My eyes land back on her face, watching her smile change to concern.
“Just busy.” I force a smile onto my face.
TWENTY
Ava
“Oh, of course. I understand that.” I shake my head and wave my arms. He’s staring at me as if he has more to say, but he’s holding back.
“Ah, so, what’s your next adventure?” he asks, averting his eyes for a split second.Does he want me to answer this?
My hand is glued to his forearm, not wanting to break our connection. The powerful prickling in my palms tingles up my arm. “I’m not sure what’s next for me.”
His mouth opens and then closes. I see his Adam's apple move in his throat, like he’s swallowing hard. “Living by the seat of your pants.”
I laugh. “Always.” A tightening in my chest has me rethinking if that’s the way I want life to be.
“Hey, Kai, I didn’t see you come in,” Theresa says, interrupting us.
Kai stands up and hugs her. “Congratulations, mama. How are you feeling?” He offers her his chair to sit down.
“I was sitting for the past thirty minutes. I’m good for now. Thank you. Have you guys seen Logan?”
“He was here a bit ago and then walked toward the house to find you. Probably caught up talking with someone.” I squint at her. I know what she’s doing. When she saw me talking to Kai, she got nosy.
“I’ll leave you two…” She discreetly winks at me and turns on her heels, walking away.
I pull my hair back and let go. I’ve missed him. There were nights I lay in bed, lonely. It all changed the minute we started talking, and then his impromptu visit pushed my world off its axis. We slid back into a rhythm of talking every day, though some nights it was only a few text messages because I was exhausted from the long days.
I slide my chair slightly over, closer to him, as I adjust my dress. “We’ve been out of touch for the last few days. I caught up on sleep after driving back here.”
His entire body shifts in the chair, shoulders tensing slightly as he leans forward, fingers drumming once against the table before going still. His eyes flicker to mine, then away, then back again. “Glad you could sleep and feel better after all those long days. So really, when are you heading back out on the road?”
“If I decide to leave again, I’m heading back to Maine, and there are endless possibilities from there. On the other hand, there’s an opportunity here.” I pause, gathering up my courage to share this with him. Nothing’s set in stone. But I’m too excited not to share.
He reaches over, tucking hair behind my ear with a joyous smile stretching across his face. “Did you just say an opportunity here…in Saxville?”
Squeezing his forearm tighter, I can’t help but gaze back into his blue eyes, looking at me like I hung the moon. “Yes. I’m staying open to the possibilities. I really missed my sister and family while I was away…”
He knows how much I’ve missed them. And the idea of owning my own coffeehouse again has my body vibrating with excitement, especially because there’s room for a bookstore. I’m not ready to share it yet, after I meet with Joan. If the meeting goes well, I'll have some big decisions to make.
I fidget with the hem of my dress before answering, “Right now, the plan is to stay until the baby is born in a few weeks.” I shrug oneshoulder, trying to sound casual despite the heaviness in my chest. “…Maybe he’ll come early. I don’t want to miss it. Not for anything.”
I keep repeating to myself. “If it’s meant to be, it will be.” I’ll meet with Joan, hear the details of the possible purchase, and figure it out from there. Dwelling on all the what-ifs has never gotten me anywhere before, but neither has pretending I don't care.
“Oh, okay, that’s great. Your sister must be excited about that.” His entire body turns toward me. He leans forward, elbow sliding across the table. His hand reaches out to mine, warm fingers brushing against my knuckles, hesitant at first, then settling with gentle pressure. The corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles, voice dropping deeper, gruffer. “So you’ll have time for another date…with me.”
I look down at my lap and back up to his eyes, begging me for an answer. “Yes, I…” I pause, my eyes darting away from him. “I will,” I finally say, though my stomach drops, a hollowness taking over.
My sister is back over to say, “Ready to play some games?”
And that’s my cue to help her with the party. Kai stands up. “You ladies have fun with that. I’ll go grab a drink.”
Disappointment rips through me, but I know there’s nothing I can do. My feet lead me to the table of games with my sister.
My sister outdid herself with this baby shower. Everyone had a blast. The games were a big hit. Some names people came up with were hilarious. Most of the guests have left, but a few are lingering. I was caught up in helping with the games; I didn’t realize Kai had left.
My mouth turns downward, my shoulders slump, and I’m deflated. I find my phone lying on one of the tables and pray he at least sent atext. My stomach is in knots thinking he would just leave without a word.
