AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why didn’t you tell me when you realized?”
“Got to keep you on your toes, Sunshine.” I wink. “Can’t show you all my cards.”
I’m delighted to find that Sasha packed her famous chicken salad on fresh sourdough bread. “Have you had her chicken salad? Because if you haven’t, this is going to be an experience for you.” I unwrap the sandwiches and place them on the paper plates tucked in the side of the basket.
“What are we doing, Preston? Are we putting down our swords?”
“For the night. We can go back to sparring tomorrow.”
“What if I like sparring with you?” she asks with a twinkle in her eye.
I say nothing but hand her a plate.
We eat and sneak glances at each other during our picnic. But somehow, at the end, we end up sitting side by side, practically touching.
“What the heck is in this? It’s delicious,” Paige says, taking another bite of her sandwich.
“I can’t tell you. Sasha swore me to secrecy when she taught me how to make these.” I laugh.
“Well, make these for us for lunch sometime. This is amazing.”
Allie sits across the courtyard and pulls out her guitar and microphone, then starts playing soft music like the town troubadour. Other picnickers have placed blankets throughout the courtyard and are eating at tables set up with fake candles. Firefighters have removed their hats and thick yellow pants and are in navy tactical pants and t-shirts. Laughter and the buzz of conversation fill the summer night.
A gasp comes from Paige when Allie starts strumming “Leather and Lace.” Sam Sr. has pulled up a chair, and he’s playing alongside her.
“What is it with you and Stevie Nicks?” I ask curiously.
She hesitates. “My mother and Harry always played Fleetwood Mac for me when I was growing up. If a kid picked on me at school, my mom put on Fleetwood Mac. When a boy dumped me in high school, Harry put on Fleetwood Mac.” She shrugs. “We loved music.”
“That’s actually really cool.”
“What did your family do during the hard times?” she asks.
I grimace and lean back on the blanket. “Pretend it didn’t happen or sweep it under the rug.”
“I’m sorry,” she says sadly. “I don’t understand why they think it’s okay to treat you the way they do.”
“Yeah, well, I just got used to it.” I shrug.
“You shouldn’t have to get used to that,” she says, her tone defiant.
“They don’t matter anymore. I’m here now. I have a new life.” I give her hand a gentle squeeze. “Do you still hate me?”
“I’ve never hated you. But I’m not sure we could ever work out as a couple.”
“Why?”
She shakes her head. “Because good things never work out for me.” Her words stab me right in the heart. Because I want all the good things for Paige. She deserves them. And it makes me mad that she doesn’t believe this for herself. I don’t know why she doesn’t see what I see when I look at her.
I take a deep breath. “Well, maybe that needs to change.”
“I hope so.”
“Hope is not a strategy, Paige. We need to make that change.”
She smiles, wiping off the last of her crumbs and putting the trash in the basket.
“Want to dance?” I ask.
