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Her features go from confused to relieved. She gets up as well, albeit much more gracefully than me. “Was that meeting tonight? Good thing you didn’t forget.”

“Wait, Frank has asked you two to come into work at eight thirty in the evening?” Maggie asks. “Why?”

She knows something is not right. The park closed at five, and I’m only required to work late when there’s a parade, which is only twice a month.

“I’m afraid I can’t disclose that information. I promised Frank I wouldn’t share any specifics. It’s top-secret amusement park stuff.”

“Sorry,” Elle says. She throws her napkin down and grabs her bag. She looks just as eager to get out of here as me. “Well, have fun, you guys. Thanks for an interesting evening.”

We head out, the doors of the diner closing behind us before anyone can stop us.

Twenty minutes later, Elle and I are on my bike, making our way to The Magic Wonderland. I figured our lie would be easiest to maintain if we actually went into work, even though I know the place will be deserted. Right before we left, I sent a message to Frank telling him I had forgotten something in The Village and that he doesn’t have to be worried when he gets notified that someone turned off the alarm system.

I’ve never brought a girl here. Heck, I don’t even have anything planned as it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

I park my bike right at the park’s entrance and shut down the engine, then help Elle get off. We’re both smiling sheepishly. Man, I should’ve thought this through. Now what?

Chapter Fifteen

Elle

The Magic Wonderland looks creepy in the dark. I’m glad Colton is here because I wouldn’t dare to step one foot inside the gates without him.

He looks confident, and that puts me at ease. Part of me desperately wants to ask if he’s ever been here on a date with another girl, but that would make me come across as an envious person—which, truth be told, I would be if I found out that yes, he does take girls here on the regular. In order to protect myself, I think it’s best to steer away from that topic altogether. I strongly believe that in this case, ignorance is bliss.

We have only exchanged a handful of words since running out of the diner and the tension between us is so palpable, I can hardly contain myself from grabbing his shirt and planting my lips on his while roaming my hands along his back.

“Is that okay with you?” he asks.

“Huh?”

With all this fantasizing about pulling him close, I haven’t heard a word he said. I look at him and there’s that smile again. The one that makes me all mushy and warm inside.

“Do you want to head in and walk around for a bit?” he repeats.

“What a delight that would be.”

I cringe. Even I am not sure why sentences like these erupt from my subconscious when Colton is near. One moment I sound like a rapper, the next I’m a lady in a historical romance novel, and then there are times when my brain doesn’t even work properly and no words at all come out. I take a deep breath in. Pull yourself together, Elle. You’re at The Magic Wonderland with Prince Charming himself. The park is deserted. The possibilities are endless.

Okay, those thoughts aren’t calming at all. If anything, they make my pulse race even faster.

“So, you come here often?” I ask.

Colton laughs and I’m not even offended. I would laugh too if he said something stupid like that to me.

“Are you okay?” he asks, studying my face.

I nod furiously. “I am. I’m sorry, I’m just nervous.”

He puts his hand on my shoulder and slowly lets his fingers trail down to my elbow, then my wrist, until he reaches my hand. Feelings of pure joy rush through me. There could be a zombie apocalypse happening right now and I wouldn’t even notice.

He entangles my fingers in his and lets his lips caress mine. “You’ve got nothing to be nervous about, Elle. Let’s enjoy the evening. Just the two of us.”

“Uh-huh.” It comes out as a low murmur.

Colton disables the alarm system and the gates to the park swing open. He flips some switches, causing some of the streetlights along Main Street to come on. The rest of the park is bathed in moonlight, casting a romantic shadow everywhere I look. I take back my words about this being creepy. This is anything but.

We walk through the park, passing the hot dog cart where I now work. I sigh dramatically when I spot it.