Page 62 of A Surefire Love
He longed to talk to her more—every day, multiple times per day. If he could, he’d become such a regular at her house that even the temperamental little rabbit wouldn’t shy away. He’d risk any threat David or anyone else mustered if he could feel her snuggled against him for a movie. And if he ever did kiss her, he suspected his imagination would fall woefully short of reality.
Did she find him even half so intriguing?
Confessing his feelings would risk the friendship, but pining silently would undermine the openness they’d established. Each time they talked, he craved more connection, and he was tired of inching along.
He had to make a move.
The corn maze funneled them around another corner. Hadley, Mercy, and Jasper ran toward the blazing orange dead-end sign, as if they couldn’t read it from ten feet back.
He needed a clear gesture for Blaze. Something as unique as she was. If only her fire-related nickname weren’t tied to painful memories, he could show up on her doorstep carrying a literal torch for her.
“Are you laughing at us?” Hadley stabbed her hands onto her hips. “You’re laughing at us.”
He raised his hands in innocence. He was laughing at a pun, and he didn’t need to give Hadley another reason to call him Dad.
Mercy assessed him, then pushed her thick bangs away from her glasses and looked down the path they’d just taken.
Jasper trudged back, retracing their steps. Hadley and Mercy giggled, then trotted past him and into the lead.
Anson fell into step beside Jasper. “So, how do you know Hadley?”
“School. She’s in my gym class. And science. And English.”
“That’s a lot of classes. Which one’s your favorite?”
“Science, I guess.”
It wasn’t much of an opening, but Anson took it by asking questions about the class’s subject matter. He appreciated that Hadley had invited Jasper, but if he had to guess, a crush was involved, and she was too nervous to interact with him. That or she’d just wanted the Rooted hoodie, which she’d immediately layered over the sweatshirt she’d arrived in. She had to be roasting on a nice day like this.
Anson and Jasper trailed the girls another ten minutes until, finally, Anson spotted the exit.
Mercy giggled. “Maybe it’s this way!” She turned away from the opening in the maze that showed a slice of the barnyard.
Hadley hopped to her side. “Yeah! Let’s go.”
Anson checked his watch. “We only have half an hour left. The longer we’re in here, the less time you’ll have to shop.”
The girls froze and looked at each other.
“Shop?” Jasper groaned.
“Let’s try this way!” Mercy sprinted for the exit.
As they stepped into the barnyard, Jasper fell to his knees and pretended to kiss the ground. Mercy’s laughter rose over the bleats of goats and the chatter of the other children filling the barnyard.
Hadley grabbed his hands and pulled him up. “Come on. My mom gave me money for a pumpkin.”
And the kids were off.
“Stay together,” Anson called after them.
“Okay, Dad!” Hadley waved wildly without looking back.
Goats and miniature horses nibbled treats and grass in a pen beside a barn-turned-craft-store. The white farmhouse served as a café. Pumpkins blanketed the lawn of the former home. He counted nine MOBC students and two leaders, meaning one leader and seven students were either in the corn maze or exploring one of the buildings.
As long as the kids stayed in pairs, they didn’t need a leader. Carter and his friend—one of the twins from the canoe trip—were the exception. Anson assigned them to stay with Ray, but Carter and his buddy slipped into the craft barn unattended. Anson followed at a distance. He didn’t think Carter would shoplift, but he hadn’t expected the student to drink on a youth group outing either.
While Carter and his friend tried on colorful knit hats they clearly had no intention of buying, Anson browsed the home décor. Would Blaze like any of this? A few nature scenes hung on her living room walls, and there’d been throw blankets and pillows on the couch and chair. But no knickknacks like they sold here. Papers and books covered most of the surfaces at Blaze’s. Where would she even put a ceramic pumpkin?
