Page 37 of Forever Home

“You cheated. You literally had that little kid pin me against the wall so you could hit my car.”

I shrug my shoulders with a smile. “I never said there were limits to how you win.”

As the night begins to grow to a close, the time ticking down until the carnival is over—I find myself beside Jaxson, climbing into the Ferris Wheel. My heart beats against my chest as his hand accidentally brushes against mine, setting my body alight.

“So,” I say softly glancing out of the Ferris Wheel cart as it moves slowly allowing other people on. “How are things? I mean, back home.”

Soft laughter escapes him, “They’re okay. I mean, I work all the time.”

“That’s right, you have multiple restaurants don’t you?”

“I do.” He nods, his eyes locked onto me as I try to not let him see how he’s affecting me. “What about you?”

I contemplate my answer. “Still working with Mom, as I have been since we graduated. The bakery is my life, and being in the kitchen means everything to me.”

“I know that feeling,” he says, his hands clasping in front of him. “Becoming a chef is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

I don’t miss the pride in his words as he says it. A warm wave of understanding flows over me as I see his love of cooking in his eyes. No one could deny the fact that he loves what he does. Just hearing him talk about it, you can see his devotion to his work.

“So, if you’re in the kitchen all the time? I’m sure your girlfriend isn’t too happy about it.”

Trying to be slick doesn’t pay off as well as I thought it would. He stares at me for a moment, his face void of emotion as he sits up straighter leaning back into the seat. “Girlfriend?”

Shit… am I fishing too much?

“Um, yeah.” I laugh trying to play it off. “There’s no way you’re single. You were always the center of attention with the girls back in school.”

“No, I wasn’t,” he laughs, leaning back in the seat with his arm resting upon the top. “Girls weren’t always looking for my attention.”

“Yeah, okay. Whatever you have to tell yourself.”

He seems to catch my sarcasm. Laughter spills from him as he shakes his head. “That was a long time ago, Madi. It isn’t like that anymore.” He catches his breath and gives me a speculative look. “I’m not dating anyone, but honestly, I’m surprised you’re interested.”

“I’m always interested in what you’re up to.”

The words leave my lips before I have a chance to consider what I’m saying. A blush instantly settles over my cheeks, and for once I’m thankful that it’s nighttime. My hope is that he doesn’t notice as I divert my attention to the world below.

“I see,” he replies, silence following before he speaks again. “What about you, Madi? Who are you seeing?”

Laughter escapes me as I admit, “Uh, no one. I haven’t done the dating thing in a very long time.”

“Oh?” He raises a brow and leans in a little closer. “Why’s that?”

As much as I want to not dive into that conversation, there’s something about Jaxson that makes me want to open up. That makes me want to see what the possibilities are even if I am being absolutely foolish. “I don’t know, Jaxson. I’m just tired of not meeting the right person.”

“How do you know when you’ve met the right person?” he asks in a softer voice, staring at me intently.

Shrugging my shoulders, I open my mouth to tell him that I used to thinkhefit that criteria, but my words fall short as the ride comes to a stop. My heart pounds as I clear my throat, and realize that answering that question would only be problematic.

“Watch your step,” the ride operator says as we depart our seats, heading down the metal stairs towards the ground.

Glancing around, it’s easy to see that the majority of the people have left already. The once heavy crowds are much slimmer than they once were, and most of the townspeople who had stalls are beginning to clean up.

Turning to face Jaxson, I cross my arms over my chest in a comforting sort of way as my eyes lift to meet his and a small bit of awkwardness flows between us. “Thanks for hanging out with me.”

“No need to thank me,” he replies, running a hand through his hair. “I enjoyed spending time with you.”

If only it led to more… or is that even a good idea?

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