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Her gaze casts downward and her full lips press together. She holds her phone in her lap, flipping it over again and again. “Um. I’ll leave this here.” Her eyes flick up to my face, then she sets the device between us. “That way you’ll know that I’ll bring your bike back.”
“Perfect.”
I stare as Nikki hops onto my bicycle, kicks off, and rides… like it’s easy.
Ten minutes later, those high cheekbones are pink, that honey hair is wild and windblown, and her sweet smile is contagious. She rolls closer, then as she reaches our bench she drops her feet to stop herself. A laugh rolls off her and she looks happy. So much happier than when I sat next to her half an hour ago.
“That was fun.”
“Do you have a bike?”
She shakes her head. “I used to. But I never rode it. So, my mom sold it. At the time I didn’t care. But that was fun.”
“I come to this park every Saturday and Monday.” Well, I came this Saturday. I came today. So, I’m declaring it a thing. “I’ll be here with Lilac if you ever want to ride her.”
“Really?”
“Sure. A bike should be ridden. Right now, I’m stuck walking her around.”
“Thanks, um—”
“Meredith,” I remind her.
“Right. Meredith.” She swings her leg around and off my bike. “Good luck with your cookies.” She snatches her phone from the park bench and walks in the opposite direction she rode up from. “I have to go.”
I lean my back against the bench and breathe in the spring air. “I think I just made a friend.”
8
Levi
Idon’t bother locking up the shop. Something tells me that Meredith is not the type of person to suddenly forget or decide she doesn’t need bike lessons. Nope, she’ll be here and she’ll be on time.
Out the glass window, two wheels roll up beside two walking legs, swishing beneath a purple dress. My stomach decides to go on a rollercoaster ride—which by the way, my sister is wrong about.
One—I don’t know this girl.
Two—whenever she opens her mouth, I end up frustrated.
And three—I don’t get butterflies.
In fact, she’s three minutes early. She doesn’t even need to speak to frustrate me.
She waves from outside, peering in through the glass doors. She props her bike up against the outer wall of the shop and pushes her way inside.
“I thought maybe the doors would be locked up and you’d be long gone.” She smiles like she’s made a joke—but why didn’t I think of that? I could have told Coco that Meredith never showed. Except that, I’m pretty sure my sister would have seen right through the lie.
“I said I’d be here.”
“A man of your word. I like that.”
“Yeah, well, my word saidonelesson.”
“One.” Meredith nods. “Right. That’s all I should need.”
“So, where do you want to do this? Outside or inside?”
“Inside?” She peers around the empty middle space of the shop.
