Little Miss Lovesick Read Online Free PDF Page A

sadness. It made my heart ache a little. Seemed I was sensitive t o anyon e losing someone they loved.
    “Are you going to build our little fire?” Patty asked, eyeing the bag in Matt’s arms.
    “I can’t build a little fire. I can only build towering bonfires.” Matt’s eyes sparkled and Patty laughed. Her eyes widened and she said, “I know!” like there was a story there somewhere.
    “What’s in the bag?” Emily asked.
    “Hot dogs, condiments, s’more fixin’s, napkins—” Matt peered inside as he listed the contents.
    “S’mores?” Emily interrupted. She stopped rocking and we looked at each other and smiled. “Hey, I know you probably need to get that fire started and, you know, watch it and all. We’ll set up the supplies for you, if you like.” She elbowed me.
    The supplies Emily referred to were, of course, the s'mores makings. If you haven't eaten s'mores on a summer's evening, you haven't lived. A big fluffy marshmallow toasted over an open fire until it was golden brown, then pressed between two graham crackers with a big square of Hershey's chocolate. Yum. So good, you always wanted "some more."
    For s’mores, I could pretend to flirt. “We’re very good at setting up supplies,” I said in a mock serious tone. “We set up supplies all the time, don’t we, Em?”
    “All the time,” she echoed, standing up. “Patty, don’t you think he needs help setting up the supplies?”
    Patty waved her hand at us and laughed. “I’m sure he’d love your help. You all go start dinner”—she got up from her chair—“and I’ll reintroduce my seat to that old rocker.”
    “Well, if you want to.” Matt looked at me like he wondered if I was going to play nice or not. I smiled brightly at him, hoping that was the right amount of flirtatiousness. He smiled and made a manly grunting sound, then led the way to the fire pit.
    “Are you ladies enjoying the U.P. so far?” Matt asked as we walked along.
    If you’re not familiar with Michigan, it’s surrounded by the Great Lakes so both land masses are called peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula is where Traverse City is, where I live. The Upper Peninsula is bordered by Canada on the north, and it’s mostly just called the U.P.
    “Oh, it’s wonderful,” said Emily. “The flowers and the scenery — and we saw a bear on the way here! Very cool.”
    Matt smiled at her contagious enthusiasm. (Everyone does.) “What about you?” He turned to look at me. His expression was kind and gentle. For a second, I wanted to put my hand in his and walk for a very long time. Not Little Miss Lovesick. Me. I wondered what Patty had said to him. Why else would he look at me that way?
    I mentally shook myself and decided to go the witty route. “Hmm, I’ve found it to be”—I looked away—“damp and sticky.” I looked back to find the tug of a grin beginning around his mouth. I felt a bit of a tug around my mouth, too. I was tired of being mad at people. In fact, the little relaxation I’d gotten on the porch swing had helped a lot. There was no reason not to be friends. Or at least friendly. We’ll see about flirtatious later.
    “Damp and sticky, huh?”
    I noticed below his lovely blue eyes, a day or two of whiskers covered his cheeks. I never had to push Dirk to shave every day because he’s the kind of guy who wants to look professional seven days a week. I like kissing a clean-shaven man better than one with whiskers. But there was a certain charm to Matt’s unshaven state.
    “Any chance of improvement in the forecast?” he asked.
    I tried to act like I was thinking. “Mm, I think tonight is expected to be a vast improvement. A fire, food, fun — and s’more food.” I couldn’t help but laugh a little.
    “Definitely, s’more food is in the forecast,” Emily chimed in. “Which will likely lead to s’more fun.”
    Matt laughed. “Okay, point taken. I’ll get that fire going.”
    We’d walked down a wide trail in the woods and into a