AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah,” she said, reaching for the power window button. “You might want to duck or something, just to be safe.”
Heart racing, Isaac unbuckled his seat belt and bent at the waist. It was like being back in NYC all over again. The only thing missing was the sound of Starbucks cups hitting the windows. And great, now his ice cream cone was starting to melt. He licked at it as best he could in that position, trying not to drip all over Del’s floormats.
Her driver’s side window motor sounded, and Isaac held his breath, waiting to be discovered. Man, he knew coming into town had been a bad idea. What really sucked was that it had been going so well up until now. He should have known better to think his luck had finally changed for the better.
“What are you two doing out here this time of night?” Del asked.
Okay, two was better than a large mob.
“Mrs. Harper said she was craving a sundae, so she sent us down here to get her one.”
Wait—was that Brooklyn’s voice? Isaac lifted his head just high enough to catch a glimpse of her familiar ponytail. Del met his gaze and winked.Sonofagun.She’d been messing with him the whole time.
“You mean, she sent you down here to spy on me,” Del said, amusement in her voice.
Teenage laughter followed. “Yeah, maybe that, too. But she gave us money to get ourselves something, too, so we figured why not. Hey, Isaac.”
Well, no sense in hiding any longer. He tugged his cap lower and straightened, hoping whoever the friend was with her wouldn’t recognize him either. “Hey, Brooklyn. Thanks again for your help the other night.”
“No prob.” Her gaze shifted back to Del. “So can I borrow two bucks? I thought Mrs. Harper gave me a ten, but it’s only a five so we’re a little short.”
“How about I give you five bucks, and you tell Mrs. Harper you didn’t see us?”
The teens exchanged a smirk. “Deal.”
Isaac finished his cone and fished a five from his wallet. “Since you got the ice cream, how about I cover the bribe?”
“Works for me,” Del said.
The girls thanked them and turned for the Frosty Falls, promising they wouldn’t tell anyone they’d seen Del and Isaac in town. Shaking her head, Del rolled the window back up.
“Gotta love small towns,” she said, polishing off her ice cream cone. “Your color’s coming back, so that’s a good thing. For a minute there, I thought I was gonna need to call Pops and have him bring the defibrillator.”
Isaac snorted. “For a moment there, I thought I might really need one. We should probably get going before Mrs. Harper comes down here to spy on you herself.”
“I wouldn’t put it past her, though she means well. Also, she’s my neighbor and an insomniac, so I’m used to her spying on me.” Laughing, she reached into her center console, extracted a pair of wet wipes, and handed him one.
“Can I ask you something?”
He mentally cringed, knowing what was coming next.
“Why are you so worried about being seen all the time? Tell me you’re not some fugitive on the loose.”
“Definitely not. And I just…” He shook his head, hating that he’d guessed correctly and couldn’t tell her the whole story. But he’d been rehearsing these lines for a while now in case he found himself in exactly this type of conversation. “I got burnt out last year, needed to get away from the big city and all of its hustle and bustle, you know? But the longer I’ve been working from home, the more anxious I am being around people again.”
She gave him a dubious look. “Except me.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “It confuses me, too. But I think that’s why I enjoy being around you—there’s something about you that makes me feel free to be…me.”
“Huh.”
She studied him a moment, and Isaac tried acting as normal as possible. Inside, though, he was holding his breath, hoping she would accept his answer and let it go. It was best for them both to keep her in the dark and away from his drama. But he wasn’t lying about enjoying being around her. He did, far more than he should.
“Well, I’m glad you feel comfortable around me. Funny, I feel the same way about you.” She shrugged. “So do you need to get back to your place, or do we have time to continue our tour?”
He looked out his passenger window and blew out a silent exhale of relief. “No, we have time.”
“Good, because there’s one more place that I’d like to show you. Might help with your web design inspiration.” She threw him a grin. “If you’re not too traumatized from our encounter with Brooklyn, that is.”
