Page 63 of The Heart Shot
Racing back inside, I grabbed my phone, settled on a barstool at my peninsula, and pulled up the text thread with Jameson.
me
Thank you for breakfast : )
It only took seconds for him to respond.
Jameson
You’re welcome. I wanted to give you a reason to smile : )
Me
You definitely did.
Jameson
Good. You have a beautiful smile.
I wasn’t sure how to respond—nor could I remember the last time a man had given me that kind of compliment.Getting compliments from Ben had been like pulling teeth, which always made me self-conscious and insecure.
When a minute passed without me responding, my phone buzzed with another message.
Jameson
Do you have plans tonight?
Was he already wanting to have the third date? My mind instantly went into a downward spiral of worst-case scenarios. Maybe last night had told him all he needed to know about me, and he wanted to get the last date over with so he could wipe his hands of me.
That was fine. Better for me in the end. I was already getting too attached.
But why did the thought of parting ways after our last date fill me with an aching loneliness that brought tears to my eyes?
Jameson
It’s not our official third date, but I’d like to see you tonight.
And just like that, my tears transformed into a smitten grin, vanishing all those doubts having a rager in my mind.
Smart Elsie was screaming at me to say no, to keep my distance, to keep myself safe, but being near Jameson was as addictive as a drug, and I wanted another hit. So, instead of telling him we should wait to see each other for our final date, I texted back:
Me
I’m free. What did you have in mind?
Jameson
For the record, going to a beach at the height of fall was probably not the smartest decision. The wind coming off the water was icy, biting beneath my layers, despite the lingering warmth of the sun. The local beach, Meridel’s Tide, was deserted, though the sun warmed the sand enough that I took my shoes off to walk barefoot.
In one hand I carried an enormous blanket and two giant hoodies and, in the other, a big basket full of hot foods perfect for such a chilly day. Only a fool would have a picnic on a windy beach on a cold fall day, but that’s what Elsie had turned me into. A fool in—
Nope. Don’t go there, Jameson.
I let out a sigh. My feelings for Elsie had grown fast, much faster than I’d ever experienced. I was certain that if I revealed the depths of them to her, she would run and never look back.Iwas resisting the urge to run. We had only known each other for a few weeks now, but every time I walked away from our time together, I had fallen a little bit more.
Falling was scary. Falling was dangerous.
It was like sliding down an enormous water slide not knowing if there’d be a pool of water or concrete at the bottom. One had the power to save, while the other had the power to destroy.
