Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Juniper
I don’t know what I was thinking, saying yes to dinner with Fisher.
Not that I don’t melt every time he’s near.
I don’t find him any less attractive than I ever did.
But I know it’s heading nowhere, so why dinner?
He was just so cute with Riley at the diner.
I couldn’t help myself. And the way he fielded the question about him wanting to be my boyfriend was expert.
Being able to cope with awkward questions from an eight-year-old is an aphrodisiac I never knew existed.
“Are you ready?” Mom calls from the living room.
“Nearly!” I call back. It’s a lie. I can’t decide what to wear.
This is just a casual one-off date. I’m not about to date a guy who lives nearly two thousand miles away.
Or eighteen hundred forty-seven miles away—I looked it up on Google.
But I want to look nice. I want to feel attractive.
I want him to find me attractive. Most of my semi-nice clothes I wear to work.
And the ones I don’t wear to work are mainly covered in paint.
Lights flash across my bedroom window. Lights of a car. Of Byron’s truck.
Shit.
I pull on some jeans and a white camisole.
It’s casual. But maybe it’s too casual if we’re going up to the Colorado Club.
I pull off my jeans and top and grab the green dress I bought to wear to school, but haven’t worn yet.
It’s still casual enough for Pizza Meet Ya, but it could pass at the Club.
I think. I bend over, ruffle my hair and then flip back to standing. That will have to do.
I stumble out of my bedroom just as Fisher knocks on the front door.
“I’ll get it,” I yell.
But it’s too late. Riley and my mom are already opening the door. The last thing I need is for Fisher to be interrogated by my mom. She’s fiercely protective of me, and she has been the exact same way since I got pregnant. The first time.
“Come in,” Mom says. “Can I get you a drink?”
I practically sprint into the living room. “We can’t stop, Mom. We have reservations.”
As I’m talking, I lock eyes with Fisher. He looks… incredible. His hair looks like it’s still damp from the shower. He’s grinning from ear to ear at me, and it fills me with liquid joy.
I scan his body to make sure I’m not too off with what I’m wearing. His jeans skim his legs like they were tailored for him. And he’s wearing a white shirt, which lights up his face like he’s a movie star or something. He might be the best-looking man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“I’m not inviting him to spend the entire evening with us, watching Jeopardy,” Mom says. “I asked the man if he wanted a drink.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Fisher replies.
“My, I love your accent. Say something else,” my mom says.
I roll my eyes. Is my mom flirting with my date?
I press a kiss to the top of Riley’s head and scoot under Fisher’s arm. “Gotta go. Love you, sweet girl.”
I take the stairs down to the driveway like the house is on fire as Fisher says goodbye to Riley and my mom.
“Wow, you really didn’t want me to quench my thirst. That’s kinda mean,” Fisher says. My eyes widen, and he bursts into laughter. “I’m kidding. But really, you couldn’t get out of there quick enough.”
He opens the truck door for me.
“Believe me,” I say as I get in. “I saved you from a fate worse than death. I’ve not been on a date in nearly three years. My mom would have wanted to know your inseam measurement before we were allowed to leave if she’d convinced you to take a beverage.”
Fisher brings up his hand. “Hold that thought.” He shuts my car door, rounds the hood, and climbs into the driver’s seat. “You haven’t been on a date in three years? What the fuck is the matter with the men of Star Falls? You’re beautiful. And fun and—”
“I’m not interested in the men of Star Falls.”
“Surely, there’s got to be some good ones.”
“I grew up with all these guys. It kinda takes the edge off. Anyway, I’ve been focusing on Riley. With her dad moving away, it’s been tough on her. I didn’t want her to think I was going anywhere. I wanted to make things the same for her for a while.”
Fisher nods as we head along the road back toward the town.
“So, where are we headed?” I ask, trying not to ogle him as he drives. It’s just difficult.
His oh-so-hot forearms are on full display, and I can’t seem to look away. And the cut of his jaw? I swear, I should have brought a change of panties.
“We have a choice,” he says.
“A choice?” I repeat. “You know you’re in Star Falls, not New York City. We don’t have restaurants on every block.” I grin at him, and he turns his head.
“You’re so pretty,” he says.
The man makes me melt.
“You’re so pretty,” I reply.
He chuckles. “But seriously, we actually do have a choice. I didn’t book Pizza Meet Ya. I think that needs to go in a top ten somewhere for weird names for a pizza restaurant.”
“I’m pretty sure it already is.”
“But we can go there if the pizza’s good.”
