“My thoughts exactly,” Imogen says as she zips up the back of my dress.
“Now he’s dead,” I say.
Ava falls back against the bed. “Well, at least you look gorgeous,” she says. “He was kind of cute. In another life, maybe you two could have been athing.” Her tone has an edge, almost like she’s slinging an accusation, but I ignore the comment, suddenly eager to get out of the room.
Ava stands and heads to the door. “I’ll save you a seat, Imo. Think you can ditch Tommy for one night?”
“Duh,” Imogen says.
The screen door shuts behind Ava, and Imogen lets out a sigh.
“You know it’s okay if you like Tommy, right? It’s legal in all fifty states.”
“Of course,” Imo says. “But you know how she gets—and plus, it’s the last summer before I move to LA. I’d rather spend it with you guys than him.”
“Your loss,” I say.
Imo laughs and hugs me from behind. “Anything else we can do foryou?”
“Save me a chocolate chip cookie, okay? I’ll be back in time for the bonfire.”
I spin around and Imogen gives me a serious look like she knows that there’s no greater task than saving one of Christina’s famous cookies. Campers have been known to hide them in pillows for midnight snacks.
“You have my word.”
CHAPTER 20
Then
Imogen called me on Valentine’s Day when I didn’t respond to forty-six messages in the group chat about what she should wear to some party.
I didn’t mean to answer, but my finger slipped and I was too chicken to hang up when I heard her peppy voice.
“You’re alive!” she yelled. “Which should I go with? Pink dress or red crop top?”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “Pink crop top,” I said.
“Okay, that wasn’t an option, but duly noted.” When I didn’t laugh, Imogen changed her tone. “You’re not okay, are you?”
I shook my head even though she couldn’t see. I let a little whimper escape out my mouth.
“Oh, Goldie,” Imo said softly. “Whatever you’re going through, please know there are only one hundred and twenty-five more days until camp, okay? Can you promise me you can make it one hundred and twenty-five days?”
Tears pricked my eyes. It was so classic Imo. She understood that whatever was going on was too deep to admit over the phone and that when we would finally be together it would all wash away. She knew that because I knew it, too. I believed it. Alpine Lake cured all. It always had.
“I promise,” I said, my voice a whisper.
“Hugs, G.”
“Hugs.”
We hung up soon after and she kept texting, announcing the pink dress had won the wardrobe contest and that she loved us both, more than whatever Jersey loser she was hoping to mack it with that night. I waited for her to mention our call, to clue Ava in on the fact that we had sidebarred. She didn’t though, and I was grateful.
But it was in this moment that I began to wonder if she was so good at keeping secrets that maybe she was hiding some of Ava’s from me, too.
CHAPTER 21
Now
