Well, at least not as much as he did. Baby steps.
Hailey was happy he would be having fun with Chloe, and not jealous they were roller skating without her. She’d never mastered it, and would much rather do something with her grandfather, anyway.
Devon wanted to see Chloe’s place, but he needed her to be comfortable enough to invite him first. If he was being honest with himself, he hoped the day would end there, which gave him a whole new set of things to worry about.
So he pushed it aside, instead. As he dressed, he took a moment to evaluate his feelings. Nervous, excited, and anticipatory. Those were things he could live with. As his therapist recommended, he took a few minutes out of each day to test his feelings and accept whatever they were.
Since Hailey had left with his dad a half hour before, he went in search of Lydia to tell her he was leaving. He found her reading in the living room.
“Mom.”
Without bookmarking her page, she peered up at him. “Devon, you look handsome.”
Uncomfortable with her scrutiny, he shifted his feet. “Thanks. I plan to be back in time to tuck Hailey into bed.”
She beamed. “You shouldn't.”
He barely resisted rolling his eyes. “Mom—”
“Devon. Don and I will handle Hailey. Have fun and take as long as you need.”
Fiery flames burst over his cheeks. “Bye,” he muttered, and fled.
The roller rink was right next to the tiny strip mall in the center of town. He’d spent time there as a teenager, but he and Kathy hadn’t had any dates there. It was neutral territory as far as their small town went, and he figured it was only fair to give that to Chloe.
When Chloe was at his house, he discovered she drove an ancient compact Honda. It was undoubtedly the same age as his parents, but it somehow suited her perfectly. It was in the lot, and he saw exhaust pouring out the tailpipe. He walked up to the driver’s side and waved so he wouldn't startle her. She opened the door immediately, and the sound of the engine cutting off caused a ringing silence.
“Devon, hi!”
She threw her arms around him, and he held on. She smelled damn good, and her hair was down around her shoulders the way he liked it. Her body was warm under her coat, and he almost didn't want to let her go.
“Hi, Chloe.” He smiled down at her and took her hand to lead her inside. He noticed how perfectly it fit in his.
“My week was boring as hell. What about yours?” she asked as they stepped into the warmth of the rink.
The smell brought back his high school days. “It was pretty good, actually. We have two more orders, and Caleb has been back every day. We finished one of the other orders and he got it delivered. Olivia, Lori’s temp replacement, is working out perfectly. Hailey had a fantastic week at school, though she’s been a little tired. She’s having Grandpa time right now.”
He quit talking when he realized he’d developed word vomit, but Chloe tugged on his hand so he’d stop walking. He looked down at her, and the smile she gave him transformed her face. Where he’d noticed before that she was pretty, her huge, genuine smile made her gorgeous.
“Can I just . . .” He lowered his head, looking back and forth between her eyes for any sign of hesitance. When he saw none, he tentatively touched his lips to hers. A tremor went down his spine when she wrapped her arms around him again, tugging on the back of his neck to hold him closer.
He pulled away before he did something stupid in the middle of a public place, but didn’t let her go.
“That felt great,” she whispered. Her eyes twinkled.
He grinned. “I can’t believe I just kissed you for the first time at the Merrimac Roller Rink, but I agree it was pretty amazing.”
“I realized how content you sounded by an ordinary week, and it touched me that you’ve reached a place of acceptance. You’re ready to be happy.”
“I’m ready to give it a try, that’s for sure.”
They smiled at each other for another moment before moving on to get skates. They sat on a bench in front of a bank of lockers to put them on, and all Devon could think about was how long it had been since he’d been skating. There was no way to know if it would be a success after so many years, but he was willing to give it a shot.
It turned out Chloe was a much better skater than he was. He’d lost some of his muscle memory, or something. He kept stumbling and using the wall to catch himself.
Finally, Chloe held out her hands and started moving backward. He remembered a time when he could do that; maybe ten years ago. He held onto her because it felt nice, and they went around a few times without incident. There were some families there, a few kids alone, and that was what caused the problem in the long run. One of the lone kids went blasting onto the floor too fast, looking like he was asking for a broken ankle. When he came flying at Chloe and Devon, there was no time to react.
He plowed into their outstretched arms at full speed, causing them both to lose their balance. Chloe recovered and reached for Devon again, but it was too late for him. He went down in a tangle of his legs and hers, inevitably taking her down with him.
