I smile up at him, feeling lighter than I did in the reception. “Ice cream?”
He gives an eager nod, and our steps quicken as we head for the shop.
A bell dings above the door, signaling our arrival. The teenage boy behind the counter curses under his breath. “Sorry, folks. We’re closed. I forgot to lock the door.”
“Oh.” Disappointment clouds my tone.
Fisher digs his free hand into his pocket and pulls out a hundred-dollar bill. “All the change is yours if you can get my girl what she wants.”
The teenager’s eyes widen. “Deal. But you can’t eat here.”
“That’s fine,” Fisher says, passing the kid the money. “Do you guys have malts?” he asks.
He nods like an eager puppy.Ryanhis name tag reads. “We do.”
Fisher cocks his head in my direction. “The usual?”
“I’ll never say no to a chocolate malt.”
With a chuckle, Fisher holds up a finger. “One chocolate malt, please.”
Considering I’m already a bit chilly, ice cream probably isn’t my smartest idea, but now that we’re here I can’t turn it down.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks, man.” Fisher takes the cup from him and grabs up a straw from the dispenser. “We’ll be out of your way now. Make sure to lock the door this time.”
“Oh, right. Good idea,” he says, following behind us. “You guys have a good night.”
The lock clicks shut behind us and Fisher passes me the shake.
“Do you want to keep walking or head back to the inn?”
As if in answer, my leg gives an annoyed twinge. “I think a shower and bed is calling my name.”
“Same,” he agrees. “I’m getting too old for late nights.”
Bumping his shoulder lightly with mine, I say, “That’s right. You’re going to be thirty soon.”
“Yep.” He slows his pace to match mine. “I feel like I blinked and it happened.” He reaches for my hand before we cross the street. “Not that thirty is old, but I think when you get to this age you really begin to conceptualize how fleeting it all is. It all really does pass you by in the blink of an eye.”
“Do you have any regrets from your twenties?”
He stops on the sidewalk beneath the glow of the streetlight. “One.”
“What?” I ask, my curiosity getting the best of me. It hits me then what he’s hinting at. “Oh.”
He reaches out, gently touching his fingers to my cheek. “I never thought I would get a second chance with you, and I feel like I keep fucking it up and scaring you away.”
“No.” I lower my gaze to my feet. “It’s me. I’m the problem. I keep letting my fears get in the way and that’s not fair to you or me.”
“It’s okay.”
He says that and I know he means it, but it’s not. My mind has never been so scrambled before. This man manages to get me twist turned every which way where I can’t tell up from down and my thoughts are so tangled together there’s no chance of unraveling them.
I need to accept that I still have feelings for him and pretending I don’t is hurting us both.
CHAPTER 34