Page 19 of Wild Dreams

"You have to live a little."

He grinned at me, and he looked so young like this, so full of life and energy. His job was stifling the boy I used to know. The one who had so much hope for the future.

We shared the cotton candy, our hands occasionally brushing each other's. Each time, a tingle ran from my fingers to my elbow.

What would it be like if we were dating? Would Chance take time at events to spend with me? Or would he dig deeper into his job? He was so resistant to meeting someone.

I should have been thinking about meeting someone new and not fixating on how good it felt to be here with him like this.

"You returned him to me in one piece," Oliver said.

Joey crawled under the table and presented his sticky hands to his father who reached for nearby wipes to clean them. "Cotton candy, huh? I can't wait until you have kids. I'll get them sugary treats and loud toys."

"Can you imagine if he had a girl?" Eli shook his head. "He wouldn't let her date until she's forty."

Chance shook his head. "You know I don't want kids."

Joey went to the back of the tent to sit on the curb and play with his trucks.

Oliver raised a brow. "You're so good with Joey though."

I enjoyed the back-and-forth with Chance and his friends. It was an interesting dynamic.

"Are we going mountain biking next weekend?" Chance asked the guys, probably to divert their attention from his personal life.

"Can't. Scarlett wants to see a play in a nearby town. She's scouting the competition, I guess. Or she just misses it." Eli might have acted like it was a chore, but he looked pleased to be taking Scarlett to a show she enjoyed.

"Joey has soccer practice."

"No more adventurous outings, huh? Everyone's busy." Chance kept his voice light, but I could tell he was disappointed.

Xan winked at me. "I'm taking a group of twenty-somethings on a hike. Should be a good time."

I couldn't help but laugh at him. He didn't take anything seriously.

"We'll figure out a time eventually," Eli said like it wasn't a big deal, but I sensed that it was for Chance.

He wanted to spend time with his friends because he wasn't creating any other kind of connections with people.

"Let me walk you back. Then I'll check in with my deputies." Chance placed a hand on my lower back, and the heat of his palm seared through the material of my light jacket.

I was impressed he'd taken an hour away from his duties to spend with me and Joey. "If the guys can't go biking, do you go by yourself?"

"Yeah, I probably will."

"Would you like company? I haven't been out on my bike in a long time."

Chance paused near the rescue table. "You really want to go with me?"

I enjoyed biking, and the weather was perfect. It was unseasonably warm for November. If it stayed like this, Eli would panic about the ski season. But it always got cold here. He didn't have anything to worry about. "Yeah."

"I'll pick you up at seven. Is that too early?"

"Not at all." Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. This felt like a date, even though it wasn't. And I didn't have to argue with him about picking me up because his truck would fit our bikes.

"Great. See you then."

I showed off Oakley to prospective adopters for the rest of the afternoon, but I couldn't stop thinking about my upcoming outing with Chance. I couldn't believe we were going biking together.

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