Page 48

I left Hayes waiting for our order and walked quickly to my parents where they stood toward the middle of a long line for the taco truck. What on earth was going on with them? I understood they weren’t Hayes’s biggest fans, but to be so blatant in front of him...
Before I could say a word, my dad cut in, drawing Mom and me into a family huddle. Even though people were around us in line, they seemed unbothered, chatting with each other or looking at their phones. The dull roar of conversation and country music playing over the loudspeakers would cover up most noise we made.
“What the hell, Della,” Dad whispered. “You’re here with him?”
Mom quietly added, “I thought you were seeing Bennett. What happened?”
Suddenly, I felt five years old again, caught sneaking ice cream sandwiches from the deep freeze when I was supposed to be in bed. But I reminded myself that I was a grown woman—it’s not like they could ground me. “Hayes asked me to come to the festival with him, and I agreed. That’s it.”
Dad looked disgusted. “‘That’s it? Della, I’m not sure what you’ve heard about him, but I?—”
I held up my hand. “Dad, I am not going to argue this with you. Especially not here.” I glanced around at the festival still going on around us. At Hayes waiting at the table with our drinks and food, looking at his phone.
Both Dad and Mom seemed taken aback. I didn’t cut them off. Ever.
“What does that mean?” Dad finally asked. “You don’t care to hear what we think anymore?”
“It means I am here on a date with Hayes,” I said with a frown. “It would be rude to stand here listening to my parents speak poorly of him while he’s right over there.” It took all I had to keep from gesturing at him. I knew Hayes could probably see us arguing, and I didn’t want him to feel like we were fighting about him. It was the kind of thing that could scare him away, and even though it was early into the date... it was the first good date I’d had in a long time. I didn’t want it to be over yet.
The line moved, and we shuffled forward.
Dad frowned. “I thought you were smarter than this. That boy is a walking red flag.”
My jaw gritted together. “I’ll see you Wednesday,” I replied.
Mom lifted her hand sadly in a wave, and Dad shook his head at me. “Be careful,” he warned.
I nodded and quickly turned away before I could say something I’d regret. On the inside, I was fuming at how they acted. Did my parents really think so little of my judgment? I didn’t live under a rock—of course I knew what people said about Hayes. But I also knew him to be the most honest person in town. He’d never tried to hide who he was with me, on good or bad days. It was better than dating someone for years before finding out their secrets.
With a deep breath, I walked back toward the tables where I found Hayes sitting and sipping on coffee. (Because of course mint hot cocoa wasn’t a standard offering around here.)
“Hey there,” I said, settling into the seat across from him. The music stopped playing over the speakers, and we both glanced over. A dozen or so yards behind him, I saw a band stepping onto a metal platform stage. Soon, the twang of tuning guitar strings filled the air.
He leveled a look at me. “Your parents are pissed you’re here with me,” he said flatly.
“No, I—” But at his disappointed look, I nodded slowly. Message received: We weren’t lying to each other. I let out a sigh. “Even at my age, I’m still their little girl.”
“And I’m the big bad wolf.” He managed a smirk, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes like usual.
I shook my head at him, rolling my cup in my hands. “What if you’re just a sheep in wolf’s clothing?”
“Not a chance,” he replied, picking up his coffee cup for a drink.
But I shook my head again as I tugged free a piece of funnel cake. “I have a theory.”
“You do? I can’t wait to hear this,” he drawled.
I ignored his sarcasm and popped the funnel cake into my mouth. The mix of bread and grease and powdered sugar was heaven. I chewed it over and said, “I think you’re like a porcupine. You’re all prickly on the outside, but it’s not because you’re mean. It’s because you’re protecting yourself.”
He leaned closer, and for a moment, everyone around us, all the tuning instruments and chatter, seemed to disappear. “What would I be protecting myself from? You?”
I bit my bottom lip. Because I didn’t know yet. But I was determined to find out if he’d let me close enough.
“That’s what I thought,” he replied. He ate a piece of the funnel cake. And damn, why did it look so hot when he did it? My eyes followed every movement of his tongue swiping over his lips to catch a stray bit of powdered sugar.
What would it be like if I had kissed it away myself?
“Uncle Hayes!” Maya called, running up to us in a dress reminiscent of the olden days. “Uncle Hayes! It’s time to dance!”