“The pizza’s okay,” I say tentatively. “And we won’t need a reservation.” Honestly, I’d really prefer not to go to Pizza Meet Ya, but I might go just about anywhere with Fisher.
“We could head up to the Club. The owner owes me a few favors. We can go to any of the restaurants up there.”
“There’s more than one restaurant?” I ask.
Fisher just laughs, but I’m genuinely interested in the number of restaurants up there. How many restaurants does the place need?
“Or you could show me your favorite spot in Star Falls, and we could have a nighttime picnic. I’ve packed some food in the back.”
“You do?”
“I figured you might not want to go to Pizza Meet Ya because you’ve probably been a thousand times before. And the Club… well, Rosey will have her spies out, and I’m not sure how relaxing it would be if we had a full-on cheer squad in the corner.”
I laugh. “That’s true. She’s very enthusiastic about the two of us… being friends.”
Fisher nods. “Right. So, is there anywhere you think would be good for a picnic?”
“Absolutely,” I say. “The falls this town is named after. Take the next left.”
When we pull up to the parking spot for the falls, Fisher cuts the engine. “Is it weird that I didn’t expect there to be waterfalls here?”
“Why else would we be called Star Falls?”
“I think I thought it was about the stars. And that maybe there was a shooting star spotted.”
“Oh, we have a lot of shooting stars, too,” I say. “But the best place to see them is by the falls.”
Fisher unloads the fancy picnic basket from the back of the truck. There’s a separate bag that Fisher also carries. He won’t accept any help as we head toward the path.
“How long is the trek to see them?”
“You’re going to be severely disappointed if you were expecting a trek,” I say. “It’s about twenty yards behind the car.”
Fisher laughs. “Good. This basket is heavy.”
“Sure you can manage it?” I ask in an overly concerned voice. “Those weedy little arms are going to get so tired.”
Fisher tries not to laugh. “Thanks for the concern.”
I laugh. “Come on. It’s almost a full moon tonight, so it’s a perfect evening to visit the falls.”
They come into view, and even I can’t help but be struck by how beautiful they are. The water cascades over rocks into a pool below. It’s more than the trickle it can be sometimes. The moon reflects in the pool, making the black water glow.
“I haven’t been up here for ages.”
“I guess when it’s on your doorstep, you can take it for granted. But it’s beautiful.”
We find a place to sit. The ground is still warm from the sun, and we could sit right on the mossy grass, but Fisher has come prepared and brought a blanket.
“This is cute. Do you normally take women on picnics? In Central Park, maybe?”
“Hmm,” Fisher responds, straightening out the blanket. “Never been on a picnic date before.”
“Me neither,” I say. “Although I have kissed a couple of boys up here.”
“Oh, right? So, I have the ghosts of boyfriends past to contend with as well as the backdrop.”
“Right,” I reply. “I was sixteen, and a game of Truth or Dare meant my first kiss was with Johnny Radlett up here.”
“Lucky Johnny,” Fisher replies, and his eyebrows pulse up.
I can’t help but grin. Fisher opens the picnic basket.
“Holy shit. Who else did you invite?” I ask.
There is a ton of food in the basket. He brings everything out and sets it on the blanket like he’s arranging it for a photo shoot or something.
“It’s a feast,” I say.
There are three different types of salads, cold meats, pasta, smoked salmon. It’s like he went to a store and said, I’ll take one of everything.
He hands me a glass and pours out some white wine.
“A feast,” he repeats.
“You’re not telling me you got this all from the store in town?”
“No, I’m not. I can’t even take credit for picking it or packing it. I just told someone at the Club I was taking a beautiful woman on a picnic date and I wanted to impress her.”
Butterflies dance in my stomach at his compliment. Fisher impresses me just by standing there, but he does a nice line in compliments, too. I’m glad it’s dark, and he can’t see the heat in my cheeks.
“Well, color me impressed. But I’m not sure it’s the picnic that’s done that.”
Being with Fisher feels so different. I’m not used to guys who like talking to me about art or have experience living outside of Colorado.
“Tell me about life in New York,” I say.
Then I immediately regret it. Maybe I don’t want to hear about how great his life is outside of Star Falls.
Maybe I want to believe that he might stay a little longer than he’s planning to.
“Do you hate it?” I ask. “Because they say, once you come to Star Falls, nowhere will ever be as nice.”
He sees right through me and my one-woman marketing of Star Falls and laughs. “I don’t hate it. New York is… you can’t compare it to here. Star Falls is totally different.”
“We don’t have skyscrapers.”
