Page 88 of Surrender
At those words, Dallis leaned in and captured her lips with his. Colbie was sure to remind herself that they shouldn’t go any further because he had a way of coaxing her with kisses.
28
Colbie walked hand in hand with Dallis as they walked along a path at Desert Breeze Park after their first date in town. He’d taken her to see a movie she’d been waiting on to come out before taking her to dinner. They were ending their night with ice cream as they strolled the illuminated path around the lake. The night air felt amazing as a soft breeze stirred now and then. She licked her cone as they passed a man night fishing.
“Oh,” Colbie started looking up at Dallis. “You didn’t tell me how the meeting with everyone went this morning.”
He’d told her when they spoke on the phone the prior evening that he had a meeting with his father, uncles, and friends. Dallis hadn’t known what it was about because Dylan had insisted that it was easier for them all to have the conversation together.
“It was good. My dad and uncles want to expand distribution from just apps to computer-based gaming software. They’ve already taken steps to start the process. While they focus on that, they want me, Arsyn, and Hayden to take charge of our current app distribution accounts and the new ones in the works.”
“Congrats, baby. The expansion sounds like a good idea, but Dylan and your uncles trust the three of you and your ability enough to put the company in your hands for a while.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Dallis responded, eating some ice cream from his cone.
“Are you not excited about it?”
“It isn’t that.”
Colbie pulled them over to a bench they were about to pass and sat down, pulling him down to sit beside her. She turned her body, giving him her full attention.
“I’ll listen if it’s something you want to talk about, and if it isn’t, we can just sit here for a few minutes and finish our ice cream.”
Dallis turned, propping his elbow on the back of the bench. “The three of us have been working with our dads since we were young. I was twelve when I got to work on my first distribution project with my dad. I’ve enjoyed the past seven years, and I can’t say that I know everything about the field we’re in because things are constantly changing, and there are always new things to learn.”
He paused, and Colbie remained quiet, allowing him to find his words. She wanted him to get whatever it was off his chest before she said anything. If she said anything because she was well aware that sometimes, people didn’t always require a response and only needed an ear to be lent.
“Me saying this will make me sound ungrateful or as if I’m not appreciative of their faith and trust in us. That isn’t the case, but a part of me would much rather work on the expansion. To be the one to bring that new aspect to the company.”
She thought about what he said and didn’t think he was ungrateful because he wanted to step out of what was typical for the company and try something else. It was human nature to want to try new things, even if you specialized in a specific field. It was all the more reason to try something different that could be incorporated into said field.
“Even with the expansion being their idea, it’s something that I feel the three of us could have worked on, made happen, and brought to the table. As it stands now, our dads have handed us our careers. Yes, I put in the work, and it’s something I love to do, but I’m going to have to stand on my own two feet, and I’d rather that time come sooner than later,” Dallis stated, and Colbie watched him lick the ice cream that was starting to melt over the cone.
“Do Hayden and Arsyn feel the same way?” Colbie asked before licking her own melting ice cream.
“Arsyn, yes. Hayden could take it or leave it. He’s more mellow about it and leans more to the side of helping the app developers work out kinks in their codes or discrepancies in the progression if it’s a game of some sort. The same way Uncle Lane does.”
“Your parents are easy to talk to, and it’s worth having a conversation with them about it if this is something you’re passionate about. Especially if taking on the responsibility will make you feel like you bring value. Which you already do, by the way.”
Dallis leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a brief kiss before speaking against them. “Thank you, gorgeous.”
They sat there, finishing their ice cream as they looked over the lake. The man they’d passed a little ways back walked passed them, his fishing rod over his shoulder. Colbie reached over and grabbed Dallis’ wrist, looking at his watch. It was a quarter after ten, which meant the park would close soon.
Once Colbie ate the last of her cone, Dallis having finished before her, he took her hand as they stood and began the walk back around the path to the parking lot. They’d just made it to the parking lot when a voice from behind stopped them, and she knew who it was before she turned around.
“So, you do sleep with boys.”
Colbie turned to find Max behind them, and she didn’t miss how Dallis slightly tensed beside her. Her hope for Dallis being calmer whenever he saw Max after prom died immediately. Her boyfriend was still upset, and she couldn’t blame him. She was as well, but she’d allowed some of it to dissipate because she still had to teach him after that incident.
It hadn’t been hard because he’d taken heed to her threat, and they were never alone in the classroom. So, the final two weeks had flown by.
“The only boy standing here is you,” Dallis responded, and Colbie placed her free hand on his bicep.
Max scoffed. “Cute, Banks, but it does make sense why you didn’t want to take me up on my offer, Ms. Mor…Colbie.”
“I am still Ms. Morris to you. We are not friends.”
“Well,Ms. Morris, my offer still stands,” Max responded with a wink, and her eyebrow twitched before she narrowed her eyes at him.
