Page 30 of Coming Home to Maverick

He led her out of the diner. They waved goodbye to Judy. “Now I want to take the truck up to the lake.”

“What?” Were they going to visit all their old haunts? “I’d love that. Is the rope swing still there?”

“Of course. We go up now and then to make sure of it.”

“Then let’s go!”

Maverick whooped, and they raced to his truck. She hopped in just like she always had, swinging up and landing on her backside. He shut the door after her, and she enjoyed the smile that lit his whole face while he made his way around to the driver’s side.

He peeled out of the parking lot like they were kids, and she rolled down the windows. The music came on, and she recognized their playlist. A love ballad from their favorite band started up.

“Hey, that’s not even fair.”

“Who said anything about playing fair?”

She shook her head. “Maverick Dawson, you have to know what I’m thinking about right now.”

“Prom.”

“Which one?”

“Let’s see. ‘Endearing charms?’ You’re thinking of our first prom.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “And maybe a few other firsts.”

“Of course, I am. How does this help our friend status?”

“Oh, I didn’t say we bothfeltlike friends. It’s hard to backtrack those kinds of feelings.” He eyed her. “At least for me.” His expression said he was fishing. But she wasn’t ready to admit to anything. She was certain he’d never want her back, and she wasn’t sure she could handle being at his side again, knowing all that she’d done to hurt him and his family. But as she looked into his handsome goodness, she realized she might want just that, no matter the cost. But she wasn’t ready to admit such a thing out loud. If she did, she might jinx it.

“I think it’s pretty safe to assume I’ll always have feelings for you.”

His face clouded with disappointment.

She regretted a missed opportunity. “You have to know that leaving broke my heart. Not loving you was never the problem.”

He turned away, and his truck moved up a smaller dirt road toward the entrance to the lake path. “Here we go! Look, the road is overgrown; let’s close the windows.”

They drove through overhanging branches that brushed against the truck as they made their way up the mountain road.

“It’s all so beautiful. And it smells good!” She cracked her window. “I dreamed of this smell. I remember lying in my bed, pretending I didn’t have anything to worry about because you and I were driving up to the lake.”

His face filled with pain, and she regretted her words again. She wasn’t sure what exactly had hurt him, but she tried to mend things. “Are you gonna jump in?”

“You’re gonna go there?”

“Well, yeah…”

“You know the rules about swimming?”

“I do.”

His eyes twinkled with a wicked glint. “I don’t know if you can handle it.”

She dipped her head back and laughed. Then she eyed him, slowly, deliciously, from his thigh to the top of his head. And he watched her do it. Then she said, “You might be right.”

He laughed. “I see that look. You know I can still see what you’re thinking sometimes.”

“Oh, can you?”

“Yes, I can. And I’ll just tell you now, it’s way too cold for swimming. But…if I can see that look on your face again, I’ll gladly come back up here this spring.” He reached for her hand. “If you’ll swim with me.”

---