Chapter 104

Summer’s POV

A suspiciously large mountain of baked goods later (I’m convinced Jared bought enough muffins to feed a small army), we finally buckled down to retrieve my life’s clutter from Storage Unit 47-B. Maneuvering through that labyrinth of dusty cardboard boxes and half-forgotten prom dresses felt like racing an obstacle course blindfolded; by the time we’d jammed every last neon camping chair and ill-advised lava lamp into the back of my truck, I could barely lift my arms. But somehow, we did it. Then we hit the road toward Ellie’s Diner, our stomachs full of guilt-pandering pastries.

I could almost taste the retro vinyl booths as we rolled in. And hate that I still knew the quickest route to the heartburn. My chest tightened when I realized this reunion was long overdue—and potentially messy. Jared’s radio silence in the passenger seat didn’t help.

“Seriously, you’re auditioning for ‘Silent Type of the Year,’” I teased, parking between a rusty Camaro