Page 45 of So Close

“It was. But then after our mom died and Carl was so angry with dad—” Brynn closed her mouth abruptly. “I should shut up. Trey wouldn’t appreciate me flapping like this about him.”

“Brynn!” Trey came toward them. “Can you Google something for me? Tyler wants to know how marshmallows got invented. He also wants to know what marshmallows are made of, and I can’t say I have an answer for that, either. Actually, maybe I don’t want to know, given how many I’ve eaten.”

“Google it yourself, doofus,” Brynn said.

“I left my phone in my room.”

Brynn’s mouth fell open. Auburn was pretty sure her own was a mirror image.

“You left yourphonein yourroom?”

“Yeah. Can you Google it for me?”

“Sure,” Brynn said. “And while I’m at it, I’m Googling ‘symptoms of alien abduction,’ too.”

22

“Don’t let me eat another marshmallow. No matter how much I beg.” Auburn closed the bag with a rubber band and tossed it into the wheelbarrow.

He liked the idea of her begging. A lot.

There was a smudge of marshmallow just above her upper lip, and he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it for the last five minutes or so.

“Was it my imagination? Or were you having a good time tonight?” she teased.

They were the last two people down by the fire. Brynn and the boys had left after a few rounds of s’mores. The romance writers had headed back to the B&B a few minutes ago, leaving Trey and Auburn on their own.

“If I admit I had fun, will you use it against me in the quest to win Beachcrest?”

“Hell, yes. I’ll take any advantage I can.”

“Then no. It was a total drag. I hated roasting hot dogs. It gives methe willies—pun intended—to spear phallic fake meat on a long-handled fork. No one likes their meat flame broiled. And s’mores suck, you know what I’m saying? All that toasty marshmallow andgooeyness.”

She gave him a shove and he fell backward onto the sand.

“Okay,” he admitted, climbing back onto his driftwood seat. “It was fun. I like the fishermen. Once you get a few beers into those guys and get them talking—the story about fishing with Barack Obama was great. Do you think that’s true?”

Auburn shrugged. “No reason to doubt.”

“Rick said something about how they’d be back next year, and you should have seen Dewann’s face. I think you might be right. That they’re not going back to their separate corners.”

Auburn smiled. “Told you. Beachcrest magic will get them in the end.”

He frowned. “So, what, how does it work? Everyone falls in love at Beachcrest?”

“Everyone gets what theyneedat Beachcrest. Love, redemption, friendship, clarity, whatever.”

As she spoke, there was a glow on her face that wasn’t just the firelight. Her hair was a riot in the light breeze, curls everywhere. Her eyes bright. And that goddamn splotch of marshmallow. He made himself look away, because otherwise he was going to do something he’d regret.

“Brynn said you don’t want Carl living with her.”

“I don’t.”

“What’s that about?”

“She has it tough enough, taking care of the boys, without throwing a senior citizen who’s recovering from a heart attack into the mix. Not to mention that her house is in way worse shape than Beachcrest.”

“But if she wants to—”

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