“I’m tracking your location,” he explained.
“Oh.” I frowned.
“After the fire . . .”
“Ah. You could’ve told me that.”
He cradled my cheek in his hand for a moment before releasing me. “I turned on my location too. So you know where I am.”
I sighed and looked behind me at the carousel. “Times used to be simpler.”
“Maybe. So, you’re not mad that I found you here?”
“No.”
And I wasn’t. I was glad to see him.
“You didn’t call after your meeting,” he said, gently taking my elbow and leading me away.
I held in my wince of pain due to the blisters and my swollen feet. “No, I didn’t.”
“I’m guessing it didn’t go how you wanted.”
He gestured to a bench under a lush tree with huge branches and wide leaves, and we sat down.
“I didn’t get the loan,” I said, my voice sounding small. “The meeting didn’t even last the full hour. Salem and Hadley thought this look would help, but it did nothing for me.”
“If I’d been in that meeting, and you came in dressed that way, I would’ve given you the loan and then begged you to marry me.”
I shot him an amused smile. “I look that good, huh?”
“Freckles, don’t take this the wrong way, but your normal clothes don’t do you any justice. This,” he gestured to my dress and then pointed to the heels, “this look . . . these types of clothes were made for you.”
“Thanks,” I said, my cheeks warming at his compliment.
“Why’d he turn you down?”
“Doesn’t matter. I sat on the bench outside the bank for who knows how long. And then I—I just started walking. And ended up here.”
He was quiet, just letting me talk.
“And then my mother called,” I said with a sigh. “Which is a whole other deal. She’s leaving my father.”
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “How long have they been married?”
“Oh, they’re not married.”
“They’re not?” he asked in confusion.
“No. But every few years my mom pretends to leave my father, and my dad lets her because she always comes back.”
“Why does she leave him?”
“To prove that she can? My sister is just like her, too. They’re going to Bali for a spiritual cleanse, whatever that is. Mom invited me but I declined.”
“What do you need right now, Freckles?” he asked. “What can I do for you?”
“I could use a lift home,” I said with a sad smile.
