“Serves you right,” Lou grumbles. He wipes his eyes. “What did I miss?”
Rose joins the circle, her journal tucked under her arm. “Nothing exciting.”
“How would you know?” Poppy asks. “Big and I could have been having a very exciting time together.”
“Oh yeah, Pops, and what would you have been doing with Mack that you’d consider exciting? Do tell me.”
Poppy opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. She shoots daggers at her sister.
Rose smirks. “I could think of some things for you.”
Poppy’s cheeks are flaming, and I’m starting to wonder if maybe I haven’t been the subject of one or more Kasper sibling conversations. If I’m not mistaken, both Noli and Rose have hinted at Poppy and me being something…more.
Right?
Or am I misreading the signals?
Lou gets a look on his face that I know from experience to be dangerous. It’s hisI’ve-got-a-great-idealook. His definition ofgreat ideais always questionable at best.
“We have about an hour until fireworks, right?” Lou says.
Collin returns with his speaker and takes a seat on my other side. “Yep.”
Even though we’re creeping nearer to the end of summer, fireworks are pretty standard in Cashmere County until Labor Day. We always have a great view of them over the water.
Lou rubs his hands together. “Who’s up for a friendly little game of truth or dare?”
I roll my eyes. “We’re not twelve-year-olds, Lou.”
He arches his brows. “You scared?”
I don’t blink.
“I’m in,” Rose says, sitting down next to Poppy.
Everyone else agrees, even Poppy, who says, “It sounds fun.”
Lou levels me with a look, challenging me.
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
We set about playing the game, and for the most part, the dares are pretty tame. Patrick dares Lou to run naked into the cove, which he does without hesitation.
Mia dares Rose to read a page from her journal. She scowls at her boss-turned-friend, but then she does.
I had no idea Rose is an author, but she read us the first page of a chapter of a novel she’s working on. It’s good if you’re into sports romances.
“Okay,” Collin says, “my turn to ask. Mack, truth or dare?”
“Dare,” I say without missing a beat.
“Kiss Poppy,” he shoots back at me just as fast.
“What?”
“You heard me. Kiss Poppy.”
Poppy is very still next to me.
