Page 34 of California Waves

Mila rolled her eyes. “Anyway. We go for a beautiful, romantic dinner. His idea, I might add. But instead of ending the evening with a kiss, he just switches off when I say the check is on the company, and then we part ways.”

Erin sighed. “That’s pretty similar to how this chapter of my novel ended. They missed the moment.”

“Yeah, but my life isn’t a romance novel, Erin, and I’m used to dinner ending in something a little more… hot. And satisfying. It was like I didn’t even get past the prologue.”

She’d expected shock and horror from her sister that her hot date hadn’t ended in a kiss. What she hadn’t expected was a loud peal of laughter. She laughed so hard and so long that Mila nearly hung up.

“What is so amusing?”

Erin had to gasp, and then Mila could hear her taking a sip of water. She could picture her sister, red in the face, tears running down her cheeks. So not the reaction she’d been going for.

“I’m sorry. It’s just so funny. I cannot believe a man actually didn’t take the first opportunity to jump you. Has that ever happened in your whole life?”

She was pretty sure it hadn’t. “Beside the point. Because we did kiss. Just a few hours ago.”

“Why didn’t you say? I thought you were acting strange when we were shopping.”

“I didn’t want to talk boy trouble when Tessa’s all loved up.”

“So. You kissed.”

“Yeah.”

She decided to leave out the details about Hersch and the water. He had trusted her with his deepest fear, and Erin didn’t need to know what they’d been doing when the kiss happened.

One of the things she liked about Erin, and probably the reason she’d called her, was that she didn’t rush into speech. She took a moment to think things through. Funny. Hersch did that too.

Finally, Erin said, “How was the kiss?”

“Imagine fireworks, the greatest surf ride of your life, and the best chocolate in the world, all wrapped into one.”

“That good,” Erin breathed.

“Better. And yet, I walked away. He was going to take it further, and I just couldn’t go there. I had to meet you two, but I didn’t even suggest we get together tonight. I felt thrown off course.”

Erin paused again. “It’s okay not to leap into something with someone new. Sometimes you need a little time to adjust to how someone makes you feel. It can be overwhelming.”

This was why she’d called Erin. Already, she was feeling calmer. “Yeah, exactly. I needed to take a minute to think about it. But now I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Erin said, “You know, that’s good. I like that you’re not rushing into something. You know what you hardly ever get to experience in your love life?”

There wasn’t much. “What?”

“Anticipation.”

“Overrated.”

“I don’t think so. I think there’s something truly romantic in thinking about a person and wondering if he’s thinking about you and imagining when you’ll see him again and what you’ll be wearing, and what he’ll say and what you’ll say—”

“I’m not a character in your romance novel, Erin.”

Her sister refused to be distracted. “Maybe you should give taking things slowly a try. You might really like it.”

She let out a huff of breath. “I can’t stop thinking about him,” she admitted. “It’s driving me crazy.”

“Do you want to sleep over?”

She thought about it for a second. They did that sometimes. They’d sleep at one or the other’s house and talk into the night and share breakfast in the morning before going about their respective days. But she could tell Erin was already settled down for the night. “That’s okay. I think you helped.”

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