Page 103 of Summer Ever After
I shift my attention to the little boy holding out his empty plate to me. “It was great! A ton of fun!”
“Good for you guys.”
“Actually”—my shoulders drop in defeat—“I was miserable the entire time.”
His mouth slowly grows into a suppressed smile. “I was miserable too.”
“Youwere miserable while I was on my date?” I laugh. “Why?”
“Have you seen Noah Belacourt? I mean, it’s pretty cool that I’m a pro golfer, but even I can’t keep up with Noah.”
My forehead creases in confusion, just making Walker laugh.
“I was jealous, Jane. Like, crazy-jealous when I should’ve been thinking about my golf tournament. But hey, I was able to channel my jealousy into my golf game, and I guess it paid off—especially since you didn’t fall head over heels for Noah Belacourt.”
I bite back my smile, feeling more giddiness than I should. “You and I are just friends. You shouldn’t be jealous of Noah.”
He leans in, lowering his voice into my ear. “I agreed to be friends just to make you happy, but that’s not what I want.”
A flame of heat covers my neck where his hot whispers still linger. I turn my head, putting our faces inches apart. “Friends is our only option, remember?”
His crooked smile throws my whole world off-axis. “Then let’s make a new option.”
Oh, there goes my hope, roaring to life. The small thought that maybe Walker has been the guy for me all along. And maybe, after all these years, he finally feels the same way. And maybe he’ll want to move to Sunset Harbor for me. And maybe Capri will give her blessing. In a matter of two seconds, I have our entire happy ending figured out.
That’s what hope does.
It finds a way.
“A new option?” I say, trying to keep my breathing even. It’s hard with Walker beside me, effortlessly controlling my heartbeats. “Like what?”
The flirty playfulness that sets Walker apart from every other man pours out of his eyes in waves. He leans in, lips brushing against the shell of my ear with the most dangerous whisper of all time. “I have a few ideas of what we could do.”
Shivers roll down my back.
And the fantasies crossing through my mind right now are downright indecent for a family-friendly pancake breakfast.
But I’m all ears.
Sign me up for whatever Walker has hiding behind door number three.
I owe that much to my thirteen-year-old self and my lifelong crush.
“Jane?” Mayor Barnes says over my walkie-talkie. “We need you over here. People are starting to line up for the parade.”
Walker takes a step back, showcasing a dazzling smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle things here.”
“You’re going to take credit for all my hard work, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
I hand the spatula over and spin to leave.
“Hey,” he calls over his shoulder. “We’re not done talking. I fully expect to finish this conversation later.”
“Okay.” I smile and then dash away, not believing this is real life.
I feel like I’ve been white-knuckling my feelings for Walker the last month, trying to hang on for dear life so I don’t hurt Capri or myself. I don’t know if I’m just worn out or crazy, but I can’t hold on any longer.
