Birds chirped. Emma blinked her eyes open, finding a pale sky above her rather than a brown cabin ceiling.

After months of waking up in the middle of the night with an idea she had to write down before she forgot it, it was hard to believe she’d slept the entire night naked on the rough ground, with only a giant male body for heat.

Though really, she’d known space heaters that weren’t as effective as Max.

Her back was to his chest, morning wood happily announcing itself. The only thing better than coffee for greeting the day.

She rolled over to face him. He was already awake and propped up on his elbow to watch her.

Max stroked her cheek. “You’re so beautiful.”

Emma stilled. They were the same words every other guy said the morning after.

After last night, nothing about this morning should feel typical. She expected to feel strange in this unfamiliar territory, her first time waking up with a man she might actually, of all the unexpected and terrifying things, care for.

Instead, it felt like falling back into old habits. She reached for her relaxed and friendly expression. It was an old favorite for the morning after.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Emma ran her fingers through his sleep-tousled hair, trying to smooth it. It completely resisted her attempts. “You have some serious bedhead going there.”

His eyes rolled up as if to see his own hair. “It does that. I need to get a haircut.”

“Don’t. I like it.”

“Yeah?” He tugged on it, pulling it up to create a respectable faux-hawk. “You sure about that?”

The laugh bubbled out of her, easy and unplanned, a crack in her mask. “Now that’s you.”

He gave his head a brisk rub until the strands fell more or less straight again. “And you wake up looking like one of your photos. We’re the camp version of Beauty and the Beast.”

Emma rolled away from him and began gathering her clothes. “You’re kidding, right? You’re tall and handsome and you have”—she waved toward his well-defined abs—“all that going on. I have it on good authority women like that sort of thing.”

“Maybe, but I’m normal-guy good-looking. Did-okay-in-high-school kind of handsome, I guess, but not otherworldly, stop-traffic kind of looks.”

She cast an incredulous glance at him. “Are you being serious?”

He propped one arm behind his head, showing no sign of wanting to leave. Emma steadfastly kept her eyes on his shoulders and above, not wanting to be distracted by whatever what happening below his waist. As much as she liked the thought of climbing on for another ride, it was best if they left. Something was off about this conversation, and she wanted to be back at camp before it veered in the wrong direction. She tossed his shorts at him. Max caught them and pulled them on, skipping the underwear.

“I’m totally serious. You’re literally known for your looks to a million Instagram followers. I’m not even the hottest guy in Briarsted.”

Emma wrenched her shirt over her head and pulled on her shoes. The laces were tangled, and she tugged sharply at the knot. “What are you trying to say?”

“That I’m completely out of my league here. What’s wrong?”

The laces gave, and she tied them in a hurry, giving the bow a vicious tug. “You’ve said a lot of stupid things in the time I’ve known you, but that might be the dumbest one yet.”

“Why?” His brows knit together. The idiot was genuinely confused. “I’m an eight on the looks scale.”

“Ten,” she muttered to herself, but he heard.

“Fine. It’s not true, but I’ll go with that. You’re a twenty. At least. God, look at you. First thing in the morning, and you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It’s probably a good thing we’re doomed.” Max tried a smile. “It’s only a matter of time till you realized I’m completely outclassed.”

Emma stood. She didn’t need to reach for an expression. Enraged came with no effort. “Are you kidding? After everything, you still think I’m some vain, ridiculous creature?”

“I never thought—”

“You just thought that I’m so preoccupied by appearance that I’d eventually drop you for someone hotter?”

Max yanked on his shoes and rose to meet her. “That’s not what I said. But come on, Emma. I know about the other guys you dated. Rich and famous and telegenic, every one of them.”

The heat Max usually inspired vanished, until she felt only ice. In her veins, her heart, her voice. “Do you have a point?”

“We’re not built to last. You know that, even if we take the glaring physical discrepancies out of it. You’re launching an international brand. I own a hardware store. You love Los Angeles. I get lost in big cities. Even if we didn’t live on opposite sides of the country, we’d be doomed. It sucks, but it’s true. That doesn’t mean I regret this. Not at all.” When she didn’t respond, Max reached for her hand. She stepped back. “Do you?” There was a small hitch in his voice.

She didn’t know. Last night had been magical, but she couldn’t say it was worth it, not if it made her feel like this. “I’m not sure who you’re selling short more. Me or you.”

“It’s the truth.”

“I guess truth is in the eye of the beholder.” She glanced at the sky, which was growing brighter as the sun began its daily climb. “We need to get back to camp. Last chance to win Scout wars.”

