Page 61 of Rogue's Path

Test the waters? “Bear is a nice guy and all that, but I don’t want to test the waters.”

“Then what do you want? Because you currently have three guys who want to get to know more about you. You need to pick one before you lose them all. If you don’t pick Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy, can I have his number?”

“Even if he isn’t emotionally available for a long-term relationship?”

Cordelia grins. “Especially if he isn’t. I don’t want to introduce him to my family, even if they’d love him.”

“That man isn’t the kind to trifle with. When he falls in love, he’s going to be relentless in his pursuit.” More like if he ever lets himself fall in love.

Cordelia turns toward the tree-lined sidewalk. The old oaks create a grand spectacle even with their bare branches. How are Cordelia’s flowers still alive in the middle of winter when everything else is dead?

It’s supposed to snow tomorrow. I’ll get to figure out her secret then.

“I won’t let him fall in love with me. It’s as simple as that.”

Won’t let him. I laugh. “You don’t just get to pick who you love. Life doesn’t work like that.”

“I know that. Probably more than anyone else in the world. But we do get to choose not to love someone. And I choose not to fall in love with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy.”

Have fun with that. Something tells me Taylor would win the battle of wills if it came to it.

“Tomorrow, a few of my friends are coming over for tea.”

That sounds fancy but fun.

“They all want to meet you again.”

Again? “Were they at the pre-bachelorette party?”

“Yeah, most of them. The problem is…” Cordelia looks down at the ground.

She wants some privacy and doesn’t know how to ask me to leave. “I was planning to write at the café tomorrow. Deadlines and all that. Do you mind if I say hi and then leave right after?”

Her face lights up. “Not at all.”

The tree-lined path leads right up to the town square, which is completely transformed for the event. Vendor tents linethe street with lights strung up all around for when the sun sets. There are chairs set up all through the park in front of a massive blow-up screen. “Tonight is going to be fun.”

“It sure is.”

The scents of cotton candy and kettle corn waft over to us first.

“Where are we meeting your not-date?”

“Very funny. He said he’d meet us at the dairy barn. I haven’t seen a dairy barn in town, though.”

“The dairy barn is an ice cream vendor. They put boards around their stand and made it look like a dairy barn. Many of the vendors have done it since then, which makes everything even cuter.”

It really does. “We should get some ice cream first.”

“See, I knew there was a reason we became friends. I always start with dessert, too. Who wants to risk running out of space for the good stuff?”

I want to drink in all the scents and sights as we walk past booth after booth. This would be the perfect setting for a romcom or maybe a small-town romance. The couple could hold hands and walk down the street, sighing at each other.

Then, a crazy murderer could sneak up on them when they’re kissing behind a bush and stab them fifty times with a meat skewer he stole from the kebab booth. Or maybe he uses one of those long poles that hold whole chickens over the rotisserie.

The herbs make them smell intoxicating. I want to eat everything now. Bear is going to have to carry me out of here.

If Rogue were here, he’d end up tossing me over his shoulder again.