Megs took another step, and Gideon’s stomach fizzed when he realized she was still staring at him.
He gripped the straps of his bag. “Bad choice? I should never wear contacts again?”
The corner of Megs’ lips twitched. “No, not bad. I think you look good both ways.” Her eyes looked like emerald pools in the golden light, and the trees seemed to have been painted to perfectly compliment the streaks of burnt orange glittering in her hair.
Gideon ran a hand through his hair and pretended to notice something in the trees. “Should we keep going?”
Megs nodded, and they resumed their walk. They reached the road by twelve-thirty and weren’t too much worse for the wear. Once they were out of the trees, Gideon borrowed sunscreen from Megs, put on his sunglasses, and they started down toward town.
“Do you wish Oscar or Matt, I guess, would’ve stayed with the band?” Megs asked. He wondered if she imagined them sitting around in a cramped apartment tuning their instruments and riffing off each other. Itwas the stuff teenage dreams were made of.
Gideon shook his head. “I was annoyed for a couple of years. I missed it. I think we all did, but it was time for us to go our separate ways.”
“And you’re happy now?”
Gideon swallowed the answer that first popped into his head because it wasn’t fully true.Yes.When his parents called from Arizona and asked if he was doing well, the answer was always yes. When his colleagues asked if he was happy with his classes or his schedule, the answer was yes.
Truly, he didn’t have anything to complain about. He had job security, a roof over his head, he was in great shape and had good friends both at work and in the community. That part of him was content. But what would the other part of him answer? The part he’d tucked away when he’d decided to pursue teaching. The part that lit up whenever he heard something inspiring and worked on tracks late into the night. The part that waited for a girl after work and then kissed her in a parking lot.
“Half,” he answered.
Megs frowned. “Half?”
Gideon nodded, more and more satisfied with his answer by the second. “I’m half happy.”
A wide smile broke out across Megs’ face. “What? I don’t think that’s a thing.”
Gideon grinned. “It definitely is. My life is great and I wouldn’t change much, but there’s still half of me that isn’t quite there yet.” He loved the way she looked at him. Like he’d managed to surprise her for once.
“What does that other half need?” Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. That laser focus from Megs was intoxicating. He loved being a puzzle she was dying to solve.
“Not sure yet. I think I’ll know it when I see it.” Gideon’s heart pounded in his chest. Heknew it when hefelt it, and right now—
A slow rumble sounded behind them, and Gideon whipped his head around. A red tractor with wheels taller than he was rounded the corner and slowly made its way down the road. Gideon stopped and grabbed onto Megs’ arm.
Her eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
Gideon threw out his thumb. “Getting us a ride.”
Seventeen
Megs staredas Gideon approached the tractor now stopped on the shoulder, still blocking over half the road. She could’ve sworn the asphalt was shuddering along with the growls of the engine. Since she couldn’t hear a word they were saying, she waited awkwardly until Gideon waved for her to come over.
“He’ll take us into town!” Gideon shouted over the guttural roar.
“I don’t see any seats!”
“What?” Gideon leaned closer.
“I don’t see any—” Megs waved her comment off when Gideon still wasn’t getting it. He reached out for her hand and helped her clamber up into the cab. She didn’t see any seats because there weren’t any. Not enough for both of them, anyway.
“Hop on in!” The farmer was in overalls and a worn baseball cap. He motioned to a single seat directly next to him but lower to the cab's floor. It looked like a sidekick car attached to Batman’s motorcycle.
Before Megs could protest, Gideon pressed up against her back.
“I’ll get in first! You can sit on my lap!”
Megs sputtered something, but it was lost in the thunder growl. Gideon sat and held out his arms like she was a kindergartner getting ready to sit on Santa’s lap. Except this Santa was extremely attractive with or without glasses.
