“You told me you felt like you needed to get out of Wyatt first, see what’s out there before you decide anything else.”
“I just… wish I had something that I was as passionate about as you are with farming.”
“You’ll find it, Stevie.”
“At Bower?” I ask skeptically.
She shrugs. “I think you can find it wherever you are,” she replies optimistically.
But Nora almost had it. And I can’t help but wonder what it’s been like for her to have had to cancel all of these plans we made together.
“Nora, what would you have done? If I never found that box? If I never found out about us?”
She’s quiet for a long moment, thinking. “I wasn’t going anywhere. I know that much. I really was going to tell you the truth… I just… needed some more time to figure out how. All I know is that you and me? We’ll always find our way back to each other,” she says. The back of her hand brushes against mine, sending an electric pulse up my arm.
I smile and munch on the rest of my cream pastry as we come up on an old movie theater. An older woman is playing the violin under the oversized marquee with all the current movie showings. Her long hair swings back and forth as she sways with the music, her eyes closed. I reach into my pocket and pull out a five-dollar bill to drop into her case.
As the two of us stand there watching her, I feel that magnetic pull tugging me closer to Nora. I take a step sideways until our shoulders are touching, and again, there’s a buzzing on the surface of my skin. I wonder if Nora can feel it too.
It’s all so different from the dates I went on with Ryan. Everything feels likemorewith her. Like my lungs have felt almost too small all night and I can never quite seem to catch my breath.
With my eyes locked on the violinist, I slip my hand around the inside of Nora’s forearm and slide my fingertips down her wrist, over the calluses on her palm, until our fingers intertwine.
We stand there, Nora and I, and this woman who seems to only be playing for us, even as people flow by on either side.
None of them stop to look.
None of them say anything to us.
None of them make me feel like holding her hand is anything but normal.
CHAPTER 30
WITH MY TOTE BAG TUCKEDunder my arm and a string cheese still in the wrapper dangling from my mouth, I rifle through the pantry for one more snack to eat on the way.
“Hey, don’t worry about that.” My mom pops her head into the pantry. “Let’s go all out at concessions. Oh! Grab the ranch popcorn seasoning. Can’t have popcorn without ranch.”
I slowly turn to face her as she leans against the doorframe, her purse already slung over her shoulder.
Shit.It’s Wednesday. Movie matinee day.
“I totally forgot, Mom. I told Ryan I would come over to go swimming,” I tell her, letting the string cheese drop out of my teeth and into my hand.
“Oh, really? But it’s our movie day,” she says, the sadness clinging to her voice.
“Rain check?” I ask, tossing the snacks into the tote bag on top of my bikini and then checking the time on my phone. The guilt pulls down on my feet, though, making it hard for me to move toward the door.
“Yeah. You know what? With the spaghetti dinner this Friday, I should probably pop over to the hall and get a feelfor the kitchen,” she says, but her tone is almost too light.
“Maybe if I get back early enough, we can watch a movie together here,” I say.
“Okay, sure… have fun,” she replies quietly from behind me.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll… I’ll see you later,” I tell her as I step out onto the front porch and force my hand to pull the door shut.
But… I can’t keep doing crap like this. It starts with blowing off our movie date and pretty soon, we’ll be right back where we were. And I can’t let us get back to that place. I guess I could put tonight off. I turn and grab the handle again. Maybe I should just go see the movie with her, let her know that I’m still here, that things aren’t going to change.
But also… I haven’t missed a single movie with Mom, and Nora’s meeting me at Ryan’s. Between her job and mine… it could be a few days until we can find a moment to see each other if we don’t do it now. So I have to see her when we have the chance.
