Page 19 of Fall With Me
“Possibly.”
Finn turns to me, his bottom lip jutting out. “That means no.”
I prop up on my elbows. “You can play with Champ. My grandparents don’t have the energy to take him out as often as he needs. Champ would love the attention.”
Finn’s face lights up like I just told him it’s Halloween. “Really?” He turns to Dawson. “Dad, can we come back tomorrow?”
“You have school and homework. Maybe we can come back another time, though.”
Finn frowns.
“How about you keep playing with Champ while your dad and I finish picking apples?”
Finn wraps his arms around Champ’s neck, burying his face in Champ’s fur. “Okay. Can we get lunch soon? I’m hungry.”
Dawson holds his hand out to me, offering to help me off the ground.
Placing my hand in his, I’m wholly unprepared for the sparks zipping up my nerve endings. I like the way my skin warms and how my palm is safely enclosed in Dawson’s.
But Ican’tlike it. Dawson has a kid and that’s a no-fly zone.
Dawson stares at our entwined hands. His brow furrows for a second before smoothing out again. Pulling, he yanks me to my feet with little effort on my part. I’m standing close to him now. Close enough, I catch a hint of a fresh, clean scent. Like he hung his shirt on a clothesline and the sun warmed the fabric. The smell is gentle, but addicting.
Back in college, I dated a guy who used half a bottle of cologne every day. I always had a headache after going out with him.
Breathing in deeply, I relish the apples, grass, and Dawson’s laundry-fresh scent. If I could bottle this up and smell it every September, I’d die a happy woman.
Dawson clears his throat, dropping my hand at the same time. “We should get back to picking.”
Right, yes, apples. Not me luxuriating in how he smells. “Yes, we need to finish up,” I say, brushing the grass off my backside. Completely confused again over my body’s reaction to Dawson.
Dawson grabs the half-empty basket he set aside earlier, dragging it under the back of the tree where we haven’t gotten to yet. “Carter invited us again next weekend to the game, but for your sake, I declined.”
What? “You didn’t have to do that.” After soaking my shorts in stain remover overnight, they’re as good as new. My shoes didn’t make it though. I’m sad about those.
“We’re still settling into our house, and we came here today. I don’t want to wear Finn out by doing too much at once, you know?”
No, I don’t know what it’s like having a kid and being aware of what they can or cannot handle. And I never will. “I hope if Carter offers again, you’ll accept.”
Dawson snorts. “Yeah, sure. Getting soda spilled all over you is exactly the way you want to spend your next game day.”
I duck under the branches until Dawson’s face is fully in my line of sight. I need him to see the sincerity in my expression when I say, “You need to let it go. I promise I’m fine.”
“All right. Consider it forgotten.” Dawson picks another apple. “Finn may need to come with me for a lot of our festival planning. Is that okay?”
Before this morning? Absolutely not. Now? It’s fine. “No problem. As long as you stop acting like being around him is a burden. He’s a good kid.” Just clumsy.
“He is. But…”
Why is he hesitating? “Spill it,” I demand.
“Um… Well…I don’t trust easily.”
Ah. There’s a story behind that. “How come?”
He stares at the perfectly shaped green apple in his palm.
“If I’m diving too deep, you don’t need to answer.”
