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“So…” Ivy says. “You like him?”
“What? No.” I shake my head adamantly. “I can’t like him. I can’t fall for him after everything that happened between us and the way he ended things.”
The heart may quickly forgive and forget, but the mind is another story.
“Just because you can’t fall for him doesn’t mean you won’t,” Daisy says with a surprising amount of heaviness. For a moment, I wonder if she’s speaking from experience, but then, she giggles. “He sounds like a fun, adventurous guy if he enjoys road trips.”
“He is.” I smile. “And he’s a genuinely good person. When I’m with him, I feel safe. Comfortable. You know?”
“I missed you.”
That’s what he said in the truck before the diner. And the way he said the words so seriously, like they’d been on his mind for a while. But how can he say these things—and say that he wants me in his life going forward—while also telling me about this job on a fancy train car? Mirror Valley may have restaurants, but only the kind that smell of delicious fried foods and welcome cowboy boots and jean jackets. Not a fine dining establishment in sight.
The reality is that all good things come to an end, and this road trip is one of them. We both know why we broke up all those years ago; there’s no sense in having history repeat itself.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter.” I clear my throat. “He’s got this exciting opportunity in Montana, so he’s headed back soon and everything will be back to normal.”
Even as I speak though, I feel a small, totally unreasonable seed of hope planting deep in my stomach. A hope that this could be more than just a weekend road trip reunion for Ethan and me. That we could do things differently this time around.
See? Unreasonable.
“Whenever you’re ready, you should come along with me to some of the singles events in Mirror Valley,” Daisy chirps. “They’re… well, I wouldn’t recommend going to actually find someone, but it’s pretty entertaining to watch people pair up and split up. Like our very own Bachelor in Paradise.”
“I’ll bring the popcorn.” I smile. “Now I’m going to be boring and ask about work. Ivy, how’re things?”
“It’s been great! I had an idea yesterday when I was at the hair salon. I was leafing through this wedding magazine and had an idea that maybe the Brookrose could look into hosting weddings. I’ve added that to my to-do list to look into. And then…”
Knock knock.
The sound startles me and I look at the door that adjoins to Ethan’s room.
A sheet of paper slides beneath it.
While Ivy goes on about work, I roll myself (literally) off the bed and walk across the floor (because no matter how cute this hotel is, the dark maroon carpet should probably remain a roll-free zone).
I pick up the paper and scan the writing. It’s like the letters we used to leave in the letter box…
Roses are red, violets are blue
I feel like an idiot writing this, but I’d like to picnic with you.
Tomorrow at the park,
We’ll get an early start.
My heart warms as I imagine Ethan rolling his eyes at his own note. He’s such a reluctant sap; it cracks me up. Or it used to, when he did stuff like this for me all the time. Sweet stuff, like invite me to a picnic in the park…
That seed of hope blooms freely again. It’s almost like Ethan’s strategizing this—blasting down each and every one of my walls, all of my reservations, in a calculated attack.
And with every word, every heated look, every stupid, cheesy note, my feelings are getting harder to ignore.
22
Val
Four Years Ago
I tease my fingers through my hair once more, but it already looks pretty wild and voluminous. I was going to straighten it, but thought twice. Ethan always calls me beautiful, but I’ve seen the look in his eyes when I wear my hair down and curly.
