Page 28 of Playing for Keeps
10
CAROLINE
Thirteen Years Ago
Caroline counted her steps around the car one more time. Holding the phone to her ear, she gazed down the road. Still no sign of Justin’s truck.
“What do you have planned this time?” Skye asked on the other end of the call.
“I don’t know. He said it was a surprise.”
She’d been “dating” Justin McKinnon for all of a month now, and it was hard not to be stingy about the time she got with him. They’d met when he was home for Christmas, but as soon as January hit, he’d gone back to school. College.
As much as she loved that he’d found a way tocontinue his education without having the money to afford it, being away from him was a constant trial. Add in baseball practice and games—home and away—that she didn’t get to attend, and they practically clawed their way to each other any chance they got.
Skye crunched on a snack on her side of the conversation. “How long is he home this time?”
“Just the weekend. I already asked for time off at the bakery.”
“Wow. Color me surprised. Caroline Taylor doesn’t want to go to work.”
“Shut up. You know I’ll be back first thing Monday morning.”
“Oh, I know. With bells on,” Skye added.
It wasn’t that much of a competition. Baking was her passion, but Justin was… a shooting star that rushed into the night sky, causing her to stop everything she’d been doing to stare at the beauty. She was drawn to him on a cellular level. Maybe this was the chemistry people always talked about. They’d bonded instantly, and now he knew her better than anyone, except maybe Skye.
She didn’t even know what to make of it just yet. He’d consumed her entire world since they met.
Dragging her boots through the tall grass on the side of the road, she turned to make another lap around the car. They’d been meeting up on some of her family’s land just outside of town, but this timehe was coming all the way from college. She double checked her screen to see if he’d sent another text. Nope. Same from half an hour ago.
Justin: See you soon, sweetheart. I’m getting close.
Close was a relative term, and apparently, he wasn’t close enough for Caroline’s interpretation.
“Are you going to say the L-word this time?” Skye asked.
There it was—the burning in her middle whenever she thought about loving Justin. It was too soon, wasn’t it? They’d just met.
But it was true anyway. She loved him, and she knew it just as sure as she knew the sun rose this morning. “I don’t know. I’m scared.”
“Yeah, I’d be scared too,” Skye deadpanned.
“Skye! You’re not making me feel any better.”
“Well, you should have thought about that before you rode off into the sunset with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.”
Rode off into the sunset. Now, there was an idea. If she followed him back to university, they wouldn’t have to be apart anymore.
The roaring of a diesel engine drifted over the horizon. It had to be him. No one else had a reason to come down this dead-end road.
“I gotta go. He’s here.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn't do!” Skye said as the call ended.
Caroline pocketed her phone and shook hersweaty hands out in the cool air. There wasn’t a reason to get worked up. This was Justin.
Heaven to biscuits, this wasJustin—the man she loved more than she ever thought herself capable of loving, and he didn’t even know it.
