17. Heath
When Gabby asked to watch a movie, and then let me hold her hand, the hope I’d been careful to keep contained took hold in my chest. There’s still a chance for us, I know it.
Heath:Interested in grabbing dinner with me?
It’s been a few days since the movie night, and it’s been too long. I want to be with her always. Hold her hand and kiss her lips. It had taken everything in me to keep from giving her a goodnight kiss. We aren’t there yet, but I hope we are soon. I’m staring at my phone, so I notice right away when the message goes from sent to read and the text bubble with the dots pops up.
Gabby:What are you thinking?
Yes! I’ve got a date!
Heath:How about I pick you up at six, and I’ll surprise you?
That’s a gamble. One thing I remember about Gabby is she does not like surprises.
Gabby:A surprise? [frowny face emoji]
I laugh. I knew she’d respond like that.
Heath:Please?
Gabby:Okay, but what should I wear?
A vision of Gabby in her prom dress pops into my head. Unrealistic, especially for what I have in mind.
Heath: Dress comfortably. Nothing too fancy.
I can hear the wheels turning in her head from here and it makes me smile.
Gabby:Okay, see you at six.
“You done texting your girl?” Hudson asks, tossing a paint roller at me. “We’ve got work to do.”
I laugh and tuck my phone into my pocket. “Yeah, yeah. We have one wall to paint before we’re finished with this project.” The Coffee Loft is now connected to the play center with a glass door separating the two spaces. We’re just finishing the paint and this job is done.
“Any idea why Bradley isn’t here today?” I ask.
Hudson laughs. “Man, you missed a show!”
“I did?” I ask, confused.
“Apparently the owner of the Coffee Loft really doesn’t like Bradley, and would only allow him to be on her side of the building for the door install.”
I shake my head. “No way, Aurora is too sweet for that.”
“I absolutely am not,” she says, coming up behind me.
“Sorry,” I say, blushing.
She laughs. “It’s okay. Bradley and I go way back, and he was a bully when we were kids. I’d rather not deal with that.”
“Really?” I ask. “That surprises me.”
She puts one hand on her hip and pins me with a look that I’m sure would kill if looks really could. “Oh, really? Everyone said he was only mean to me, so I suppose you wouldn’t understand.”
“Why would he be mean to you?” I ask, truly confused. “I don’t get it.”
“I have no idea. You’d have to ask him,” she says before walking away to help a customer.
Hudson busts out laughing. “That wasn’t awkward at all!”
“Nope,” I say. “Back to work.”
At four o’clock, we wrap it up. The paint is finished, and as long as no one touches it until it’s dry, that should be the end of this project.
“Any idea what’s next?” I ask Hudson as we clean up our mess.
“I think Bradley said something about a vet’s office going into the old bank building, but I’m not sure.”
That would be good. For as long as I can remember, people have been driving their pets forty-five minutes into Lost Creek to the large animal vet there. Having one closer would be great.
“All right,” I say, once we are all cleaned up. “I’m out of here.”
“Big plans?” Hudson asks, a knowing grin on his face.
“Yep,” I say, grinning from ear to ear.
“Good luck, man.”
“Thanks,” I say, surprised that he’s not giving me a hard time. “See you tomorrow.”
I pull into Gabby’s driveway at 5:55. I didn’t want to be late. I just hope she likes what I have planned.
I wait in the truck until just before six, then get out and walk up the steps to her front door and knock.
The door swings open, and I almost swallow my tongue. “You look beautiful,” I say when I find my voice. Gabby’s in a cream-colored sweater, a pair of jeans that fits her just right, and brown knee-high boots. The girl I left that summer has grown into a beautiful woman, and she’s going out with me. Wow.
“Thanks,” she says shyly. “Can I know where we are going yet?”
I shake my head and wait for her to lock her door. I walk her to the truck and open her door, helping her inside. “You’ll see soon,” I say, closing her door.
A few minutes later, we’re driving down the road, and Gabby is guessing every two minutes. “Nope,” I say again.
Finally, we get where we are going and I pull into the parking lot.
“Pizza and Playtime?” she asks. “Really?”
Oh no! I was hoping this would be fun. “We can go somewhere else if you’d rather.” I shrug, trying not to let her see my disappointment. It’s been forever since I’ve been to an arcade. It hadn’t seemed fun without her by my side.
“Oh, no! If you’re up for getting beat at Skee-Ball, that is.” She grins and opens the truck door. “If you recall, I’m the best at that game.”
