Page 57 of Love Songs

“So,” Dallas said after mopping up the dregs of maple syrup from his plate with his last bit of bread. He shot a glance at me, a flash of blue, then, as though nervous, he stared at his plate and asked, “If you’re not busy today, would you like to hang out with us for a while?”

Yes! I wanted to shout, but because I was cooler than that, at least in my mind, I said casually, “Unless I get called into work, I’m yours all day.”

The smile Dallas gave me made my heart flutter, while Jaylin snickered and mumbled something under her breath that sounded like “so Hallmark”.

“Good.” Dallas rose from the table. “There’s something I want to show you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “There’s something inmytown thatyouwant to show me?”

His lips quirked. “I’ll drive.”

A few minutes later, we all piled into a plain brown rental sedan and Dallas steered us toward Caldwell Crossing, but instead of veering off Lake Road and onto Main Street, he kept going.

“We’re leaving town?”

Dallas pressed his lips together, smirking, but kept his eyes on the road.

“No hints?” I teased, hoping for something.

He shook his head but looked in his rearview mirror, and said, “No hints.”

I spun around and raised an eyebrow at Jaylin, who mimed zipping her mouth shut.

I harrumphed and settled back into my seat. I didn’t know where he was taking me, but curiosity and excitement had me bouncing my knee. I loved surprises.

Dallas turned off Lake Road and onto Harmony Drive.Ah, so he was taking us on a scenic drive around the lake. I hadn’t beenout this way again since I’d seen that offensive red sticker on the Ferguson house FOR SALE sign, not wanting another reminder about my lost dream. Not wanting one now, I decided I’d find the other side of the street more interesting when we drove past it.

The road ribboned its way parallel with Harmony Lake, and I knew that hideous sign would come into view around the next bend. A shot of adrenaline spiked my pulse, much like when the alarm tones sounded through the speakers at the fire station for an incoming incident announcement.

Anticipation rose by the second and I felt like I was holding my breath, waiting for the not-so-funny punchline. I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t help the overwhelming pull to look. We cleared the turn, and my gaze slid toward the scene of the crime.

The slanting sign and its ugly sticker were gone.

The breath whooshed from my lungs and Dallas shot a quick grin at me, his eyes alight with excitement, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

I wondered who the new owners were. If they were there right now. And most of all, what they were going to do with my house.

Dallas eased off the gas and slowed down. He flipped on his left turn signal.

No.

He steered into the driveway.

My lungs froze mid-breath.

It can’t be.

“Is this it?” Jaylin chirped from the backseat, leaning forward with her hands gripping the backs of my and Dallas’s seats to see between us.

“Yes, it is,” Dallas said, his voice full of pride.

“What is she talking about?” I stammered, furrowing my brows while my heart pinged off my ribcage and my head felt dizzy. “What are we doing here?”

Dallas stopped in front of the decrepit gate that was going to be the first thing I repaired when I eventually bought the property. Except I would never do that now because someone else bought my dream.

He shifted the car into Park and turned to me with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Hold that thought.”

He hopped out, opened the gate with a few grunts and groans as it fought him the whole way, then climbed back into the car. He didn’t say anything as he put the vehicle into Drive and slowly navigated the unkempt laneway. The rental car rode so low that the undercarriage scraped along the ground a few times. The potholes were deeper and the weeds taller than when I’d last been down this driveway.

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