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Far too soon, Saturday morning came. Olivia got up at six in the morning to see Carson off. His parents said their goodbyes while he loaded things into his truck, then went to the main house to, in his father’s words, “Get the day started.” Olivia knew they were just giving her time to say goodbye to Carson in private.
She stood by his truck with her jacket zipped up. The morning air was crisp and cool, but mostly she needed the extra warmth to keep from shivering. She held out a Ziploc bag to him. “I made you some snacks for the road.”
His mother had also made him food, probably better food, but he graciously took the bag. “Thanks.” He put it on the seat of his truck, then turned back to her. He was tall, lean, and his sun-kissed hair ruffled in the breeze. He looked so good and he was leaving her.
This pain, this was why she’d tried to stay uninvolved with men. The more she cared about a guy, the more it hurt when he left. “I miss you already,” she said.
He took hold of her hands. “I’ll be back Labor Day weekend. Either for a visit or because I’m licking my wounds after getting cut from the team.”
“The team won’t cut you. Think how many rabid female fans they’d lose.”
He didn’t comment on his rabid female fans. “You don’t have to work on the cabin anymore. You can go back home now.”
“If that’s what you want,” she said.
He put his hands on her hips, drawing her closer. “What I want…” he murmured. “I’ve got a list of things, Livey, and most involve you.”
This would be their goodbye kiss. Maybe their last kiss. She didn’t want it to happen. She stared at his shirt instead. A Broncos T-shirt with the familiar horse head logo. She’d never hated a mascot as much as she did in that moment.
He tilted her chin up and kissed the corner of her lips. Just that small touch made her insides tingle.
Was it wrong for her to hope that he was cut from the team? Yes, very wrong. She refused to let herself try to make bargains with God that would bring Carson back here.
He gave her a longer kiss, a tender one. She tried to memorize how all of this felt, the slight stubble on his cheeks, the warm pressure of his mouth on hers, the slow rhythm of his breaths—such a contrast to her own skittering pulse. She wanted to capture each detail, hold onto it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and threw wordless prayers to the sky that time would stop.
He lifted his head. “That reminds me, I have something for you.”
Kissing her reminded him of something else? Honestly, what did the man think of when he kissed her?
“I want to switch wristbands with you.”
“What?” She had no idea what he was talking about.
“I want to take something that reminds me of you. You always wear that one from Lark Springs High. Will you give it to me?”
“Um, okay.” She pulled off the wristband and handed it to him. She expected him to give her one with the Broncos’ mascot on it and was already regretting that she’d decided to hate that symbol. He pulled a bracelet from his back pocket. Not a wristband. A tennis bracelet with sparkling white stones.
She gasped. “Those aren’t…” Was it presumptuous to ask if they were real? “I’m not going to need to get this insured, am I?”
He wrapped it around her wrist and did the clasp. “Yes, they’re diamonds, but you don’t need to get them insured. They’re notthatexpensive.”
He obviously had a different idea of what constitutedthatexpensive. She’d never owned one diamond, let alone a string of them.
“You deserve it,” he said. “You’ve worked hard over the last month. Consider it a bonus.”
She stared at the winking stones, each looking like sunshine on ice, and was afraid to move her hand. “You shouldn’t have spent so much money. The Gordons might not buy the house. And you don’t know if your job with the Broncos is secure.”
“And yet I still think you’re worth it.” He smiled and threaded his fingers through hers. “Don’t worry so much. The team pays me during the month of practice. Just consider that bracelet as a few days of me getting knocked around.” He held up his hand, as though admiring the Lark Springs High silicone band. “Now I have something to wear whenever I miss you.”
He gave her one last brief kiss, then left her, still feeling stunned, and drove off.
She stared after him for a long time, all sorts of emotions churning through her. He’d given her diamonds. That had to mean something, didn’t it? He wouldn’t have given her the bracelet if he wasn’t serious about her. Perhaps anI love youwasn’t long in coming. Perhaps their relationship would last.
She ran her finger over the stones, admiring them. Adoring them. She didn’t ever want to take this bracelet off, which might be a problem if she was working construction today.
And okay, Carson had told her she could go back to Lark Springs, but it felt wrong to leave him shorthanded when there was still work to do.
She walked through the garage door, still debating. As she entered the laundry room, she heard Carson’s parents talking in the kitchen.
