“Christmas?”Christmas was almost four months away.How could I possibly hold out under this kind of attack until Christmas?Did he want to date?Did he want exclusivity until then?“What does that mean?”
“We don’t have to date formally or announce anything to anyone if you don’t want to, but I won’t see anyone else.”
“So, while you’re not officially, or unofficially,” I rushed to add, “seeing me, you’re not going to be seeing anyone else.”
“I’m not.”
“And you expect me to do the same.”
“I don’t expect anything from you but honesty.Don’t lie to me if you go out with someone else.But mostly, don’t lie to me about your feelings for me.If you’re not ready to commit by Christmas, I’ll walk away.”
I sat up straight and turned my face away.I needed to think.Unfortunately, my last brain cell was still hooked on the mental image of me wrapped up, boneless and sated, in Daire.
“We really should talk about the swim team,” I murmured.
“Go ahead.Tell me what you got.”
I outlined the pool availability.
“Sounds good.”
“That’s it?”
“Yup.”He grinned at me.
“Don’t you have to take it back to the school?”
“They said they’d jump through any and all hoops to ensure the swim team doesn’t lose their season.”
I narrowed my eyes on him.“This didn’t require a working lunch.”
“No,” he agreed.“But you spoke so passionately about community outreach.I’d already heard of this place, and I wanted to take you.That’s the altruistic excuse.The real reason is I wanted to get you to myself and see if I couldn’t convince you to give me a shot.”
“And have you done that?”
His lips twisted to the side.“Not as successfully as I would have liked.But I’ve relayed my intentions and my timeline.”
Before I could respond, he stood up from the table and offered me his hand.“Draw up whatever contracts and liability forms you need, and we’ll meet again to go over them.And Harley, I’m sincerely grateful you went to bat for this.”
He enthralled me.A perfect cocktail of confidence and humility.
One I wanted to imbibe in.
Liberally.
14
Point of No Return
Aloneatthetopof the world, the wind whipping around me ready to sweep away my cries, I finally let down my guard.I had reached The Point, a rocky plateau strewn with a smattering of trees, wide open to the elements, and well beyond the safer confines of The Lookout where most people stopped.
The Lookout was where Noelle and I always ended our hikes.Where we polished off a bottle of wine before she left town over a decade ago.
It was where hikers paused to rest and take pictures of Silver Lake before beginning the long trek back down the bluffs to the beach below.Where wooden benches invited visitors to carve their names in the wood, just as the five of us had so long ago.
I couldn’t pass that bench without running my fingers over the faded grooves of our names.
That day, like so many others, was firmly imprinted in my mind.
