Page 46 of Tangled Up In You

"You move so fast. I have a feeling you forget to take a minute quite often."

"That's why it's even more important that I force myself to do it. I can move too fast and get bogged down by all the details of life that lead to stress, unhappiness, and feeling overwhelmed."

"I thought we cured some of that stress with margaritas and guacamole."

She laughed again, sending another wave of warmth right through him.

"We did. I am still riding high on all that, but this view is a bonus." She headed to a nearby picnic table and sat down on the bench. "My sixteenth birthday party was on this beach, a little farther down from here. Chloe organized it. She got everyone at school to come. I think they probably came more for her than for me, but it was amazing. It was the first birthday party I ever had."

"Seriously? You never had a party before sixteen?"

"Not with a bunch of kids. My mom would always buy me a cupcake for my birthday. She said it was more special because it was a cake just for me, but I think it's because she didn't like to eat cake, and she didn't want me to realize that there was no one else around to eat cake but me." She sighed, then shook her head. "But it wasn't bad. I don't mean to imply that. She always got me a present and the special cupcake and sometimes a paper tiara to wear. It might have been just the two of us, but it was still fun."

"She should have let you invite your friends and had a bash, even if it was just at a park or something."

"I never had that many friends because we moved a lot. One time, she did let me invite this other girl in the apartment complex. Her name was Terri. My mom took us to the movies and out for pizza. I guess that counts as a party."

He frowned. "Only if your bar is very low."

"Well, I guess it is. And I guess you had big birthday bashes."

"Birthdays were a big deal in my family," he admitted. "My mom loved nothing more than a birthday party. In fact, I'm having a birthday party on Sunday. Lizzie and Chelsea are throwing a barbecue at the lake for me. You're welcome to come."

"That sounds like fun."

"I'm sure it will be." He stopped, seeing a shadow of pain flit through her eyes. "I'm glad Chloe made sure your sixteenth birthday was good."

"Seventeen, too. She was really great." Molly let out a sigh. "Anyway, it's a beautiful night."

"It is."

"You don't do this a lot, either, right? I know you said you never go stargazing, so I'm thinking evenings at the lake are also not high on the list."

"I live by the lake, so I do a fair amount of sitting by the water. But I should take more time to appreciate where I am. I'm generally just too busy. My work doesn't always stop when the day ends. Sometimes, that's when it's just getting started."

"Did you always want to be a police officer, Adam? Was it a childhood dream?"

"Yes, it was. But there was a time in my late teens, early twenties when I wasn't as sure. Then I was."

"How did you become sure? Did something specific happen?"

He hesitated as she closed in on a part of his life he didn't really want to talk about. "Just an aggregate assortment of things."

"That's vague." She turned sideways to look at him. "Why do you owe Drew?"

"I don't want to talk about that."

"Maybe you should talk about it. Keeping things inside is not good for your mental health."

"How would you know that?"

"Everyone knows that. You're only as healthy as your secrets."

"That sounds like something I'd read on a tag in a fortune cookie."

"You can make fun, but I'm not wrong, Adam. You bottle things up, and that's how you get ulcers." She paused, giving him a pleading look. "Just give me a little something. I'd like to understand you better. I'm working with Drew. I might be able to help you with him if I knew more about the basis of your relationship."

He let out a sigh. "I don't think you can help me."

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