Have her put her life on hold for me? Her life had been on hold for years. Finally, she was living for herself, taking big swings and going for what she wanted.
And I wanted to keep her here waiting for me, suspended in time like a butterfly under glass in a museum. My throat was a knot when I swallowed.
I couldn抰 do that to her. She wanted true love. So I had to either let her go, or?
I almost drove off the road when the idea rose in my head.
She could come with me.
I had pictured it before, us laughing over chips and salsa at a made-up Mexican restaurant in Northern California. She could do a lot of her work online, like ordering, social media marketing, and payroll. She could hire help for the store.
She could come with me.
My mouth kicked up in a smile.
Tonight. I抎 ask her tonight when I took her out on a date.
The house was quiet when I arrived. Hannah had texted me that she was going to stop by her place to get a few things, so I suggested I pick her up there. Even through text, I could tell the idea made her excited.
I had never been on a real date, I realized. I had met women at bars for drinks and had hookups, but never gone to the effort to take someone special out with the intention of making them happy.
The idea of making Hannah happy made my heart swell.
I showered, threw product in my hair, and put on a nice shirt. Emerald green, like the car. Maybe it was too matchy. Whatever. I looked good in this shirt, and I wanted to look good for Hannah.
I drove over to her place with my pulse in my ears. My fingers drummed a beat against the steering wheel in anticipation. It had been what, less than eight hours since I抎 seen her? And already I couldn抰 wait.
Head over fucking heels for her.
Something caught my eye in front of the corner store, and I pulled over and parked without thinking, heading back to the car a few minutes later with my purchase.
I pulled up in front of Hannah抯 house, grabbed the flowers, and knocked on the door. I tensed and flexed my free hand at my side. This nervous simmer in my stomach was rare for me. I couldn抰 remember the last night I felt jittery and excited like this.
Relax, I told myself. It抯 Hannah.
She opened it and shot me that shy smile I loved so much. My heart rose into my throat.
She wore a sparkly gold dress that hit her mid-thigh. It had a V-neck with a little cleavage. Smooth, tanned skin. Freckles stood out on her face and her pretty eyes glowed with excitement. Her hair fell loose around her face, wavy from the water this morning.
I抎 remember the look on her face until my dying breath. She was lit from within, radiant like a fucking goddess, chewing her lip with a hint of hesitation but her eyes danced, like she knew what she was doing to me.
My breath caught in my chest.
Head over fucking heels indeed.
25
Hannah
I vibrated with anticipation as Wyatt drove through the streets of Queen抯 Cove. Beside me in the driver抯 seat, Wyatt stretched out, one hand on the wheel and one arm propped on the door. He was wearing a dark green button-up shirt, a step up from the t-shirts and wetsuits I抎 seen him in before, and sunglasses perched on his nose. He had swiped some product in his hair.
He was gorgeous. There was something about the way he held himself in his body, like he was so comfortable. Like he knew how hot he was. And maybe he knew how hot I thought he was.
I paused and peered at my reflection in the car抯 side mirror. I looked pretty tonight. My hair seemed brighter from the sun. I wore mascara and a brush of highlighter, and had rubbed a tinted gloss onto my lips, and I felt pretty. This sparkling dress put a spotlight on me, and a corner of my conscious wanted to panic, crouch down behind something, and hide, but I needed to do the dress justice. Twice, I had tried it on before taking it off twice, talking myself in and out of wearing it. People would think I was too dressed up. People would wonder where we were going. People would make comments.
I remembered Th閞鑣e抯 words to me when she gave me the dress.
What if people look at me? I had asked.
So let them look, she had told me with a shrug.
Tonight, I would let them look.
Besides, Wyatt抯 heated gaze when I opened the door made any self-consciousness worth it. The skin on the back of my neck prickled and I smiled at the shops we drove past.
揥here are we going tonight??I asked.
One side of that cruel mouth hitched with his grin and he wiggled his eyebrows. 揑t抯 a surprise, but first, we have to make a stop.?
He turned down the Main Street toward the bookstore. The green storefront drew my eye immediately.
揇id you forget something there??
He shook his head and parked in front of the store. 揅ome on.?He jogged around the car before opening the door and pulling me out. His hands came to my shoulders, he made me face the alley, and my breath caught when I saw it.