Page 76 of Hoax and Kisses
My smile spreads easily. “Absolutely not. We’ll make sure she has the best time. Promise.”
“As long as it’s okay with Daph, I’m in.”
“Talk to her and let me know. I’ll confirm our presence once we know she’s on board.” I peer through the windshield at the cottage. “I should get going. It’s late.”
“Thank you for tonight,” he says. “I owe you a bouquet and a romantic dinner.”
I search for sarcasm in his voice but don’t detect any. As if he really is looking forward to the idea.
“As long as the romantic dinner doesn’t end up with me being left by myself in the middle of a park,” I say, opening the passenger door.
He laughs, the sound carrying me outside.
I collect my small bag and lean on the doorframe. “Bye.”
“Bye, Zoey. Sleep well.”
I head for the cabin, Matt’s gaze a phantom caress on my back the whole way. Is it wrong that I wish he’d walk me to the door? And even follow me inside? He’s nothing like I thought he’d be, and the more I learn about him, the more difficult it is to walk away. Day by day, all this time alone becomes more challenging.
My step falters.
I don’t even know what I want from him.
Sometimes, I think that simply having him by my side would fill the empty space in my chest that aches with loneliness. That everyday space where doing mundane things with someone is the best part of your day.
I wouldn’t know what it’s like. I’ve only read about it and seen it in the movies.
Jake and I never built a life together in my apartment. He moved in after a year, and even then, our schedules rarely lined up. I’d come home to the uncomfortable silence, him already fast asleep. Most mornings, I was out before he could stir awake.
What would it be like return from work to a house full of light? To push open the door and be greeted by the familiar sound of the person who makes that house a little warmer? The smell of a meal already in the making?
I want to know. I want to find out.
I’ve been alone all my life, and for the most part, I’ve been comfortable that way. I talked myself into believing that I didn’t need anyone to be whole, that loneliness was an inevitable consequence of the life I’d chosen, that I couldn’t have it all.
Work or love.
Success or a relationship.
Then Matt waltzed in, and I’m not so sure anymore. He makes me question so many of the beliefs that have been deeply rooted in me for years.
The hardest part of all is realizing that the solitude that once felt familiar has become unbearable.
When I glance back, I find him watching me through the windshield, his chin resting on top of his knuckles.
I give him a wave and slide the key into the lock. Only after the door closes and I let out a sigh does he pull away, his engine a low rumble in the night.
Chapter Eighteen
MATT
Ihaven’t seen Zoey in four days, but she hasn’t left my mind for a second during our time apart. Even through hectic mornings with Daph, frantic days at the store, and my new routine in the evening that keeps me busy until ten, there hasn’t been a moment when I haven’t thought about her.
I woke up early this morning, unable to wipe the grin off my face. Even Daph called me out on it when I dropped her off at before-school care, saying I was acting weird.
I’m not. I always like Wednesdays because it’s the Pine Falls weekly market, and this week, it just so happens that Zoey will be there to help me mind the stand. Pure coincidence. Not at all related.
Plus, I’ve been looking forward to a relaxing day at the market and catching up with my regulars.
