Page 57 of A Secret Chance
“No,” Baxter said. “I just don’t have the time anymore.”
“That’s sad. You were really good.” Lauren remembered admiring his strong forearms as he strummed his guitar for her. They continued walking in silence, the snow quickly filling in their footprints. They walked past the Sugar Peaks Café and the store where Baxter had bought her the sweater. They turned onto Acorn Street, the branches from the snow-laden trees hung heavily over the street, blocking most of the light from the streetlamps. Baxter rested his hand on her back, in a respectful, not proprietary touch.
“You’re probably right,” Baxter said.
“About what?” Lauren asked. She shivered and he slid his hand across her back, pressing his fingers into her side and squeezed her into him.
“I’m a spoiled brat.”
She smiled. “You are.”
They stopped in front of the gray bungalow with the forest green trim. “This is my house.”
“It’s cute.”
“That means small in real estate lingo, doesn’t it?” she said.
“Most of the time.” He squeezed her again. “But not now.”
There were three steps that led from the sidewalk to Lauren’s front walkway and she stepped up onto the first one and turned. “Thank you for the walk home.” She held out her hand and waited for him to shake it. He didn’t.
“I was thinking...”
Lauren lowered her hand.
“Maybe you could show me around town. Help me to understand what it’s like to live here. Help me to understand the common folk,” he grinned.
She swatted his arm. “Come on.”
“No, I’m serious. Make me see why I need to make the changes to the development. Lauren, if I can prove to the board that the changes make sense, they will listen to me.”
“Really?” Lauren raised her eyebrows.
“You wouldn’t be using me to get intel on how to dupe us commoners?”
“You’d have to trust me.”
The mountain of papers sitting on her desk weighed heavily on Lauren’s mind. She inhaled, thinking about Baxter’s proposition. “Okay.”
“Really?”
Lauren had quickly weighed the cost-benefit analysis of doing the paperwork versus potentially changing Baxter’s mind, and realized that all of their problems could be solved if she could just make him see how the Caldwell Creek project was going to impact the town.
“Really,” she said. “Don’t make me regret this.” she crossed her arms.
“You won’t.”
With Lauren on the step, they were exactly eye to eye. She offered her hand and he stared at her mitten; puffs of his breath filled the space between them. Instead of shaking her hand, Baxter gripped her arms and pulled her toward him, kissing her hard. Then just as quickly, he pulled back, his hands still holding her arms tightly. “Business starts Monday.” He winked and then walked away.
Lauren stood frozen as she watched Baxter walk away.
“Don’t do it,” she whispered to herself. She turned and walked to the top of the steps, opening and closing her hands into fists at her side. “Shit.” She muttered to herself and let herself turn back. Baxter was almost at the end of her street.
“Baxter,” she shouted.
He kept walking. She jumped down the stairs. “Brock,” she screamed. This time he heard her and turned. She couldn’t stop herself; her legs weren’t listening to her brain and she started walking towards him. Her heart started to race as he did the same, then she broke out into a run and flew into his arms.
