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Caroline
“His name is Heath,” I tell Sayler and Coraline as I drive back from dropping Charlotte off at her friend’s house for their sleepover.
“How did you meet?” Coraline asks and I think back to the first time I met Heath.
We hadn’t exactly become fast friends but I can’t deny that I’ve always been drawn to him. My body always got flushed and all tingly whenever he walked into the diner, and whenever I could feel his eyes on me.
“He’s a regular at the diner,” I tell them and theyaww.
“I can’t wait to meet him! Are you guys coming on the trip? Rooney said he found a cabin big enough for all of us,” Sayler says and I bite my bottom lip.
Is it too soon to be thinking about taking trips together?
My body and my heart both say no. They want him and they don’t want to go slow. I’ve seen how good he is with Charlotte and there’s no denying that he makes me laugh and that I have fun with him.
Can I really rush into this? Just let my emotions guide me?
“I’ll have to ask him,” I say, biting my lip.
I feel like a teenager, planning trips with my boyfriend and talking to my friends about him.
“I should go. I need to clean up before he gets here,” I tell my friends and they both say they’ll talk to me soon before we end the call.
I hang up, smiling as I drive back through Cherry Falls toward my house. It took longer than I thought to drop Charlotte off at her friend’s house and now I’m running late. Heath is supposed to be here in half an hour and I still have so much to get done. I know that we’re just hanging out at my place, but I still wanted to look nice and I need to clean up the place a little bit.
I pull into the driveway, slam my car into park and hurry inside. The house is even messier than I remember and I bend down, scooping up all of Charlotte’s toys and stuffed animals into the cubbies of her toy stand in the living room.
My next stop is my bedroom upstairs. I’m like a cyclone as I move around the room, tossing dirty clothes into the hamper and stray shoes into the closet. By the time I’m done, I have ten minutes to hop in the shower, rinse off, and get dressed.
I manage to do it in nine.
I’m headed down the stairs when Heath knocks on the front door. My heart takes off like a shot in my chest and I have to take a deep breath to calm down before I head over to open the front door.
“Hey,” I say shyly as I open the door and see Heath standing there.
“Hey, you look gorgeous,” he says, ducking his head slightly as he steps inside.
“Thanks. That smells so good,” I say as the garlic, tomato, and cheese scent from the pizza boxes in his arms hits me.
“Pepperoni and cheese.”
“My favorite,” I say, leading him into the kitchen.
“Mine too. Where are the pups?” he asks, just as they start barking at the back door.
“Are you sure you want me to let them in? It’s pretty crazy and hectic with them both inside.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Heath says, his eyes holding mine in their gaze.
It feels like he’s saying yes to so much more than just letting the dogs in and I smile to myself as I open the back door and let the dogs in.
They run right past me and make a beeline for Heath. I expect him to be a little overwhelmed but he just smiles, bending down and giving each of them some attention.
Watching him grin down at the dogs, his big strong hands running over their fur, I’ve never wanted to be a dog so bad in my life.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, heading over to the kitchen cabinet and grabbing two plates.
“Yeah,” he says his voice husky as he stands.
