Page 58 of A Love Like Candle Light

"Great." Nic's face lights up and she skips back over to Henry. Suddenly Kieran's voice appears right next to my ear.

“Psst, Kylie!”

"Kieran." I put my palm over his face, gently pushing him away.

"Do you have any friends you can set me up with?" He pouts and pulls my hand off his face.

"Sorry." I giggle. The poor guy, being the only single person in a friend group must suck. "All of them are married."

"Happily?” I nod. “Damn." He crosses his arms in front of his chest, pouting. "I mean, great. Good for them," he grumbles and turns away from me.

He's ridiculous and I love everything about it.

"You want another marshmallow?" Erik offers me the pack.

"Hell yes." I take one and pop it into my mouth. God, I love this autumn fair. Even more, knowing it was created to honor who sounds like an incredible woman. I wonder what Elizabeth would think of it, knowing her husband continued to honor her all these years.

Chapter 20

Kylie

I wasn't sure what to expect when Nic mentioned a campfire by the beach. Maybe a football-sized little fire.

Turns out, I was way off. It's about the size of a barrel. Not big enough to be seen from space, but definitely bigger than I expected.

It’s the first time I’ve noticed this designated bonfire space. A circle of stones encases the fire spot and someone arranged huge, thick tree logs around it so we can sit together comfortably.

The moon is surprisingly light tonight, casting blue light over the lake. Owls hoot in the distance, leaves rustle in the wind and I hear the occasional cricket chirp.

"Hey you two!" Lauren waves at us and jumps in excitement as she spots Erik and I.

All dogs were left at home. They don't need to sit next to a fire, and I wouldn’t be able to relax if Abby was here. I’d spend the entire time fretting and paranoid she’d accidentally set herself on fire. So she's cuddled up in her bed with the teddy bear Erik won for me and gets to hang out with our ghost roommate.

Caleb is starting the fire, poking and prodding the pile of wood until it ignites. Henry lugs a wood log closer to feed the fire once it burns properly.

"Erik, can you give me a hand?" He presses out.

"Sure." He rushes over, his hand drifting along the small of my back as he leaves and I let my eyes trail after him.

It’s gotten even colder, a stern reminder winter is closing in. The first thing I did when we made our pit-stop at my home, was to find a warmer jacket and a thick blanket for outside while I was at it. Then I raided my cupboards.

"I brought snacks." I hold up the cotton bag I threw them into and join Lauren on one of the logs.

"Oh." She shakes her head as if I just woke her from a dream. "Sorry. I'm just admiring my boyfriend doing hot fire things." Caleb glances up with a frown, and Lauren blows him a kiss.

"Snacks. Snacks are good. Show me your snacks." She makes grabby hands for the bag and takes a peek. Meanwhile I decide to follow her example and watch Erik, carrying the log together with Henry.

"Chocolate! Awesome."

"Girls! I made dough for bread on sticks." Nic appears with a huge bowl in her hands. "I saw the recipe on some whimsical cooking account, so you guys are my guinea pigs. If it’s delicious, we have a new tradition."

"Which means we still need sticks to put the dough around, right?" I stare at the shore. The very dark and very spooky shore, lined with trees and all kinds of shrubbery for creepy things to hide behind.

"Worry not, your savior is here and he brought alcohol!"

All of our heads turn to Kieran, strolling closer like it’s his entrance video for a trash tv show. He's got a grocery bag hooked on his finger, dangling over his shoulder and carrying a bunch of long sticks in his other hand. The bag for one, clinks suspiciously. Just how many more bottles did he bring?

"Now you can say thanks to Dick for these ones." He leans them against one of the logs and carefully sets down his plastic bag. "My little man is the best at finding sticks for campfires. Don't give me that look, Nic." He points at her, and Nic narrows her eyes at him. "Obviously I cleaned them and carved the ends pointier for your marshmallow or bread-on-a-stick pleasure."