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“And then I have the first edition ofInterview with the Vampire…” Her voice began to get low as she turned to the last and finally book on the display table. “And I found this beautiful second edition ofTo Kill a Mockingbird.”She gently picked up the book off the table, almost afraid it would fall apart if she handled it too harshly, turning her body to present it to me.
“I said three.” I felt my lips tug a grin as she bit her lip, giving me the sweetest, fullest puppy eyes I have ever seen. I heaved a sigh and clenched my teeth, not even wanting to know what that first and second edition would cost. Madeline was worth it. She was worth anything.
“Okay,” I finally said, “you may get all of them.”
She squealed as her excitement filled the room, lifting to her tippy toes and grabbing my chin with her palms, pulling me toward her—tenderly and very quickly kissing my lips. She fell back onto the heels of her feet and gently picked up all the books.
“You’re absolutely sure?” she sang.
Still stunned and not breathing, I nodded. Madeline’s smile was soft, one that I honestly hadn’t really seen before. Her eyes sparkled, the small lines around her eyes reminding me how often I’d made her laugh. Her cheeks were tinted pink, the memory of her lips still fresh on mine. I wanted to kiss her again, right there in Powell’s Bookstore, but instead; I watched as she took her books to the counter, her hair bouncing behind as she skipped. I followed her, taking in every inch of her, the things I had never noticed. Every curve, every movement of her hips. The way her skirt flowed around her legs and her flats did things to her legs that I thought only heels would do. I never really allowed myself to look at Madeline this way, but now that we were officially on a date, I took in glances and stares.
Snapping myself out of my awkward trance, I approached the counter with Madeline, that sweet smile on her face as the clerk rang up her six books, bringing the total well over what I planned. But as Madeline’s hand found mine, and her fingers laced in between mine, all thought of how much was being pulled from my account made no matter.
Madeline took a deep breath once she saw me pull my card from the chip reader. “I feel terrible. Let me buy lunch. That was a lot more than I added in my head.”
I pinched my eyebrows at her. “Hell no.” I nodded to the cashier and grabbed the bag of books. “I planned to spoil you today, so please…” I held the bag out in front of her, knowing full well she would want to carry her books out like a trophy. “Let me spoil you. Cost doesn't matter.”
Her lips formed a tight, sweet smile. “Okay,” she said softly, reaching her hand up to take the bag, our fingers lightly touching as the bag left my fingers
Her other hand still tight in mine, she pulled me out of the bookstore. She began walking back to my truck, but I pulled her in the opposite direction.
“We’re not done yet,” I said.
“But my books.” Madeline reached her bag toward the car, desperately wanting to put her bag in the safety of the backseat.
“They’re fine.” I kept tugging her along. “Come on.”
She laughed, catching her stride up with mine as I led her to the food trucks that were parked on the other side of Powell’s. Waffle Zonesat right there in its normal place, and Madeline basically cheered as we got closer to it.
“Yes!” Her grip on my hand tightened as her pace quickened, passing me and becoming the one doing the pulling towards the food trucks.
With her bag placed between her feet, keeping the books propped up, Madeline devoured her waffle. Chocolate, strawberries and whipped cream. Who wouldn’t devour it? I went for a more savory approach with eggs and bacon, but Madeline loved the Nutella and strawberry confection the food truck had to offer.
“So,” she said through a mouth full of waffles. Swallowing, she turned toward me. “How is this a date?”
I raised my eyebrows at her. “How is this not a date?” I asked in return.
“We go to Powell’s all the time, and we try to hit these food trucks up at least once every few months. This isn’t a date. We are just hanging out.” She shrugged.
Furrowing my brow at her, I cocked my head, locking her eyes onto mine. “If we were just ‘hanging out,’ I wouldn’t have bought you six books, and you definitely wouldn’t have…” I trailed off.
She licked her lips. “Wouldn’t have what?”
I leaned across the small metal table and gave her a small, simple kiss—just like the one in the bookstore. She inhaled quickly, seeming to forget to breathe as I sat back in my chair. Her hand was frozen over the waffle, and her eyes had a swoony gloss to them.
“You wouldn’t have kissed me in the bookstore,” I whispered. “Plus—” I stabbed my waffle with my fork. “This is only stop two. We have a road trip ahead of us for our next adventure, in which I expect you to either look out the truck window or begin to read one of those books.” I nodded toward the bag at her feet. “Oh, and you get to pick the music.”
“So your goal was to make this the most perfect day for me?” She blushed and looked down at her waffle, raking her teeth on her bottom lip. She inhaled, wiggled her shoulder, and then caught eye contact with me again. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there.” I was tempted to kiss her again but held back. Two small teases were enough to last me until I could properly kiss her goodnight.
This was different from our normal waffle food truck days. Our fingers would find each other, and she would give me sweet glances in between bites. Every touch and every look sent electric shocks through my entire body. Now that these feelings that had been locked up were breaking free, there was no way I was going to be able to stop them.
Once we were back in the truck, I handed her my phone, allowing her to pick any music she wanted for the two-hour road trip. I should have known it was going to be Thomas Rhett. Madeline lived off ofUs, Someday,andSlow Down Summer. Not that I minded. I knew every word and mouthed them as we began our trip, and as predicted, an hour into the trip, she had pulled out her new Emily Henry book and began to read. The silence wasn't awkward. It was comforting. To know we could both be with each other and not have the need to fill the void. I gently reached my hand across the console and laced my fingers through hers. She sighed, and we kept our hands that way for the drive, not even moving them to take sharp turns or flip her page.
It was perfect.
We arrived in Depoe Bay with time to spare. It was getting close to three p.m., just in time for the small boardwalk to get crowded with travelers and residents. Madeline had put her book away once we pulled into the small, coastal town, and she sat up in her seat, her hand still firmly in mine.
