Island
Page 15
They sped up. Haley held her feet out from the bike. “Wheee!”
“Which way?” he asked at an intersection.
She pointed. “That way.” Then she pointed out her building, and Brent stopped in front of it. She put her bike in the rack.
Brent returned her gloves. “Thanks.”
“I should thank you.” She slipped her gloves on. Toasty warm. “That was fun.”
Brent was quiet as he walked her toward the door. What was he thinking? Why had he come back? What if he was here out of some sense of duty? She hoped it was more but wanted to know instead of second-guessing. “Why did you come back here?”
He put his hands inside his jacket pockets. “I promised you I would.”
Duty.
“I would have come sooner, but things with Kristeen’s parents and Justin took more time than I’d anticipated. Then, with Justin going to school, it was that much longer. Don’t you want me here?”
“I don’t want you to feel as if you have to be here.”
“Look, Haley. I know we didn’t get off to the best start, but I really like you.”
Yes! That was all she needed to hear.
“I also know I’m on thin ice with you. I don’t want to push, but I want to be around you—as much as you will let me.”
She smiled. “I came to grips with my flailing emotions and forgave you. Besides, what went wrong between us had more to do with my not dealing with the whole bad situation with Kennith. So the ice isn’t so thin.”
“Really?” She could hear the smile in his voice. “Is it thick enough for this?” He slipped his arm around her waist.
“Um-hmm.”
“What about this?” He stepped in front of her to stop her and linked his hands at the small of her back.
She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Do you want to kiss me, Brent?”
“Very much.”
She twisted away from him and began walking again with a big grin. Thank You, Lord, for bringing him back to me.
“Hey, wait a minute. You can’t ask a question like that and just walk away.”
“Looks as if I already did.”
He stopped her and turned her toward him. “Haley Tindale, I can’t figure you out.” He squinted his eyes and studied her. “I don’t know if you asked that question because you’re fishing for a kiss or because you just wanted to know where I stand.”
She supposed she was fishing for both. “You won’t know if you don’t ask.”
His mouth pulled up on one side. “I think I already know the answer.” He put his hands on her waist. “Do you want me to kiss you?”
She bit her bottom lip again and nodded.
“Okay.” He stepped away from her and continued walking. “I just wanted to know.”
She trotted to catch up. “You’re not going to kiss me?”
He shook his head.
She stared at him. “You’re really not?”
“Nope.”
“Really? Then what are you going to do with that information?”
“Save it for later.” Brent opened the dorm door for her and leaned on the edge of it. “I’m going to get a room and stay on the island tonight. Will you have dinner with me?”
“Depends on where.” It really didn’t matter. He could take her to a hot dog stand, and she’d go.
“How does the Grand Hotel dining room sound?”
Like the perfect ending to a wonderful summer. “You would need a coat and tie at the Grand.”
He unzipped the front of his leather coat to reveal a silly cartoon tie and a suit jacket. “And you a dress. I’d like to see you in a dress.”
“What if I don’t have one?”
He studied her a moment. “I’m guessing you do. But I’ll ask anyway. Do you have appropriate attire for the Grand Hotel?”
“Blue or purple floral?”
“Blue or purple what?”
“Dress. Which one should I wear?”
He smiled, and her heart did a happy little dance. “Surprise me.”
She dug a pen from her coat pocket but couldn’t find a scrap of paper to go with it, so she took hold of Brent’s hand and wrote her phone number on it. She signed her name with a large loop on the Y and put a smiley face in it.
He turned up his hand to see what she’d written. “A girl hasn’t written on my hand since I was seventeen.”
Good. She stepped inside. “I’ll call the Grand Hotel dining room to make reservations and request a taxi to pick us up and take us there. You get your room and give me a call so I’ll know where to come and get you.”
“Shouldn’t I be making all the arrangements?”
“I have contacts.”
He continued to lean on the door and stare at her. “You are almost too cute to resist.”
He would kiss her now. She was sure of it.
“I’ll let you go and give you a call when I have a room.” Brent released the door and turned to leave.
He really wasn’t going to kiss her. She had expected him to grab her and pull her back and kiss her. But instead the door closed. She stared at it, then opened it. Brent was walking away. “Brent.”
He turned with a satisfied smile on his face.
She ran to him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him. His arms came around her, and he held her tight.
He kissed her for a long moment before he pulled back, but he kept his arms around her. “Now you’ve done it.”
“What?”
“I may never let you go.”
She laid her head on his chest. “And I may never let you go.”
He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. “I love you, Haley.”
And she knew she was falling in love with him.
About the Author
Mary Davis is a full-time writer whose first published novel was Newlywed Games from Multnomah. She enjoys going into schools and talking to kids about writing. Mary lives near Colorado’s Rocky Mountains with her husband, three children, and six pets.
Dedication
To the Lord Jesus Christ for always being at my side.
To Mom, hoping one day you can visit Mackinac Island.
And to the men and women who spend their summers to make Mackinac Island a wonderful and unique experience for us all.
A note from the Author:
I love to hear from my readers! You may correspond with me by writing:
Mary Davis
Author Relations
PO Box 719
Uhrichsville, OH 44683