Page 51 of Keepsakes and Kismet

“Did you come here a lot as a kid?”

He nods. “Yeah. But when I was growing up, they sold popsicles and ice cream bars out of a freezer in the back corner of the cafe. We’d walk here after school for a treat during the warmer months.”

“Do you still see any of your childhood friends, or did they move away from Waterton?” I ask, taking a sip of my hot chocolate.

He rubs the back of his neck. “No, I don’t really see anyone from childhood.”

I don’t miss him ignoring the second part of my question, and it reminds me that I need to ask Romy about her reaction to Callum when he first stopped by our office.

“What about you? Do you still see your childhood friends?” Callum asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

“I traveled a lot for pageants growing up, and competition between contestants didn’t really leave room for any friendships—let alone the kind that lasts.” I shrug. “But I’m still really close with my best friend, who’s back in New York. And, actually, she’s coming to visit me soon. Her brother and his wife will be here, too.”

He leans back in his chair. “All the way to Waterton? Wow, that’s commitment.”

I sit up straighter. “Would you want to meet them? When they visit?”

Callum nods his head slowly. “I’d really like to meet them, Pey.”

Genuine happiness pushes my lips up into a wide smile. “Perfect. I think their visit will coincide with the Harvest Festival. It’s perfect timing, really.”

He blanches. “The festival?”

“Yeah… Is that okay?”

“Sorry.” Callum pushes a tuft of his hair back. “Now that I’m thinking about it, I might have to work that day.”

Sadness crashes into me, and my face falls. “Really? Oh. That’s… I just really wanted you to meet them.”

He studies my expression. I’m sure disappointment is written all over my face.

“Wait.” Callum huffs a laugh, but it sounds stilted. “I was thinking of a different day. I should be free after all.”

“So, you can go to the festival with us?” I ask slowly.

He nods. “Yeah. It, uh, shouldn’t be an issue.”

“If you’re sure,” I say, a new rush of hopeful energy circulating through my body. “We’re going to work out the details tomorrow, and I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, don’t book any last minute vacations.”

Callum hangs his head. “Damn. I’m going to have to cancel my month-long trip to Belize next week. I was really looking forward to cave rappelling.”

Laughter tumbles out of me at the thought of Callum descending into a dark cavern. “Do you even know what cave rappelling is?”

“Sure. You go into a cave, and you rappel.”

“And what does that mean? To rappel?”

I know what it means, because I had to pretend to be interested in a safety demonstration of cave rappelling gear over Zoom for a company in Kentucky once. Break the ice by being the first to ask questions—that sort of thing.

He sniffs. “I’m the one who brought it up, so there’s no need for me to prove myself here, Peyton. Maybe we should test your knowledge about rappelling.”

After explaining the intricacies of cave rappelling to Callum over our hot cocoas, we finally drop hands to clean up our table and put on our coats.

I miss his touch the second it’s gone.

He opens the cafe door for me, and as I walk over the threshold, a new thought starts to form in my mind: What if it wasn’t just my hand he held? What if it was me?

The question threatens my composure. I tap my fingers on my leg restlessly as I trail Callum. A barrage of stressful thoughts infiltrate my nervous system, each one telling me it’s probably a bad idea. That I’m not as ready as I think I am, that I’ll probably mess it up somehow.