Page 24 of A Heart On A Sleeve

fourteen

Sam

A Few Questions and a Dare

I didn’t expect my first kiss with Olive to be on her porch the morning after our first official date, but I’m glad it happened.

I knew from the minute I saw her there was something special between us.

An uncanny attraction, a pull like nothing I’d ever felt before.

Even my mother sees it, and she has never once liked anyone I’ve dated.

Mabel O’Reilly is hard to please, but a few hours with Olive and she’s practically placing an announcement in the Mage Hollow Herald that her eldest child has a girlfriend.

Is it just that it’s finally my turn to find my person?

Or is there something unique about her that I might actually get over my fear of not having what my parents have?

It’s too early to know, and we’ve gone from zero to a hundred quickly.

My normal response would be to pull back, rein it in, break it off.

But with Olive, it’s different. I feel a sense of responsibility for her happiness.

Almost like if I take care of her everything else will fall into place as it should.

Not to mention, I miss her and it’s only been less than a week.

That alone makes this whole thing different.

“So where are you taking her this time?” Max brings me back to the conversation, snapping his fingers in my face across the table.

“I’m thinking of going for a drive up the coast. Take her to the cabin for a movie.” I shrug before tucking into another bite of the Reuben I ordered.

“Romantic. You must be serious about this girl.” Max takes a glug of his Coke, waiting for my response.

“I think I am. I mean, it’s so new, but there’s something about her that feels different than everyone else I’ve ever dated.”

“She’s your Mabel?” His face lights up as he asks the question. He already knows the answer.

“Maybe. Mom thinks so. But what if it’s all just the allure of something new?

What if it blows up in my face?” I’m caught in this weird place between trusting my heart and wondering logically about how fast you can find your soulmate.

I know it happened quickly for my parents, but I also know that’s rare.

“Nah, man. I can see it, and Mom clearly does. Olive is special. I wish I found her first.” He looks down at his half-eaten sandwich, and there’s a hint of longing on his face.

It’s not a surprise. We all grew up dreaming about that once-in-a-lifetime kind of love.

We saw the ultimate example of it daily.

But it doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to happen for us.

“You’ll find the one. Maybe if you stop spending all your time getting beat to hell on the ice, she’ll pop up out of nowhere.

” I shouldn’t give him shit about his hockey career, but the big brother in me is worried about him.

He’s killing himself with training, and if he has another concussion this year, he might never be the same.

“Don’t you start giving me shit for following my dreams. I get enough of that from Mom.” Max shifts uncomfortably in the booth. He doesn’t like being confronted with what we all know is a very real fear of his that he chooses to stuff way down deep and ignore.

“Alright.” I shrug and put on a sympathetic smile. “I won’t berate you, but at some point, we will have to face it together. I always have your back, you know. I’d hate for that pretty face to get messed up in some brutal fight and never recover.”

He grins at me knowing that I’m serious but also never far from trading jabs with him.

“Thanks, Sammy. Even if you’re an asshole, I love you.”

“Love you too. Now am I paying or is it your turn? I have a date to plan.” I wave Howie over to our booth to grab the check, extracting my card before Max has time to answer my rhetorical question. I’m the big brother, I own my own business, I’m paying.

“I’m not sure if I dressed appropriately. You didn’t exactly tell me where we’re going.” Olive shifts nervously on the steps of her cottage as we prepare to head to my truck.

“You look beautiful just the way you are. I don’t give a shit what you wear.” I smile at her. It’s true. I made out with her for the first time after extracting a day-old chip from her hair.

“Okay, but I still would like to know, just in case.” She bats her eyelashes at me, tugging at the hem of the beige-and-white flannel coat she has on.

I’m not sure if it’s just a cultural difference with her being from the South, but I’ve noticed she spends quite a bit of time worrying about her appearance and if she’s saying the right thing.

I just want her to be comfortable and relaxed with me.

“It’s nowhere fancy, I promise. We’re going for a drive up the coast. I’m the only person you’re going to see, and I’m already here.” I kiss her forehead before tugging at her hand to pull her toward my truck.

