“Oh, would you look at the time?—”
Nova switches sides of the booth, trapping me in my seat. A wild glint flashes in her eye, and I lean away.
“Nice try, Reese.” She points between her and Maya’s smug faces. “We know what’s going on. There’s a glow about you. It’s time to fess up.”
“Nothing is?—”
“My cousin Gala would say differently,” Maya adds nonchalantly.
“Who?”
Nova shakes her head. “There are too many cousins to keep track of them all. You need to just assume Maya has eyes all over Colorado.”
“Ahem.” Maya raises one brow. “Gala happened to be dog sitting for my tío Roberto for Labor Day weekend. Guess who she spotted running like a madman in the bus terminal on Friday?”
I freeze.
“This is the part where you say Tristen,” Nova whispers next to me, grinning from ear to ear. She’s loving this way too much.
“Well, yeah... it was him. But it’s not what you think.”
“I still sense denial. Bring out the big guns, Maya.” Nova crosses her arms.
Maya slides her phone across the table, the screen lit with a picture of Tristen and me standing way too close together. My hand rests on his chest as he stares down at me in front of the Greyhound sign.
Well . . . this looks cozier than I remember.
“A picture is worth a thousand words, yet you’re awfully quiet,” Nova presses, invading my personal space. “As your best friend, I’m supposed to be first to know all your juicy secrets.”
I push her shoulder back with a laugh. “Why does it feel like I committed a felony for going camping with a friend?”
“Because we need answers... and not much goes on around here.”
Maya shrugs. “Sorry, Reese. I’m on Nova’s side. You never said you were leaving—and with your so-called nemesis? You can see why we are intrigued. And since when do you go camping?”
“You’re in my seat, Nova. Move it.”
The three of us jolt, surprised to see Tristen waiting beside our booth. Silently, Nova slips into the spot next to Maya with a smirk.
It’s not just her—the whole cafe is quiet. Only the sizzling hiss of the griddle and the low hum of the ice machine echo around us. Every eye in the cafe burns into my skin, my neck flushing.
“Hey, Reese’s Cup,” Tristen says and slides into the spot next to me. He throws an arm across the back of the seat and kisses my cheek. “Lewis said to meet you here. Well, after his twenty-minute interrogation that ended with where he’d bury my body if I broke your heart.” He shivers. “It almost makes me want to move to the city.”
Maya and Nova are statues, their jaws hanging open.
“I mean, I knew it was happening. But seeing them with my own eyes...” Nova whispers.
“Yep. I never thought this day would come,” Maya agrees.
“What’s with them?” Tristen asks and snags a menu from the stack by the napkin dispenser.
“Apparently we’ve broken the town by dating,” I state and roll my eyes. “Maybe we should have announced it during a town hall meeting.”
“In our defense, you were at each other’s throats last time we saw you two together. Not that this is bad—just different. Oh, but think of all the double dates I can plan for our future.” Maya taps her fingertips gleefully together. “Speaking of which, where did you two end up camping on Friday?”
Tristen’s arm stiffens for a second before he blurts, “Uh, it’s a new place. A vintage campground off the beaten track.”
“That’s it? No other details?” Nova demands.
