over, the hosting high school was throwing a big, all-school pizza party-and he wanted to get there before all the pepperoni was gone.
Harper leaned against his shoulder and smiled up at him, and Adam marveled for a moment at the warmth and sincerity that filled her eyes. He knew there were a lot of people at Haven High who had their doubts about Harper-but if they only knew her like he knew her…
“Actually,” she hedged, giving him a mischievous grin, “I have a better idea.”
As she explained, Adam laughed and shook his head-leave it to Harper to find her Valley Glen equivalent and snag an invitation to the Pit, a secluded clearing in the nearby woods that was apparently
“She promises it’s better than it sounds,” Harper wheedled. “A bunch of them are headed over there now-”
“We don’t even know these people,” Adam said hesitantly. “And you don’t want to miss the bus.”
“It’s close by-we’ll be back with plenty of time to spare,” she promised, pressing closer to him. “No one will even notice we’re gone.”
Adam shrugged his shoulders and nodded. He supposed that he should stick around for the pizza thing, bond with his teammates-but suddenly, laughing it up with the guys, watching them stuff their faces with pizza and smash soda cans against their foreheads, didn’t have much appeal. Not compared to sneaking off somewhere mellow and secluded, somewhere with Harper.
Besides, at this point Adam would have agreed to pretty much anything. He felt strange-weirdly relaxed, loose. It took him a moment to place the unfamiliar sensation, but then he got it: He was happy.
Beth didn’t know what to expect when she walked up to the park-really a dusty brown square in the middle of town with a sprinkling of sallow, brittle grass that the town replanted, to no avail, every winter, only to see it all die off by the end of summer. There was a rickety band shell at the other end, which tonight was festooned with banners advertising: GRACE NOTES IN CONCERT! ONE NIGHT ONLY! She smiled and shook her head. This town got more ridiculous with every passing day.
When she found Kane, he waved and, with a flourish, pulled a daisy from behind his back.
“What’s this?” she asked, giggling.
“A flower for the lady,” he said. “Just the beginning-follow me, please.” He led her through the park toward a picnic blanket that was laid out with a cornucopia of delicious-looking food-heaping sandwiches, cheese, fresh- baked bread, chocolate-covered strawberries, and a bottle of red wine in the center. Kane sat down and gestured for her to do the same.
“You did all this?” she asked, eyes wide.
“I’m a man of many talents,” he said, pouring her a glass of wine. “I figured it was the least I could do to thank you.”
“It’s amazing,” she breathed. And it was: the food, the warm breeze, the starry sky. “This is just what I needed-how did you know?”
“Like you said, I’m a quick study. But that’s not all.” He looked at his watch. “The entertainment portion of our evening should be starting just… about… now-”
Suddenly a low base line began booming out of the speaker propped up a few feet behind them, and a moment later a four-part harmony broke into the familiar strains of “Blue Moon,” one of Beth’s favorite oldies.
She looked up at the band shell and, sure enough, four old men in silver vests and bowler hats-the Grace Notes, she assumed-were crooning away. In the darkness Beth could barely see any of the other picnickers, and it felt like they were singing just to her.
“Did you know about this?” she asked Kane.
“I saw the fliers earlier this week,” he admitted. “Thought it could be fun.”
“I wouldn’t think this was quite your speed,” she told him, laughing-she’d been laughing so much these past few weeks.
“Hey, we can leave if you want,” he offered, starting to get up.
“Leave? Are you crazy?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him back down again, taking a sip from the glass of wine. She almost never drank-but this was, after all, a special occasion. The wine trickled down her throat, warm, sweet, and delicious. “This is wonderful, Kane-thank you.” She leaned over and hugged him. For just a moment too long.
They sat side by side in the moonlight, enjoying the food and the wine, letting the music wash over them, laughing, talking-and then, as the night wore on, quiet. And close.
And when Beth’s cell phone rang, she didn’t answer it-didn’t even check to see if it might be Adam.
And when she shivered, and Kane slowly, tentatively put an arm around her and pulled her close to his warm body, she didn’t move away.
Chapter 12
Adam came back to the small campfire and plopped down next to Harper, who passed him a joint. “Everything okay?” she asked quietly.
Adam, who didn’t usually go for pot, inhaled deeply and hoped that if it was going to mellow him out, it would work fast.
“Fine,” he said shortly.
He didn’t know why he’d had to ruin a perfectly good day. He’d been in a great mood, tired but happy-so he’d let his guard down, called Beth to share the good news of his victory.
There was no answer.
Was she screening? Was she out?
He didn’t know, and he supposed it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was here now, free, and if he didn’t stop stressing, the moment was going to pass him by.
He looked good-naturedly around at the small group of Valley Glen high schoolers who’d gathered at the Pit. Their names and faces may have been different from the familiar Haven High crowd, but they seemed familiar-Adam had never felt so instantly at home. An old Jay-Z album was booming through the tinny speakers of an old boom box, and Adam leaned his head back, enjoying the way the driving beat enlivened the still, dark woods. He and Harper were perched on a thick log in front of the improvised campfire, next to Miranda and her new guy, who had tagged along when Harper and Adam sneaked away from the pizza bash. It was just like being back in Grace-only better, because here Adam wasn’t the center of attention, wasn’t the big man on campus, carrying the burden of everyone’s hopes and expectations. Here he could just sit back and watch the action from the sidelines.
“I’m glad you dragged me out here,” he confided to Harper in a low voice, leaning close to her ear.
She favored him with a warm grin. “Me too, Ad.”
Suddenly filled with a burst of affection and gratitude for his oldest friend, he swept her into a bear hug.
“What would I do without you, Gracie?” It was what he’d called her sometimes when they were kids, because it was funny to watch her get red in the face and throw things at him. He knew she secretly loved it.
“Good thing you’ll never have to find out,” she promised him in a muffled voice.
“Dude, get a room!” one of the random Valley Glen guys called out.
Adam looked up, suddenly realizing everyone was looking at him. Maybe he wasn’t the center of attention out here-but he wasn’t invisible, either. He flushed hotly and jumped up. “You guys think we need more beer?” he asked Harper and Miranda. “I think we need more beer. I’ll go grab some.” He jogged off in the direction of the massive coolers.
No one here knew him, of course-and it seemed unlikely that Miranda or her random guy would run home and start spreading gossip. And, Adam reminded himself, there was nothing to gossip about-he and Harper were just friends. Everyone knew that. But still, if someone got the wrong idea, and somehow Beth got wind of it… that was really all he needed, for word to get back to Beth that he’d been up here macking on Harper.
On the other hand… he pictured her and Kane back in town together, curled up on a couch, studying, ignoring
