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We grab plates, napkins, and our drinks, and head to Ethan’s yard. The sprawling space is lush with a vegetable garden and flowers. The patio is set with twinkling lights that illuminate a cozy outdoor couch in front of a fire pit. A hammock is nestled between two trees in a far-off corner. This is the backyard of dreams.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Ethan says. He ignites the grill in one try.
“Wow. This is the perfect place for summer parties. Do you entertain often?” I sink down on the couch and sip my water.
“I host parties, but mostly I just hang out with everyone at the lake. I was dating this girl who lived down the Jersey shore for a while, so I was spending weekends there. But I recently ended things with her. I could tell she was going to want a bigger commitment. I wasn’t ready to have her move in and didn’t want to do the commute anymore.”
“That was noble of you, in a way, not to lead her on.” That must be why everyone thought he was single. He was leaving town to hookup.
Ethan shuts the lid on the grill as the chicken cooks and turns to look at me. “She wasn’t the woman I would want to spend the rest of my life with.”
I don’t reply. I’m wondering if Ethan has been in love with me for all these years.
“Anyway, I’m sure we can find something more fun to discuss.”
“Like the lake fundraiser,” I say, circling back to what brought me here tonight.
Ethan and I eat dinner on his bistro dining set. The sun is setting and we’re sipping rose and lemon flavored iced-tea that he apparently brewed himself. Our conversation reflects back on old memories from school and the lake. Then, we catch each other up on our current interests. We talk about promotion ideas to help raise money for the clubhouse at the lake to be rebuilt. As we debate over the best new streaming TV shows, Ethan tells me, “I have a surprise. I’ll be right back.”
Trash the Dress Online Chat
Sydney:My sister got engaged last night. All the feelings.
Leanne:Hugs.
Harper:True love does exist!
Cora:If I ever get married again, I want to be the one to propose. I’m not going to let a man dictate my life anymore.
CAILIN MCCALL’S FIRST POST-DIVORCE DATE GOES UP IN FLAMES
CAILIN
Ethan isinside for a few minutes and comes out carrying skewers, a bag of marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers.
“We’re making s’mores!”
“Hope you have room for dessert.” Ethan takes a seat next to me.
“I will never deny myself s’mores. Oh my gosh. I haven’t had these since we used to all sit around the lake at the annual campouts. Do you remember how that one time my skewer caught on fire and I freaked out? Gemma started screaming and everyone ran away, but then you poured water on it and everything was fine.”
We laugh, like no time has passed between us. I feel like I can easily settle back into this life. Most people try to leave the small town they came from to explore life and gain more opportunity. I tried that. I enjoyed my adventures. But there’s something so simple about spending your nights outside in a backyard, making s’mores, and laughing. I want to fill my life with mini moments like this one that create a mosaic in my heart.
Ethan finishes sliding on the marshmallows and hands me a stick. “I totally forgot about that. But if you think I need to get my fire extinguisher, let me run back to the house now.”
“I think I have things under control this time,” I say.
The flames aren’t just coming from the fire pit tonight. Ethan scoots closer to me on the couch so that our knees are touching. I pull my charred dessert out of the fire and take my first bite. The warm, gooey flavors melt together to make my taste buds dance, and I want to devour the entire s’more at once. But I restrain.
“This is so good. If I were you, I’d eat these every night outside here.”
“Nah, there’s no fun in s’mores when you’re not sharing them with anyone.” He points to my lips, “Here, you’ve got some marshmallow on your mouth.”
Ethan takes his thumb and softly brushes it against my upper lip to remove the melted treat. Only it doesn’t budge. So, we laugh and he tries again, to no avail.
“Let me try this.” Ethan leans in. He’s going to kiss me. I’m going to have my first post-divorce kiss, with my ex-boyfriend. My heart nervously thumps.
Our lips softly touch. Ethan pulls back, and we look at each other and both smile.
