Page 21 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

“Me?I’mafraid of commitment? According to Shane, it’s the men I tried to date who didn’t want to commit.”

“I didn’t say you don’t want to commit, I said you’re afraid to, which are two different things.”

“Huh?”

“It’s simple. You’ve been let down and disappointed by quite a few guys, so it makes sense that you’re unsure about Shane, no matter how great a catch he may be.”

“That’s it, Lily. He’s too good to be true. Guys like him only exist in books. He was talking like he’s going to move to Arizona for me! Why would he do that?! We hardly know each other. How can he be so sure?”

“That’s a good question that you should ask him. But first, let me ask you how you’re so sure he’snotthe guy for you.”

Tucking my legs underneath me, I watch the flames in the fire pit dance to and fro. The sight makes me think of Shane and his suggestion to make s’mores, and all the swoony and sweet things he did for me yesterday flood my memory. Especially the gift of those socks! Thinking about their message warms my body even more than the fire. I have to try extra hard to come up with a good answer for Lily—and myself.

“Well, for starters,” I begin, “Shane’s younger than me.”

“So? We read age gap stories all the time. There’s nothing wrong with a younger man so long as your level of maturity is the same. What else? Don’t say he lives in a different state because he already said he’d move for you.”

“There’s also the important fact that he’s my best friend’s brother.”

“And?”

“And?! What’s Ames going to say when she finds out? What if she hates the idea of me and Shane together?”

“She has no reason to hate it. She already treats you like family. This’ll just make it official.”

“But what if Shane and I don’t work out? That’ll put her right in the middle of us and make things awkward. I don’t want her to have to pick sides.”

“So, don’t break up.”

“Lily Lam, why do you have an answer for everything?”

“Because you, woman, have too many excuses.” She laughs. “Come on, give the guy a chance. Don’t say no just because you’re not ready to say yes.”

I blow out a long breath as I wrack my brain for more excuses. It only takes me three seconds to realize I’m all out of them. “So, I’m supposed to say maybe?”

“Don’t write him off yet. Take the next few days or however long you have with him and get to know him better. And if you want to stick to your sabbatical, you guys can always be pen pals until the new year. It’ll be like that epistolary romance we read last month. Snail mail’s so timeless and sweet.”

I shake my head at how quickly Lily’s voice changed from practical to dreamy. Despite her engineering brain, she’s a hopeless romantic at heart. I suppose I used to be one, too, before all the ghosting and letdowns I experienced with the opposite sex. Half of me wants to believe that a relationship with Shane could be different. But the other half doesn’t want to get hurt, or worse, end up hurting Shane or Amelia.

If only real life could be as smooth and predictable as fiction.

“Thanks for listening, Lil. It’s good to have a different perspective than my own.”

“No problem. That’s what I’m here for. And don’t worry, Iwon’t say anything to Ames about this until you figure things out.”

“I appreciate that.”

“So, what are you and Mr. Young, Hot, and Gorgeous going to do today?”

Her teasing tone makes me smile. When I think about it, I really have nothing to complain about. I’m in a cute town for vacation, and I have a really great guy to spend the day with. I just need to get over myself and have some faith in God that He knows what He’s doing, which is a lot more reassuring than thinking I know what I’m doing. “You mean Shane?”

“Yes, Shane, AKA your dreamy vacation date.”

“Shane and I are going to visit some ostr?—”

The crackling sound of a suitcase rolling over gravel steals my attention. Despite, or maybe because of, my aphantasia, I have a good memory when it comes to my other senses. The high-pitched squeaking sounds distinctly like the wheels of my luggage. One glance down below to the ground floor confirms my suspicions. I see a white-haired woman entering one of the inn’s rooms with my green suitcase in tow!

CHAPTER 12

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