I let out a sharp sigh. “I doubt many people forget meeting you, Isla. Me, on the other hand…”
“Oh, don’t be like that.” She flips her hand in my direction. “You can’t expect me to remember you when you look…so different.”
People who knew me in high school rarely recognize me when they come into the rink. My growth spurt hit right before graduation, and I spent all summer before college in the gym and on the ice, working to keep my hockey career alive. No college recruited me, but I managed to walk on at Palmer City University and play all four years, thanks to my stubborn determination.
“You look about the same.” The words come out rough, but I don’t mean them as an insult. It’s the opposite.
Before I can smooth over my gruffness, she speaks again. “I happen to remember you liking the way I looked, so I will take it as a compliment.”
I can hear the smile in those words, her satisfaction from knowing how I reacted to her all those years ago, how I still react to her. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t hidden it well.
She hasn’t either. A tension underlines every interaction between us, and it won’t go away. Maybe it’s time we give in, save ourselves the endless headache of denying our attraction for the rest of the summer. But I don’t know how to broach this subject without making her uncomfortable or hurting her working relationship with Spencer.
And I’m not sure it’s the right move, whether I’d be able to give in to these feelings and then let her go. I’m better off on my own, and she doesn’t want a relationship.
“Did everything go okay today?” Isla’s voice busts through my heavy thoughts, pulling me into the present moment. I glance over at her, and our gazes collide, plummeting my stomach into a complicated state, a mix of battling instincts, apprehension and want. “Thea said you were helping your dad.”
I focus on the road. “He has dementia. Spence and I spent the day going through the remainder of our childhood home. We let him stay as long as we could because that’s what he wanted. But his condition advanced to the point that living in that home by himself endangered his life, so we moved him into an assisted living facility closer to us.”
“I’m sorry, Wes…that must be so hard.”
Isla’s hand lands on my forearm, and I almost vault out of my seat at the unexpected comfort. Her fingers dance across my skin in a soothing motion. I want to curl up beside her until I fall asleep and put this day behind me.
I’m shocked at the direction of my thoughts, but after the way this year has burned me out, maybe I shouldn’t be. I drove to my hometown multiple times a week these past few months to spend time with my father before he forgot me.
He won’t always know the difference between me and the strangers who take care of him, but at least having him closer means he’ll never be alone. I might still have moments with the dad who raised me and molded me into the person I am.
“I’ll see him more,” I hear myself saying, not fully in control of the words spewing out of my mouth.
Emotion floods my bloodstream, my brain. Memories hit me one after the other—my father teaching me how to hit a puck in our driveway, barbecue cooking in the backyard as Spence and I wrestled in the grass, the four of us huddled in front of the fireplace after my mom took off. We didn’t have much in terms of material items, especially not after the investments made in our athletics, but I had a good home and people who had my back regardless of what I did.
It’s more than most people get in this world.
That’s true of the stubborn woman sitting beside me. That’s why, despite what she says and how she acts, I remind myself of her tear-stained face the night we met, and the reasons for those tears. She’ll never know the love I grew up with, which I’d taken for granted until I realized its rarity.
Isla’s grip tightens on my forearm. “It’s good you weren’t alone today.”
I’m weak for the way Isla mouths off to me, the way her nostrils flare and the apples of her cheeks pinken, but this kindness in her voice might end me.
Isla doesn’t know me well enough to care for me. It’s another glimpse at her good heart. It would be easier for me if she didn’t have these layers.
“Yeah, well. I would’ve been alone if you hadn’t gotten Thea, so—”
“It wasn’t a big deal.” Isla’s hand leaves my forearm, sliding along my skin and igniting an array of goosebumps in its wake. She pointsout her window at aThe Condos at Wilkshiresign. “You can drop me here.”
I continue to drive forward and pull into the parking deck. “I’m not leaving you by the side of the road.”
“It’s right there,” she points to the building immediately to our left. “I’ll be perfectly fine.”
I ignore her, driving until I’m parked inside the deck. I place the truck in park, turning toward her—to say what, I don’t know, but I’m too late.
“Thanks for the ride.” Isla hops out of the truck and shuts the door behind her, walking around the back to reach the sidewalk.
I roll my window down. “Isla?” I call.
“Yes?” She turns halfway to face me.
“Thank you…for everything.” She won’t ever know that I’m thanking her for more than taking care of Thea, but I need to acknowledge it. A weight eased on my chest for the first time tonight in as long as I can remember, all thanks to the simple gesture of her hand on my forearm, her fingers grazing my skin. “I owe you.”
