Page 52 of Sweet Trouble
“There’s nothing like breakfast for lunch,” she said happily.
“We should go home now,” Mari said. “I’m sleepy.”
“No,” Posey said. “What about the toy store.”
“How about we try the toy store one day next week?” Jillian offered. “We’ll go home now and read a littlePippi Longstocking.”
That seemed to satisfy both girls.
“Is it okay if I walk you to your car?” Tripp asked.
“That would be very nice,” Jillian told him.
“Give me one second,” he told her, hopping up.
It wasn’t until he came back to the table,tucking his wallet into his pocket, that she realized he had just paid for their meal.
“Oh, Tripp,” she said, feeling terrible. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he told her, something so sincere about the look in his eyes that it made her pause for a moment.
Back outside, they all walked slowly down Maple Street to her car. The girls were both silent, which was a sure sign they were really worn out. The light flurries from earlier were falling faster now, and the afternoon light was receding, making the bright holiday lights on the stores and the pavilion in the park twinkle and glow with a sweet intensity. Jillian felt like a figure in a snow globe, or maybe the heroine of one of those Christmas movies she and her mom used to watch together every December.
Glancing over at Tripp, she couldn’t help but wonder whether this spark between them might grow into something real and good.
When they reached the car, the girls scrambled in without a word.
“I think we did a good job tiring them out,” she said, smiling fondly.
“This was the most fun I’ve had in a really long time,” Tripp told her.
She turned to him, tilting her chin so she could look into his eyes. His expression was so serious, and she knew why. This whole day had been like a test run for her, to see how it felt to spend time together and decide if shewanted to spend even more, and he knew that. And to his credit, she hadn’t felt pressured for even a single second.
“Jillian,” he said. “I want you to know that this is really special to me, and I’m in no rush for an answer from you.”
“Yes,” she said quickly before she could change her mind. “My answer is yes.”
“Yes?” he asked, his eyes lighting up.
“Yes,” she said softly, feeling her cheeks heat, but not breaking his cerulean gaze. “I want us to give this a real shot.”
He moved closer, and she thought maybe he would kiss her.
She thought she mightlikefor him to kiss her.
Instead, he took both her hands in his.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice gruff. “I’ll text you tonight.”
He squeezed her hands before letting go, and she felt tingles of something that just feltrightto her.
Tripp waited while she checked Posey’s straps and got into the car herself.
As she pulled out of her parking spot, she could see Tripp in the rearview mirror, the shape of him so solid and strong against the pale whites and grays of the snowy little town she once again called home.
13
JILLIAN
