Page 40 of Pity Parade

“I like it.” He drops his bags of groceries on the kitchen counter. As he puts them away, I pretend to look for a vase for the flowers. Not surprisingly, I know exactly where one is. Filling it with water, I tell him, “I’ll leave these here for you. I can always pick up more later.”

Once the food is unpacked, Daniel suggests, “How about a stroll on the beach?”

“That sounds nice.” Going out in the open means a chance of running into Heath, but after telling Daniel how I wish I were staying on the lake, it’s a chance I have to take.

As we walk out onto the back patio, I glance over at Heath’s place before Daniel and I progress down the dock. I tell him, “This is where I’d spend my whole summer if I were staying here. It’s beautiful.”

He murmurs in agreement before jumping off the dock onto the sand. Then he offers a hand to help me do the same. Taking off my shoes, I start to say, “So …”

I’m relieved when he interrupts because I have no idea what I was going to say next. “It’s weird seeing each other again after the way things ended. I’m sorry about that.”

I repeat his words back to him. “You weren’t ready for another long-term relationship.”

“I wasn’t. But that wasn’t fair to you.” Darn straight it wasn’t, buddy. You don’t go on almost a dozen dates before declaring a fear of commitment.

“You can’t force these things …” I want to ask if he’s ready now, but that ball is firmly in his court.

“Are you interested in dating?”

Staring out at the lake, I tell him, “I’m open to it. Especially now that I won’t be traveling as much.”

“So, you’re still in Chicago?”

“I am.” I feel the need to add, “At least until my next adventure.”

Daniel stops walking and turns to face me. “In that case, would you like to have supper with me some night?”

“I’d like that,” I tell him. “That is, if you think lunch goes well enough that you want to see me again.”

Sitting down in the sand, he motions for me to do the same. “It was never about you, Trina,” he tells me. “I liked you a lot. I just wasn’t ready to commit.”

The unspoken question is whether he feels he’s ready to get serious now, or if I’m once again wasting my time. I suppose only time will tell.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

HEATH

After leaving the property in the woods, I stop at the diner for brunch. I have no idea why I’m so intrigued by this land, but I know from experience that my instincts are usually on target. And right now, my intuition is telling me that I need to own that place.

After ordering a western omelet, a full stack of pancakes, and a side of melon, I open my note-taking app and start to write down things I could use a hundred and fifty acres in Wisconsin for.

Build a huge house, move to Elk Lake, and fall off the face of the earth. Pro: No more nagging from Shelby. Con: Potentially dying of boredom.

Build a hotel. Pro: It would make decent money during the summer. Con: It would sit vacant the rest of the year.

Build a zip-lining course, RV park, and maybe some cabins to rent out during the summer months. Pro: Fun at a moderate price point. Con: Maintenance in the off-season.

---