Page 36 of Love Story

With a choked gasp, I came.Waves of pleasure crashed over me as I spilled into my hand, shuddering with release.My mind went blank, awash in sensation for a few blissful moments.

I leaned heavily against the shower wall as I came down from the high, letting the hot water rinse away the evidence.My breathing slowly returned to normal, but my heart still raced.The vivid fantasy of Sam lingered, and those blue eyes seared into my memory.

Guilt crept in at the edges of my consciousness.I shouldn’t be thinking of Sam that way, but I couldn’t deny the electric charge I felt whenever Sam was near or the way my skin tingled when he touched me.

I finished rinsing off, knowing I was running out of time.As I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist, I saw myself in the mirror.I was still too thin to be healthy, and my cheeks were flushed, but there was a spark in my eyes I hadn’t seen in months.

I dressed quickly, pulling on a soft blue Henley and jeans.As I entered the main house, the scent of coffee and bacon filled the air.My stomach growled, reminding me that I had more than one appetite returning.

When I reached the kitchen, Aunt Harriet was at the stove, her back to me as she flipped pancakes.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” she said without turning around.“I hope you’re hungry.”

I smiled, settling onto a stool at the kitchen island.“Starving.”

Aunt Harriet glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening as she took me in.“Well, would you look at that,” she said, a pleased note in her voice.“There’s some color in your cheeks.Did you sleep well?”

I nodded, accepting a coffee.“Better than I have in a while,” I admitted, wrapping my hands around the hot mug.

She hummed with approval, turning back to the stove.“It’s the Caldwell Crossing magic,” she said, and I wasn’t going to argue.Something was working, whether it was the town, the books, the letters…

Or Sam.

I sipped my coffee, savoring the rich flavor.Aunt Harriet’s brew was perfect—strong and smooth, with just a hint of bitterness.As I drank, I found myself thinking about Sam again.His eyes crinkled when he smiled, and his voice deepened when he’d spoken with passion about today’s tapping ceremony.

“Earth to Ben,” Aunt Harriet’s voice cut through my reverie.She was standing before me, a plate piled high with pancakes and bacon in her hand.“Where’d you go just now?”

I felt heat creep up my neck.“Nowhere,” I said quickly, accepting the plate.“Just… thinking.”

She raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on her lips.“Uh-huh.”She slid the plate toward me.“ Do you have any plans for this morning?”

I hesitated; fork poised over my breakfast.“No, but I might research more into those letters, and Sam invited me to the tapping ceremony.”

“Will you be okay making your way there alone?I’m being picked up to get there early to help set up.”

“Of course.I promise not to drive into any ditches.”

She rolled her eyes at me, then smiled.“I love that blue sweater on you.”

I glanced down at what I was wearing—my favorite sweater, a little thin on the elbows but so comfortable and soft.“Thank you.”

“You should wear that color more.”

“Okay.”

“It makes your green eyes pop,” she added.

“Thank you.”What else was I going to say?I’d never argued with Aunt Harriet, and I wasn’t about to start now.

THE ANNUAL “TAPthe Year” gathering at the Stonebridge Maple Farm was more than I expected.It was a scene pulled straight from a postcard—snow blanketed the ground, blurring every hard edge, and the trees stood tall and bare, their branches reaching for the bright blue sky.A crowd had gathered near the sugarbush, bundled in thick coats and scarves, chatting and laughing as steam curled from thermoses and mugs of coffee.

I stood on the edge, unsure where to go, when someone called me with a bouncy, enthusiastic tone.

“There you are!”

Before I could respond, Haider grabbed my arm, tugging me forward with all the insistence of a determined tour guide.“Sam said to get you!”

“He did?”

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