“Okay, but if we run into anyone, my mother might curse me all the way from Alabama.” Her mother sounds like a piece of work. Olive reluctantly makes her way to the passenger door, allowing me to open it and help her inside. I shut her door and round the truck to get in.

“What’s this about your mom?” Curiosity is getting the better of me. I get the feeling Olive’s mom had a tendency to regularly make her feel less than amazing.

“Nothing, it’s fine. So, a drive up the coast. That sounds . . . scenic?” Olive blows off my question, but I let it go. For now.

“I figured you haven’t been outside of Mage Hollow much since coming up here.

There are miles of coastline and lots of cool lookout spots.

” I turn the ignition and rev the truck for our journey.

She doesn’t know I packed all the essentials to set up our very own drive-in movie complete with snacks.

Or that I’m taking her somewhere special to me.

“That sounds amazing.” She looks out the window as we make our way out of town toward Route 1.

As I take the turn onto the two-lane highway, her breath hitches at the sight of the changing fall leaves.

It’s my favorite spot in town, where the trees cover the road with their vibrant burnt-orange and red leaves.

The starkness of the black pavement and the sound of waves crashing on the coast create an almost eerie but quintessential fall experience.

Olive unbuckles her seat belt and scoots to the middle of the bench, grabbing my free hand and placing it on her thigh while intertwining our fingers. I nod toward her seat belt and she pulls the middle one across her, fastening it.

“Tell me something about this road. It’s so beautiful, but it feels like it has stories to tell.” Her eyes light up as she takes it all in.

A chuckle rumbles deep in my belly. “Oh, I’m sure there are plenty of stories etched in the history of these trees. It’s a good thing they can’t talk, or Max and I would probably still be grounded.”

“Oooh, do tell. What did little Sam get into back in the day?” She bounces softly with excitement.

“Hmm . . . let’s see. Up here there is a bend in the road, you’ll see it in three, two, one.

” I point at the curve as we take it slowly.

“Max thought he was a Formula One driver for the first six months he had his license. I pulled his car out of that ditch at least three times without ever telling Mabel.”

“What? She didn’t notice the scratches?” She leans into me like if she’s closer she will know the story faster. I don’t hate it.

“No, I’m pretty sure that woman knows everything we’ve ever done in our entire lives. She just never called us out for it. I think she liked knowing that we were looking out for each other.” I shrug as I turn on my signal, preparing to make a left onto an unmarked road.

“Oh my gosh. She totally does. She told me to call her and tattle on you the first time I met her.” Olive can’t control the giggle that bursts out of her. It’s like sunshine, her laugh, and the sound of it melts something inside of me that’s been cold for far too long.

“She what now?” I side-eye her, careful not to take my eyes off the bumpy gravel road we’re traversing.

“When I met her at the festival, she literally told me to call her if you or Max gave me a hard time. I couldn’t believe it, but then she conned me into coming over to look at that book that never existed, so now it kind of makes sense.

” Olive leans forward trying to get a better look out the windshield at where we are going.

“She means well. She just meddles a little when she thinks she knows what’s best for us.” I pull the truck into the clearing that overlooks the stone beach, parking in our own personal little cove, the forest all around us.

“What is this place? It’s stunning. We aren’t going to be arrested for trespassing, right?” Olive unbuckles her seat belt and slides toward the passenger door. I hop out and sprint around to open the door for her.

“Does it make you nervous to be here?” I grin at her, raising an eyebrow, wondering how much of a risk-taker she is.

“I’m not scared, but please don’t call my parents to bail me out if we do.” She hops out of the truck, not taking my hand, and walks toward the edge of the ten-foot cliff to look down at the water.

I laugh following closely behind, wrapping my arms around her waist as we stand together to look out. “I own this land. There’s a small cabin tucked into the trees over there.” I point to the right, and the structure comes into her view as she spins to face me.

“Why? I mean, do you live here?” Olive peers up into my eyes, confusion etched in her brow. I run my thumb along the crease, smoothing it out.