Page 160 of The Maxwell Brothers
“Seven years ago.” And I missed her every day.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks.” I racked my brain for a way to change the topic. “So, as I said, I’m not much of a romantic, but I do believe in soul mates. I just don’t think they necessarily meet, at all.”
“Soul mates?” he asked on a laugh, clearly taking my cue about changing the subject. “Can’t say I’m a believer. What happened after you ended things with Peter?”
I appreciated the way he phrased it: “afteryouended things,” not “after he dumped you.”
“That was two years ago. In the meantime, I’ve been on maybe three dates. That includes the one you’re going to take me on,” I said boldly. Peter was in the past, and I’d wasted enough time thinking about him and what I might have done wrong and why I hadn’t been enough. I was probably lucky it was over.
“Fuck yes, I will.” He stopped walking, cupping my face with both hands. “I promise I’m an excellent date.”
“I’m counting on it, Mr. Goalie. I’m not sure how you can make me swoon or heat up more than you already have at this point, but?—”
“I’ll do my very best.”
After a few minutes of walking, Tyler looked around, frowning. Then he glanced at the map on his phone.
“We got lost, didn’t we?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
I burst out laughing. “I thought you were good with maps.”
“I am… when I’m not focused on you. I’ll figure it out.”
We arrived at the edge of the property where the restaurant was twenty minutes later. My face was frozen, but my body was heated up from all the walking.
Lamps lit the path leading up to the restaurant on either side, but I still felt a bit on edge while walking.
When I stepped inside The Bear a few minutes later, I gasped.
"Holy shit." Therereallywere stuffed animals, as Tim called them, everywhere, but I stood corrected. They weren't creepy—they were downright scary. They looked so lifelike that it was hard to believe they weren't alive. The restaurant seemed to love bears the most because they were mounted everywhere.
Tyler and I walked side by side to the table where our group was. The kids were talking about what costumes they wore for Halloween two days ago.
“Tyler, you’re here. We thought you forgot about us,” Tim said.
“Of course not, buddy.”
“Hmm, I don’t believe you.”
“Kendra here can vouch for me, right?” He turned to me. “I’ve been on my best behavior, haven’t I?”
I felt my ears heat up. “Yes, you have been.”
A behavior I was liking very much.
CHAPTER 11
TYLER
"Tyler, can we play Twister?"Tim asked as soon as we got back to the cabin.
The honest answer was no. All I wanted to do was go upstairs with Kendra. But Tim was looking at me with huge eyes. It was a tactic kids often used; I knew it from Paisley. I'd always assumed it worked on me because she was my niece, but no, it seemed to work generally, because I suddenly couldn't tell him no.
"Sure. Who else wants to play?" I asked loudly.
