Page 42 of Chasing Sunrise

“Not bored.” She stacked the cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow, then another cracker on top, making a s’more sandwich. “I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

“Bad sex?”

She shook her head. “No. No problems there.”

“We’re back to him being perfect,” he said in an annoyed tone.

“In our too-easy life, something felt missing. That’s all.”

He respected the fact she didn’t speak ill of her ex. He was trying to do the same with Harper.

She took a bite of her s’more and started to lower her hand. A gooey, white marshmallow string stretched from her lips to the s’more until she broke it with her finger. Tempted to lean over and suck the marshmallow off her finger, or her lips, he looked away and ate of bite of his treat.

She sat back in the lawn chair. “These are better than I remember.”

“Everything is better when you’re camping.”

“I detect a theme.” She laughed.

“Like I said, camping relaxes me.” He finished off his s’more. “Even as a kid, I had trouble being still. Mom said I didn’t climb the walls, I jumped them. At the age of two, I climbed up onto the countertop and hopped off pretending to be Spiderman.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“Mom thought so.” He shrugged. “I was diagnosed with ADHD early on. I get restless. Jumpy. I bore easily. That’s one reason I love working on my show. Going to different locations and doing different things provides the variety I crave.”

“Are you sure? Some people find comfort in doing the same thing. Like the way you relentlessly flung that fishing rod today.”

“Each cast was a possibility for something different. I enjoy not knowing what I’m going to encounter or what’s going to happen.” He paused. “After the shooting incident, I couldn’t stop the whole thing from playing in my head. Then and now, my mind races at times, and I can’t stay still.”

“Understandable. You did well atTiny’sand at book club.”

“I guess. Although, I moved a lot at Tiny’s. And at book club, I was busy talking. The truth is I prefer to be moving. I prefer for everything around me to be moving. I like the energy of things moving. It helps me focus better.”

“I understand. I’ve studied ADHD. I was a psych major and got a master’s in counseling. My question to you is, is this the way you want to be? I’m sure you know of medications you can take to help—” She looked down and didn’t finish her sentence.

He frowned. “Were you going to say they could help me live a normal life?”

She glanced up, looking offended. “No. There’s no definition of a normal life.” Now she sounded perturbed. “I was going to say help your brain slow down. Probably every person on Earth needs something to help us through each day.”

“What doyouneed?”

Her demeanor returned to cordial. “I do things to calm my nerves. Forms of meditation like yoga, visualization, prayer, etcetera. I try to meditate at least an hour a day. I’ll do anything to quiet my mind. I’ve tried meds to help with my anxiety but didn’t like how they made me feel. What have you tried?”

“I took medicine as a kid, but stopped when I got to high school. I exercise a lot, wear myself out so I sleep.” A flash from the trees caught his attention. Fireflies were like tiny spotlights blinking on and off, maneuvering in and out of the grass, behind and in front of trees and bushes.

He rose and held out a hand to Amanda. “Come with me.”

She put her hand in his and stood. Her hand was cool and slightly sticky. He linked their fingers and tugged her away from the fire and the lights until they were in a dark spot. “Do you see the fireflies?”

“I do.” He could hear the smile in Amanda’s words. Edward nosed his head between them.

“When you’re ready, look up.” Kasey gazed at the night sky. Stars popped out of the darkness. The longer he stared, the more stars he saw, and the brighter they became.

“Oh, it’s beautiful.” Her awed words were like a whispered prayer.

He knew about the meteor shower tonight and was grateful the clouds subsided earlier.

A shooting star catapulted across the sky. “Do you see it?”

---