Page 136 of Until Next Summer

“Are we interrupting something?” Jessie calls, a teasing lilt to her voice. I peel myself away from Cooper, resuming my seat beside him, my arm looped through his.

Luke and Jessie take a seat on the bench next to ours, and we pass the bottle of champagne back and forth. The bubbles tickle my throat, and everything about this moment, this night, feels right.

“I’ve got an idea,” Jessie says after a minute. “Roses and thorns for the whole summer.”

Cooper blows out an irritated breath. I smile; I love that he shares my opinion on icebreakers.

“Come on,” Jessie insists. “I’ll start. One of my biggest roses was the talent show. Raising the money was great, but the thing I loved most was feeling like we were one big team, with everyone working toward a common goal. It was like inCome from Awaywhen the town of Gander pulls together to take care of people stranded after 9/11…”

She trails off, realizing that Cooper and I are staring at her, totally confused. Luke is nodding along, though, as if whatever Jessie’s referencing makes perfect sense.

“Never mind,” Jessie says. “I’ll just say that it was incredible knowing so many people wanted to save the camp as much as I did. And our skit! When Hill put lipstick on my nose—I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants.”

“Thank god you didn’t—you would have peed on me!” I laugh. “That’s my rose: Jessie didn’t pee on me.”

“That doesn’t count,” she says. “Give us a real one.”

“Hmmm.”

I close my eyes and think about the last two months, images flashing before me like a slide show: the first day, when Jessie barely acknowledged me; that first trip to town, when Cooper offered to be my fling; finally feeling butterflies; the nights sitting by the campfire, singing songs under the stars; every single Sunday night dinner; waking up in Cooper’s arms. But the biggest rose of all was the way Jessie’s friendship came back to me. Slowly at first, then all at once.

And I know what moment I’m going to share.

My eyes well with tears as I say, “My biggest rose for the summer was playing Capture the Flag.” The moment I truly believed our friendship was savable. “Not only did we win, but it felt good, being on the same team as you again.”

I look at Jessie. Her eyes shimmer in the light of the fire, and I know she knows what I mean. I don’t want to leave things on a sad, sentimental note, though, so I add two more roses, quickly, almost under my breath. “Also redeemingourselves by winning Color Wars—and Cooper wearing that toga…”

Cooper suggestively waggles his eyebrows, and we all laugh.

“Boys?” Jessie says.

To my surprise, Luke starts to talk—no additional cajoling required.

“My rose for the summer was finding my muse again,” he says, and I wonder if he’s talking about the camp…or my best friend. “I was so focused on trying to tell an old story that I almost fell out of love with writing. But something about this place—” His eyes land on Jessie. “I found my story, and I think I’ve found my way forward, too.”

“Coop?” Jessie says.

“Well, my first rose is that I finally got to have a camp girlfriend—who’s my old camp crush!” There’s a flutter in my belly, and I can’t believe I spent thirty years thinking butterflies didn’t exist. I hate to think I came so close to accepting a life without this feeling. “And my second rose is the pace of life around here. Back in Boston, everything moved so fast I didn’t have time to think. I was just going through the motions, trying to win, to be the best. Having time to take a breath and get back to basics helped me think about what I really want in my life. What’s important.”

Cooper’s eyes are locked on mine, and I’m smiling so wide it feels like my cheeks might crack.

This kind of happiness doesn’t come from a checklist. It comes from living, from taking risks and following your heart.

“Now for the thorns,” Jessie says, lowering her voice. “Let’s go reverse order. Coop?”

He sits up straighter and slips his arm around my waist. I lean into him because I know his thorn—and I also know that we’re stronger for having been through it.

“I only had two thorns the whole summer,” he says. “When I acted like a dick and let my past get in the way of my future.” I rest my hand on his thigh and give him a squeeze to let him know all is forgiven. “And all the allergies and food sensitivities. I get it, I do, but it was a challenge to find meals that tasted good and could also be modified for the no-lactose-gluten-free-allergic-to-tree-nuts-keto-paleo crowd.”

Luke doesn’t have to be prompted to share his thorn: “Losing Scout,” he says, his face twisting in pain. “And the fact that I spent far too long pushing people away and acting like an asshole. I appreciate you all being patient with me.”

My turn again. “My thorn was those horrible hours when I thought I might have to leave camp early, and when Aaron showed up with that stupid AI proposal.”

I shiver at the memory, and Cooper pulls me even closer against him.

It’s Jessie’s turn. She doesn’t say anything at first, just stares into the fire. The rest of us exchange looks, but no one is about to hurry her.

“My first thorn is obviously the dick tick,” she eventually says.

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