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As they walked, their shoulders brushed together. Choosing to ignore the voice in his head screaming,Danger! Danger!, Asher gently touched Sadie’s palm until their fingers entwined.

Without saying a word, she shot him a smile and gave his hand a light squeeze.

Hope sparked in his chest, and more than anything, Asher wanted to fan that flame to see where it would lead. Maybe, just maybe, Sadie could see him for who he was now—the guy she could trust—and not the guy of his past.

Sadie made the right choice to go.

Knowing Gran was settled with her book with no plans to do much more than read gave her plenty of peace to enjoy the beautiful late summer evening.

The setting sun dipped low on the horizon, half hidden by the water. The rays spread a coral sheen over the lake. A light breeze stirred the trees, a gentle rustling that soothed after the past few days of busyness and intense emotions.

Sadie tugged the light blanket around her shoulders. She pulled her knees up to her chest and braced her bare feet on edge of the plastic Adirondack chair. The quiet, rocky beach behind,near the state park, gave them privacy and a great view of Lake Huron.

Liam crouched and blew on the slight spark he’d managed to coax to life. He added a little more tinder, and the flame caught. He jumped to his feet and pumped his arms in the air. “Victory is ours!”

Dani laughed. “Calm down, Warrior. It was a fire. You didn’t take over a small country or anything.”

“Kind of felt like it. I haven’t built too many fires in my lifetime.” He winked at her. “Besides, we need to celebrate the small achievements as well as the big ones. Right, Asher?”

“That’s right, man.” Asher lifted a fist and Liam bumped it.

“Too bad Declan and Lily bailed. Otherwise, you could’ve had more witnesses to your amazing feat.”

Liam looped an arm around Dani’s neck and pulled her close to him. “Listen, you. I’m a city boy, remember?”

Dani’s face lit up as she playfully tried to disengage from the flirty neck lock. As she lifted her left hand, firelight reflected off her ring.

Sadie jumped to her feet and rushed over to her friend. She grabbed Dani’s hand and gasped. “That’s an engagement ring! When did this happen? Why didn’t you say anything at the park?”

Her eyes volleyed between Dani and the man still holding on to her. Dani looked up at Liam with love in her eyes, then back at Sadie and nodded, a smile as wide as the island gracing her face.

“Because it just happened a little while ago.” Laughing, she held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. “After we saw you at the park, Liam took me to the Grand where he’d set up a picnic on the community porch. We ate while looking at the water and talking about the island coming fully back to life after the repairs and renovations are complete on the Grand. Then Liam started talking about our future and what that would look like. As thesun started to set, he got down on one knee and proposed with the ring that used to belong to his mother. Of course, I said yes.”

Squealing, Sadie threw her arms around her friend. “Congratulations. You two are perfect for each other.”

Asher pushed to his feet, hugged Dani, then clapped Liam on the back. “Congrats, man.”

“Thanks.” Liam grinned, looking every bit the smitten fiancé. He waved a hand over the beach. “This was kind of supposed to be an impromptu celebration, but then the others couldn’t make it. So you two are the first to know.”

Blinking back tears of happiness for her friends, Sadie swallowed past the thickening in her throat as she returned to her chair. “We’re thrilled to celebrate with you. Have you picked a date yet?”

Liam stoked the fire, sending a shower of sparks skyward. “We have a lot of details to work out?—”

Dani clapped her hands together, cutting him off. “One thing’s certain—we’re getting married in the gazebo at the Grand.”

As Dani shared some wedding ideas, Sadie wrapped herself back in the blanket. She was happy for her friend. Dani deserved someone in her life like Liam. But she couldn’t quash her own feelings of envy.

She cast a side-eye at Asher, who kept his focus on the fire. What was he thinking? Did being around fire bother him after his accident? Or was he calculating how long he had to stay before he could retreat back into his reclusive self again?

But he had held her hand. And that kiss the other night…Wow. It meant something. At least to her. Asher had the ability to make her feel special. But she had no idea what he was thinking or feeling.

If only he’d let her in. Then she could get to know him better and see if he was the kind of guy she’d want in her life.

She wasn’t going to spend the gorgeous evening wallowing in her thoughts. She glanced at the time on her phone, then back at Dani, who smoothed her blonde hair.

“Did Mia say how Finn’s ear was?”

Dani reached for her phone and tapped on the screen. Then she frowned. “She and Cody are taking him to the clinic. His fever’s gone up, and they suspect an infection. They wanted to try and stop by, but it looks like they’re not going to make it after all. The four of us will enjoy the fire. And some music.”