Max nodded slowly. “Yeah. Last day.”

She was starting to think no one was going to feel victorious at the end of it all.

* * *

Max bought an extra-large Camp Firefly Falls T-shirt at the gift shop and grabbed a quick shower on site. He might feel like a mess, but at least he didn’t need to do the walk of shame through camp.

The final day was the wild card. Holly and Max still chose one challenge each, but they had to base their daily challenge on one of the other team’s badges.

He’d expected her to choose something neutral, like the golf badge. Instead, when he emerged from the showers, his hair still damp, one of the camp counselors directed him toward the parking lot at base camp. An older Ford Fiesta and Honda Civic were parked side by side, their hoods popped open.

“Welcome to the Automotive Maintenance badge,” Holly announced. His guys elbowed each other, looking more pleased than they ought to. His sister wouldn’t have chosen this badge if she didn’t have a plan—especially when the Wolves couldn’t win the competition without this victory.

“These cars both need an oil change, new spark plugs, a filter for the A/C unit, fresh wiper blades, and new tires. The cars’ owners have helpfully provided the parts. You get to provide the labor. Whichever team finishes first gets bragging rights and an all-important victory. And…go!”

Both groups sprinted toward the pile of auto parts spread on a large sheet behind Holly, though Emma followed behind the women at a leisurely stroll.

She’d changed and was wearing an off-the-shoulder blouse with capris. Not something meant for grease stains.

As always, staying away from her required conscious effort. It was like, if he didn’t constantly watch himself, his legs would carry him toward her of their own free will. It wouldn’t be the first time. The night before, he’d arrived at her cabin with no idea what he’d say when he arrived. He only knew he had to say something.

He supposed he got lucky he said the right thing once, since he’d clearly said the exact wrong thing that morning.

“You helping or what?” Brent called to him. Right. His job. He should probably do that instead of replaying the entire conversation with Emma.

Max spent the next hour offering advice on how to jack up the car and change tires.

He hadn’t said anything wrong. He’d told her he was out of her league, which was true. Knowing Emma, he’d expected her to enjoy hearing him admit that she was superior in any way.

That’s not fair. She loved beating him on merit. Swimming faster, knowing the names of trees, convincing women on a diet to try three cookies. She’d never given him the slightest indication that her looks mattered to her as anything other than a tool for her career.

While the others worked, Emma sat on a tree stump, gazing down the road. She didn’t seem to notice there was a challenge going on around her.

Grimacing, he turned back to his task and caught Holly’s eye in passing. She raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Not now, Holly,” he muttered.

He wasn’t even a little surprised when the women won. As soon as she announced the badge, he’d known she had a ringer. Danielle, who grew up with a mechanic father and four brothers, easily led them to victory.

He groused along with his teammates, but it was just a performance for their benefit. A stupid challenge didn’t matter, not when Emma wouldn’t look at him.

They broke for lunch, but Emma didn’t join her team. There was no answer when he knocked on her cabin door, and he didn’t see her when he did a quick survey of camp—if walking to every apparatus, checking the lake, and going on a short hike counted as a quick survey.

Holly sat on a bench, waiting for her turn on the tennis courts. She called to him as he headed to the Grub Shack to see if Emma had dropped by for a snack.

“No challenge until after dinner? What are you planning?”

Twenty-four hours ago, he’d planned to adopt the Girl Scout Geocaching badge. That was before the final challenge became a must-win if the Bears had any hope of taking home trophies. He should have been poring over the list of Girl Scout badges today, looking for the best option. Instead, he’d delayed the final contest, giving him more time to chase after Emma.

Max sat next to her. “You don’t really think I’ll tell you.”

She shrugged. “Worth a shot. Then we’ll talk about something else. How’d you fuck it up?”

Max attempted to follow her train of thought and got lost. “Huh?”

“Emma, of course. How’d you fuck it up?”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Other than Emma’s been a ray of sunshine this entire week, and today she looked like someone forced her to drink decaf?”

Max shifted. “We talked this morning.”

“This morning?”

Max ignored her interruption. “It was fun, but we both know it can’t last.”

“Why not?”

He gave her his best side-eye. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I want to hear you say it out loud.”

“I live in Briarsted. I own a business.”

“True.”

“Emma lives in Los Angeles and runs a much bigger business. She’s been in her room every day doing work. It’s not like she’d have time for a relationship. She barely has time to be at camp.”

“Sounds like you’ve thought about this.”

Max once thought all little sisters were annoying. He was wrong. Little sisters who grew up to be psychologists, that was annoying.

