Page 9 of Harrison Hyde and the Runaway Bride

She dropped her taco onto her plate and came around the table behind him to pound his back three times, way harder than he expected. “You okay?”

“I’m good, ow, I’m good.” He wiped his mouth then sipped his water for good measure.

“Good?”

“I’m good.” He cleared his throat. “Thanks.”

“That’ll teach you to laugh at the way I eat.”

“You saw that?”

“I saw that.”

“It wasn’t ridicule. I thought it was cute.”

“That might be worse,” she said, returning to her seat. She dug into her food. After a few bites, she wiped her lips, took a drink of water, and said, “How about you? Now that you’re probably about to become rich off your invention, what’s next for you?”

“I haven’t got a clue,” he said. “What do you do after you’ve finished your life’s work? That was supposed to be the topic of contemplation on my long, solitary road trip.”

“Sorry,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye that said she wasn’t.

“Not your fault. I was driving myself crazy worrying about it, to be honest.”

“Well, what are the options for a guy in your situation?”

He finished the last bite he thought he could hold, and used the damp towels on the table to wipe his mouth. “I could consult for whatever company buys the rights, or I could teach at a university. I imagine myself living in the complementary mansion of an ivy league department head.”

“Sounds borin’.”

“Exactly.”

“You need to keep inventin’ things, that’s all.”

“That’s very wise,” he said.

She shrugged. “I bet most inventors take a break in between projects. Maybe think of this summer as your break time. It’s not your decidin’-the-rest-of-your-life time. Maybe it’s more of a settlin’-into-yourself time. You aren’t the same person you were before you finished what you call your life’s work. Also, maybe you should start thinkin’ of it as your first project.”

He stared at her, and maybe his mouth wasn’t quite closed. For just an instant, he heard his mother’s soft voice in his mind, laughter in her words.I likethis girl!

He shook his head to clear it then took a drink of water to cover his momentary shock. “That’s good advice. Maybe I’ll do that. Take a break and… settle into myself.”

They ate for a while, and then he paused, and said, “I’d like to go on to Silver City without you.”

She stopped with her third taco in front of her lips and locked her big brown eyes onto his.

“This is a good place for you to find another option,” he said. “There’s a motel across the street. You’re only thirty miles from home. And you have your phone, right?”

Her paralysis ended. She set her taco down with care, chewed, swallowed, and took a drink of water. “You’re ditching me?”

She was angry. Maybe a little bit hurt, too, but mostly ticked off.

“It’s nothing personal, I just— the whole reason I drove instead of flying was to give myself time to?—”

“I just got left at the altar, man.”

“Um, you did the leaving. But I need this time. Not the summer, just this week. I can’t stand being in limbo like this, not knowing, and then there’s my dad, and my sister Lily.” And my promise, he thought.

She frowned at him and tipped her head slowly to one side, and then, of all things, she reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “Dang, Harry, you’re as messed up as I am, aren’t you?”

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