Page 64 of Knot Your Sugar Rush (Starling Grove #2)

Chapter sixty-four

Cam

B y the time the last story winds down, the rain is a steady hum against the cabin roof.

The windows are glowing softly in the dim light, reflecting the golden lamplight inside.

Dane stacks the empty mugs, Jamie stretches his bad leg out in front of him with a satisfied groan, and Theo is at the counter, poking through the small pile of supplies they hauled in earlier.

I join him, brushing my fingers over a small jar of honey he’s just set down. “Sweet tooth?” I ask.

His mouth tips in a half-smile. “I thought we could make something. Something warm.”

Jamie lifts his head. “Cookies?”

Theo turns to give him a dry look. “We have one pan. And no oven.”

“Then… skillet cookies?” Jamie offers hopefully, making me laugh.

“I was thinking fried bread with honey,” Theo says, already pulling the flour tin closer.

It turns into an unhurried collaboration — Dane measuring flour and salt, Jamie in charge of keeping the skillet warm, and me at Theo’s elbow, kneading dough until it’s smooth.

My hands are dusted white, my hair slipping from its braid, and every time Theo’s arm brushes mine, my stomach does that funny little swoop.

While the dough rests, Dane cuts more of the cured meat into paper-thin slices, and Theo drizzles honey into a small dish.

The smell of toasting bread fills the air, rich and nutty, and when we finally sit down to eat, the crisp edges give way to soft, steaming centers.

The honey drips down my fingers, and I lick it away with a sigh that makes Jamie chuckle.

“It’s good?” Theo asks, watching me.

“Dangerously good,” I admit, reaching for another piece.

We eat until the plate is empty, then sit back in the quiet, the rain still drumming against the walls. It’s the kind of evening that feels like it could stretch on forever.

Theo breaks it first. “About the flower…” His voice is steady, but I can feel all three of them listening. “I went through some of the data we pulled when we were at the boat. There’s a few leads. I’ll keep digging. We’ll find it.”

My chest tightens. “I don’t know if I can try again. Last time…” I trail off, because I don’t want to put the shape of that fear into the air.

Dane leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “That wasn’t the end. Just a step.”

Jamie nods. “It’s not a sign to stop. It’s just… a sign you keep going. With help.”

Theo’s gaze catches mine, steady as a held hand. “We’ll keep looking. You’re not doing it alone.”

The warmth in my chest has nothing to do with the bread or the fire. I’m quiet for a long moment, but when I speak again, it comes out soft. “Alright. We’ll keep looking.”

The moment settles over us like another layer of comfort. Theo clears the plates, Dane stirs the coals in the stove, and Jamie suggests, “Cards again? Or—”

“Or,” Theo interrupts, “we pull the cushions over and make a nest on the floor. Firelight, blankets, no scorekeeping.”

I laugh, but the thought of all of us curled up together in a tangle of warmth and soft breathing makes something inside me unclench. “That,” I say, “sounds perfect.”

And it is. The rest of the night is all rustling blankets, the murmur of low voices, and the occasional spark from the fire. I don’t remember falling asleep, only the feel of being surrounded — not just by their warmth, but by the quiet certainty that I’m not facing anything alone anymore.