Page 99 of One Small Spark
“Seriously? Wait, wait.” She closes her eyes. “Let me picture it.”
I pull her against me, dancing my fingers along her sides until her squeals pierce my ears. “Don’t picture it.”
She squirms in my arms, shifting so her back is to my front in an effort to avoid my tickles. “But he was in the running for Sexiest Man of the Year!”
“Sadly, he didn’t get the votes.” I won’t tell her he was actually discouraged about that for months. But I guess when you’re used to winning the popularity contests, it’s hard to adjust when you lose.
She settles, relaxing against my chest. Leaning back, she rests her head on my shoulder, letting her legs float while I hold her to me across her upper arms. Her toenails are painted bright yellow, and her feet bob at the surface. She pulls them back under, no doubt protecting them from the breeze moving through the trees.
“I didn’t vote for him, FYI.”
“Who did you vote for?” Not that I actually want to know. The other contenders that year were three world-famous actors and a beloved pop star. All of them with clean-cut images, toothpaste commercial smiles, and throngs of adoring fans. Highly punchable types. I have no need to find out which is Wren’s favorite among the bunch.
She shrugs, wrapping her hands around my forearms. “I forget. Some lumberjack-looking dude probably.”
It’s a good thing she can’t see my smug face right now.
We relax for a while, listening to the waterfalls above us. She traces my tattoos, sliding her fingers along the trees, river, and mountains. Each touch is a gentle test of my control.
“Is this one for your grandpa?” she asks, running her fingertip over a mountain peak on my biceps.
“All the mountains are for him. He loved them. He would have disappeared into the mountains and built a cabin out there if it weren’t for my grandma.”
“Sounds familiar.” The affection in her voice wraps around my ribcage, holding tight.
“He was better with people, though. He loved having guests in the lodge and showing them all his favorite places in the canyon. Nothing made him happier than meeting strangers and turning them into friends.” He was the epitome of hospitality, something I could never achieve no matter how much I tried.
Most of the time, I don’t try very hard.
She slips her hand around my forearm to grip it. “You’re not bad with people. You’re just selective. You’re good with a few people at a time.”
“Maybe at my best with only one.”
She hums a happy little sound. “Wasn’t it hard for you to leave the lodge, though? The family responsibility must have weighed pretty heavily.”
“It did. Even after my parents encouraged it, I put it off. But Grandpa knew what I was feeling and convinced me to go my own way.”
“Find what you love and pour your whole heart into it.”
My only regret is that I didn’t act fast enough for him to see my shop open. He passed away while I was in the planning stages, but he loved hearing what I had in mind.
“That’s really special. Tess had to threaten to start her own business before Mom would let her even expand ours. I think Mom has a hard time seeing happiness for us outside of the family limits.”
That’s an interesting way of phrasing it. “Are you happy at the bakery?”
She stretches her legs, pushing closer against me. “I actually really love it. I like coming up with new recipes. Mom made that concession over the summer, too. So I get to experiment with flavors. And I like our customers. Some people are big fans of my work. I should tell you, I have a stalker. He comes in every week, desperate to see me and taste anything I’ve made.”
“Sounds like a man obsessed. What would his pie flavor be? Mud?”
She hesitates a moment, dipping those yellow-painted toes in and out of the water. “I think…something rich like chocolate silk. But with an unexpected crust, like crushed pretzel. And a bourbon cream topping to give it some kick.”
I’ve never been so flattered by a description of pie before.
“What’s your pie flavor?”
“A grapefruit custard. Almost too bitter to eat.”
I clutch her closer, instinct driving me to protect her from herself. “Is that really how you see yourself?”
