Page 122 of Even in the Dark

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Find out what happens when cocky bad boy Silas is forced on a summer road trip with bubbly, over-achiever Jackie! She planned for every situation on her solo road-trip adventure… except for the broody, wise-cracking stowaway she finds passed out in her camper on her very first night, hiding a secret that connects their pasts. A swoony YA enemies to lovers road trip romance.

?? One-Click EVEN AFTER SUNSET now!.

And you can read Caroline and Seb' story now, too! He's a popular trouble-maker. She's an awkward rule-follower. And now, also his new tutor for the next three months. A swoony YA opposites attract football romance.

?? One-Click EVEN IN THE RAIN now!

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To find out more about Sophie or to see what projects she’s working on next, join her newsletteron her websiteat www.sophiemcaloonauthor.com.

Read on for an excerpt of Maggie and Xavier's story, EVEN BENEATH THE STARS…

EVEN BENEATH THE STARS (Bonus Excerpt)

CHAPTER 1 (Maggie)

PAST (Early summer before Senior Year)

"Does anyone know how to get finger paint out of hair? Asking for a kid who decided blue was definitely her color…everywhere."

I look up from my spot at the picnic table to see Liam approaching, his messy hair tousled by the ocean breeze, and a look of mild panic in his eyes. There’s a streak of blue on his cheek and a smear down his board shorts, presumably from trying to wrangle the four-year-old paint-covered demon.

"Ocean," Laney and I answer in unison.

Liam grins, narrowly dodging a camper on a tricycle who nearly takes him out. "Crap, yeah. Kind of a no-brainer."

We don’t correct him—because it is a no-brainer. Especially for the swim and surf instructor. Laney and I are just run-of-the-mill counselors. The bottom feeders of the Welsford Country Club's Lil' Shoreline Explorers summer program. Liam is onlyfilling in today for a sick counselor, leaving Jeremy—his helper, great at entertaining but awful at problem-solving—to fend for himself. A match made in mayhem.

"Welp. Guess I'm off for an impromptu mid-morning dip." Liam mock-salutes us and jogs toward the clubhouse.

"Five bucks says he’s back in three minutes because now everyone’s got blue hair," Laney says.

I laugh. "No bet."

I turn back to watch our campers zoom around on plasma cars against the backdrop of the endless ocean, weaving through an intricate chalk road network they spent half an hour designing. And now it’s like a tiny, lawless version ofFast and Furious: Tricycle Drift.

It's one of those suffocating summer afternoons where the heat presses down, stifling and thick to the point that even the laws of physics seem to be sweating it out. These kids don’t tap out, though. An hour of swimming, three games of tag, lunch, crafts—and they’re still going. Anyone who says preschoolers aren’t hardcore has never spent time with a four-year-old during a heatwave.

There's a slight breeze, at least. Enough to carry the smell of salt, sunscreen, and the faintest whiff of trust-fund entitlement. Also, the sickly sweetness of tipped-over juice boxes abandoned on picnic tables and Adirondack chairs.

Shoot. I was supposed to get the kids to put those in the refundable bins after lunch.

"So, do you know anyone in Sandy Haven?" Laney asks, leaning back on her elbows along the weathered table surface. "Or are you doing this thing cold turkey?"

"Cold turkey." I grab two empty juice boxes, tossing them into the fanciest recycling bin I’ve ever seen. "I was planning to attach myself to you like a leech until Christmas," I joke. "Or until I make more friends. Whichever comes first."

Laney chuckles. "Cling away. I love leeches… They're kinda cute, right?"

"I think they feed off human blood."

She laughs again, her dark curls bouncing around her face. "Okay, yeah. You're gonna need to make more friends, stat."

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