I turned into the mini mall and parked.

Maddy looked around. “What do you need to get for Justin here?”

“Hold on.”

I texted him.

Me: Tell me how many fingers to hold up.

A second later:

Justin: Hey, did you make it to Hawaii? How was your flight? Did you get in okay?

I gave my phone a twisted smile.

Me: I did. How many fingers? I have a surprise for you.

He replied with a smiling emoji and the number 3.

“Let’s go.” I got out.

“What the heck are we doing?” Maddy asked, following me.

“Get a picture of me on this bus bench. Help me make it look good.”

She eyed the bench. “I don’t think anything can make this look good.”

She took the picture and handed me back my phone. I cropped the photo so it was just me and the ad on the seatback. Then I sent it through.

It was a solid fifteen seconds before my phone started to ring.

CHAPTER 6 JUSTIN

When the picture of her came through, I stood up so fast my chair fell behind me, and Brad got scared and ran under the bed.

No fucking way. No. Fucking. Way.

My heart was pounding in my throat. She was sitting on a bus bench. A Toilet King bus bench. She was here.

I called her immediately.

“Justin…”

“Are you serious? You’re here?”

I could hear her smiling before she said a word.

I was pacing across my apartment. “Are you just stopping here on your way to Hawaii? Can we meet? I could take you to dinner, I can leave now.”

She started laughing. “Justin.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m here for six weeks.”

I stopped, and a grin ripped across my face. “You skipped Hawaii?”

“Are you surprised?” she asked.

I bit my knuckle and did a silent fist pump in the middle of my kitchen. “Are you kidding me? Where are you staying? When can I see you?”

“I’m on Lake Minnetonka, in a cottage on an island. And I think… tomorrow? Does that work for you?”

I nodded. “Yes. Definitely. That definitely works.”

“Okay. Justin?”

I was beaming. “Yeah?”

“You’re right. Minnesota is beautiful.”

CHAPTER 7 EMMA

Four hours later, Maddy and I were back at the cottage sitting in the screened-in porch. We’d had dinner in town and then boated back. The fridge was stocked up and we’d unpacked.

Maddy came out of the house and handed me an iced tea. “No caffeine.”

“Thanks.”

There was a party going on somewhere on the island. We could hear music and shouting and the air smelled faintly of a charcoal grill. The sun was setting over the water.

This was going to be an amazing summer.

Maddy sat down with a can of Sprite. “So… Justin tomorrow.”

I looked at her. “Is it strange that I’m this excited?”

“Uh yeah, for you it is.”

“What if he smells weird?” I asked. “Have you ever had that happen? You meet someone and everything about them is perfect but the way they smell? Like, they don’t smell bad or anything, they just don’t smell… attractive?”

“Yes! Why is that a thing?” She opened her soda with a pith.

“I don’t know. Pheromones maybe? I hope he smells good. I have to kiss him.”

“Look at you, doing charity work,” she said sarcastically.

Even Maddy with all her cynicism couldn’t deny that Justin was very attractive.