Page 60

Still laughing, she said, “They couldn’t fix it?”
“Mom thought it was a hoot, so they kept it.”
Della’s laughter grew even louder, and even my lips were twitching.
“I think I love your mom,” she said, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
My smile softened to something liquid, like warmth spreading in my chest. I wasn’t sure I believed in signs, but maybe this was one. The fact that my middle name and this story randomly came up while sitting in the diner the night after a terrible nightmare.
Maybe it was Mom saying everything was going to be okay.
God, I hoped so.
30
DELLA
The conversation with Hayes was so enchanting, so fun, that I hardly noticed when Bennett walked past us, refusing to look in our direction.
But soon enough, the food on our plates was gone, and the milkshakes we ordered after, to extend our time together, were melting.
Agatha came by our table, picking up our straw wrappers. “Sorry, dolls, it’s closing time. Want me to put these shakes in to-go cups for you?”
Surprised, I looked down at my watch. It was nearly nine o’clock. We’d been here talking for over two hours. “No, I don’t need mine.” I started scooting out of the booth to get up.
“Sorry, Ag, we’ll square up and go,” Hayes said, standing too.
She smiled at him. “Thanks, hon. See you another day.”
He nodded kindly at her, and we walked to the front counter. Walking behind him, I was fascinated by the movement of his muscles under his T-shirt, the way ink trailed from under the collar and then disappeared again behind shaggy, dark blond hair.
When Agatha came to the register to check us out, I offered, “I’ll pay for my half.”
Hayes gave me an incredulous look. “Fuck no.”
Agatha said, “Language. There are ladies present.”
“Heck no,” he clarified and then pulled out a credit card. And that was that.
A warm feeling spread in my chest. Hayes might not be the most polished man, but he took care of me like it was the most natural thing for him to do. And the fact that he wasn’t polished made it even better. Like he was unwilling to or incapable of putting on a front. What you saw was what you got with him.
We walked out of the diner, and he said, “Care for a walk?”
I raised my eyebrows. He didn’t look like the type of guy to go for a romantic, moonlit stroll.
But he said, “I know you know how to walk.”
I laughed. “Sure, that sounds nice.” The weather was mild, and there weren’t too many bugs out since we weren’t in the heat of summer. By the time we made it to the end of the block, I felt perfectly warm. Especially with his hand curled around mine.
This moment was simply perfect, but in the back of my mind, I had to wonder... why? Why me? Why now?
And since we were both too old to play games, since I was supposed to move in less than two months, I spoke up. “Hayes, I have a question, and I know it might sound strange, but I need to know.”
He glanced over at me, casually sauntering beside me. “Shoot.”
I chewed nervously on my lip, and he stilled, reaching up to tug it from between my teeth. “It drives me crazy when you do that.” His thumb was still on my mouth, sending a shiver down my spine. “What’s your question?” he asked, trailing his thumb across my lip and then along my jaw. At the tip of my chin, it fell away.
A swoop of disappointment went through me as I mourned his touch. My heart struggled to find its normal pace again. “My question...”