Chapter Four
Then
Piper burst into the clubhouse and shut the door behind her, leaning against it while she caught her breath. All week she’d
tried to escape her mother’s constant attempts to micromanage her summer schedule, and today she’d finally broken free. While
her friends enjoyed a break before high school began, Piper’s mother—intent on bolstering her resume for college applications—had
booked her solid. That included a week at tennis camp and volunteering as a junior aide at her dad’s hospital. Piano lessons
had followed tennis camp, not because Piper had any interest in learning to play but because it was part of a “strong foundation,”
according to her mom. Whatever that meant. Not exactly the relaxing summer she’d hoped for.
Today, Piper had slipped out the back door and made a beeline for the tiny house on the outskirts of their property. Less
than five hundred square feet and wired for electricity, the clubhouse earned every inch of its number one spot in Piper’s
universe and was the one place her nature-averse mother wouldn’t follow her. Listening for the sounds of footsteps outside
and hearing nothing, she sagged against the door and blew out an exaggerated sigh.
“Running from the law?” a voice inquired from the corner of the small room.
Piper’s hand flew up to her mouth, stifling a scream. She whipped her head around to see who’d spoken.
The voice belonged to a boy about her age with dirty bare feet, sunburned cheeks, and a mop of brown curly hair. His legs
were long, his expression serious. Where had he come from? He fixed his gaze on her, and something flipped in Piper’s gut,
like a fan starting up, whirring to life. His eyes shone like marbles—endless swirls of light that Piper swore she recognized.
Recognized him. A knowing deep in her bones. But that couldn’t be right because she’d definitely never seen this boy before.
Piper wiped her sweaty palms along the front of the pressed Lilly Pulitzer shorts she wore with the matching pink top her
mom had laid out for her that morning. One day soon, she’d tell her mom she was beyond old enough to dress herself, but for
now, it was easier to go along with it.
Since he was still waiting for an answer, Piper cleared her throat. “Not the law, but hiding from my mom, which is kinda the
same.”
He nodded like he understood exactly what she meant but didn’t shift from his spot.
Piper collected herself with a steadying breath and crossed her arms. “So, who are you, and what are you doing in my clubhouse?”
As a passion project years ago, her dad had renovated an existing work shed into the cozy clubhouse, adding a rooftop deck,
glow-in-the-dark star stickers, and a working bathroom. It sat nestled in the woods between Allie’s and Piper’s houses. Over
the years, Piper had added a winding path through the woods and a bright coat of lemon-yellow paint to the front door. The
unspoken “no grown-ups allowed” rule made the clubhouse special, and she used the sacred space for official Lonely Only meetings
with Allie and Ethan.
It was where Piper went to dream, and now, to escape.
“I’m Wyatt. And I live in the house right over there.” He pointed toward Allie’s house. “Who are you?”
Piper pursed her lips, determining if this boy was a threat. “I’m Piper from the house over there.” She pointed in the opposite
direction. “And I know you don’t live at the McLaughlins’ because my best friend lives there.”
“Yeah, Allie’s my cousin. I’m spending the summer here.” He returned her stare, eyes like wet stones locked on hers.
Hmm. Allie had said her cousin was visiting for a few weeks, but she’d failed to mention her cousin was a boy—and one with
such striking eyes. The more she studied him, the more she could see the family resemblance. Maybe that explained the weird
feeling that she’d known him for years. Though Wyatt didn’t share Allie’s shocking red hair, he had the same light eyes and
smirking lips. But whereas Allie sparkled with new soul energy, this boy carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
He blinked at her, then turned his attention back to the book in his lap. Fine. There was no harm in sharing the clubhouse
with a fellow reader. For now. She pulled out her own book, a worn copy of The Giver, and settled into a beanbag in the opposite corner, keeping him within her line of sight.
After ten minutes, curiosity got the better of her. “Whatcha reading?”
He held up the newest book in the Magic Realm series with a bright red cover. The book Piper had stood in line for over two
hours to get her hands on, only to be told they’d sold out. The library wait list was already three months long. Her mom had
promised to find a copy in time for her birthday next month, but a month was a very long time to wait for a book she’d spent
nearly a year anticipating.
“Wait, how’d you get a copy of The Return of the Queen ? Is it as good as The Knight’s Kingdom ?”
Wyatt beamed at her enthusiasm, his smile changing his entire face, lighting him from the inside out. “So far, it’s better, but I’m only about thirty pages in. My aunt Molly gave it to me this morning.”
