Page 70 of Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places
The wedding’s procession path consisted of a single loop around the park, no detours. The shutters had been drawn on the games. The generators for the food stands sat silent. Every shadow-filled roller coaster loomed in the distance. Springstop was close enough to a big city to have some light pollution but distant enough to be quiet, apart from the noisy chorus of crickets serenading them.
Eerie stillness never bothered Lucky even on her worst day. They had flashlights. They had the full moon. They had each other.
Maverick said, “You should know it’s been a while since I’ve seriously dated anyone. I didn’t tell the team. They all noticed I was being…different and figured it out.”
“What about Rebel?”
“She asked me about you, actually, and gave her blessing with some caveats around daddy-daughter days. You’re not allowed. Sorry.”
Lucky chuckled. “That’s fair and understandable.”
“For the most part, though, she’s excited to have you around more often. It probably helps that I’ve never brought anyone to meet her before. I flat out refused. Wasn’t doing it.”
“Why? I mean, was there no one at all?” Lucky shivered.
“Not really. After Rebecca and I split up for good, that was it for me.”
He didn’t provide context as to who that was, and she was too nervous to confirm her obvious guess—Rebel’s mom. “And you haven’t wanted to?”
“More like I didn’t think about it for a long time. Then Rebel started going to school and let me tell you, single dads are extremely attractive to some women. I go to PTA meetings, talent shows, book fairs, bake sales, birthday parties—all that, whatever Rebel wants—and I swear they can sense me coming.”
Wow, Georgia wasn’t kidding about him being a Super Dad. “What do they do?”
“A lot of them give me food or offer to come cook us dinner. There’s also the constant playdate invitations. It’s like they forget that Rebel should like their kids for us to go, which rarely happens. At first, I naively thought they were being neighborly, but no. Because when trying to be helpful didn’t work, some got bolder. They’d get my number and start texting me things I’d rather not read. Or see.”
“Suburban sexual harassment? Yikes. How do you get them to stop?”
“The truth. Some are more persistent than others, but usually when I tell them I’m flattered but not interested they back off. There were a few here and there, though. Kind of low-key, casual stuff. Nothing serious. And then, I met you.”
“And then, you met me.” Lucky shivered again, noting their position—in between the corn dog food truck and a ring toss game. “Ooh, it’s cold.”
“You were all I could think about. Every moment of every day. Rebel and you.”
“I see,” she said, feigning seriousness. “So, you’re obsessed with me?”
“Unfortunately.”
“How terrible for you.”
“I’ve made my peace with it.”
Lucky sneezed and shivered again. “Oh, I’mreallycold. How are you feeling?”
Wordlessly, Maverick shrugged off his jacket, placing it on her shoulders.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that. I meant likesuddenlycold.” She tried communicating with her eyes, resisting the urge to turn around.
“Oh, that kind of cold.” He took her hand again and squeezed it twice as if to sayI got you. “I don’t feel anything.”
She moved to take off his jacket, planning to hand it back to him, but he stopped her.
“No, you keep it. I feel fine.”
“Well, now it looks like I said that in hopes you’d give it to me.”
“Once again, doing the most when all you needed to do was ask,” he teased. “Besides, this way if something is making you cold, I’m more likely to feel it now too.”
Lucky pulled it around her, holding it closed at the collar. Still warm and smelled like him. “I guess it’s my turn now?”
