Page 63 of Wedding Season
They walked toward the water together, joy warming Mariella from the inside. It never ceased to amaze her how life continued to take unexpected turns. Sometimes even for the better.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HEATHERGOTOUTof the car in front of her tiny house a few hours later. “Enjoy managing those porta-potties,” she said to Mariella with a satisfied cackle. “Here’s hoping it’s not a hot weekend.”
“You are enjoying this way too much.” Mariella groaned. “It was pure luck that you got that last one. I had a huge fish on the hook.”
“But you couldn’t reel it in.” Heather held up her casted arm. “Even one-handed, I beat you.”
“Fine,” Mariella conceded. “You beat me. You are an expert fisherperson. Your dad would be proud.”
Heather’s features went soft. “I think he would be, too.” She looked past Mariella to Alex in the driver’s seat. “Thanks for dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow and don’t worry about what I talked about earlier with fitting in or friends at the office. I’ll get rid of the fake ID, and I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will,” he told the girl. She seemed to appreciate that as well, and there was a definite spring in her step as she headed toward the building.
“She doesn’t hate me anymore,” Mariella said, nodding. “I guess that’s a start.”
“I don’t think she ever hated you. She only wanted to hate you.”
“I’m not sure the difference matters, but I’ll take it. Tonight was fun. Thank you for helping me make it okay with her. Once again, I owe you.”
Alex blew out a breath. He’d had fun, and having Heather along had taken his mind off the actual reason he’d invited Mariella out with him in the first place.
Now that reason came crashing back.
“Would you like to come back to my place for a minute?”
“I need to get home.”
Frustration stabbed through him. He didn’t want the night to end. “Sure. That’s fine.”
He started in the direction of Mariella’s house.
“It’s Millie,” she said as he drove.
“Have I met Millie?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t think to introduce you the other night. She’s my goldfish.”
He kept his eyes on the road. “Oh.” That was an answer he hadn’t expected, and he felt his lips twitch.
“Don’t laugh at me,” she warned. “Millie gets lonely if I’m gone for too long. The store was busy, so I didn’t have a chance to run home and check on her over the lunch hour.”
He processed that. “You check on your fish?”
“Just because we had a good night together doesn’t mean I won’t kick your butt if you start giving me attitude about my pet.”
“No ’tude,” he promised. “I’m impressed that you keep an animal alive. It’s more than I’ve committed to.”
“Do you want to meet her?”
“Yes.” He parked in her driveway, and they walked up the front steps in companionable silence. “Why didn’t I see your fish the last time I was here?”
Mariella’s forehead puckered. “I moved her to the guest bedroom while I was sleeping in there. I needed the company.”
A feeling he didn’t dare put a name on stuttered through his chest at the vulnerability of that explanation. “Makes sense,” he said, keeping his tone measured. He didn’t want to push her away by making a big deal of it.
“Hey, sweet girl.” Mariella moved into the kitchen and gestured to the glass bowl on the counter. “Did you have a good day?”
