Page 19 of The Way Home (Pathfinders Lake Romance #5)

The woman who greeted us earlier appeared. Her hands were behind her back, and she wore an amused expression. “I hope you enjoyed your time at Professor Photon’s.”

I was too stunned over the whole ordeal to answer. Luckily, Jeremy piped up. “Sure did. It was great. Thank you.”

Her smirk grew. “That’s great. I’m glad to hear it. For future reference, should you decide to return, it may interest you to know that we have cameras throughout the maze… for safety.”

My cheeks flared hot, and I clapped my hands over them. “Oh, God.”

Jeremy snorted and pushed me through the front door as the lady waved us out. Once we were outside, he burst into laughter.

I nudged his arm as the heat in my cheeks crawled down my throat. Hearing his beautiful laugh and seeing the joy on his face brought a smile to mine. “Stop it, it’s not funny.”

Jeremy looked at my face for a moment before bursting into another string of laughter. “Come on, Ri. We’re adults who got caught making out in a children’s museum . It’s a little funny.”

Despite my mortification, his giggling was infectious, and I soon found myself joining him.

He led me back to the parking lot, as we both continued to cackle.

When we reached his car, and the laughter died down, I looked toward the building, “Damn, I really wanted to look around the gift shop, but I guess I can never show my face in there again.”

“Oh, it’ll be fine. I’m sure we’re not the first they’ve caught in there.

We’ll come back and shop sometime.” His words made a warmth settle in my chest. It wasn’t the reassurance; it was the certainty that there would be a sometime with us.

It was such a simple statement, and maybe he didn’t mean anything by it, but the idea of having him around long enough to make plans together…

it was what I always wanted but never thought I could have.

Jeremy nodded at me. “You okay?”

I shook my head. “Yeah, yeah, I’m good. I think I’m just ready to eat.”

“Same. Who knew science could work up such an appetite?” He winked at me before getting in the car.

I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. As embarrassing as it was knowing we’d been caught, I still felt the kiss lingering on my lips.

Jeremy started driving, and I had a strong urge to lean across the car and kiss him again.

I was hungry, for sure, but not just for food.

Chill the fuck out, Riley. We got carried away for a moment, that was all.

“What? No way!” Jeremy barked out, pulling me out of my own head.

“What is it?”

“Look. Sal's Pizza is apparently now an Italian restaurant. Damn!”

“Bummer. Do you want to go somewhere else instead?”

Jeremy pulled into the parking lot and pursed his lips before looking over at me. His expression morphed from disappointment to something hopeful. “You know… Italian might be nice. We could make a date out of it.”

His brows lifted as he watched my response. “A date?” The word was… complicated. We were complicated. I wanted so badly to give in and let this thing be real. Stolen kisses were one thing, but giving it a label meant something else entirely, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that.

Before I could say anything, Jeremy grabbed my hand. “It can just be dinner, Ri. We don't need to define it. This can be whatever you want it to be. No pressure, okay?”

I squeezed his hand and blew out a breath. “Thank you. Dinner would be nice. Only…” I looked down at my clothes. “I'm not really dressed for a nice dinner.”

Jeremy grinned. “You look great. Just ask the science lady. She wanted to get all up in Uranus.”

“Shut up,” I snickered.

“She was cute, though.”

“For a nerd?” I supplied the typical response I got.

“She was cute. Full stop. I happen to like nerds.” Why did that ridiculous waggle of his eyebrows make my belly flutter? Because it meant that someone like me could actually have a shot with someone like him. Except… I couldn’t. God, I was such a mess.

“Should we go in, then?” I asked, trying to redirect my runaway thought train.

“Yup, let’s do this.”

When we walked in the door, a familiar, older woman was working the front. Her eyes locked onto Jeremy and recognition sparked in her eyes. “Well, I’ll be. Is that Jeremy Rodriguez?”

I couldn’t help but smile at how she instantly knew the man at my side. Everyone knew him.

“Doris? You’re still here? I figured you must have retired if you got rid of Sal’s Pizza,” Jeremy said before getting pulled into a hug.

Doris released him. “Oh, no. There’s no way I could stay home and stare at Sal all day. We would both end up in jail or worse. No sirree . We’ll be right here until they bring a hearse to take us away.”

“What happened to Sal’s then?”

She waved a hand. “Well, we’d been making pizzas for twenty years, long before the pub and the diner came along. And we loved it, don’t get me wrong, but as more tourists show up in the summers, we found people wanting a nicer sit-down experience. So here we are.”

“And Sal?” Jeremy asked.

“Oh, he’s still in the back where he belongs. Did you know he was classically trained? He just happened to love pizza, but it’s been a good change, I think.”

“That’s great, I’m happy to hear it. Though, I will admit, I was really hankering for a cheeseburger pizza.”

Doris leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially, “Well… I heard rumor that you might be moving back to town.”

Seeing the way Jeremy’s face lit up made my heart swell for him. This was where he belonged. People knew him and loved him, and he was such a great fit here. “It’s possible. I’m just waiting to hear.”

“Tell you what… you get the job, and we’ll be putting the cheeseburger pizza back on the menu as our Coach’s special, just for you.”

“Really?” Jeremy’s voice cracked slightly, and I could see his eyes grow misty.

Doris squeezed his shoulder. “Really. It’ll be good to have you back, and I think you’d be a great fit for the team.”

“Thank you, that really means a lot to me.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart. Now, who’s this with you?”

I may not have spent my entire life here like Jeremy had, and even in high school, I tended to disappear into the background, so I wasn’t surprised she didn’t remember me. Even if we’d come to Sal’s several times that summer.

Jeremy’s hand went to the small of my back, a simple gesture, but one that laid claim to me in a way that made my heart want to burst out of my chest. “This is my friend, Riley.”

Friend. Not boyfriend. Not lover. Not brother. That was the biggest distinction for me. Friend I could handle. Maybe not being remembered wasn’t such a bad thing, not if Jeremy got to introduce me like this. I happily shook the hand she offered.

“Well… friend, Riley. It’s nice to meet you. Anything you need, all you gotta do is ask, all right?”

“Thank you very much.”

Once Doris left us at our table, Jeremy reached across and grabbed my hand. “Hey, I’m sorry she didn’t remember you. I’m sure she would if she thinks about it for a minute. I was just in a lot with the team. We had all of our banquets here.”

I offered him a genuine smile and turned my hand over to squeeze his. “It’s fine. I’m used to it. Actually, it’s kind of a relief.”

Jeremy tilted his head. “How so?”

“Well… it means… I could be anyone .” The idea was freeing. I’d been a little anxious about coming into town with Jeremy and having people recognize us as family and having to act in a way that fit their understanding. Now… I didn’t.

Jeremy leaned in, still holding my hand, and asked, “Who would you be if you could be anyone?”

I stared into those rich brown eyes of his and let myself imagine just for a moment what it might be like if this was an actual date.

I would hold his undivided attention as I did now.

Jeremy would find interest in anything I said, as he always had.

We could go home together and fall into each other’s arms. It could be a date.

He said as much. What if I let this be real?

What if was the start of any scientific discovery.

All it took was someone asking if something was possible and then testing to prove whether they were right. “Your friend, for starters.”

Jeremy grinned wide and sat back in his seat. “I’ll take it.”