a bear than talk about his feelings,” Wren says, pointing her roasting stick at me.

“It’s hard to talk about the people who’ve shattered our hearts,” I say without thinking and press my hand over my mouth before anything else can be said.