Forget Me (Hampton Harbor) by Jess Petosa Page A

I
spring up. He reaches for me but I hop away from his grasp.
    He jumps up and points to a sign behind my head. "No running
on the docks."
    I smirk. "I'm a fast walker."
    I take off at a speed walk down the dock, and he is on me in just
a few strides, grabbing me around the waist and spinning me into the air. He
catches me below the knees and back, cradling me to his body.
    "All talk," he says. "I expected a bigger
challenge."
    I grin and then shrug against his shoulder. "Maybe I wanted
you to catch me."
    I reach my hand up around his neck and pull his head toward mine.
Our lips meet in the middle and I melt into him.
    When we pull apart, Will's eyes have grown darker. Not with anger,
but something else. His voice is raspy when he speaks.
    "Well
played, Jane. Well played."
     
    He carries me out of the
marina, and I giggle and plead with him to put me down. I spot a few people on
the boardwalk glancing over at us, and a few girls giving me envious glares. It
feels good, in an odd way, to have girls look at me that way. It means that I
have something— someone —worth
holding onto.
                “What
do you want to do tonight?” Will asks me after he finally sets me on my feet.
                “Dinner,”
I say just as my stomach rumbles. We both laugh. “And then maybe we can walk
the boardwalk and scrutinize this week’s influx of tourists.” I look out over
the water. “Plus, there is another fireworks show. I don’t think I’ll ever tire
of fireworks.”
                Will
nods. “Food, tourists, and fireworks.”
                I
wrap my arms around his chest and grin up at him. “Cheese ravioli?”
                He
smiles down at me. “I’m in.”
                We
leave the boardwalk hand in hand and I can’t help but look over my shoulder and
wink at the girls still glaring, as if to say, He’s all mine ladies .

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
     
    The next morning
Will picks me up at eleven. Because we’ll be having dinner with his family tonight,
we decide to pack a picnic lunch and hike one of the trails through Acadia
National Park. We didn’t get to celebrate his birthday since he was on a
fishing trip, and when I asked him what he wanted to do today, he told me he
wanted to take me on a hike. He drives away from town and pulls into one of the
small, dirt parking lots that sit at the beginning of the hiking trails.
                We
are both dressed for the occasion: athletic shorts, tank tops, and a thick
layer of sunscreen. The air is already thick and humid, which means by the time
we finish our hike, we’ll both be sweaty messes.
                Will
is carrying the large backpack that holds our lunch, and I’m in charge of the
water bottles.
                “Ready?”
he asks.
                “I’m
really hoping that I was athletic prior to the accident,” I tell him. “I’d like
to be able to walk up to your parents’ house tonight, rather than needing you
to carry me.”
                Will
laughs. “I’m sure you’ll do fine. I see some muscle in those thighs.”
                “Are
you checking out my legs, William?” I smirk.
                “Several
times a day,” he admits. He has to duck to avoid the swing of my water bottle.
                “So
how long is the trail again?” I ask.
                I’ve
been in Hampton Harbor for a month but I haven’t wandered into the National
Park just yet. I know it’s huge, and I know that it draws tourists from around
the world, but something about it gives me reservations. Maybe I feel so lost
in my own mind that I don’t want to chance getting lost in the woods.
                “Three
miles,” Will responds. “Each way.”
                I
groan.
                “I’ll
carry you if you get tired. Weakling.”
                “Maybe
I’ll have to carry you