Page 33 of A Date with Fate

I leaned down to catch it with a kiss. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said, letting me hold her down. “I’m just not sure who really lost that bet.”

I wrapped my fingers around hers, pressing her knuckles to my mouth. “I am.”

Chapter Eleven

Taylor

I always remembered how much I hated running about a mile or so from home. And by that time, there wasn’t an option out. You just had to keep going.

At least here in Jackson Falls, I’d chosen to go into town first. I had needed to pick up some extra workout clothes since I hadn’t gotten up the guts to tell Scott I was staying and his new washer and dryer weren’t installed yet.

So, into town I went, driving to the general store that I’d always loved as a kid and sneaking in to grab a pair of leggings and a T-shirt. After only twenty minutes of detoured conversations, I managed to get back out on the sidewalk and started on my run by midday. Which was perfect because I knew that Scott would be at the dinner midday to meet with his dad about the final touches for his new house.

The cabin was beautiful, and I’d been right about the multiple bedrooms. Not that we’d used any of them other than the master since we arrived here a few nights ago. Our “kid” conversation was temporarily stalled out as we took the opportunity to explore absolutely every inch of each other. And talk… Oh God, did I love to talk to this man. We caught up on everything that had happened since I left Jackson Falls. I was proud of the man he’d become, and he stared at me like I was a goddess.

Safe to say it had been easy to call my ex-boyfriend and tell him that I was ending my lease and to get the fuck out of my apartment. Even easier to let him know that I’d hired movers and that if he didn't move out, then they would happily deposit him straight onto the sidewalks of Chicago.

I’d called my brother, Facetimed with my nephew, who mostly gurgled at the light of the screen, and even looked into a few remote jobs that I could easily do here.

I knew exactly what had provoked all of this too. It was him. Having Scott around was like suddenly having a filter slipped over my life. Things were understandable, simple. And if they weren’t, then I could just go to him. His favorite thing was when I curled up on his chest at night and talked through my day.

I wanted to have more things to tell him. More to share.

And now, a week after showing up, I was ready to dig in. Grow roots.

My feet pounded the pavement as joy filled my body. He was convinced that I was the most loving, kind, funny person he’d ever met. And while I wasn’t so sure, he was wearing me down. We were the hardest on ourselves, and every day Scott proved to me that I had more to offer than my brain and smart mouth.

I grinned into the fresh air, picking up the pace a little as I made it to the outskirts of the Main Street area and to the beginning of a residential block.

There I slowed. Something was weird. The eerie feeling of not-quite-right seeped over my shoulders as I slowed my feet until I was standing completely still in the middle of the street. It was a weekday. many people were working, and there weren’t any cars going. But I swore I’d heard something.

Then I heard it again. Snapping my head around, I booked it across the street to where I saw, sitting against a large pine, a little girl holding her arm.

“Hi, sweetheart,” I murmured, crouching down. The girl was pale and crying, her freckled cheeks streaked with tears. “Are you all right?”

She shook her head. “I’m lost.”

“Lost? Oh no! Can you tell me what street you live on?”

She shook her head quickly.

“Oh okay. How about your name? Mine is Taylor.”

“Like Taylor Swift?”

I laughed, moving closer, eyeing the way she was cradling her wrist. “Exactly like her.”

“Mine is Hollie. Hollie Pryor.”

The name didn’t sound familiar.

“Okay, Hollie, we’re going to get you back to where you need to be. Can you tell me how you got here?”

“I missed my bus this morning, Mr. Ryan can’t hear well, so he didn’t hear me yelling. I grabbed my bike and tried to follow him, but I got turned around, and then…” Her lip began to quiver. “I fell off. Now my wrist hurts really bad, and I don't know where the bus went.”

“Where’s your bike?”

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