Page 46 of The Matchmaker Club

“It’s your beer goggles.”

She poked me. “Orsomeone has a major crush and won’t admit it.”

“Even if I were crushing—which I’m not—it wouldn’t work.” I downed what was left in my cup. “Lucas lives in Boston, and our worlds don’t mix.”

“He did seem a little stiff at first, but after a couple beers, he fit right in. Not many can do that with us.” She traced her finger along the rim of her cup. “Not to mention he’s yummy.”

I laughed. “Lucas is very good looking.”

And I loved how it felt when his arms were around me.

“Did you ever think about just having a little summer romance? You don’t have to marry the guy to have a little fun.”

“You know me. That’s not my thing.”

She flopped back in the chair and rolled her eyes. “What a waste. If I weren’t with Ben—”

“But youarewith Ben, and if you don’t watch it, this party is going to end early with a fight.”

She smiled, as if the fight was tempting. “I do love that man.”

“I know, and he’s head over heels for you.”

Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. “You think?”

“Yeah, everyone in town thinks that, and they wouldn’t be wrong about that one.”

After the guys came back, we cooked up a few burgers and ate. Around one in the morning, the fire was out, and most of us were ready for bed.

“Okay, time for the second bedroom coin flip,” Ben said. “Who wants to start?”

Jo-Jo raised her hand. “Me.”

“Lucas and I will take the tent,” I said.

“I’ll take the couch as usual,” Ed said.

Ben shrugged. “Alright, the second bedroom goes to Rod and Jo-Jo.”

I grabbed the tent while Lucas helped with the pillow and sleeping bag. Thelma brought out another blanket and pillow for Lucas and then whispered to me, louder than she probably realized, “Nothing wrong with a little lovin’ in the moment.”

“Goodnight, Thelma.”

She giggled and winked at me before heading inside.

Lucas didn’t have any trouble pitching the tent with me. He knew what he was doing.

I grabbed a couple water bottles from the cooler. “I never thought of you as the camping type.”

“I wasn’t totally isolated in my youth. I did a few years of summer camp as a kid. Even know how to build a lean-to.”

“I’m impressed.”

After everything was set up, we closed the screen, leaving the outer flaps tied up to get a view of the lake. We sat up to admire the clear sky and the way the moonlight danced over the water. I handed him a Poland Spring.

Lucas looked down at the bottle in his hand. “I know we’re not drinking alcohol, but maybe we can still cross the drinking game off the list?”

“You want to play Never Have I Ever?”