“Hey, before I forget, I need to ask you something,” Eliana said.
“Sure.” He tried not to let his mind grow fuzzy when she leaned in to him. He smelled her sunscreen and the floral mousse she’d come out of the bedroom this morning scrunching into her wavy hair.
The sight of her, exiting his bedroom so casually, had his mind in a fog for pretty much the rest of the morning. His throat had been so tight, he hadn’t even managed to tell her he’d made her breakfast, but had instead shoved the plate with whole-grain avocado toast topped with crispy bacon, fresh arugula, and a drizzle of his homemade balsamic reduction glaze at her like she was an irritating diner in his restaurant.
It hadn’t fazed her, so maybe she was getting used to his weirdness. She’d tucked into her food like it was the best thing she’d ever eaten, and watching her appreciate the food he’d made was extremely rewarding.
“You threw away that box of secrets, right?”
He blinked away the image of her from that morning. “Yes.”
“Okay.” She rested her hands on the bench behind her and leaned back. She didn’t seem to notice that her entire right side was pressed against him and that her hair tickled his neck. But he noticed. He noticed everything about her.
She turned to him, and their faces were inches apart, but she didn’t move away, so he didn’t either.
“Buthowdid you throw it away?”
When had breathing become so tricky? “Umm … I put it on the back of my bike when I went into work and dropped it into the trash.”
“Which trash? The big dumpster in the parking lot?”
He nodded, trying to think through the haze of her closeness. “Yeah, I took most of the boxes there.”
“Most of them?” she pressed.
“The trash can was so full, I had to put one in the trash at the clinic.”
“Which box did you bring into the office?” Her eyes were wide.
“I don’t know. All the boxes were the same, and I wasn’t thinking about it.” He wished he could remember exactly which box he’d put where, but she’d been sick, and he hadn’t slept well on the couch. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just …” She paused. “I heard something that reminded me of one of the secrets your grandpa unearthed.”
“It made it into the trash,” he assured her. “Some of those secrets might not be as secret as we think they are. Just because we don’t know about them doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t know.”
“True. I’m overthinking it.” She rested her head on his shoulder and he stopped breathing. For her, this touch was casual; it didn’t mean anything.
For him? His entire chest expanded like a helium balloon about to send him into the atmosphere.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice a little too gruff.
She yawned. “Good enough to beat every person here at all the games this afternoon.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Had the affection he was feeling for her come out in his voice? He shook his head. If anyone was overthinking things—it was him.
True to her word, Eliana dominated every game. He loved that she didn’t let people win just to make them feel good—instead, she had a way of bringing out the competitive nature in everyone else around her until they all tried their best and had a blast. She had the kind of enthusiasm for playing that was infectious, and she was always the first to jump in and encourage a teammate or poke good-naturedly at her opponents. He hadn’t seen the residents of The Palms move so quickly and consistently as he had today.
“Last game!” Nancy called into a megaphone she’d acquired at some point. “Obstacle course time. Find a partner!”
Eliana turned to Don, but Don was already partnered with Samantha. Winnie, Polly, and Rosa were sitting this one out, and Walt was with his granddaughter, Avery.
“We don’t need you as a judge for this round,” Nancy said to Asher. “Go find a partner.”
“Do you want to do it with me?” he asked Nancy.
She took in the blow-up obstacle course stretched several feet across the beach. “That thing is a broken hip waiting to happen. I can’t believe Walt and Don are attempting it.”
“I believe it.”
