Page 99 of Old Acquaintances

I narrowed my eyes and said, “Of course.”

He took my hand, and we sat beside a bay window with a view of the snowy mountain and the sun dropping behind the trees. The fire cracked behind us. On our little square table, a votive candle between us, Tucker put his palm out. “Give me your hand.”

I did.

He threaded his fingers through mine and instructed, “You have to play the part if this is going to work.” He kissed my knuckles.

“Play what part?”

“A woman about to be proposed to.”

My jaw dropped as he kissed my wrist. “No one’s going to buy that. We look like children!”

“I don’t look like a child.” He scanned my body. “There are parts of you that are definitely full grown.”

“We’re not old enough to get engaged.”

“Excuse me, we’re old enough to do anything. We can rent a car.” His fingers played with mine. “We can drink, we can vote. You could have been married at sixteen with a parent’s permission in South Carolina.”

“Brushing up on your child-bride laws, huh?”

“I’m just saying, we could totally get married now. Like, today, if we wanted.”

“You only want to marry me because I know all of yoursecrets.” I squirmed when he tickled my palm.

“Please, if anyone needs a silent partner, it’s you. Besides, if we’re married, I can’t testify against you in court when they finally get you on public indecency charges.”

“I can get away with anything.”

“You can get away with nothing.”

“Okay. Butyoucan,” I grumbled. “Everything’s always my fault, Golden-boy.”

Tucker’s face fell. “Not everything. You know, when we were in high school, and our parents were so weird about us being alone together? I was so mad about all of that.”

“Because they thought…you know…”

“That we were having sex?”

Bringing it up, the mention of what we’d done two years prior, made my cheeks blush. I know Tucker saw it. He put his mouth to my fingertips.

“I was mad because there was this insinuation that I’d leave, and I’d do what my –” He paused.

He never referred to his biological father, ever, not once.

He fixed, “That what happened to my mom would happen to you. That I would justleaveyou. I don’t know how they could have thought that. Thought I was that kind of guy but also that I would do that toyou.”

I took back control of my hand and pressed it to his cheek. “I know what kind of guy you are, Eli.”

The kind of guy who broke up with his girlfriend so I’d have a prom date. The kind of guy who drove four hours and slept in his car in case I needed something. The friend who agreed to a one-night encounter and never spoke about it ever again.

I whisper, “So, what about this champagne?”

His eyelids fluttered. “Oh yeah.”

Tucker walked to the bar and spoke to the woman behind it. She smiled, I stared at the table. Seeing him in his sweater,tall and handsome, knowing he’d love any woman he chose with absolute focus made my stomach swoop. It wasn’t real, but it could have been. I had the rare opportunity to step into another person’s shoes. To experience Elijah Tucker proposing marriage.

Who would she be? Would we be friends? Would he look at her with a sheen of love, masking deeper worries or troubles or desperation, or would every ounce of him radiate pure adoration?

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