Page 12 of When We Were Young

“It is what it is. It didn’t last very long, anyway. He got divorced from her and remarried another woman from Texas. He moved there for that wife, so it became very rare for my sister and me to see him. A couple of times, we got really close, made plans, but he backed out at the last minute with one excuse or another. But, hey, my mom is still at home.”

Her smile is tight and forced.

“That’s good, right?” I ask.

She doesn’t answer immediately, and when she does, there’s a sadness in her voice.

“I guess so... at least most of the time.”

Chapter Six

Holden

The second the words “I have a surprise” are out of my mouth, I know I’ve made a mistake. Lizette’s eyes widen, and there’s no hint of the smile I was hoping to see.

“Uh-oh. Is that bad?” I ask. Maybe I’ve done something wrong.

She shakes her head and looks down at the circulation desktop, fanning the edges of a pile of paper.

“No, not bad necessarily. I’m just not big on surprises. I prefer predictable, steady.”

“Hey,” I say softly. “I promise it’s a really tiny thing, and it’s good. Maybe we can call it something different since it’s not really a surprise. Let me think on it. I’m sure I can come up with something else while I show you this non-surprise.”

“Okay, okay. Enough.” There’s that gorgeous smile of hers that melts me every time I see it.

She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m having a hard time not completely falling for her. Still, there’s just a hint of hesitation. If I learned anything from the whole Ruby situation, it’s that I fall hard.

If I let myself, that’s the key.

She walks around the circulation desk to where I am, stands in front of me, takes a deep breath and releases it, then nods.

“All right. Let’s do this.” Her voice is resolute.

I grab her hand without thinking and lead her to the area where I’ve set up the special treat. I’ve never taken her hand before, but I’m already holding it, and she’s not pulling it away. So, there’s no way I’m giving it up.

When we pass the spot we usually sit in, she stops for a second, and I turn and look over my shoulder at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“You passed our stacks. Why?”

I do everything in my power not to smile at the suspicion in her voice or that she called where we usually sit “our” stacks.

“Yep. We’re going to a different area today.”

I continue walking, and fortunately, she trails along with me. I stop when we get to the section that holds the romance, young adult, and women’s fiction books.

“Oh,” she says.

“Close your eyes,” I tell her.

She rolls her eyes at me and tilts her head to the side, but does as I ask.

“I promise I won’t let you run into anything. Just follow me.”

“And I’m supposed to trust you? The man who toppled an entire display on the first day I met you?”

There’s a teasing tone to her voice, and it pleases me to hear her sound lighter than she was just a few minutes ago.