Something about the way he says it makes me feel like a child again. I can’t look at Holt as I nod and hop down from thecounter. “We sure do,” I say as lightly as I can.
I make sure to swing my hips as I walk from the kitchen into the living room and spin around, giving both men my brightest smile. “Good thing I don’t get attached too easily.” I shoot the tiniest little wink in Holt’s direction, no longer caring if my dad notices. “I’ll go pack before I’m tempted to change my mind.”
Chapter Fifteen
SIX WEEKS LATER…
Tessa
The air smells like salt, sunscreen, and fresh bread from the little cafe down the street.
Tofino, the little ocean town on the West Coast, is just gearing up for the busy summer tourist season. People are everywhere. A sharp contrast to the way things were on the mountain.
I’d stayed with Dad just under a week. Long enough to catch him up on everything. Well, almost everything.
I’d done my best to explain to him why I was leaving school and how unsettled I felt. How restless I was.
I know it didn’t land the way I’d intended it to. Probably because by the time I got to Dad’s cabin, I was no longer feeling that same sense of discontent I’d felt when I left school. It’s crazy, I know, but in only a few days with Holt, I’d found what I’d been looking for.
Only he hadn’t been looking forme.
I’ve spent my whole life not being chosen, and I have way too much self-respect to stick around and wait for someone to decide if I’m worth keeping or not.
I stayed on the mountain for five days. Long enough for him to change his mind. Long enough for him to come and get me, tell me he missed me, and admit he’d made a mistake pushing me away.
He didn’t.
A gull shrieks overhead, and someone laughs a few tables over, pulling me back to the present at a little table on the waterfront.
It really is pretty on the coast. I can see why people are drawn here. Especially creative types looking for inspiration.
My untouched journal sits in front of me.
Maybe at a different time, this would have been the right place for me, too.
The man sitting across from me clears his throat. I’d forgotten he was even there.
“So,” he says, flashing what I once would have considered a handsome smile. “You said you’re just passing through? How long are you staying?”
I blink, trying to remember his name.
He’s harmless. About my age. Friendly and attractive in that outdoorsy way this town seems to specialize in.
“I’m not sure yet,” I answer truthfully.
He leans forward. “That feels pretty open-ended.”
I should know the answer. Or at least what my plan is for next week. Even tomorrow. That was the idea, wasn’t it?
Travel a little. Explore the world. Write. See what fits.
“Maybe I could show you around a little bit while you figure it out?”
It’s not a bad offer.
He’s kind and interesting enough. And he hasn’t made me feel uncomfortable or pressured in any way. He’s exactly the kind of boy I would have gone out with before.
And that’s the problem.
