Page 27 of Don't Let Your Mind Go There

My eyes landed on Mom again. She shook her head. “I’m not going out there.”

“It’s just a short walk,” I stated.

“Still. I don’t want to go out there. Besides, I’m not good at pool nor darts. I’d rather stay in here and finish my book,” she replied, meeting my eyes with a tight smile.

“Okay, uhm…” I looked back at Ronan. “What about you, Ro?”

“Not sure. I’m not feeling it. I’m tired. I might just take a nap before dinner,” he said.

“Okay.” I pressed my lips together and dared to look at Dad. His eyes were still on me, and his gaze was soft. “What about you, Dad?”

“I could play a round of pool.”

“Awesome. So…should we go?”

He nodded and patted Mom’s knee before getting up from the couch. “Yeah, let’s go.”

I got up as well and headed right to the front door where our jackets were hanging on a rack, and I took mine off of it to put it on. Dad had followed me, and when he came to stand behind me to reach for his jacket, he put one hand on my waist.

I froze, loving the reaction my body had on his touch.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

I smiled and turned my head to the side. “Thank you.”

That moment didn’t last forever. He was gone sooner than I wanted him to, but I simply accepted it because it was only right that we wouldn’t cross a line with Mom and Ronan in the next room.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yes, we can go,” I replied after putting on my rain boots.

He opened the door, and I took in the heavy rain falling outside. After putting up my hood, I went outside first and waited for Dad to close the door behind us. The diner wasn’t far from our cabin, but even with running, we’d get wet anyway. “That’s a lot of rain. Tell me again why you wanted to come here in the fall and not in summer?”

Dad put his arm around my shoulders and guided me down the few steps. “Because I like this type of weather.”

That was explanation enough. I liked this type of weather too.

We got to the diner and went inside, with our raincoats and boots leaving a puddle undeath us on the floor.

“Hey, guys. Please leave the coats right there on the rack,” Yulia called from behind the counter. “Where are the others?”

She wasn’t asking about Mom. She definitely wanted to know where Ronan was.

“They stayed in the cabin. We came to play pool, if that’s okay,” Dad told her as he got rid of his coat.

“Of course! Go for it. Can I get you something to eat and drink too?”

“I’d love a Coke, please,” I said with a tight smile. “And maybe some chips?”

Yulia nodded, then looked at Dad again. “And you?”

“A beer.”

We walked over to the pool table, and Dad grabbed two cues, standing them up against the table. “Gather the balls.”

I did as I was told, and while we set everything up, Yulia was already there with the drinks and a snack platter. She put everything on the high table next to us. “I brought whatever I had left. Some nuts, chips, and olives. If you need more, just let me know.”

“Thank you.”

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