Page 69 of Small Town, Big Storm
My arms tighten and I inhale, taking the scent of her into my lungs.Committing it to memory.
Or no…it shakes one loose.
Poppy laughing with her friends as she walked by me on Gold Creek Beach wearing that tiny red bikini I loved so much.She’d tossed her hair, sending the scent of her up into the air.
“Vanilla,” I murmur.
She freezes against me, stops trying to do her best to take us both down to the ice.
“What?”
“You were wearing vanilla that day too.”
“Wh-what?”
“At the beach,” I murmur.“You were wearing a truly tiny red bikini and you walked by me and—” I inhale again.“You smelled like vanilla.”
She relaxes slightly.“That was the first day you noticed me.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
Her head tilts back, ponytail teasing my chin, strands catching on the stubble on my jaw.“It wasn’t?”
“I was tracking you for months, Pop.Hell, foryears.”I fight a smile.“Ever since you punched Donnie Roberts on the playground for being mean to Clover.”
“That was in first grade,” she whispers.
I just hold her eyes in answer.
“I…” It’s still a whisper, still awed.“I thought?—”
“Ithought you were beautiful.”
And untouchable.
And someone who could never be mine.
“Oh,” she whispers.
“Yeah,” I whisper back.“Oh.”
Her face changes, emotions rippling across her face, and doing it so quickly I can’t read them all.
Like she’s conflicted.
Like she doesn’t know whether to hate me or love me.
Well, not love, but?—
“That’s Cedar Hollow,” she murmurs.“Everyone knows everyone.”
“No,” I say.“It’s you.I wanted…” I shrug, tuck a lose strand of hair behind her ear.“That day I just got lucky enough that you gave me an opening.”
“No, it wasluckyyou were a good kisser,” she teases.
“Want to see how much better I’ve gotten?”
The words slip out before I can process how dumb they are, how risky…