“Right.”
“Or pollution.”
“Or the ability to get takeout twenty-four hours a day.”
“I’ll take clean air over twenty-four-hour takeout.”
Fisher chuckles. “You’re right. I guess what I mean is that New York isn’t just like any city. There’s a place for everyone there. You don’t have to pretend to be anyone because everyone is welcome.”
“Huh,” I reply. “That’s a really nice way of describing a place.”
“It’s true. New York is a cornucopia of the world. And that’s what makes it so fascinating. You never know who you’re going to meet.”
“That’s definitely not the case with Star Falls.” I can’t help but laugh at myself. “I definitely know who I’m going to meet on any given day. Or at least I have a good idea.”
“Have you known everyone in this town your whole life?” he asks.
“Pretty much. Some move away for college and come back. The odd ones leave completely.”
“You never moved away for college?”
I pause. Am I going to get into this with Fisher? I stare at him. He’s got the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. They’re warm and inviting. They make me want to share all my stories.
“I thought about going to art school. No, I didn’t just think about it.
I really wanted to go to art school.” I take a breath.
“I got accepted into a great program in New York. One of the best in the country. Even got a full scholarship.” I try and keep my voice steady.
“But I got pregnant just as my acceptance form was due.”
Fisher frowns. “With Riley?”
I shake my head. “No, not with Riley. I lost the baby at six months.”
It’s been a long time, and I’m past the devastation the miscarriage created. But I don’t think I’ll ever be truly over it. Every year on my due date, I want to shut myself away and cry. And paint. And cry some more.
“I’m so sorry,” he says, his eyes full of concern.
“It was tricky. And then all I was focused on was getting pregnant again. I wanted so desperately to fill the gap the miscarriage had left. I think I put too much pressure on myself, and I couldn’t get pregnant, but I couldn’t think about anything else.
Art school wasn’t a possibility then, even though I could have probably applied again and gotten in for the following year.
It wasn’t what I wanted at that point. I wanted a baby.
A baby to make up for the baby I’d lost. A baby to take away the pain. ”
Fisher sighs. “That’s tough.”
“Yeah, it was difficult. And I was young. Really young. It’s weird.
When you’re that young, you don’t realize how the decisions you make then can affect the rest of your life.
I didn’t really comprehend the impact of the decisions I was making back then.
Not that I regret any of them. Riley’s the best thing in my life, but having her meant I gave up the idea of having an art career. ”
Fisher just nods.
I smile up at him. “Our lives couldn’t be more different, right? Where did you go to college? Yale?”
“I’m not some trust-fund guy,” he says. “I’ve worked hard for what I’ve got.” He smiles at me. “Different lives—you’re right. But we have a lot of things that… overlap.”
Our gazes lock.
I can’t help it. Suddenly, I burst into laughter. “What are we doing?”
Fisher’s smiling at me like he seems to whenever I laugh. I’ve noticed that when I smile, he wears this expression, like watching me is making him smile, and it makes me feel warm and good, and I want more of it.
“Having a picnic by the falls,” he suggests. “Enjoying each other’s company. I like you, Juniper.”
I press my lips together, trying not to grin like I’m fourteen and my pop-star crush just told me he liked me. “I like you too, Fisher.”
“But you’re right, I’m not living here in Star Falls. It’s not like we can…”
“Turn into anything?”
“Right.”
I hold his gaze so he focuses on what I’m about to say. “But we can have fun and enjoy each other’s company while you’re here.”
His tongue darts out to lick his lips, and my cheeks heat.
“I’m sorry. I just don’t want to… I don’t want to pretend.”
I smile. “I like that about you, Fisher. No pretending.”
He nods.
I glance over to the falls. “You know what I’ve never done?”
“Tell me,” he says.
“I’ve never skinny-dipped at the bottom of the falls.”
Fisher’s eyes flare in the darkness. “Well, that seems to be a huge error of judgment. On your part and mine.” Without skipping a beat, he starts to unbutton his shirt, and then he stands. “Come on. What are you waiting for?”
“I think I need another glass of wine.”
“Chicken,” he goads, toeing off his boots.
“Well, I can’t have a fancy New Yorker tell me I’m chicken now, can I? Turn around so I can get naked.”
“Do I have to?”
“You absolutely do have to.”
He groans but does as I asked.
Turns out, there are some firsts left in my life. First time I’ve ever been on a picnic date, first time I’ve ever been on a date with a guy from New York, and the first time I’ve ever skinny-dipped at the bottom of the falls in Star Falls.