Chapter 28 #3
We buckle in and wait for directions.
“Ready for this?” Max calls, laughing.
“I’m ready to win.”
“We’ll see about that,” he says with a grin.
The carts ahead of us finally move, and Lila and Ashley putter around the course. I immediately slam my pedal down and weave around them. So much for Lila’s challenge.
Not long after, another cart edges up beside me.
I glance over to find Max grinning.
At the first curve, I take the turn wide so he can’t pass me on the outside. We keep up the battle lap after lap, and I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in years.
By the time they wave us back into the pit, my stomach hurts from laughing and tears are stinging my eyes.
“Are you okay?” Max asks as he climbs out.
I grin at him. “Absolutely. That was one of the funnest things I’ve done in a long time.”
“I’m glad you did it,” Max says. “That was pretty fun. I think I came out as the winner, right?”
Spinning to look at him, I say, “Excuse me. You passed me once, but I was able to navigate that turn to get back the lead.”
We’re walking out of the exit, and I feel his hand on the small of my back. It’s light, protective, and only makes me like him more. Curt wasn’t great at the small touches.
A couple of carts struggle to get back into the pit, and the workers hurry to help. I love watching this town come together to support one another.
“Can we go get ice cream?” Lila asks.
“From where?”
She shoves a paper in front of my face. “The new place down the road. Something about Salty Sand or something.”
I frown. “That sounds about as bad as our original coffee shop name.”
Max laughs. “That’s for sure.”
Lila rolls her eyes. “Can we go?”
“Sure. I’ll catch up in a minute.”
“Why don’t we all go?” Aiden asks.
I’m not sure why I hesitate. Maybe because spending this much time with Max feels dangerous. I enjoy being around him a little too much. There’s always that tiny what-if whisper in the back of my mind.
What if I could survive a long-distance relationship? What if this could work?
Then reality crashes back in. We’ve never even been on a date. We’re just friends, and I don’t exactly have many of those right now.
We start walking down the road, with Lila and Ashley racing ahead of us. Aiden awkwardly speeds up while the rest of us try to avoid bumping elbows on the narrow sidewalk. Max slows slightly, letting Talia walk beside me.
“That was actually fun,” Talia says.
I look at her, fully expecting sarcasm, but there’s a small smile on her face.
“Right? I didn’t realize go-karting could be that entertaining.”
“It depends on who you race against,” Max calls from behind us. “If you’re just driving around, it gets boring. But racing someone makes it fun.”
“That’s true,” Talia agrees.
“Did you race Aiden?” I ask.
“Absolutely. And I destroyed him.”
I bite back a laugh because she says it with such complete seriousness.
We make it to the Salty Sand ice cream shop, which smells of vanilla and fresh paint. After getting our free cones, we wander onto the boardwalk.
I haven’t really experienced this part of town yet because it’s been cold, but now the ocean breeze feels perfect. The mix of teal and deep blue water is beautiful, and I still can’t believe we live this close to the beach.
“It’s so beautiful,” I say quietly.
“Yes, it is,” Max says. “Not everyone gets to walk a few steps and end up at the beach.”
I laugh. “Maybe not you, but this is my life now, and I definitely can’t complain.”
“That’s fair.”
Lila finishes her cone first and studies the weekend pamphlet.
“What’s next?” I ask.
“There’s supposed to be a cookout. It says potluck, so we should probably bring something, right?”
I immediately start mentally inventorying my fridge.
“Why don’t we just go to the store and grab something?” Max suggests. “That’ll be easier.”
“True,” I admit. “But also, not free.”
He laughs. “You know you originally paid for the food already in your house, right?”
I laugh harder. “It’s girl math, Max. If it’s already in my house, it’s basically free.”
“Okay,” he says, raising his hands in surrender. “I’ll leave that logic alone.”
I sigh dramatically. “Actually, the grocery store does sound easier.”
“Lead the way.”
“You’ve been here a week and still don’t know where the grocery store is?” Lila asks him.
Max chuckles. “Hey, I’ve been there, but I’m surviving off diners, restaurants, and cafés. People have been making my food for me here.”
Lila sighs wistfully. “I wish I had your life. Not that Avery’s a terrible cook, but sometimes I get tired of eating at home.”
I laugh and let it slide.
“Not exactly what I imagined when I pictured life at twenty-eight,” I say.
Lila thinks for a second. “Oh yeah. I forgot you were almost a teenager when I was born.”
“That is not true. I had been a teenager for six months when you came along.” Lila and I stare at each other for several seconds before we break into smiles.
“So…grocery store?” Aiden asks uncertainly.
We all nod.
Something about this strange little group makes me smile. We don’t exactly make sense together, but somehow, it works.