“Who’s your favorite character? Mine is Peregrine.” She rarely got a chance to discuss her favorite series with another fan—Allie
would sooner talk about politics than fantasy books—and Piper couldn’t help the questions pouring out of her.
“I mean, she’s cool in an obvious way, I guess. I think Dash has way more spirit.”
Piper wrinkled her nose. “Maybe, but what about when she risked her life to save Demetrius? That was pretty spirited. And
not in an obvious way.”
“Wait until you read this one.” Wyatt tapped the book knowingly. “You might change your mind.”
Piper groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’ll be waiting all summer long to get it—it’s sold out everywhere.”
“Do you want to read it with me? I don’t mind starting over. We could take turns reading out loud.”
That was not the response Piper had expected from this stranger wearing a tattered black Guns N’ Roses T-shirt. Allie would
make so much fun of her for this, but Allie wasn’t here. And to Piper, this sounded like heaven. Most other boys her age didn’t
sit still long enough to have a conversation, let alone read a book. Clearly, Wyatt wasn’t like most boys. She nodded eagerly
and took a seat on the floor beside him.
He handed her the book. “You can read first. But you have to do accents and everything.”
Piper rolled her eyes but accepted the book, running her fingers over the cover, marveling at the intricate design. After
trying to get her hands on this book all week, she couldn’t believe she finally held the weight of it.
Usually, she’d be nervous to read in front of a stranger, but next to Wyatt, a deep sense of comfort and confidence settled over her. When it was his turn, Wyatt proved to be a master of accents. Though she’d initially pegged him as aloof, his voice was rich with warmth and humor. Reading Magic Realm aloud felt like swapping their biggest secrets with each other. She could have listened to him hash out the adventures of Peregrine and Demetrius all day. It didn’t hurt that he was undeniably cute.
She shook her head, shaking off that thought, and forced herself to stop staring at his jawline, waiting for his dimple to
wink into view. Wyatt was Allie’s cousin, which made him off-limits for romance. Not that romance was happening here. She
was getting way, way ahead of herself.
It was nearly dinnertime when Piper glanced at her watch. “Shoot, I need to go. Thanks for letting me read with you.” She
stood and stretched her stagnant muscles.
“Of course. If you want to keep reading, we could meet again tomorrow.” Wyatt dog-eared the page, saving their place.
“Yes, please, that sounds perfect.” Piper bit her lip. “I don’t want you to have to wait for me.”
He gave an easy shrug. “It’s okay. It’s more fun this way. Besides, I want to be there when you discover Dash is way cooler
than your precious Peregrine.” He grinned at her, treating her to a dimple sighting.
“Whatever!” she replied, but a smile flitted across her face. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Piper wondered how long it would take Allie to find out she’d met her mysterious cousin, but like clockwork, Allie came over
right after dinner, letting herself in the back door. Seated at the kitchen counter, Piper was halfway through a bowl of vanilla
bean ice cream.
Allie grabbed a spoon and helped herself to a bite before launching into conversation. “I hear you met my cousin. What did y’all even talk about? He doesn’t say much.”
Piper guessed people probably said the same thing about her, even though she had plenty to say in the right crowd. “We mostly
talked about books.”
Allie giggled. “I should have known you two would get along. You’re both so serious and weird.”
“Am not!”
Allie squeezed her arm reassuringly. “Good-weird! Trust me, I wouldn’t want you any other way. And Wyatt’s staying the whole
summer, so now you’ve got someone to talk to about your Magic Kingdom books.”
Piper looked down her nose at her best friend. “Magic Kingdom is at Disney World. Magic Realm is the book series.”
“This is exactly what I’m talking about.” To make her point, Allie polished off the last bite of ice cream from Piper’s bowl.
Despite Allie’s teasing, that summer turned out to be one of the very best. Piper and Wyatt met most afternoons in the clubhouse
to escape the Carolina heat. They reread the Magic Realm series, then moved on to a new one. Allie and Ethan had soccer camp
during the day, but at night the four would bike to the drugstore to buy Klondike bars, bask in the frigid air-conditioning
at the movies, or get the entire neighborhood involved in a game of capture the flag. They officially inducted Wyatt into
the Lonely Onlys later that summer, after he took the blame for a broken window that had been Ethan’s fault from a rowdy game
of kickball.
It wouldn’t be until several summers later, after she and Wyatt had become so close that she couldn’t imagine her life before
he came into her world, that Piper would learn the full extent of how rough his day-to-day world back home was. Why Wyatt
acted far older than his years and wasn’t as carefree as most kids. And why escaping to Cedar Falls every summer meant more
to him than she could ever imagine.