Free Grave Misgivings by Lily Harper Hart Page A

and Nick are happy. They’re not going to break up.”
    “Until the six-month mark when Nick gets bored and decides he’s ready to move on and start another cycle,” Marla said.
    “Oh, please,” Max scoffed, brushing past Marla and sitting in one of the patio chairs. “Nick is never going to get bored with Maddie. Those two were always in their own little world. No one else was even allowed to visit their world.”
    “I thought Nick was popular,” Cassidy interjected. “Wasn’t he on the football team? How was he locked away in a world with Maddie if he was part of the popular clique?”
    “Nick was on the football team, the basketball team, and the baseball team,” Aaron replied. “Those were things he did, though. Maddie came to each game and cheered him on, and then as soon as it was over, they left together.
    “Nick didn’t go to team parties, and he really didn’t hang out with us that much off the field or court,” he continued. “All he cared about was running around the woods with Maddie. I swear, I always thought they were out there doing it. I was so disappointed when I spied on them and found out they really were just wishing on stars.”
    “I spied on them, too,” Brian said, chuckling. “I wanted to see Maddie naked something fierce. I still wouldn’t mind seeing Maddie naked.”
    “I wouldn’t say that when Nick can hear,” Max said.
    “You wouldn’t say what when Nick can hear?” Nick stepped up onto the patio, his gaze busy as it moved from face to face.
    “We weren’t talking about you,” Lauren said hurriedly.
    “Yes, we were,” Christy said, knowing right away that lying was the wrong way to go. “We started out by saying how jealous we were of the two of you, and then Aaron and Brian admitted they snuck out to the woods behind Maddie’s house to spy on you guys when you were in high school.”
    “Why?” Nick asked, confused.
    “We thought you two were doing it,” Aaron admitted sheepishly.
    “They also wanted to see Maddie naked,” Christy added.
    “Brian wanted to see her naked,” Aaron said, pointing. “I didn’t. I’m not a pig.”
    Nick rolled his eyes. “You all wanted to see her naked,” he said. “I’m not stupid. And, if you want to know the truth, it’s fantastic and you have no idea what you’re missing.” He shuffled over to the drink cart and grabbed two beers. “She looks like a goddess without her clothes on.”
    Max snickered. “I knew it! She looks like a goddess with her clothes on. Nudity must be like Heaven where you two are concerned. Wait … that makes it sound like I want to see Nick naked, doesn’t it?”
    “Don’t worry, you’re not the only one,” Lauren teased.
    Nick’s cheeks colored. “You guys need to pick another activity,” he said. “The gossiping is getting old.”
    “Then you and Maddie should stop being so cute,” Lauren challenged.
    “That’s impossible,” Nick said. “Maddie was born cute and she’s going to die cute.”
    “I’m going to puke,” Marla said.
    “The bathroom is in the house,” Aaron said, not missing a beat.
    “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to rejoin my girl in her turtle hunt,” Nick said.
    “Turtle hunt? Is that what she’s doing?” Brian asked, leaning forward so he could study Maddie. “She’s never going to catch a turtle sloshing around like that.”
    “She doesn’t catch them,” Nick said. “She finds them and then makes me catch them.”
    “Oh, you two are even cuter now,” Lauren said. “You’re like a PG-13 couple with model looks and hot kisses.”
    “How do you know the kisses are hot?” Nick challenged.
    “Because I’ve seen the way you two look at each other,” Lauren replied. “No one smolders that much without some payoff between the sheets.”
    “And I’m done here,” Nick said, moving back toward the steps. “You guys are just … too much.”
    The night sky split suddenly, a bright bolt of lightning flashing. A terrific