Page 64 of A Heart to Find
She had faith in him. In them. In love.
She perused herself in the mirror one more time, noting the flush in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes. Symptoms of thinking of Jared.
She smoothed her hair one last time and then grabbed her purse and went to meet him in the lobby.
Would the sight of him ever stop making her heart pound and her gut clench? How could he look so handsome in something as casual as jeans, a navy blue shirt, and an unbuttoned wool winter coat? Not to mention the look of pride on his face as she approached.
Pride in her.
“Ready for your surprise?”
He held his hand out to her, and she joyfully accepted, wrapping her fingers around his as they strolled together toward the door. The world looked different today. Heart décor around the lobby no longer blended in with the surroundings but lit up as if each dainty heart was encased in neon. Everyone around the lobby seemed to be smiling. She half expected the world to burst out in song and dance like the musicals she grew up watching with her grandmother.
She couldn’t stop herself from staring up into his square-jawed, movie star handsome face as they walked.
“You’re in a good mood this morning.” He returned her smile and, if she wasn’t mistaken, maybe even blushed a bit.
“I am,” she confessed.
“Is it because you’re insanely excited about the morning date I planned for us?”
She squeezed his hand and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment as they walked. “Something like that.”
The morning coffee and bagels they grabbed on the way to the date—which he still wouldn’t give her details about—tasted better than usual. The air smelled sweeter. The sun shined brighter. The barking dogs at the dog park they passed sounded melodic.
Happiness fit as snug and warm as the kitty footie pajamas she wore every year for her classroom’s pajama day.
And the knowledge that he knew he had hurt her once before and would never want to do it again helped her feel more secure than she dreamed possible.
Thanks, Nana.
“Almost there. Better finish that bagel.”
“Last bite.” She displayed the evidence before popping it in her mouth, delighting at the final taste of cinnamon swirl dissolving around her tongue. So delicious.
“All right. Here we are.”
She looked around at the various storefronts until her eyes settled on a colorful sign. “Ceramics painting? No way!”
“Throwback to our very first official date. I’m not sure if they’ll have any Hello Kitty merchandise, but if not I’m sure we can improvise.”
Moisture gathered in her eyes. She had never thought of him as the nostalgic type. Or the kind of guy to remember a date they had gone on when she was fifteen.
“Promise not to sabotage yours by ‘dropping’ it when you realized I was a much better painter?” Teasing him came so easily.
“I’ll promise, but I might have my fingers crossed behind my back. Just sayin’.”
Giddy at the chance to relive a happy memory from their past, she bounded into the studio with him close on her heels.
“I don’t see any Hello Kitty,” he said, his voice mournful and his eyes betraying his tone by lifting at the corners.
She twisted her lips and playfully glared at him. “Believe it or not, my tastes have changed a bit since my teens.”
She’d have to remember to hide her Hello Kitty pillow before he visited her house.
“In the absence of Hello Kitty merchandise, I propose we make these.” He spun around dramatically, revealing matching mugs. Each had a piece of bread with a smiling face and a hand that reached toward the other mug. “And we’ll make them say, ‘You’re the peanut butter to my jelly.’”
“Or maybe they could say, ‘You’re the jam.”
