Hazel feels like fall.
We’re in a small rowboat in the middle of Central Park Lake because this woman is embracing my wild fortune flip theory and recognizing that something’s off for both of us. Instead of running away from it, she’s running toward it.
With me.
My heart catches in my chest at this. Ever since I first laid eyes on Hazel, I’ve been a goner. The kiss solidified that.
Between this and the sun and the rowing, I’m now starting to overheat. I pull my sweater off, setting it on the seat beside me.
Hazel’s already turned back to me, her eyes snapping up from my arms to my eyes. She’s visibly flustered as she clears her throat.
The air is charged again, and this time, I think she feels it, too.
Would it be too much if I reached for her hand? Pulled her closer to me and re-created what she initiated on the first day we met? I’ve never wanted anything more…
“Chicken,” Hazel says.
I lower my eyes to meet hers. I’m not one to back down from a challenge—
Then she reaches into the bag with the rotisserie chicken and pops the lid off.
Oh.Thatchicken.
She balances the container on her knees.
“Do you know what you’re going to do with the money?” Hazel asks.
Ever since we agreed to claim our share, I’ve given this some thought. I’ve learned before how money can have strings attached. This lottery money, though… this doesn’t.
I twist off the caps of our sparkling waters. “I’ll invest it. It’s more money than I’d need in a lifetime, so I’ll probably donate a good chunk, too,” I share. “But not to anyone who says, ‘I’ve got an opportunity that’ll make your head spin!’ ”
“Or to anyone who promises to double your money in ninety days,” Hazel says, making a goofy face.
I laugh. “No way.”
“So no yacht or five-star hotel vacation?” she asks, poking her spork into the chicken skin.
I consider this. “Have you heard about those yearlong cruises? A guy I used to work with once told me that after his brother-in-law’s cousin came into money, he bought tickets for him and his wife. He paid in full for a suite, but even with discounts, I think it was, like, $110,000 per ticket.”
Hazel tilts her head. “Let me guess. It ruined their lives and their relationship.”
“Apparently, but it wasn’t the money that got them. It was the nearly three-hundred-day trip and being trapped on a boat together.”
“Maybe that’s the true test,” she says.
I grip the side of the rowboat. “Are we being tested now?”
Hazel smiles softly. “Can you imagine three hundred days in this thing?”
With her? Happily.
“This might surprise you,” Hazel says, “but I think I would love that.”
“Yeah?”
“Being around all that water sounds amazing,” she says, and I realize we’re talking about very different things.
“This is doing it for you then?” I gesture toward the lake.
