Page 82 of Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore

I blow out a breath and slump in my seat. “Because it’s not real.”

The car jolts to a stop and my seat belt tightens around my chest as I fly forward.

“Jesus, sorry,” she mutters. “Foot slipped.”

But she doesn’t put her foot back on the gas and, instead, remains parked in the middle of the road, just five houses down from Monty’s.

“What do you mean it’s not real?”

Dammit.

“Hello…” Billie probes, louder now.

“Um—”

“Forget it. We’re stopping at the bar.”

“What?” I squeal. I’ve been sexed up too many times this evening to be seen in public.

“We need the mugs,” she says.

“The what?”

“The mugs. The This Is Definitely Coffee mugs. You can’t tell a lie when holding one of those.”

Billie raises a brow in challenge. I shake my head but can’t stop my lips from cracking into a smile.

“It’s not about the mugs, it’s about the alcohol.”

“Which we have in the bar,” she says.

I squeeze my eyes shut; opening up to Billie tonight is one thing, but there is no way in hell I’m telling Rosie or Tally the truth. It’s mortifying enough having one person know that Monty isn’t my real boyfriend. I can’t handle my sister and her best friend looking at me like I’m any more pathetic than I already think I am.

“No bar.”

“Fine,” Billie relents. “Your mom already went to bed. We can go to the house, and you can fill me in there.”

“Why don’t we just go back to my apartment?”

“Nah. If I’m drinking as much as needed to get you to spill all the beans, neither of us will be able to drive. You’re coming with me and you can stay on the couch.”

I let out a snort. Oddly, going home feels like it might be exactly what I need.

“Fine. But I’m not going to be the only one who spills all my darkest secrets.”

“Girl, I had a baby at nineteen after a one-night stand. That’s my deepest secret. Well, that and the fact I haven’t had sex since.” She raises a brow. “I’m the wrong person to challenge in this game.”

My mouth drops open at her words. “But Quinn is seven!”

“I told you, I’ve got pathetic down. But don’t worry, I’ll get you all liquored up before I force you to tell me anything else.” Billie flashes me a grin.

Finally, Billie presses her foot on the gas, and we take off toward the farm. My hair blows out behind me from the open windows and a sense of nostalgia grows as we inch closer to my childhood home. The street that leads there is quiet, the distant melodies of live music from the brewery and the soft noise of the crickets and bullfrogs that serenade the late September night sky the only sounds. Down the long gravel road, the white Victorian shines like a beacon, the crescent moon hanging overhead, a welcome smile.

“Sometimes I forget how magical it is here.”

Billie hums. “Some days I forget it’s my home.”

I reach over and squeeze her hand. “I’m so glad you’re here. How’s Quinn liking his new school?”