Chapter Twelve #2
“Thanks,” she says softly. “I hate this stupid boot.”
I glance down at it.
“I don't know.” My gaze returns to hers. “I'm kind of used to it.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. Neither of us looks away.
The world around us continues to fade into the background. There are footsteps on the sidewalk moving past us and the traffic lining the street. But all I can focus on is her.
I gently pull her a little closer waiting to see if she hesitates, but there’s none. I take advantage of our closeness and softly brush my lips against hers.
Her arms tighten around my shoulders, giving me all the answer I need.
I kiss her again, but this time it’s slower and deeper. And she kisses me back. It’s one of those that makes me forget where I am for a few seconds. In fact, I seem to forget everything. Hockey games, responsibilities, her ex- boyfriend showing up…
Her lips are soft, and the longer she's in my arms, the better I feel. I’m not sure how much time passes before we finally pull apart. Seconds, minutes—it could be either.
When I open my eyes, I suddenly remember we're standing in the middle of a public sidewalk.
People are walking around us, and some are watching us.
“Well,” I say, lowering my voice. “I guess we gave them a pretty good show.”
She giggles. “I hope they enjoyed it.”
I exhale slowly. “Well, I certainly did.”
Her smile widens. “So did I.”
I clear my throat trying to gather what's left of my composure. Isabella smooths a hand over her hair and lightly touches the corner of her mouth to fix her lipstick, although I’m probably wearing most of it now.
“So,” I say brightly. “Dessert?”
She laughs and nods. “Yes. Dessert.”
“I should probably hold your hand, though,” I suggest. “These sidewalks can be dangerous.”
“Good point,” she agrees.
She slides her fingers between mine. We continue toward Marlow’s as if we didn’t just make out in front of the whole town.
When we walk inside the shop, there’s a counter with red stools lining the room, and all the tables look full.
There’s also a second floor with tables along the banister.
The walls are covered with old photos, signs, and décor.
The air smells like cinnamon and ice cream.
Fifties music is playing from an old jukebox, transporting this place back in time.
“Table for two?” a girl asks from another table.
“Yes.”
“Grab the one in the corner,” she says. “That’s all I have right now.”
I don’t let go of Isabella’s hand as we weave through the tables and customers. We sit down at the tiny table that’s almost hidden in the corner.
“Okay, I’m obsessed,” Isabella says as soon as we sit down.
“Wow. Thank you,” I tease. “I mean I know I’m kind of a big deal.”
She gives an eyeroll while laughing. “I’m obsessed with this place. It’s definitely worth the drive.”
“But we haven’t ordered yet,” I remind her, picking up two menus and handing her one.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says. “This shop is perfect. I need to bring my family back here.”
I can’t help but feel proud of myself. It’s been a while since I planned a fun date, so I’m a little rusty.
“I’m glad you like it,” I say. “This was a good choice for this evening. I wouldn’t want to make you feel bad by beating you at mini golf.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Oh, I see we’re feeling extra confident all of a sudden.”
“Hi, welcome to Marlow’s. What can I get you to drink?” A server in a red and white striped dress asks.
“I’ll have a Diet Coke. And what do you recommend?” Isabella asks.
“Everything at Marlow’s is good,” she exclaims, as if we should already know this.
Hmm…okay that’s helpful.
“Water for me,” I say. “And we’ll look through the menu.”
“No problem.”
She walks away, and Isabella and I glance at each other. “So I guess we can’t go wrong with anything on the menu?”
The restaurant is loud and bustling with energy. I see two servers carry out the most massive ice cream sundaes I’ve ever seen.
“Whoa. Look at that,” she says. “Maybe we should share.”
“Let’s both order something different, and then we can share,” I suggest.
She grins. “That’s a great idea.”
We scan through the menu, and everything looks good, just like the server said.
“I can’t decide between the chocolate-on-chocolate sundae, or the Cheerful Cherry Chip sundae,” she wails.
“You could get both,” I tell her.
She gives me a horrified look. “Definitely not.”
I close the menu. “Okay, you get one, and I’ll get the other.”
“No, that’s not fair. You should get to choose your own dessert.”
“I did, and I’m perfectly happy with those two options. I’ve heard everything is good here.”
She eyes me curiously, and I go to reach for her hand, but the server returns with our drinks.
We place our order, and then suddenly four servers jump up on the counter and start performing a perfectly choreographed routine.
The whole restaurant starts cheering, and some people stand up and start dancing along to the music.
“Ugh. I want to dance,” Isabella wails. “I hate this boot.”
I stand up and reach for her hand. “Come on,” I insist. “I know it’s not the same, but you can lean on me while you dance on your good leg.”
She quickly gets up, and we move along with the music.
Even on one leg I can see how talented and graceful she is.
She’s practically beaming as we try to keep up with everyone around us.
I can’t wait to see her back on the dance floor.
And I’ll make every effort to see her perform live at some point.
The song ends, and everyone celebrates, giving each other high fives.
Isabella throws her arms around me. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how much my soul needed that.”
I tighten my arms, closing in the space between us. “It was my pleasure.”
I consider kissing her again, but I decide to pace myself.
After we sit down, I notice a distracted look on her face.
“Are you okay?”
She nods. “It just reminded me how much I miss dancing. And I think it finally hit me that everything is going to be okay. I’ve been feeling so down ever since the injury.”
I take her hand in mine. “Everything is going to be okay. You’ll be back on your feet before you know it.”
She moves her face closer to mine and kisses me. Now I’m glad I held back and let her make the next move.
“Thank you again for not taking off at the beginning of this evening.”
It’s my turn to kiss her. “Not a chance. I don’t scare that easily.”
Naturally the delivery of our massive desserts breaks up our close moment. And I’m sure of it now—this is the best date I’ve ever been on.