Page 40 of Sparks Still Fly

“It’s fine. I was trying to read by osmosis or willing the words to actually make their way into my brain somehow. I can read a whole script in one day, but a book? Fucking impossible.” She huffs out a frustrated breath and stands to face me.

“Well, I’m going a little stir crazy here myself, so I’m going for a drive—” Before I can continue, she cuts me off.

“That’s nice. Enjoy.” She turns back, clearly annoyed. Man, this girl is impossible. She just admitted to trying to read a book I’m certain she has no interest in because it’s some shit self-help thing I had sitting in the guesthouse.

“I was going to ask if you want to come with me, but if you want to stay here and read about how to...” I flip the cover over and bite my tongue to fight a smile. “...Ask for What You Want, be my guest.”

Her eyes widen for a second, and she grabs her phone, walks toward me, and takes the book from my hand, tossing it behind her. The thing nearly takes off, pages flapping everywhere as it lands on the floor.

“This doesn’t mean I’m not still upset. I just… need to get out of my head.” She starts walking toward the driveway, and of course, I follow. “So, where are we going?”

I don’t watch the way her legs move in front of me, or how her muscles flex, or how her hair blows behind her and sends the smell of lavender straight to my nostrils. I don’t think at all. I just follow her and get in the truck.

As it roars to life, I remember I haven’t answered her question. I was just going to drive, but I had already made a mental list of places I thought she’d like here in Ojai.

“If you want to get a book you’ll actually want to read, there’s a great outdoor bookstore close by. I don’t think anyone will bother you there.”

Her seatbelt clicks, and she looks up at me. “Oh. Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out if you had anywhere else to be.”

I drive past the gate and turn onto the road, shaking my head. “Nah. I was gonna just go for a drive. Stop and look at the mountains. Catch the sunset or something. But I could use a new book myself.”

I keep my eyes on the road, so I can’t see her expression, but her voice comes out with a level of excitement I haven’t heard since I told her about the horses.

“Sunset? Can we still do that?” She fixes her hair and faces her body toward me. “I mean, we don’t have to do both. But I’d really like to do the mountain thing.”

How is she this fucking cute?

“Yeah, Maevey. We can do the mountain thing. We can do both.” I catch myself far too late using the nickname she specifically asked me not to use, but she doesn’t scold me or make any of her usual sounds of distaste, so I count it as a win.

Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the bookstore. It’s a pretty well-known spot, but not super busy this time of year or in the middle of the week, so I don’t think Maeve will have an issue with being recognized. Still, I’d rather be safe than sorry, so I take off the baseball cap I had on and hand it to her.

“What’s this for?” She takes the hat and looks at it with a puzzled look on her face.

“For you. If you want to put it on, you know, for a disguise or whatever.” I run my hands through my hair, which is the longest it’s ever been. Maeve tracks the movement, then clears her throat as she puts the hat on her head, adjusting it.

“Thanks,” she mumbles. I smile and wave a hand in front of me, signaling for her to walk in first. She does, and though I do my best not to hover, I don’t let her out of my sight as she walks through the maze of shelves.

I’m thankful I had the hat to give her to wear, but I wish I could see her eyes. I’d bet those blue eyes are wide and sparkling. I can tell just by the way she smiles as she flips through a book. She looks so much like the girl I met when she’s this unguarded and vulnerable. And it doesn’t escape me that she’s like this because she doesn’t know I’m watching her. She’s not like this with me.

Not anymore.

I quietly browse some parenting books while keeping an eye on Maeve. Giving her enough space to choose something without me hovering, reminding myself she agreed to this outing because she was bored, not because she wanted to spend time with me.

When she turns around and spots me, I shove a hand in my pocket and raise up the books I selected for myself in a dumb, awkward wave that makes no sense. She waves her book back and starts walking toward me.

“Why don’t you head back to the truck and I’ll get these? There are a couple of people by the desk.” I gesture toward the two young women who don’t seem aware that Maeve is here, but who would likely recognize her if she was standing next to them.

She hesitates for a moment, then hands me her book and takes the keys dangling from my other hand.

After I finish paying, I get back into the truck and put the bag of books in the backseat, reaching for my seatbelt almost immediately. Maeve and I haven’t said much to one another. She’s been taking in the view through her window, and I can’t come up with anything worth saying, so I’ve stayed quiet too.

“Thanks, Owen,” she finally says. “For stopping at the bookstore. And for the hat.” She takes the hat off and moves to hand it back to me.

“Keep it.” The look of confusion on her face is instant. “In case we go back there, or anywhere else in town.”

We. Why did I have to say we?

“Will you be coming as my unofficial bodyguard again, then?” The teasing tone in her voice puts me more at ease as she places my hat back on her head, her golden hair fanning out around the edges, just skimming her shoulders. I grip the steering wheel a little tighter, not thinking about how her hair would feel in my hands. I never ever think about that.

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