AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you have to ask?” Her eyes light up with excitement as she gazes across the town square and the midway games positioned in the streets. I know what she’s looking for, and there’s no missing the happiness that crosses her face the moment she spots it. “Oh my God, they still have it!”
I chuckle as we make our way through the masses of Rockland Falls residents. Many offer me greetings along the way, but I don’t stop. With a friendly grin and a hello, I follow behind Kate as she makes a beeline to the Ferris wheel. “I take it we’re riding that first,” I holler over the Skee-Ball noise and the carnival music.
Kate slows just long enough for me to buy two wristbands for unlimited rides. I’ve never been much of a ride person, but with Kate, I always found myself stepping out of my box. Frankly, I could never tell her no.
Apparently, that’s still true, if the way my stomach turns a little queasy is any indication.
We make it to the end of the line, which, fortunately, is only a few people long. I try to ignore the odd looks from those who pass us, no doubt, everyone recognizing the woman at my side. Even if she’s been gone more than a decade, Kathryn Elliott looks very much the same as she did all those years ago. If anything, she’s even more beautiful with her faint laugh lines outlining her eyes and her blonde hair turning a slightly darker shade.
“Everyone is staring at me,” she whispers, twisting her hands together at her waist.
“They’re staring at me,” I tell her, knowing we’re both right.
She glances around again before turning those hazel eyes on me. “I didn’t think about what everyone would be saying when they saw us out in public together.”
“Fuck ‘em,” I insist, hating she’s suddenly very conscious of the many eyes turned her way. The more she notices, the more agitated she becomes, and all I can think about is her having a panic attack in the middle of the festival. “Hey,” I say, taking her hand in mine to offer a little comfort. “They’re gonna talk just like always, okay? We’re just two people enjoying the evening together, going on rides and stuffing our faces with greasy food.”
That makes her smile a little. “But we’re two people who have a… past.”
I shrug. “True, but none of them matter, right? Whatever happens, wherever this thing between us goes, it’s not about them. It’s about us. Two friends, reconnecting after a long absence.”
Kate snorts in a very unladylike manner. I fucking love it. “Friends. I don’t think I’ve ever pictured my friends doing dirty things to me on the Ferris wheel,” she says before suddenly realizing it. Her face turns a very dark shade of red and her sexy little mouth falls open in shock. “Holy shit… I didn’t mean… What I meant to say was…”
I step forward, nice and close so I can smell her perfume, and reply, “That’s okay, Butterfly. The things I’d love to do to you on this Ferris wheel have been playing through my mind for the last several minutes. All of them dirty,” I confirm, remembering how I let my hand slip up her skirt and beneath her panties our final year of high school. She was so fucking wet already, I thought I was going to come in my shorts on contact.
Her blush only intensifies, making my cock hard. Before she can reply, the carnie clears his throat behind us. When I gaze his way, I realize we’re next in line and the car is waiting. “We’re up,” she whispers hoarsely, slowly turning and walking up the stairs.
“Oh, we’re definitely up,” I reply quietly enough so no one hears me. With a quick, as discretely as possible adjustment of my pants, I follow her into the waiting car and pull the safety bar down.
As soon as the car starts to move, my stomach drops to my shoes. Did I mention I’m not a fan of heights? Kate would remember this, of course, yet shows not a single ounce of remorse as she grins ear to ear and gazes out over the festival square in downtown Rockland Falls.
“I forgot how beautiful this place is,” she whispers, almost absently to herself.
“It is,” I confirm. It’s part of the reason I never envisioned myself leaving. Well, besides the fact my family is here. But even before Max came along, I never pictured heading off to make a home somewhere else. It was always Rockland Falls, with its quaint small shops and overly nosey neighbors. And when my son came along, I knew I’d be here for the rest of my life. “Did you ever miss it?” I ask as we start to round the top of the wheel.
“Every day,” she confirms, turning her eyes from everything below us to me. The moment they meet, the anxiety I feel about being fifty feet above the earth starts to slip away. “Not just because you were here, but because this place was my home. It was a hard transition from here to New York City. I didn’t handle it well.”
“The panic attacks?”
She nods. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Before I realize what I’m doing, my hand is holding hers, offering comfort and peace. We’re both silent as the wheel reaches the bottom and then continues back to the top. Her hand is still nestled in mine, between us on the seat, as we fall into a familiar and easy rhythm of companionship and friendship. It was always so damn easy between us.
As we reach the top for the third and final time, she speaks again. “There’s been a lot of changes since I left. All of those buildings have had a facelift.”
“That one there,” I say, pointing to the newest updates in downtown, “is my sister Harper’s shop.”
Kate’s eyes light up. “Oh? What kind of shop?”
“Lingerie,” I confirm.
I expect her to be embarrassed by this revelation (I was, admittedly, at first), but the look that crosses her face isn’t one of discomfort. No, this look is more of curiosity. “Really? I can’t wait to check it out,” she replies, and I can already tell she means it.
“The shop next door is her boyfriend’s.”
Kate glances that direction, but the angle is off since we’re already descending. “The hardware store?”
“Douglas Hardware. Bud retired last month and his son, Latham, took over. They actually purchased the space between them and are sharing it.”
