Page 21 of Hang the Moon
When she held her hand out for her phone, he lifted it out of reach. “Got to make sure they turned out.”
He swiped, chuckling when his gum-covered face appeared. He swiped once more and the last picture she’d taken flashed across the screen, a shot of Trafalgar Square at dusk.
“London?” he asked, passing her the phone.
She nodded.
“What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled?”
She slipped her phone inside her bag and grabbed her drink off the ground. “Are we talking for work or in general?”
“In general.”
“Hmm. That’s tough, but I’d have to probably go with France.”
“Paris?”
She shook her head. “Paris is beautiful, but I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in Provence during lavender season. It was all rolling fields of purple flowers and the air smelled amazing. I slept with the windows open.”
His eyes crinkled. “That sounds beautiful. And it makes me think of this little town, Sequim, that’s nottoofar from here. It’s known as the ‘Lavender Capital of North America.’ It’s where most of the lavender at the market comes from.”
That sounded—and, no doubt, smelled—amazing. “I wish I were here longer. I’d love to see it.”
He smiled. “Well, you’ve been to Provence, so...”
She laughed. “Itwaspretty unparalleled. The views were breathtaking.” She sidestepped what appeared to be a fresh wad of gum, not wanting to ruin her shoes, and her arm bumped his gently. “How about you? What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been?”
With a chuckle, he ran a hand across his jaw. The way he glanced at her from the corner of his eye seemed almost bashful. “It’s... well, it’s not Provence.”
She bumped him with her hip. “Come on. Tell me.”
“It’s...gah.” He covered his face. “You’re going to laugh.”
She did, but only because he was making a big deal out of it. “Does it have a funny name? Is it, like, Wank, Germany? Or Bendova, Czech Republic? Intercourse, Pennsylvania?”
He threw his head back and laughed loudly. “No.”
Then it couldn’t be that bad.
“Okay.” He calmed down, clearing his throat. “It’s Tomorrowland.”
Tomorrow... “Disney?”
A flush crept up the side of his jaw as he stared straight ahead. “Yup.”
Her smile grew. “Brendon.”
“I know, Iknow. It’s ridiculous that you’ve traveled to all these amazing places and my favorite place on the planet is Disneyland.”
That wouldn’t do. She poked him in his very solid arm. “I’ll have you know, Space Mountain is my all-time favorite roller coaster. I used to think—well, I still do—the asteroids looked like giant chocolate chip cookies.”
His eyes widened. “I love Space Mountain. As soon as I wastall enough to ride, I made Darcy ride it with me over and over again. She got so sick of it.”
“I could never get sick of Space Mountain. I love roller coasters.”
“Yeah?” His smile grew and he nodded his head to the right. “I’ve got an idea. Let’s go this way.”
She followed him deeper down the alley and around the corner. He stopped in front of a long wooden pier and pointed up at a giant Ferris wheel. “It’s no roller coaster, but it’s close.”
