Page 42 of Starry Skies, Stolen Kisses, and My Best Friend's Brother

Benji just grins at me like he can’t quite believe I’m here.We were pretty tight back in high school.I was the quarterback on our tiny football team, and he was an offensive tackle.But I haven’t talked to him since graduation.

“What have you been up to?”I ask him.

“This and that.Bought me a single wide two years ago and put it on the folks’ back forty.Got hitched to Becky, and we got four kids now.”

“Wow.That sounds amazing.”

That actually sounds horrific.

I glance at his shoes.They’re Walmart tennis shoes, almost falling apart at the seams.

“Boog, do not put those down your pants.”

A kid who is probably around eight stands there, one hand on the waistband of his sweatpants and one clenched around several Hershey bars.He meets his dad’s eyes and slowly releases the bars before disappearing around the corner into the next aisle.

Benji looks at me and doesn’t offer an explanation.

“Boog?”I question, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah.Kid had more snot than a cow when he was a baby.We started calling him Booger, and it just stuck.Can’t even remember his real name anymore.His mama probably does though.”

We chat for a few more minutes, and then I manage to escape with no less than three invitations over the next two weeks to his house.

As I pay for my groceries, Benji walks up behind me with a case of Coors Light.

“Benji, I thought I told you to leave Booger at home when you come here.”The store manager, an old man named Ned who was a cashier here back when I was a kid, is dragging Benji’s son up an aisle.

“Sorry.Becky needed a break, and it was too hot to leave him in the car.”

Ned gives Benji a look.Benji just shakes his head and yanks Booger’s shirt off.Candy and small bags of chips fall to the floor.Then he pulls the poor kid’s pants down, and out falls a package of bacon.Ned looks at Booger and spins his finger in a circle.The kid turns around, and I can see the outline of two packages of bubble gum shoved down the back of his underwear.

I’ve seen enough.I quickly pay and make it back to the car and take a couple of deep breaths.This grocery trip makes me wonder how many of my other classmates are still around here.Probably not many, and certainly not many who could wear Santonis.

Benji’s life is exactly what I was afraid of ending up with.Though he seems happy enough.So does Eli for that matter.I’ve always thought—and I realize this is irrational—that marriage and kids were a surefire way to the poor house.I don’t know why I’m so scared of losing everything, but the thought of having to survive on rice and beans like we did when I was a kid is terrifying.

* * *

“We should do a fire,” Levi suggests after inviting himself into my cabin.I finish putting my groceries away, and within a half hour, we’re down by the river with a roaring fire going.Mark and Abi joined us.I don’t know where Mae is, but I don’t want to sound desperate, so I don’t ask.

“I want to do something special for Mae.She was only supposed to be doing the social media, but she’s going way above and beyond.”

Abi rolls her eyes, and Mark smirks.“I thought you were supposed to be staying away from her.”

“I can’t do that since y’all forced me to work with her.She’s doing a fantastic job.She’s got three-quarters of the glamping tents already booked for our influencer Hideaway.And she got us into that social media conference in Vegas where we can pitch the Hideaway Weeks.Have you even seen the website recently?Mom told me yesterday the phone rang off the hook and online bookings have skyrocketed even outside of the Hideaway Weeks.That’s all Mae.Not me.So I want to do something nice for her.”

Levi leans forward, shadows dancing over his face from the flames.“You need to stay away from her.I know she’s doing a good job, but you cannot risk Keith selling out.Do you have any idea what that’ll do to our business?Especially now that things are looking up.”

Abi shrugs.“If Keith sells out, it might not be that bad.I mean, we’re already somewhat restricted.We’ve managed.”

“No internet.No television.No microwaves.”Levi grimaces.“Our guests won’t even be able to bring their cars close if they were built after 2010.It will be a disaster.I like my work here.I don’t want to have to go somewhere else.”

He’s not wrong.I don’t plan on risking anything.But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to show her how much I appreciate what she’s done.

“I had a PA in China who meant absolutely nothing to me romantically, and yet, I did stuff for her all the time.I took her and her family with me on trips to Japan, went out to nice restaurants with them, and bought her expensive things.I did it because I appreciated her.”

Levi scoffs.“I doubt you had your PA’s dad looking over your shoulder in China.”

Abi looks thoughtful for a moment.“Maybe you can take the two of us somewhere fun for a few days.We can disguise it as work if we have to.”Abi’s scheming, and I love it.Her eyes glint, and she bounces in her seat.“Can we go to New York City?We want to see ‘Wicked.’”

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