Page 78 of Zane

Kelsey nodded but remained silent until they were driving through the park. “How about that spot?”

Zane looked at where she was pointing. “That looks perfect.”

After she’d parked the car, she got out, then took the drink tray and food bag from Zane, waiting until he was out with his crutches before walking with him across the grass to the picnictable. As they walked, Zane tried to get his thoughts in order for what he wanted to say to her.

Once at the picnic table, Kelsey set everything down, then sat down opposite Zane. While he worked the drinks free from the tray, she lifted out two covered containers and handed one to him.

Zane took a sip of his drink, appreciating the perfect blend of sweet and tart that they always seemed to get just right at the diner. “Did you decide on the frozen lemonade, too?”

Kelsey nodded. “It seemed like a good option on a day like today.”

“Do I know your food preferences well?” he asked.

“Yes. You quizzed me pretty hard about the foods I liked when we first started dating.”

“Did I encourage you to expand your food preferences?”

A small smile briefly curved the corners of her mouth as she lifted a fry from her container. “Oh yes. Once every couple of weeks, you’d make me a food I’d never had before.”

“And how did that go?”

“I liked a lot of what you made, but not everything,” she said. “There was nothing you could do to make me like okra or asparagus.”

“Not even asparagus wrapped in bacon?”

“Not even.”

Zane felt some of the emotional upheaval from earlier settle. He knew what God would have him do regarding Kelsey, so it was good to find these small things to connect over.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, he was well aware that his attitude and approach to Kelsey going forward would determinehow successful he might be in trying to figure his future out. All he could do was pray that God would give him the strength and wisdom that, thus far, he hadn’t wanted.

Zane just hoped that he hadn’t waited until it was too late.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Kelsey had no idea why she was sitting with Zane at a picnic table in the park, eating fries and drinking frozen lemonade. Not that she was complaining. However, there was some uneasiness inside her that Zane had not answered her question about how he was feeling about Sarah.

“What was your favorite meal that I made for you?”

Kelsey took a sip of her lemonade as she considered her answer. “You made a lot of meals that I like, but I’m a bit of a pasta and chicken girl, so I always liked it when you made chicken parm with angel hair.”

Zane nodded. “That’s a dish I enjoy making.”

It was weird to be having this conversation with him, but Kelsey supposed she should be happy that he was asking questions about her and about their relationship.

“I’m not ignoring your question about Sarah,” Zane said. “Though I suppose it seems like I am.”

Kelsey didn’t respond to that, because he was right. Waiting for him to continue, she ate another fry.

“The truth is… it was very difficult to see her with someone else. But at the same time, I needed to witness it, and I needed to have her tell me what happened between us that ended things. I just couldn’t fathom what would have led to that, since we were on track to get engaged and married.”

Though she didn’t like to hear that, Kelsey could understand his need to know, given his memory loss. It was a struggle, but she had to separateherZane fromthisZane, because she was coming to realize that they were two different people. The mostobvious difference being that one loved her and the other didn’t even know her.

“I wish I could have just accepted what people told me about what had happened with her, but I couldn’t.” Staring at his cup, Zane turned it between his hands. “The biggest stumbling block was that I couldn’t imagine a scenario where it hadn’t worked out for us.”

“Can you imagine it now?” Kelsey asked.

“Yes. Now that I’ve spoken with Sarah, it… makes more senses.” Zane paused before continuing. “It wasn’t easy to wake up thinking I’m in love with someone, only to be told that no, that’s not the case. That we broke up, and she doesn’t love me anymore. And if that wasn’t hard enough, to go on to learn she had actually married someone else. It felt so unbelievable to me.”

---