ride a bike and hit a softball. He was good to me.”
“There you go. You’ve spent a lot of time hating him, but you can’t shake the bond between you no matter how much you want to.”
“He needs to pay for what he did.”
“He does,” John agreed. “But you don’t need to pay with him, and isn’t that what you’ve been doing, Liz?”
“How do I stop?”
He met her gaze. “Asking that question is the first step.”
“And the second?”
“Chili cheese fries,” he said with a grin as the waitress brought over their order. “We’ll go from there.”
“I should go home from here.”
“The night is still young.”
“Not really. It’s almost midnight. My birthday is close to being officially over.”
He reached across the table and put his hand over hers as she reached for a fry. “I’m not ready to say good-bye.”
There was something very serious in his expression now. Her hand tingled under his warm touch.
“I’m not, either,” she murmured.
Chapter Seven
“Where are you taking me?” Carole asked, wondering why she’d agree to go anywhere with Alex. But here she was, sitting in his old jeep, in a designer cocktail dress. Her two worlds were colliding, and she was terribly afraid that she’d made a huge mistake. She’d stayed focused on her goals for almost two decades. Now wasn’t the time to change, was it?
Alex turned down a dark alley that was very familiar.
“Really?” she asked. “You’re taking me to Paradise Point?” It was a spot where teenagers went to drink and make out. And she’d done both there with Alex. He’d been such a good kisser, too. The random thought made her sit up a little straighter.
Alex didn’t answer. Instead, he turned onto a dirt road and stopped the car at the edge of a bluff.
“I’m not getting out,” she protested, as he opened his door. “I’m cold,” she added when he walked around the car to open her door. “And this was a parking spot, remember?”
“Where I want to take you requires a walk. You’ll survive.”
“Says the man who’s never had to walk in heels this high.”
A small smile curved his lips. “They make your legs look damn good.”
“Even at forty?”
“Better than ever.” He helped her out of the car.
She clung to his hand as she stepped onto the rocky ground. “Can you believe we’re this old, Alex?”
“I don’t feel old. Do you?”
“Sometimes.”
“Now?”
“Actually, no. Right now I feel about sixteen. Not that I want to go back there. I made a lot of mistakes at that age.”
He smiled. “I’m not going to ask you to put a name on any of those mistakes.”
“Good call. So where are we going?”
“You’ll figure it out soon enough.” He grabbed the edges of the coat he’d given her and buttoned it up. “Warm enough?”
His oversized coat was more than warm enough. In fact, she felt as if his arms were around her. And that thought brought another wave of heat. “I’m okay,” she muttered, letting go of his hand. “I’ll give you five minutes. That’s all the time I have for the past.”
“You always liked to set deadlines. Sometimes life doesn’t go according to your timetable.”
“Life – or you?” she asked dryly.
He tipped his head. “Both.”
They walked away from the parking area down the path to the old run-down park that had once been a popular spot for the local kids. In fact, it was the park where she’d had her eighth birthday, the one where Alex had ruined her cake.
The seesaws were gone and most of the picnic tables were battered and falling apart. There were still two swings hanging from the metal rod and an old metal merry-go-round, but other than that it was just a very sad old place.
“It’s even worse than I remembered,” she muttered.
“They built a new park about two blocks from here, so none of the kids come here anymore. The view is still good, though.”
She followed his gaze. The lights of the city spread out before them,
“There you go. You’ve spent a lot of time hating him, but you can’t shake the bond between you no matter how much you want to.”
“He needs to pay for what he did.”
“He does,” John agreed. “But you don’t need to pay with him, and isn’t that what you’ve been doing, Liz?”
“How do I stop?”
He met her gaze. “Asking that question is the first step.”
“And the second?”
“Chili cheese fries,” he said with a grin as the waitress brought over their order. “We’ll go from there.”
“I should go home from here.”
“The night is still young.”
“Not really. It’s almost midnight. My birthday is close to being officially over.”
He reached across the table and put his hand over hers as she reached for a fry. “I’m not ready to say good-bye.”
There was something very serious in his expression now. Her hand tingled under his warm touch.
“I’m not, either,” she murmured.
Chapter Seven
“Where are you taking me?” Carole asked, wondering why she’d agree to go anywhere with Alex. But here she was, sitting in his old jeep, in a designer cocktail dress. Her two worlds were colliding, and she was terribly afraid that she’d made a huge mistake. She’d stayed focused on her goals for almost two decades. Now wasn’t the time to change, was it?
Alex turned down a dark alley that was very familiar.
“Really?” she asked. “You’re taking me to Paradise Point?” It was a spot where teenagers went to drink and make out. And she’d done both there with Alex. He’d been such a good kisser, too. The random thought made her sit up a little straighter.
Alex didn’t answer. Instead, he turned onto a dirt road and stopped the car at the edge of a bluff.
“I’m not getting out,” she protested, as he opened his door. “I’m cold,” she added when he walked around the car to open her door. “And this was a parking spot, remember?”
“Where I want to take you requires a walk. You’ll survive.”
“Says the man who’s never had to walk in heels this high.”
A small smile curved his lips. “They make your legs look damn good.”
“Even at forty?”
“Better than ever.” He helped her out of the car.
She clung to his hand as she stepped onto the rocky ground. “Can you believe we’re this old, Alex?”
“I don’t feel old. Do you?”
“Sometimes.”
“Now?”
“Actually, no. Right now I feel about sixteen. Not that I want to go back there. I made a lot of mistakes at that age.”
He smiled. “I’m not going to ask you to put a name on any of those mistakes.”
“Good call. So where are we going?”
“You’ll figure it out soon enough.” He grabbed the edges of the coat he’d given her and buttoned it up. “Warm enough?”
His oversized coat was more than warm enough. In fact, she felt as if his arms were around her. And that thought brought another wave of heat. “I’m okay,” she muttered, letting go of his hand. “I’ll give you five minutes. That’s all the time I have for the past.”
“You always liked to set deadlines. Sometimes life doesn’t go according to your timetable.”
“Life – or you?” she asked dryly.
He tipped his head. “Both.”
They walked away from the parking area down the path to the old run-down park that had once been a popular spot for the local kids. In fact, it was the park where she’d had her eighth birthday, the one where Alex had ruined her cake.
The seesaws were gone and most of the picnic tables were battered and falling apart. There were still two swings hanging from the metal rod and an old metal merry-go-round, but other than that it was just a very sad old place.
“It’s even worse than I remembered,” she muttered.
“They built a new park about two blocks from here, so none of the kids come here anymore. The view is still good, though.”
She followed his gaze. The lights of the city spread out before them,
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