Releasing a long breath, I looked around the room. There was nothing remarkable about it. There was no elegant trim, no hand-carved banisters, and no warmth. The house was simply a shell of its former sell, and the longer I walked the halls, the more I hated it.
Learning the history behind the Baker house had been a mistake. If I’d kept my mouth shut and declined Kris’ invitation for a walk, none of this would’ve happened. I could’ve been selling a house right now that I was at least a tiny bit interested in if I’d only kept to myself. Instead, I dove headfirst into one of the most heartbreaking stories I’d ever been told, all because of the loved ones Mr. Baker left behind.
Realizing things wouldn’t improve unless I redirected my thoughts, I locked up the Taylor property and headed back toward town. If there was one thing that could take my mind off of Kris and her good company, it was ice cream.
Ruthford’s ice cream shop sat on the outskirts of town. Small and out of the way, it didn’t have much of a dining area at all, not unless you count the picnic tables they’d set up outside.
Back when I was a kid, the roads weren’t even paved. Whenever a massive storm rolled through, it was close to impossible to reach the ice cream shop as the roads were always washed out. My folks swore he’d move into town eventually, but close to twenty years later, he was still in the same place he’d always been.
The surrounding area complimented perfectly. Not only was it away from the busy streets, lights, and honking cars, but you couldn’t beat the view. Picnic tables that were once rotted through had since been replaced, their white and green paint bringing a smile to my face.
I’d come up here countless times around dusk with my folks just to watch the sun set and have a bit of ice cream. It was also a great place to watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July as they were usually set off on the other side of town. Up here, I could see for miles, and behind me was the one thing that excited me most; a large wooded area.
The only place that came close to offering me the same sense of serenity was the wooded trails by Kris’ house. It was then, sitting in my car, when a thought crossed my mind. Had she come up here since she adopted Duke? Did they walk the same trails I’d walked so many years ago?
You’re doing it again, I chided myself, doing whatever I could to push the thought away.
A ghost of an image crossed my mind, one of Kris walking beside me, hand-in-hand, with Duke’s leash in the other. It was a beautiful image and one I wished to take part in someday, but not now. It was too soon. We hadn’t even gone on our first date yet, and I already couldn’t stand being away from her.
There was a connection, one I couldn’t explain. It was the same connection that had me longing for her company as I sat in the middle of Ruthford’s small parking lot. In that moment, the car felt terribly empty. I could almost hear Duke whining in the backseat, his huge eyes meeting mine in the rear-view mirror.
“Stop this,” I said under my breath, unable to meet my own gaze. “You aren’t a teenager anymore so stop acting like one.”
At this point, I couldn’t tell if my strong interest in Kris was a touch of lust or if I was just grateful to her for showing me the world I almost left behind. I spent so much time behind a desk that it was easy to get buried under a mountain of work. According to Kris, she was the same way.
But out here, parked in Ruthford’s empty lot, there were only two things I could do—get ice cream and walk down what had probably become an overgrown trail. Both possibilities sounded equally inviting, moreso once I considered inviting Kris to come along.
Releasing a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, I eyed the list of flavors Mr. Ruthford had hung up outside his shop. One name stuck out immediately. They had Kris’ caramel crunch.
And beneath that? Pumpkin pie.
Sometimes the world shows you something you could potentially miss. Other times, it shoves the truth right in your face. Right then, the world was telling me to shut up, buy some ice cream, and to visit Kris.
“I guess that settles it, then,” I said if only to myself. I couldn’t possibly get something from Ruthford’s without offering her the same. Especially not when her preferred ice cream was still available.
So once I cut the ignition and got out of the car, I took a picture of Ruthford’s shop and sent her a text.
Do you see what I see? I asked, shaking my head when the holiday tune started to play in the back of my mind. It was way too early in the season for that.
A moment later, my phone buzzed. Emojis with big eyes covered the screen.
Lucky. I’m rushing to the end of this deadline and won’t be done until after they close.
I smiled and could almost see her pouting lip. I may have enjoyed her smile and contagious laughter, but I had to admit, her pouting over a bowl of ice cream sounded just as cute.
Would you be up for a short visit? I asked, not wanting to interrupt her unless she was planning to take a break. It was almost lunchtime, after all. Not that ice cream was an actual lunch item, but still…
I could be persuaded, she teased, sending me a picture a moment later with Duke half-sitting in her lap.
I’ll be over shortly, I promised, pocketing my phone once we were through.
As luck would have it, Ruthford’s still had plenty of the caramel crunch along with the pumpkin pie I’d always wanted to try but never had the chance to taste. By the time I usually arrived, the pumpkin was gone. Apparently, in the middle of the week, there was more than enough to go around.
With the fates still showing me a clear line from Ruthford’s to Kris, I ordered two small cartons of ice cream for us along with a small doggy ice cream for Duke. I wasn’t sure how Kris felt when it came to giving him small treats aside from a nice burger but I got it for him anyway.
You really do like her…
It was painfully obvious to even me, but I shrugged the thought to the side and swore it was something I’d do for a friend instead. A friend and her dog?
Yeah, probably not.
