Page 60 of If the Summer Lasted Forever
I leap to my feet. “I’ll go back for it.”
Mark shoots me a concerned look. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll drink a soda.”
“No, I got it.” I don’t wait for a reply before I hop out of the truck. As I’m hurrying away, back toward our campground that’s a good thirty-minute walk from here, I hear Mom call my name.
I keep going. As soon as I reach the main road, I start to run. I make it back in record time, but even when I catch my breath, I still can’tbreathe.
Why did I let my guard down? Iknewbetter.
I stop in front of the fish pond, staring at the dark water, ruminating over my rotten life choices. At least I didn’t tell Landon I wanted to stop pretending.
That would make it all that much worse. The last thing I need is him to pity me.
Poor little campground girl. She went and fell for one of the guests.
It’s almost dark now, and the campground lights have flickered to life. The fireworks will start soon, but I don’t intend to go back.
Mom and Uncle Mark will understand.
The campground is so quiet you can hear the creek bubbling just past Hallie and Greg’s cabin. Most of the campers are in the grassy meadow by the lake, waiting for the display to start.
A dog barks from one of the sites, and then he goes silent. Everything is so still; it’s a little eerie.
I head for the house, knowing I’ll feel better once I’m inside. Just as I round the corner, I hear the crunch of rapidly approaching footsteps on the gravel behind me. My heart freezes. I whirl around and find a shadowed figure heading my way.
I let out a yip and stumble back, ready to dart.
“It’s me,” Landon says, finally close enough I can make him out in the dim glow of our front porch light. He sets his hands on his hips and draws in a deep breath. “You’re fast when you’re not in flip-flops.”
“What are you doing here?” I will my heart to return to a regular pace, but it’s still racing like a spooked rabbit.
He steps forward in the dark. “Your mom said you left. I came looking for you.”
I don’t know how to answer. I realize I showed him my cards—he knows how I feel about him now that I ran away from the fireworks. Why else would I care that he went off with Evie?
Speaking of his psycho ex-girlfriend…
“Where’s Evie?” I ask.
“Watching the fireworks, I guess.”
“Didn’t she care that you left?”
A smile toys at his lips. “She was livid, but not because of the fireworks.”
I study him, wondering why he’s here. Unless, maybe, just maybe, this thing I’m feeling is mutual.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I know she hurt you, and it had to have been hard to see her again.”
He steps forward, meeting me. “It wasn’t so bad, not with you there.”
My stomach does a flip when he says almost the same thing I said to him about Thomas.
Not too far away, the first firework cracks in the sky. Though it’s masked by the nearby trees, the boom is still impressive.
“I have an idea,” Landon says suddenly, grabbing my hand and leading me to the side of the house.
“Where are we going?”