Relief floods me. “Who says I haven’t gotten better over the years?” I ask, meeting her at the front of the truck.
She raises an eyebrow and stares me down. “I’ll take my chances,” she says, smiling.
“Before we go in . . .” I say, hesitating. “Where do we land on holding hands?”
She smiles and a blush blooms on her cheeks. “I think that’s okay.”
“Are you sure? People will talk.” I hold my breath, wishing on every star I’ve ever seen that she’ll say it’s okay.
“I know,” she says, shrugging. “I don’t want to hide. If that’s okay? If we are dating . . . Are we not dating?” she asks.
“No, we’re definitely dating,” I say, taking the in she gave me.
“Okay, then, we’re dating, and I don’t want to hide that.”
I link our fingers together and draw her hand to my mouth, placing a kiss on the back of it. “That sounds perfect.”
I open the door and let her walk in ahead of me. At the counter, we place our order and get our game tokens. “Ready for me to beat you at Skee-Ball?” Gabby asks.
“Are you sure you want to start there?” I ask.
“Absolutely,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the back corner where the game is set up.
It doesn’t take long to see she’s still more skilled at this game than I’ll ever be. After she beats me three times in a row, I raise my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. You are the undisputed winner!”
She cheers and hugs me. Holding her in my arms feels so right, I don’t want to let go, but the buzzer for our food goes off in my pocket.
“Food’s ready,” she says, stepping back and pointing at my pocket.
“I’ll get it, you want to find us a seat?”
She leans in and kisses my cheek. “Thanks for being a good sport,” she says, then walks away to get a table.
I head to the counter to pick up our pizza and drink cups before joining her at a booth in the back of the dining area.
“I hope you’re hungry,” I say, setting the pie on the table. “I forgot how big these pizzas are.”
“I’m starving. Seems winning makes me hungry,” she teases.
“Uh-huh, rub it in,” I say. “What would you like to drink?”
She opts for diet cola, and I head to the drink station to fill up our cups and grab some plates.
A few minutes later, we are on our second slice, laughing and talking like we used to. “I’ve missed this,” I say, taking her hand in mine.
“Me too.” She smiles and leans forward a bit.
I’m leaning in to kiss her, my heart racing and my palms sweating like they did that spring when we shared our first kiss. Gabby closes her eyes as she leans in toward me, and I sigh. I’ve dreamed of this kiss for years. I feel a lock of her hair brush against my cheek, and her hot breath mingling with mine. Our lips are almost touching . . .
“Well,” Mrs. Govney says loudly. “I see you two are finally together. I must say, though, Heath, I expected you to retire from the Army, not quit.”
“Hello, Mrs. G. It’s nice to see you, too,” I say. “I came home because it was time.”
She shakes her head and gives me the same look she used to give me when I was caught in the hallway after the bell rang. “Mm-hmm.”
“Well, this was lovely,” Gabby says, sliding out of the booth. “I think we have another game to play. It was nice seeing you again, ma’am.”
She pulls my hand, and I slide out after her. “I’ll be sure to tell Mom you said hi.”
With that, we walk away from the grumpiest woman I’ve ever known. And I’ve known some grumpy women.
“Good grief,” Gabby says, moving to the air hockey table. “You’d think it was her mission to make everyone miserable or something.”
I laugh. “She’s good at it.”
“Want to try your hand at air hockey, or are you tired of losing?”
I won the first round. Then lost the next two. “Okay, I think I’m done losing for the night,” I say. “Ready for the next part of our date?”
“Next part?” Gabby asks.
“Yep, we have one more stop to make.” I grin. “And before you even ask, no I’m not telling you.”
Fifteen minutes later, we pull up in front of the abandoned Dollar General on the far side of town. It’s been converted to a temporary “Spooky Halloween” store, as the banner strung above the entrance proclaims.
“What are we doing here?” Gabby asks.
“I figured you’d like to see if there’s anything new to add to Gram’s collection. My treat.”
Her mouth drops open. “You remembered?”
I take her hand in mine and lean over to place a kiss on her cheek. “I remember everything,” I remind her.
Gabby takes her time walking up and down each aisle in the store before finally settling on a pumpkin that blows up and has lights inside it. “I don’t want anything too scary,” she says.
“It’s perfect,” I say, taking the box from her. “Anything else?”
She shakes her head. “I’ve already got haystacks and the candy.”
I’m not surprised. Gabby’s always prepared for the holidays. “Should we pay then?”
She nods and takes my free hand as we walk to the register. I could get used to this.