He snorted. “Can you picture it? There’s Emma, successful and popular and gorgeous, a star player in L.A. And who’s that useless guy trailing her everywhere? Oh, that’s her boyfriend. Don’t get used to him.”

“Wow.” Her eyes rounded. “When did you become emo?”

“I’m not.”

“I’ve got some black eyeliner you could wear. A notebook if you want to write your feelings. You’ll need to grow out your hair to cover your eyes, but you’ve got a pretty good start on that.”

“Are you saying I’m wrong?”

“Does she know you feel this way?”

Max gave a terse nod. He’d made it pretty clear that morning. Maybe too clear.

Or maybe he’d said all those things before she had a chance to say them first.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want a long-distance relationship.”

Holly glanced up at the sky. Clouds had been moving in steadily for hours. Not heavy enough for rain, but enough to blot out the stars that night. “I’m starting to hate that hardware store. It almost cost Josh his shot with Ruby, and now it’s going to keep you here when there’s a whole world to explore.”

“Hey, I like it here. So do you. Briarsted’s home.”

“Home is where the heart is. Isn’t that the cliché?”

He gave her a dark look. Hearts had nothing to do with this. That wasn’t possible, not after four days. Blinding lust, the barest hint of a friendship, that was it. He was sure of it—but he also wanted Holly to keep talking.

“What are you saying? I hang up a closed sign, follow Emma to Los Angeles, and take a job as her personal cabana boy?”

“I don’t think Emma’s in the cabana-boy tax bracket just yet. But you’re right. That’s an awful plan.”

Normally, Max liked hearing he was right. Until that moment, he hadn’t realized how much he wanted Holly to insist there was a way.

Because if there was a way, even just the narrowest path, it meant he might not have to say goodbye to Emma tomorrow.

Assuming she still wanted to speak to him at all.

Holly wasn’t finished. “Hire Janet’s son to run the store. He just finished a two-year degree at the community college and needs a job. You’ve already got a spare worker handling the register and customer service this week.”

“Bobby? Doesn’t he still have braces?”

“I guess people grow up when you aren’t looking.”

Holly had a gift for subtext so loud it was basically text. “Like you?”

“Please. I grew up years ago. I’m thinking more of my idiot brother who finally fell for the right woman instead of trying to make the wrong ones work.”

Fell. Past tense.

He feared his sister was right once again.

Right, and also wrong. He hadn’t fallen. He’d crashed. He’d plummeted, so hard and so fast the moment flew past him. It might have been the morning she set her jaw and vowed to beat him. It might have been the little wave she gave him while crushing him at the cookie challenge. Maybe it was that damn gold bikini.

Or maybe it was when she danced barefoot across the grass, her face radiant and relaxed, and Max knew he would never see anything so perfect again.

“I told her she’s out of my league,” he admitted.

Holly rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m only going to say this once, and I’ll deny it if you repeat it. You aren’t out of anyone’s league, you got that?”

Max wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “I love you too. But come on. You’ve seen her?”

“So she’s pretty. Whatever. You’re not an ogre.”

“Whatever?” He rolled his eyes. “She runs through guys. They never last more than a month or two.”

“I read that in gossip magazines, yeah.” At his look, she shrugged. “What? I have layers. Tell me again why that matters.”

“Because maybe I don’t want to rearrange my life to follow a woman across the country only to have my heart broken a month later.”

“You’re that certain you’re just another guy to her?”

Max mentally replayed their moments together. The way they touched, as if no barrier could exist between their bodies. The way neither seemed to ever get the last word. The way they kept coming back to each other when there were dozens of reasons they should keep their distance.

“I don’t know,” he said at last.

“Shouldn’t you be sure before you throw it all away?”

“What if I don’t mean anything to her?”

“Don’t mean anything to the woman who spent all morning gazing into the middle distance so she wouldn’t have to look your way? I guess it’s a possibility. If that happens, well, you’ll have your first heartbreak. At least you’ll know you were brave. Don’t you owe yourself that much?”

She made it sound so simple, because maybe it was. Take the risk. Tell Emma the truth.

And while he was at it, apologize for suggesting yet again that she was vain and shallow and incapable of a real relationship, and hope like hell she forgave him.

“I’ll figure something out.”

Holly nodded, satisfied. “Good. I charge most people two hundred dollars an hour. I hate to waste my time, so either fix things or write me a check.”

Max looked up. The sun was beginning to set, which meant dinner, then the final challenge. All he had to do was guide the Bears to victory, replan his entire life, and convince Emma that maybe, just maybe, they had a future.

And he had one night to do it.