By the time I reached Kris’ place, I was starved. Even though the ice cream didn’t fill my car with the delicious smell of foodstuffs the same way a good burger and fries usually did, it still taunted me from the passenger seat the entire way into town. Maybe I should’ve gotten something else to eat, after all.
“The ice cream will have to do for now,” I said with a nod as I pulled into Kris’ driveway.
I barely had my seatbelt off when Duke’s bark reached my ears. Either Kris saw me pull into the drive and mentioned someone dropping by, or he heard me pull in.
I decided it was the latter as soon as I got out of the car. Duke’s pressed his nose against the glass of the door, smearing it as he stood on his hind legs. Kris wasn’t far behind him, opening up the front door the moment I started up the sidewalk. Good thing I had food, otherwise Duke probably would’ve run off. As it was, he danced around me, almost knocking me into Kris once I reached the front porch.
“You’ll have to excuse him,” she said with a huge smile on her face, supporting me before I could fall. “He hasn’t had visitors in a few days.”
I laughed when he bumped into me again, pushing us even closer together. “I guess that answers my question. You got the fence installed?”
“Yup,” Kris said with a curt nod, patting the side of her leg so Duke would follow her instead of crashing into me. “It’s been a godsend, really. He goes out there first thing in the morning, runs around like a nut, then flops in a sunny spot to sleep once he’s had his breakfast. I was actually able to move my work into the kitchen instead of sitting on the sofa like I usually do.
It still might not be as good as working in my office, but at least in here, I can keep an eye on him through the kitchen window.”
I offered her a gentle nod, then followed her into the kitchen where she still had her laptop open on the counter. “I hope you don’t mind. There’s a small treat in there for Duke as well.”
“He can h
ave it,” she said, taking the bag from me once I offered it to her. “A full carton? Just for me?”
I shrugged, smiling my thanks when she handed me the other one along with a spoon. “I wanted to try the pumpkin out, but I wouldn’t mind trying that as well.”
“You’ve never had it?” she asked me with surprise.
“Like I said, I’m a big fan of their vanilla, mostly because of how versatile it is. But when I saw this?” I held up my carton of pumpkin pie ice cream. “I know when the world’s telling me to do something and this is it. I have to try it at least once. That’s been my rule ever since I was a kid. I suppose I can thank my folks for that.”
“You can always spit it out,” Kris said, following my train of thought.
“Exactly,” I said, pointing my spoon at her before taking my first bite. “Oh. my. gosh. Okay, you have to try this. If it was warm and didn’t melt, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. It’s like pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top, but cold. And look! There’s bits of crust in it.” It was such a simple thing, and yet, it had my taste buds dancing all over the place. “He should serve this year-round. Folks would go crazy for it in the summertime.”
“You’re right, that is good,” Kris said after sneaking a bite. “But I don’t think folks would like him selling something out of season. I was at the grocery store the other day and they actually have a huge area sectioned off just for everything pumpkin spiced. It’s crazy!”
“It really is.” I’d seen the display and it honestly took up half the size of an entire aisle. “People love it.”
“More people should love this,” Kris said, holding up her ice cream. “You can never have enough caramel.”
I had to agree, especially after taking a small bite and getting a bit of waffle cone and chocolate in the mix. It was a lot like a drumstick in a cup, but with caramel in it as well.
“What they really need to do,” I said, tapping my spoon against my bottom lip, “is make a caramel apple ice cream. I’m sure it can be done, but I don’t think I’ve seen it yet.”
Kris considered it a moment and frowned. “You know what, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it, either. What’s not to love, right? I mean, we already eat apple pie with ice cream, so why not try apple in ice cream.”
“I think we might like food a little too much,” I said with a laugh, watching Kris as she slipped out of her chair. “Here you go, boy. Courtesy of our friendly visitor.” She flashed me a smile that would’ve made any commercial proud, then put Duke’s tasty treat inside his food dish so he wouldn’t have to chase it all over the kitchen floor.
“Food can be an experience,” Kris said once she sat back down. “Take our ice cream here for example or what we had a few weeks ago. Now, whenever you go to Ruthford’s or grab a burger, you’ll think of me. At least for a little bit. Food ties into our memories.”
She’d get no arguments from me. As soon as I smelled someone working on the grill, my mind immediately went back to all of the picnics my folks used to have. No doubt Kris had some very similar memories, and now, I had another memory tied to it. One of Kris in her backyard with lights all around.
“That was a great night,” I said, lost in thought. “We should do it again sometime, preferably before it gets too cold.”
Kris nodded in agreement. “We should, and this time, it will just be the two of us.”
“But it was only the two of us last time,” I said, shivering the slightest bit when she placed her hand over mine.
“And it wasn’t planned,” she reminded me, wearing a devilish grin on her face. “What do you say? Would you be up for a cookout later in the week? I’d offer to do it tonight but…” She trailed off and pointed to her open laptop which still had her project up on the screen. “I don’t think I’d be much of a conversationalist.”
“Later in the week sounds great, but this time, let me bring the ice cream so you don’t have to make it yourself.”
“I appreciate that. Do you want anything special?” she asked, walking around the island to grab a to-do list from the refrigerator.
