Page 11 of Scoop Me Up
“Do you disagree?”
I lowered my voice to a whisper. “No, but I don’t want him to hear us. Thelastthing I need is to alienate the parent of one of my students.”
“You never know. He could be into you.”
“Unlikely.”
A second later, Gabe reappeared. “I think I got turned around. Would you—”
Cooper nudged me. “They’d be happy to show you where the kids’ zone is.”
I looked from Cooper to Gabe, stunned into silence, sendingtraitorvibes in Cooper’s direction. I’m sure he would’ve thought of himself as a good wingman instead.
“Right, Sam?” Cooper asked meaningfully.
“Of course.” I got to my feet. “Let me show you.”
As we walked, I struck up a conversation. “I haven’t seen you around much. When did you get into town? Did you just move in?”
“Oh, I’m just visiting. I got here a couple of days ago. I’ve mostly been hanging with Ellie at home. We spent the weekend hiding from the heat. I haven’t explored town much.”
My stomach sank at the idea that Gabe wouldn’t be in town for long. Not that it mattered—he hadn’t given any indication that he was into me, either. “How are you liking it here so far?”
“It’s great. I’m not really used to the small-town thing, but I like it. The pace is slower. People are friendlier. That kind of thing.”
I nodded. “I’ve never lived anywhere except Maplewood, but I love it here. I can’t imagine being anywhere else. How long are you visiting for?” Hope fluttered in my chest.Stop that,I told myself.There’s nothing here to hope for.
“I’ll be here until the end of August.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Really? That long?” As we walked, the back of my hand brushed his, and my heart jumped into my throat. I pulled away and mumbled an apology before putting a little more space between us. When I glanced at Gabe, his cheeks and the tips off his ears were tinged with pink.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yeah. Jennifer, Ellie’s mom, decided to spend the summer traveling with her boyfriend. They left Saturday.”
“So you’re here to take care of Ellie. Makes sense.”
Gabe nodded. “I haven’t seen Ellie much since her mom and I got divorced. They moved here as soon as it was final, and I liveabout an hour away. I get her every other weekend, but usually Ellie comes to me. This is my first time in Maplewood. When Jennifer decided to live out her dreams of a tour of Europe she asked me for help and I jumped at the chance. I can usually work remotely, so I promised Ellie I’d stick around for a while.” He closed his mouth abruptly and exhaled through his nose. After a moment, he spoke again. “Sorry to unload all that on you.”
I shook my head and gave him a gentle smile. “I don't mind. It’s not unloading anything on me at all.” I definitely didnotwant to make a joke about his load.
He looked at his feet, his ears pink again. “Thanks.” A second later, he looked at me. “What about you?”
“Me?”
Gabe nodded. “Yeah. What’s your story?”
Reluctantly, I gestured ahead of us. “We’re here.” Kids swarmed the tent, some blowing bubbles, some eating ice cream, some coloring or painting or drawing on the nearby sidewalk with chalk. Ellie was in a chair having her face painted, beaming, and waved at us the moment she spotted us.
His face fell, but he recovered quickly. “Does that mean you’re abandoning me with all these kids?”
I laughed. “I’m sure you can handle it.”
“Doubtful. They’ll probably eat me alive.” His tone was light, though, not worried.
The face painter, a teenager named Molly, looked up at us. “Oh, hey. You’re Ellie’s dad?”
“That I am.”
“We just got started. It’ll be a little while before I’m done. Do you want me to walk her home after I finish?”
