AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Umm…. Cliff jumping at Echo Lake?”
In April? Maybe not. “It’s fifty outside.”
“So it’ll be cold.”
Cold enough it might feel like boot camp all over again. “That’s an understatement.”
“Okay, hot air balloons,” she said.
That was more my speed. “I’m in, but those things usually go up early in the morning, so we might have to wait until tomorrow.”
“You called me, remember? I’m starting to think you don’t want to help after all.” Megan’s voice was light.
“I definitely want to help.” Especially if there were moresexthings on the list. I’d help all day and night with those. But I wanted to help with the rest too. Why was I so drawn to this woman? “You’re at your sister’s?”
“Yes.”
“I’m coming over. We’ll go through your list, and we’ll figure out what we can do, weather-wise, and make a few plans.”
“That sounds perfect.”
It really did. “I’ll be there soon. Don’t do anything fun without me.”
“I promise.” Megan’s stern tone was lined with amusement. “I’ll sit here and be perfectly boring until you get here.”
It was odd, making this drive for the second time in a week, but a foreign kind of anticipation hummed under my skin. When I got to Megan’s, she answered the door with a smile and let me in without hesitation.
We made the most basic small talk. I was still looking for work. She was unpacking as much as she was comfortable with considering this place was only temporary.
She showed me to the kitchen table, where a pastel piece of heavy paper sat near one of the chairs. She took that seat, and I sat next to her.
“Is that the list?” I asked.
Megan hovered her fingers over it, not making contact with the flowing script handwriting. “It’s not the original. I spent probably way too much time rewriting it. But the old list was a little battered and this will be easier to work from. Plus, room to add things at the bottom.”
“What’s on the listnow?”
Megan trailed her finger along the numbered items, and I’d never wanted to be a piece of paper in my life until this moment. “It’s a bit of a mishmash,” she said. “Some of it I’ve done plenty of times at this point, but sixteen-year-old me couldn’t imagine. And some of it… I’m not sure we can see the Eiffel Tower and be back in time for dinner.”
“Okay, so that’s one thing. Read me the rest.”
She licked her lips. “Promise not to laugh. At any of it.”
“Why would I do that?”Whowould do that?
“Ride every roller coaster in an amusement park.”
That sounded like fun. “And is that in thealready doneorstill need to docolumn?”
“I did it when I was a kid. Rides are so much different now than they were back then. Is it stupid that I want to leave it on the list and do it better this time?”
I reached across the table and covered her hand. The look she gave me was wide-eyed and curious.
“None of this is stupid.” I meant it. “If you want to do it again, but better, do it. If it’s not something you’re interested in anymore, don’t do it. Personally, I’m up for a day or two of non-stop roller coaster rides.”
Megan’s smile was worth a million concessions, but I didn’t feel like I’d made any yet. “Swimming with orcas, a photo with a sloth, backpacking across Europe… I probably need to change that one.”
“Why?”
