Page 10 of Pumpkin to Talk About

He scoffs at that. “Speak for yourself. I was super popular, and everyone loved me.”

He’s kidding again. I know he is. But something about it reminds me that I wasn’t cool enough for him to do more than poke fun at and kiss one time, and it hurts.

Not only was I not cool enough, I asked him to kiss me. And he did, but it must not have been anything spectacular because he moved on in less than twenty-four hours.

Shaking myself out of the memory, I start gathering the paint supplies that are strewn out on a drop cloth just for something to do with my hands. I can’t believe how mortified I am about that, even over twenty years later. “I’m sure Annie is expecting you back. You can come tomorrow. Or not, if the eyeballs are too gross for you. I’m only judging you a little.” The joke falls flat, and I mentally kick myself for being so awkward.

“Woah,” Mike says, his voice raised slightly above the sound of me pounding the paint can closed. “What just happened here?”

I shrug, taking a handful of paint brushes and the paint can to the storage closet behind the circulation desk. “Nothing. Just trying to get cleaned up before I have to help with bus duty.”

He stays planted on the other side of the desk. “I thought today was a day off that you were using to work on this.”

“Might as well help as long as I’m here. I’ll see you later, okay?”

I’m not looking at him, so I jump when his warm hand covers mine where it rests on the doorknob of the supply closet. His chest grazes my shoulder, and it sends tingles down my spine. His smoky cedar scent hits me at almost the same time. My breath feels like sandpaper in my lungs.

“Belle,” he says. It might be the first time I’ve heard him call me that. At least, the first time since he’s been home. And I like the sound of it way too much.

“Yeah?” I look up at him, lips parted. His gaze roams around my face, and we are so close that I can feel his breath tickling my skin.

“I’m sorry.” His voice is deep and raspy, almost an octave deeper than usual.

“For what?” I all but whisper. I’m having a hard time catching my breath. From the rise and fall of his chest, he’s feeling the same.

He huffs a laugh. “For whatever I said that made you panic-clean.” His eyes bounce between mine as he adds, “And for being an ass in high school.”

I shake my head and try to back away, but his grip on my hand tightens. When I meet his gaze again, it’s the sincerest I’ve ever seen it.

“I was. That kiss—”

“Oh god,” I groan. “We do not have to talk about that.”

“We should,” he insists gently. “It’s possible I misread the situation, and I’m deeply sorry.”

“There wasn’t anything to misread,” I say. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Yes, I do. I was thinking that I had never been kissed, and Mike’s lips had been enticing me for years. Just like they have been for the past few days. But he doesn’t need to know that.

“We were kids,” he says. “I didn’t know how to handle it.”

“Neither of us did,” I assure him, then I laugh. I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks. “I’m pretty sure I thanked you and ran away.”

He chuckles, too, which goes a long way toward making me feel better. “You did. I thought you had enough, and that was that.”

Swallowing hard, I shake my head slowly, my eyes never leaving his. “I think…” I trail off and take a deep breath, firming my resolve. Now that this can of worms has been opened, I might as well come clean. “I didn’t know how to ask for more. And then the next day, when I saw you with Stacey…”

Mike rolls his eyes at himself. “I was such an idiot.”

“No. Truly. You had no way of knowing.” I bite my lip as I try to smile lightly. “Water under the bridge?”

He grins then, his pearly white teeth showing between his soft lips. “Yeah.” He nods once and backs away from me. I immediately regret the lack of his hand on mine, so I shove it in my pocket.

“See you tomorrow?” I ask as he makes his way toward the door.

“It’s a date,” he says.

I’m just about to keep up my bold streak and ask him if that’s a double entendre when he faces me and says, “I would have kissed you again, you know.” And then he turns on his heel and walks out, leaving me to gape after him.