"Sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun," I remarked, as we headed over to the car. She shrugged.
"It usually is," she agreed. "But you’re probably going to be gone by then, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"You said you liked being out on the road," she reminded me. "How long have you been here now? Must be close to hitting your limit."
I pulled open the car door for her, pondering her question. She had a point. I normally didn’t last much longer than I had already been in Whisper Falls. But this place...I could already feel the roots sprouting from me, something reaching in to the sun-warmed earth below that made me feel like I might belong. That call from my father had just reminded me in no uncertain terms that I could trust my instincts when it came to where I didn’t belong.
And that I might have been able to trust them when it came to where I did, too.
"I don’t know about that," I remarked, trying not to give too much away. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on her by admitting that there was something in me thinking about sticking around, but at the same time, I wanted to feel out how she might react if I did.
"Oh, most of the guys who come through here get bored of it eventually," she added, as she rolled down the window, letting the cool air rush in as we pulled out of the parking lot. I cocked an eyebrow.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Mhm," she replied, and I could hear a slight edge to her voice. Was there more to this than she was letting on? People who had left before, left her feeling like she wasn’t worth sticking around for?
"Like who?”
"Just guys who come through here," she added, as she looked out of the window, averting her gaze from mine. "They act like they want to stick around here, but then the end of summercomes and they take off back to their old lives, and that’s just...it."
"Speaking from experience?”
I asked her the question softly, half-expecting her to bristle, but she just nodded.
"Yeah, guess so," she replied, forcing a smile on to her face, though it did not look as though it reached her eyes. And I felt a flare of sadness for her, thinking of the men who might have passed through this town and left her feeling as though she was less-than. Who had let her believe there might be something there, only to take off as soon as summer came to an end and they had something else to think about.
My hand flexed on the wheel as I thought of reaching over to give her knee a squeeze, tell her that I had no intention of going anywhere. But I had long-since learned that the best way to prove yourself to someone was to show, not tell. Prove it, not announce it.
And, as we continued the journey into town, an idea began to stir at the back of my mind. It might be crazy, but I didn’t want to go anywhere quite yet. And I wanted to show her that there were some people who actually saw this place as more than just somewhere to pass through. More than just somewhere to tick off the list.
And that she was worth all the effort that these other guys had denied her.
Chapter 10
Dina
I fluffed my hair in the mirror, checking to make sure that I looked okay. Given that the place was heaving with activity right now, practically everyone in the town having turned out for the Labor Day party at the diner, it felt like I should at least try to make sure I looked my best.
And, as I stared at myself in the mirror, I felt a heavy weight settle over my chest. Labor Day. End of the summer season. When all of the tourists were going to head off and get back to their old lives. When the town would settle, filled with the people who lived here rather than the people who visited for a few weeks. And amongst them, no doubt, was Felix.
I hadn’t seen him for the better part of a week, since he had helped me put up some of the posters around town to announce when the party would be taking place. He had been kind enough to give me a ride while my car was back in the shop, even holding the ladder for me to make sure that the bunting was laid outwhere it needed to be, but I had no doubt that he would be on the road by now, searching out his next adventure.
Which was fine, of course. Because I hadn’t allowed myself to fantasize about a future with him. He had been upfront with me, telling me that he was always on the road, that he didn’t want to slow down or settle. That had to count for something, didn’t it? As much as it might have been hard for me to keep a hold of my feelings in the face of something like that, at least I was not blindsided by him taking off as I had been the last couple of times. I had hoped that he might at least come by to say goodbye before he was finished with me, but maybe he had decided it would be too much of a hassle to take time out of his day for something like that. No, better for both of us that he just left, so I didn’t have to admit that he was another in a long line of men who I had allowed myself to get distracted by.
But Felix...God, despite myself, I couldn’t help but feel like there was something different about what we’d had. The way he had listened to me, helped me, done everything he could to make my life better, even when I’d dug my heels in and insisted that I didn’t need him. The way he had pulled his car over at the side of the road to walk home with me that night, opening up to me in the dim evening light, that kiss at the door. Even now, it was enough to make my heart beat faster, and I couldn’t let myself think that that was the last time I was going to kiss him. Not yet, anyway.
Outside, I could hear the buzz of the diner, and Pam knocked on the door of the small, cramped bathroom.
"Dina, you in there?”
"Yeah, give me a second!” I called back, as I washed my hands and double-checked that my lipstick was still in place. When I pushed open the door, Pam was standing there with her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised.
"I could use a little help out here," she remarked. "Starting to get busy, and the buffet needs restocking..."
