As my cold hands fumbled with my key chain, someone called out, “Hollie!”
I looked over my shoulder, stifling a smile at the sight of Garrett jogging out.
I pocketed my keys, turning to face him as his steps slowed near the trunk of my car.
He took a steadying breath. “I—wanted to say goodbye.”
Even though I was shivering head to toe, my smile beamed. We had talked for almost two hours and I learned so much about him. He was ambitious, kind, and smart—working in finances at a bougie company in downtown Denver. He listened attentively and asked me questions about my dance, my siblings, and my parents’ marriage issues—which for some reason I told him all about. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he legitimatelylikedme. But he had to be way older than me, right? When he revealed that he had an undergrad in finance and business management, I figured him to be twenty-three, at least.
Now, his warm breath billowed in the cold. “I hate you have to go.”
“Yeah, it was great getting to know you.” I had to force my teeth not to chatter.
“Don’t go just yet.” He glanced back at the house then took another step toward me. Shrugging out his coat, he tossed it around my shoulders, pulling it closed. The fabric smelled like sweet tobacco and spice. His knuckles brushed against my chin and my heart beatlike someone had shot adrenaline into my veins. “I want to talk to you again soon.”
“I’d like that, but…”
He waited.
“Aren’t you a bit older than me?”
His face twisted like my concern was childish. “Not by that much.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-six.”
My heart fell in disappointment. “Oh. I’m only seventeen.” Losing the battle against the cold, my teeth clacked between words. “I–I’m the y–youngest in my c–class.”
“When’s your birthday?”
My lips were numb. “C–Christmasss D-Day.”
His gaze sharpened on me. “Here, give me your keys.”
Once I dug them back out, he dropped into the driver’s seat and started up my car, fiddling with the heat until it blew at high speed, whipping my dangling tree air freshener in wild circles. He stood and popped the collar of his coat around my chin then rubbed his hands up and down my arms, encouraging my blood to flow. “There.”
His touch and nearness scorched my insides like lava. “Thank you,” I murmured, rubbing my lips together to wake them back up.
He stepped closer until we were almost toe to toe. “How about this?” I looked up at him and the cloud of our warm breath mingled in the sliver of space between us. “I don’t want to get you into any sort of trouble. So I’ll wait to reach out until your birthday.”
I nodded.
“And then, once you’re eighteen, I’d like to take you out on a date.”
I couldn’t fill my lungs. A date with Garrett? We’d talked like two peas in a pod all evening and he was part of my best friend’s family. Of course I wanted to go on a date with him! I tried to imagine what my parents would say about our age gap. But how could I refuse him after he was respectfully waiting until my birthday to call on me? That was so thoughtful and proved his intentions were good. And after all, once I was eighteen, I was free to choose for myself.
A smile pulled into my frozen cheeks. “Okay.”
His grin widened, relieved. “Can I get your number?”
“Sure.”
He pulled out his phone from his back pocket and typed in my number as I spouted it off. Then he flashed another guilty smile. “Sorry I made you stand in the cold for so long.”
“It’s fine. Your coat is warm.”
“You look better in it than I do.”
