Page 5

"Are you trying to be romantic with me, Larkin?"

"Maybe." He says it without laughing, and I have no idea what to do with that.

Those green eyes stay on mine, and suddenly the noise around us seems a little farther away.

This is exactly the problem.

Wyatt flirts with everyone, which means the sensible response is to assume this is Wyatt being Wyatt and move on with my evening.

Except I've never seen him look at anyone else quite like he's looking at me right now.

Or maybe I have and simply didn't notice because I wasn't the one standing in front of him.

I should say no.

I should definitely say no once I look past him and see the Ferris wheel towering over the carnival.

Instead, I hear myself say, "Fine."

His smile appears immediately. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Let’s go."

He holds out his hand.

I stare at it for a second, my heart giving one stupid thump. Then I put my hand in his.

His fingers close around mine, warm and slightly calloused, and for one brief second I forget that we're walking toward something designed to carry us several stories into the air.

Then I look up.

Oh God.

The colorful gondolas drift slowly through the sky, climbing higher and higher until the people inside look like tiny silhouettes against the lights.

I immediately regret every decision that has brought me to this moment.

"You okay?" Wyatt asks.

"Perfect."

"You just squeezed my hand."

I ignore him and focus on the little girl ahead of us who is loudly demanding the blue gondola.

She's approximately six. If she can do this, I can do this.

The line moves much faster than I would like, and within a couple of minutes, the operator waves us forward.

Wyatt steps into the gondola first, then turns and offers me his hand again.

I take it without arguing.

I slide onto the bench and Wyatt sits beside me. The space is smaller than it looked from outside, and his thigh settles against mine before he shifts slightly to give me more room.

The safety bar comes down, the metal clicking into place.

My stomach twists as the gondola starts moving upward. Slowly, the ground begins slipping away beneath us.