Page 27 of Missing

Easy for him to say.It was obvious to anyone with eyes he worked out all of the time.He didn’t have to worry about every spoon of ice cream, every bite of cookie, or every sip of wine sticking to his hips and thighs.

“Thanks.” I looked up and saw our reflection in the wall mirror. The bright lights in the shop made the displays look enticing, but they didn’t do much for me. They made the gray in my hair and the lines around my mouth and eyes stand out. I self-consciously tucked the offending hairs behind my ear, wishing I’d thought to dye it.

How old is Doug?I’d meant to ask him, but it had never felt like the right time. I had always assumed he was only a few years younger than me, but now, seeing us side by side in the mirror, I wasn’t so sure.

“You’re welcome.” His smile didn’t quite reach his wrinkle-free eyes, his expression curious.

It was probably because I wasn’t good at hiding my thoughts and feelings, and as a PI Doug was more observant than most people. He’d likely picked up on my uncertainty.

Luckily, it was almost our turn and we had to focus on what flavor we wanted. The Chocolatier always offered eight flavors, four never changed and four rotated daily. I scanned the flavor of the day selection, and quickly made my decision.

“What are you getting?” Doug asked without taking his eyes off the display.

“The chocolate with sea salt caramel swirl.” I pointed to the half empty bucket. “Have you decided?”

“Hmmm… I’m debating between mint chocolate chip and chocolate.”

“You can order half and half.” I suggested.

“Problem solved.” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“What can I get you?” the woman behind the counter asked as we stepped up.

When Doug nodded to me, I placed my order for a small bowl with no extras. Then Doug ordered his, a large bowl with two flavors.

“You want anything else? Maybe some chocolates?” Doug turned towards the chocolate display I’d been doing my best to ignore.

It was filled with assorted chocolates, including my favorites: dark chocolate sea salt caramels and cashew turtles. Everything looked so good, but after eating all of my too-delicious-to-stop-eating-even-after-I-was-full dinner, I barely had room for the ice cream we’d just ordered.

“I’m good. Thanks.”

After getting our ice creams, we walked to a bench that faced the canal and sat down. We ate our first few bites in silence, savoring the creamy goodness.

“How is it?” I asked.

“Delicious. I’m glad I got both.” He smiled as he brought his spoon to his mouth. “How’s yours?”

“Heavenly.” I was eating it slowly, enjoying every bite. “Want to try it?”

He looked at me like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. And to be fair, I wasn’t sure I believed it either. It was really good, and I had half as much as he did.

He must have read my mind, because he countered with, “Tell you what, I’ll trade you bites.”

I could do that. I liked mint chocolate chip, especially when it wasn’t green. Something about the fake green color in ice cream always turned me off, even if it didn’t affect the taste.

“Deal.” We swapped bites and commented on how good the other person’s choices were.

“Growing up, I thought mint ice cream had to be green,” Doug said as he scooped a bite with a little of both flavors.

I laughed and thought about telling him I’d just had the same thought, but his comment provided the perfect segue to ask his age. Though I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out. What if he was a lot younger than me? Would it bother me? Would it bother him?Does he have any idea how old I am? I doubted it, because I didn’t think he would’ve asked me out if he’d known.

I lowered my bowl and turned on the bench, so I was facing him. “Doug, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

Great, now that I’d started the conversation, I wasn’t sure how to actually ask without sounding rude.Best to just do it.

“How old are you?” I blurted out before I lost my nerve.

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