I could’ve said something cliche but thought better of it. “Just a night where I can relax without worrying about work.”
“Done,” she said with a contented sigh, putting the empty list to the side before sitting back down to finish her ice cream. “With any luck, I’ll wrap this up tonight and be way more entertaining by then.”
“And with my next sale in the bag, I should be as well,” I said, offering her my mind.
Lacing our fingers together, she averted her gaze as color rose in her cheeks. The way her hair fell in front of her eyes, shielding her from view, was almost too much. As badly as I wanted to tuck the loose strands behind her ear, I let her sit there a while longer, blushing from our brief touch.
The moment didn’t last more than a few seconds. Seeing an opening, Duke practically jumped into Kris’ lap once he finished with his ice cream.
“Someone’s jealous,” I teased, petting him on the head when he successfully pulled us apart.
“He probably wants to go back outside,” Kris said, slipping out of her chair so she could let him out the back door. “Unfortunately, that’s all the free time I have. I really should get back to work.”
“No need to apologize,” I said. “I did kind of jump this on you. Besides, I have stuff waiting for me at the office.”
“We’ll have more time together this weekend,” she promised, dropping both our spoons in the sink before putting what was left of her ice cream in the freezer.
“Friday night?” I asked, pausing in the doorway.
“Let’s make it Saturday. That way I have the entire day to prepare.”
I laughed at that. “You don’t have to do anything special.” It was supposed to be a relaxing evening for both of us.
“True, but I’d like to take Duke for a long walk so he won’t be as…”
“Pushy?” I offered, looking between them.
“I was going to say stubborn but pushy works just as well. I’m sorry it can’t be any sooner.”
I waved her concern away and stepped onto the front porch. “Don’t worry about it. Saturday’s only a few days away. I’m sure I can make it until then.”
She laughed at that, a light musical laugh that forced butterflies into my stomach. “Saturday it is,” she repeated, hovering in the doorway a moment longer before closing it so Duke didn’t get out.
“Saturday,” I said again, smiling when the blush from before reached all the way to her cheeks.
The weekend couldn’t come soon enough.
Chapter Eight
Friday night, I couldn’t sleep. I insisted it was just nerves about a big project I had coming up but deep down I knew it had a lot more to do with Kris and how much I enjoyed hanging out with her. She was easy to talk to, she didn’t pry, and more than that, Duke had wiggled his way into my heart as well.
Truth be told, he was the first to do it. Even after all the trouble he’d caused, there was no way I’d ever forget him. After meeting Kris and learning all she’d done for him, I’d never forget about her, either.
Then it’s a good thing you won’t have to. Butterflies filled my stomach as I looked in the mirror at my puffy eyes and disheveled hair. A shower could fix both of those things, but there wasn’t much I could do to calm my nerves.
It’d been so long since I’d gone on a date that all of the self-doubt and fear came rushing back. Don’t screw this up, I thought as I stared down my reflection.
No matter how much I’d forgiven Kris when it came to Duke, the fear of me messing things up continued to crowd my mind.
As the morning wore on, the butterflies in my stomach grew. Their wings fluttered against the inside of my stomach, making me half-sick whenever I thought of food.
“Maybe I should cancel,” I said to myself, taking a deep breath once another wave of nausea had passed. “I might be coming down with something.”
Doubt it.
I rarely got sick. If I did, it was usually because of someone at work who should’ve stayed home. Considering it wasn’t flu season and everyone at work was in top condition, I knew all of the butterflies and all of the nausea came down to nerves. Nerves over what to say, what to wear, how to act…
Just take a deep breath, I thought, pausing mid-step to do exactly that. It didn’t help. As soon as I pulled in a large breath of air, it rushed out of my lungs all over again.
“It isn’t a big deal,” I chided myself, unable to believe it for a second. “You’ve already hung out and you’ve eaten at her place before.”
But that was supposed to be a block party. Tonight was all about us. Her, me, and Duke.
I was going on a date. It might not have been at a fancy restaurant, but an evening alone with Kris definitely counted as a date in my book. With Duke, of course. I could never forget about him. The way he pushed us together, then wiggled to get between us made me laugh. All of this was because of him.
Busying myself around the house, I tidied up the bedroom before moving into the master bath. Halfway through washing down the walls of the shower, that same excitement hit me again, stronger than before. Whenever I so much as thought of Kris my stomach did somersaults around my ankles.
By the time four o’ clock rolled around, I was a ball of nerves and tired of cleaning. The minutes ticked by slowly. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say time didn’t move at all.
4:06
I walked into the bathroom to check my hair and pat the lipstick off my lips, then walked back out again.
A minute had passed.
Bit by bit, minute by agonizing minute, time moved forward.
As soon as 4:30 rolled around, I was about ready to crawl out of my skin. I couldn’t sit still, I couldn’t eat, and when I passed by the living room window for what felt like the thousandth time, I gave up and walked out the front door. Kris didn’t seem to mind when I arrived a little early before, so she probably wouldn’t mind now.
I also had to stop by Ruthford’s before they closed to get our dessert, so that’s where I headed first.
Love Unleashed Page 6
