Page 44 of Summer Ever After

Maybe she had lost everything. But maybe, sitting here now, she hadn’t lost the one thing that mattered most—her chance to really start over.

Aaron’s truck rumbled up the long gravel drive, and Beth’s chest tightened again. The last time she’d seen this place had been full of sunshine and laughter, donkeys playing soccer, and Aaron pleasing her under the oak tree. Now she was arriving with nothing but a borrowed blanket wrapped around her shoulders, new clothes her friends had purchased for her, and a knot of fear tucked deep in her ribs.

The farmhouse came into view, soft yellow light spilling from the windows, the porch swing moving gently in the evening breeze. Homey. Safe. Too safe. Like she didn’t deserve to be here.

Aaron cut the engine and glanced over at her. “Ready?”

Her laugh came out raspy, almost a cough. “I suppose.”

He squeezed her hand before climbing out, then was at her side in seconds, steadying her as her feet touched the ground. She expected the quiet creak of the porch, the warm smell of Aaron’s place, maybe the sound of the old dog barking a greeting. What she didn’t expect was the eruption of voices the second he opened the front door.

“SURPRISE!”

She would have stumbled back, eyes wide, if Aaron hadn’t had a good hold of her.

In the space surrounding his entryway stood a dozen of her coworkers and all of the Wildflowers with their spouses and children. People spilled out from the living room and kitchen, grinning like fools, cheering her.

“What?” she asked Aaron.

He shrugged. “Not my idea.”

“It’s ours.” Zoey and the rest stepped forward. “A welcome home party along with a little help from people who love you.” She motioned behind her as people cleared the pathway.

There, sitting on the large dining table, were bags and boxes with her name on them. There were even long garment bags draped over a few chairs. Hannah and Scarlett wheeled in a small cart with balloons tied to it stacked with wrapped boxes.

“What—” Beth started. Her raw throat broke the word in two as it closed up with the emotions that flooded her.

“Welcome home,” Elle said, hugging her lightly, careful not to jostle her too much. “Or, well, welcome to your new temporary home.”

Aaron laughed low behind her, hand resting against the small of her back. “They wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Beth blinked rapidly, fighting tears as the group swept her inside. She was shoved into a soft chair as box after box was delivered to her. They all took turns explaining what they’d brought.

“Clothes in your size and style,” Aubrey said proudly, hanging the bags on a hook.

“Laptop and headphones, so you can keep writing and working,” Jules added, handing her a sleek box.

“A new phone,” Scarlett said, setting it gently on the table with a charger beside it. “Already programmed with all of your numbers, thanks to the guys at the store.” She rolled her eyes.

“And purses,” Zoey cut in with a grin. “Because everyone needs options.”

Beth couldn’t even speak. Her throat burned, but it wasn’t from the fire anymore. It was the weight of love pressing in on her from every side, wrapping around her like the quilt she’d lost. Only this one couldn’t be destroyed.

After she’d opened all of her new things and they’d been shuffled up to her two rooms, dinner followed, because of course it did. Isaac, head chef of the camp’s kitchens, had arranged to bring enough food to feed an army, and soon the kitchen table was covered in steaming trays with roast chicken, roasted vegetables, fresh bread, and something that smelled so good Beth thought she might cry again. Plates were filled, glasses clinked, and voices lifted in laughter and stories.

A plate was set in her lap thanks to Aaron, who sat next to her and ate as he chatted with Aiden about a dresser or something. She could only hear half of the conversation.

She sat quietly for a long time, just watching, absorbing, as she nibbled on her food. The ache of loss was still there, sharp and deep, along with the bruises and cuts that still ached when she moved the wrong way. But sitting next to Aaron, surrounded by the people who refused to let her disappear into ashes with her belongings, she felt the first fragile threads of hope tugging her forward.

For the first time in days, she allowed herself to believe: maybe she wasn’t as alone as she had always thought.

Then her new cell phone rang, and her mother’s number appeared on the screen.

“Want me to take it?” Aaron said after seeing the name.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, but…” She glanced around.

“Take it in my office,” he said. He helped her up as she answered the call. She followed him down a hallway into a room he hadn’t shown her yet. It was small, organized, and very dreamy, with two whole walls of books.