Page 34 of The Runaway Bride of Blitzen Bay (Blitzen Bay)

“He did at first. I met him before my junior year. He was fun and free and he seemed like the kind of person I was trying to be. But as we got closer to graduation, he started reverting to the guy I guess he was before college. It’s like he just took a break to play and have fun, but for me it was real. The person I grew into in college was who I wanted to be. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, people grow apart all the time.”

“It’s more than that though. I realized the Steve I fell in love with didn’t even exist. It was like a role he was playing and the role was coming to an end.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, patting my hand. “That had to be a shock when you realized it.”

“I wish I’d figured it out sooner, but I guess I’m lucky I figured it out before it was too late.”

“So, are you going to give him another chance to work it out?” His gentle green eyes are suddenly hard and unblinking.

Izzy arrives with our dinner just in time for me to avoid answering that question.

“What are you doing telling her my secrets, Iz? You need to keep that mouth shut.” He hands her his empty beer bottle.

“Oh, sweetie, I wasn’t even close to telling her your secrets. I don’t want to scare her,” Izzy says, patting him on the shoulder. She looks at me. “You want a refill?”

“Yes, please. And keep them coming.”

I grab a handful of fries and put them on my plate. He’s staring at me.

“What? Do you not want me using my hands?”

“You didn’t answer my last question.” He grabs fries from the plate with his hand—his eyes still firmly fixed on me.

“And I’m not going to because I barely know you and it’s none of your business,” I say, laughing.

“Okay, open book, whatever you say.”

He smiles as he picks up his cheeseburger. The way he’s looking at me sends goosebumps up and down my body. I look down at my plate quickly.

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