Page 76 of 6 Clues Your Nemesis Loves You

“Guess this is the only option.” I swing her into my arms and jog toward our tree.

“You’re crazy.” She clings to me, nearly cutting off my airflow. “Put me down.”

“I’ll put you down when I’m good and ready.” Which is basically never. I have a thing for holding Maggie in my arms. “Actually, there’s a funky bog by the old barn. I’ll drop you in there.”

“Child,” she mutters.

Slightly out of breath, I release her at the tree, making sure she drags down my chest achingly slowly. “Was that so bad?”

“You’re a pest.” But she can’t hide the fondness in her tender gaze, or the way she’s clutching my shoulders and flexing her fingers like she doesn’t want to let me go either. “This is beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful. The lights only reflect what they see.”

She bites her lip.

I rub our cold noses together. “Tell me.” I stroke her hair back, keeping our eyes locked. “Where do you see yourself in five years? Professionally,” I add, curious about her ambitions. Being under the twinkle lights is like being in that pond all those years ago, the two of us sharing our hopes and worries. “What does Maggie Edelstein want to be when she grows up? Besides a professional hot-dog mascot.”

She steps out of my reach, does a slow walk around the tree trunk, dragging her fingers along the bark. A circling shark stuck on land. “I want to run the Downtown Development Association.”

I whistle. “Queen of Windfall.”

“Minus the crown.”

“Oh no. There would be a crown made of zombie teeth and dentures to commemorate all your clever events.” The Blood and Guts Festival. Her upcoming seniors day. Maggie’s endless creativity and smarts putting Windfall on the map. “You’ll do it. I have no doubt.”

She leans into the trunk and shrugs. “Maybe.”

“Maggie, you took one look at the wall in the cabin we painted, after you painted my dick, and turned it into a fun activity that kids will splash all over social media. One second, and you improved my business. You’re smart and innovative and can do anything you put your mind to.”

Something changes in her expression. Not quite the openness I see in small doses. More like an energy shift that slams into me, waves of appreciation pouring off her.

“Thank you,” she says quietly.

“I only speak the truth.”

“What about you?” She leans into the tree, pinning me with curiosity. “What does grown-up Lennon want to be?”

“Aside from a karaoke champion?”

She glowers. “If I ever hear that song again—”

“I get smothered by your tits.” I wink at her. “I know.”

“You truly have a death wish.”

Her breasts are just that wonderful. Can’t think of a better way to go. “Roots,” I tell her.

“What?”

“Grown-up Lennon wants roots.” I survey the grass and trees and rolling hills. The abundance of nature’s bounty. “I also want world domination and a lifetime supply of Oreos, and I’m excited to expand my business. Building the adult component has so much potential, but this…” I pick up a rock and spin it in my hand. “The idea of having a real home seemed so impossible for so long. Aside from buying a silly movie poster, I never decorated my Houston apartment. Hated the idea of being there forever, but I was scared to leave. For safety reasons, obviously, and I worried about my family. So, I got on with my life. Built a business and experienced moments of success, but it all felt muted. I never felt like I belonged anywhere.”

“That’s a long time to feel adrift,” she says, her voice tinged with sadness.

Eleven-plus years of feeling unmoored and unsettled.

I toss the rock and approach her, caught in her tractor beam, unable to resist her pull. “It was, but everything’s different now. This house and the land—maybe buying it and being back in Windfall.” I place my hands on the tree’s huge trunk, caging her in. “You.”

Her trembling breaths brush my neck. “Lennon.”