‘Is that on backwards?’ I whispered, pointing to her shirt.
‘Shut it,’ she said with a grin. ‘We’re going to find a private spot in the Sunflower Maze. Catch up with us when you’re ready. Just not too quickly. And don’t forget to grab the prints.’
With a giggle, she yanked Jack off through the gift shop and out into the sunny maze.
‘Forty-five seconds in heaven,’ said Finn reverently, guiding me into the photo booth. ‘Finally! You know, somehow, after all these years of spin the bottle, you never landed on me.’
‘I’ve been remiss,’ I teased, trying not to react as I caught a hint of seawater and sweat, all mixed with bonfire smoke – the perfect Summerween scent.
The flirting came easily, almost joyfully. But with Finn pressed up close to me, on that tiny bench seat in the dark, the blinking light of the photo-booth camera staring at us, I was suddenly shy.
But Finn played the fool, as he always did, breaking me out of my self-conscious bubble.
‘Well, hi there,’ said Finn, like a vintage film star. ‘Fancy seeing you here.’
He wrapped his arms around me, giving me a squeeze that made me shriek. The camera flashed as we cackled and laughed, pulling faces and messing up each other’s hair. I wasso lost in the joy of it that I barely even registered when he swooped in to give me a kiss on the cheek.
Well, not until the photos developed and that was the last, perfect, shot.
‘Show me the photos,’ said Finn, peering over my shoulder as I flipped through them: a few of Lara and me posing dramatically, the barely-safe-for-work set with Lara and Jack, and the ones of Finn and me. He held them up, nodding approvingly. His gaze lingered on the last one, and I averted my eyes. It hadn’t been anactualkiss. Although I knew he wanted for it to be. And perhaps I did, too. Even so, I hadn’t quite got my head around the idea that maybe I could be Finn’s girlfriend. Thatanyonecould be Finn’s girlfriend, really.
‘You look cute in that one,’ said Finn, tapping a photo where I was looking shyly off to one side, my hair tousled and my lips slightly parted.
‘I look like I just stepped out of a retro music video.’
‘A siren from another era.’ He considered. ‘I’m going to have to write that song.’
‘I’ll be in the front row when you perform it,’ I teased. ‘Tossing roses at you.’
‘Just roses?’ He grinned, and I flushed.
‘C’mon, let’s hit this maze,’ I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. ‘Lara and Jack have probably made it all the way through by now.’
‘Somehow I suspect they’re off in a corner somewhere waiting to get busted by security,’ he said. ‘Which I wouldn’t object to, personally. I’m easily swayed by peer pressure.’
‘Wow,’ I said, grinning. ‘What do you take me for? Lara?’
‘Lara’s a peach,’ said Finn. ‘It’s hardly a bad thing to be compared with her.’
‘Our high-school principal would disagree.’
I didn’t have Lara’s throw-caution-to-the-wind personality, so dragging him off into the bushes wasn’t on the cards. But I didn’t let go of his hand. The two of us meandered through the Sunflower Maze until we reached a clearing decorated with benches and tables and strung with fairy lights. Terry, one of the owners, was pouring drinks and serving up slices of apple pie. He had his plaid shirt-sleeves rolled up and a hat angled jauntily on his head. A beaded sunflower was pinned to one side of it. It glimmered in the sun.
‘That smells so good,’ I said as a guy pushed past me, digging into a giant slice of pie.
‘Want one?’
Finn didn’t wait for an answer. He was already by the cart, wallet at the ready. At least he’d remembered to bring it this time. I joined him, although mostly to see how many pie flavours were on offer. Just in case.
Thankfully, there was just the one: apple and peach, with an incredible amount of butter and brown sugar. Well, that made the decision easy.
‘Both the Tucker boys are with us today, I see,’ said Terry amiably. ‘It’s always good to see the two of you.’
Finn frowned. He pointed over to Jack, who’d just reappeared with Lara. They made a cute couple. I mentally crossed my fingers, hoping that she wouldn’t throw him to the kerb the way she had historically done.
‘Are you thinking of that guy?’ asked Finn. ‘We showed up together, but we’re not related.’
Terry shook his head. ‘No, I don’t think so. Although I am terrible with faces. So, what’ll it be?’
