Page 73 of Love is an Open Book
But she still has that faraway look. “I just feel like I’ve stop-started this project so many times, I don’t know which way is up.” On impulse I stop and gather her into my arms, aware we’re in the middle of the path, but not caring much.
“You’ll find a way to make it work,” I say, holding her close. “You always have. And even if you don’t, you’re still incredible. One tough book isn’t going to define you.”
She wraps her arms around me, cheek pressed to my chest. “How do you always know the right things to say?”
“Remember that next time you come at me for my take on socks with sandals.”
She pulls away, eyes narrowed. “Sometimes a girl needs to run to the mailbox. Besides, you’ve got a lot of opinions on footwear for someone who didn’t understand why I needed a pedicure before the last premiere.”
“You weren’t planning to wear sandals with your gown,” I protest.
“Slingbacks,” she says, as if that explains anything.
We start strolling again, the sun fading as fireflies start to flicker in the shadows.
“This place is enchanting.” She squeezes my hand. “You’ve been keeping it a secret.” Her face is silhouetted against the evening sky, impossible to read.
“How did you know?”
“You haven’t looked at the map once, and this place is huge, yet you led me straight to this beautiful spot,” she says. We’re standing in front of a pond bordered with towering oaks, water lilies dotting the gleaming surface.
I take a sip of wine, embarrassed she caught on, but not surprised. “I brought Megan here once. Remember her?” Mia nods. We’d been dating for about six months, a long time for me. “She teased me about how cliché it was. ‘What a shock,’ she said, ‘the tree guy thinking a forest would be romantic.’”
“‘The tree guy’?” Mia looks affronted on my behalf.
“I’m paraphrasing. But yeah. The only thing she was really interested in was the hedge maze. I figured it would be fine since it’s open overhead. It wasn’t.” Even though I knew there was a way out, my mind refused to accept that. “After the first few turns, I told her she could go on without me but I had to head out. Explained how enclosed spaces were difficult for me.”
“That must’ve been hard to admit, considering you didn’t even tell me.” There’s no hint of accusation in her voice, just sympathy.
“It was, yeah. But she laughed it off. Said it would be good to face my fears. And maybe it would’ve been, but I didn’t want to.” Not with her.
“For what it’s worth,” Mia says, “I think human mazes are sadistic. Are we hamsters, or what?”
Grinning at her, I say, “To be fair, that’s also your stance on treadmills.”
“Rightly so.” She shakes her head. “I liked Megan, but it sounds like she showed her true colors.”
We follow the gravel path around the pond, watching a heron land in the shallows. “Since we’re sharing secrets,” Mia says, “I’ve been thinking about why I decided not to date friends. It wasn’t just because I was scared of losing them. It was because when I got rejected, I’d rather have been able to tell myself it was because they didn’t know the real me.”
Swinging our joined hands between us, she adds, “Guess it’s too late for us on that.”
I’m about to reassure her that she doesn’t have to worry about that with me when the bushes next to us start to rustle. I step in front of Mia, wondering whether a deer is about to leap out. Whatever it is, it’s bigger than a squirrel or raccoon.
“Uncle Gavin!” The shout comes a split second before my nephew catapults into my leg. A second later his brother tumbles out of the bush in a shower of leaves.
“Boo, scared ya!” Paxton announces.
I look around for their parents and sure enough, here come Scott and Amber on the path behind us. There’s no way they could’ve missed seeing Mia and me holding hands, but she lets go anyway, and I gulp down my disappointment.
Stooping, I let both my nephews give me a quick hug, then they’re off again, picking up rocks to throw in the water. Standing, I smile at my brother and sister-in-law. “Hey, Scott, Amber.”
Scott’s sandy brows lift, and he says to his wife, “Hon, you remember Mia. Gavin’s friend from college.”
Amber gives him a puzzled look. “Of course.” She goes in for a hug, but a shriek comes from off to our right and I turn to find Brett and Paxton tumbling in a wrestling match.
“Oh gosh,” Amber says, and jogs toward them. “Boys, cut it out!”
They break apart as she gets closer, and I turn my attention back toward my brother. “What brings you all the way out here?” The arboretum is a good three hours away from the farm.
