Page 52 of Hearts Like Hers

“I date. Occasionally.” Kate looped a strandof hair behind her ear. “Harder in a small town.”

Autumn nodded, biting her lip. “I’d imagineso. Worst date you’ve ever been on? Go.”

“You really want to go there?” Kate asked,smiling.

“I have to learn everything I can about themysterious out-of-towner.”

“Fair enough. Marissa Granson asked me to thesausage festival.”

“Pause.” Autumn held up a hand. “Clearly, Iheard you wrong.”

Kate chuckled. “You didn’t. There’s an annualsausage festival held every year just outside of Slumberton.”

Autumn bathed in enjoyment, her eyes bright.“And it’s somehow this sausage fest, a literal one, that seemed like theperfect place for Marissa to take her lesbian date? I’m not sure anything yousay will top that. You can try. Won’t work.”

Now Kate was laughing. “The irony is not loston me, as I hear it back now.”

Autumn, trying to control her own laughter,waved them on. “Okay, okay, so you and Marissa, intent on a romantic lesbianone-on-one, are headed to the sausage festival. Got it. Given circumstances inplace. Proceed.”

Kate shook her head because it really didsound ridiculous. “Do you want me to be able to get through this?” Because thesheer act of tryingnotto laughhad tears filling her eyes.

“I desperately need you to get through it.Now, let’s hear about your wild sausage adventure.”

Kate took a long, deep breath, which helpedbring her back to a semblance of control. “Well, to begin with, she brought herbrother and her turtle.”

That did it. Autumn erupted into silentlaughter all over again, falling to her side on the blanket. She attempted tospeak, failed, and then tried again. “Let me guess,” she wheezed. “Turtles lovea good sausage?”

“You’d think, but no. They’re vegetarian.Marissa just happened to be very attached to LeRoy. That was his name. She tookhim most everywhere. Long story short, I wound up turtle-sitting most of thenight while she stood in line for one sausage after another, and on top of it,I had to fight off advances from the stupid brother.”

“Who probably had some sausage ambition ofhis own.”

Kate covered her face. “You give it all newmeaning.”

“Well, someone has to. That sounds like adoozy of an evening, Kate.”

She looked skyward. “It’s not one I’m likelyto forget.”

“Okay, and now yourbestdate,” Autumnprompted. She tucked a strand of her curls behind her ear and rolled her lipsinward in excited anticipation. “And if it tops the sausage fest in terms ofstorytelling, you’ve made my night.”

“Okay, well here goes.” Kate didn’t even haveto think on this one and answered automatically: “The observatory with atalkative redhead.”

A pause. Autumn eyed her skeptically. Hersmiled dimmed. “I can’t decide if you’re telling the truth.”

“I am,” Kate said. The laughter from earlierhad her feeling light and playful. “You should have seen this woman. Her jawdropped each time something along the way amazed her, and she indulged my spacetravel fixation. She was kind, and funny, and looked very, very pretty in agreen dress I will never get out of my mind. Another night I will never forgetfor a whole separate reason. Nothing to do with turtles or sausages.”

Autumn stared at her as if struck. “How doyou do that with just, like, five sentences?”

“Do what?”

“Make me feel important.”

Kate shrugged. “I just call ’em as I see’em.” They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Kate felt thewarmth move from the center of her back, up her neck, until her face felt hot.The rest of her body followed suit. But she didn’t shy away from any of it. Sheheld steady.

“Come over here,” Autumn said quietly. Katecrawled over and nestled her body behind Autumn’s, who sat cross-legged as theylooked out over the water. “I’ve got a problem,” Autumn said. “We’ve got thiswhole hands-off policy, yet when I’m around you, all I want is your hands…on.”

Kate took a steadying breath at thedeclaration. She felt it in her stomach and most notably lower. The sound ofthe waves, the desolate stretch of beach, and the words Autumn had justconfessed had her battling a gentle throbbing.

“I can help with that,” she said quietly. Sheplaced her hands on Autumn’s knees, caressing upward to her lower thigh,exposing it beneath the sundress slightly with her movement, and back again.“Your skin is soft.”

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