Only two things were waiting for me back in Dorsey, Mississippi - bad memories and my family. I needed a fresh start. And I knew my family would visit me wherever I ended up.
There had been no need to return.
“You going to show her your secret spot that you think no one knows about?” Adlen winked at me.
I smirked. “Maybe.”
“Oooh, a secret spot! That sounds exciting,” Celia’s eyes sparkled. My stomach flipped over. “I’d love to see it!”
“You’ll love it, Celia. Mr. Big Bad Marine spent a lot of time there after…” Adlen stopped and sucked her lips into her mouth to stop talking.
“After what?” Celia turned to me.
“After nothing,” I pointed her back to the UTV. “We have just enough time to show you my spot before we have to leave for Oxford.”
Celia nodded and climbed into the passenger seat. I took my time walking to the other side, taking deep breaths and pushing the past out of my mind.
“What kind of secret spot is this?” Celia broke through my thoughts.
“You’ll see,” I half-smiled and cranked up the engine.
A few minutes later, we pulled through a thick copse of trees to a sparkling lake.
“A secret lake?” Celia hopped out of the UTV.
I pointed to the cleared trail. “Not much of a secret if the trail is clear.”
She snorted and stepped to the edge of the water, taking a deep breath. “It’s beautiful!”
Even though it was January, the weather was mild today. The sun reflected off the lake and onto her face, making it seem like she was lit from the inside out. But Celia looked like that almost all of the time. It was her kind heart and way with people that made her beautiful.
And for the millionth time, this road trip, an imaginary punch to my gut reminded me why it would never work out with us.
“Why?” Celia stared at me.
“What?” I blinked.
“Why have you been so quiet since that rest stop in Florida? Are you mad at me or something?”
“Mad at you?”
“Yeah. You’ve been giving me the silent treatment for hundreds of miles. You act like standing next to me is the worst thing on the planet when I know for a fact that you enjoyed our time together before,” Celia sighed. “I just don’t understand you, Flint.”
I stared into her eyes. The sun’s reflection highlighted the gold flecks in the brown. The look she gave me nearly brought me to my knees.
“It’s not you,” I whispered.
“Oh, I know it’s not me,” Celia smirked. “I just can’t figure out which kind of operation you need.”
“Operation?”
“Yes,” she folded her arms. “I know you need a stick-ectomy - also known as - getting thegiant stick out of your butt. I’m just curious what else you need.”
Damn it. Leave it to Celia to make me want her more, even when she’s insulting me. I was fighting a losing battle with this one.
I scrubbed my face with my hands. “It’s a little more complicated than just need.”
“Try me.”
