Page 30 of The Encounter
“Hello,” he said.
“Hi.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear when they separated.
He put an arm around her and walked with her down to his car, where Roxy sat watching them through the window in the backseat, her entire body shaking as her tail wagged back and forth.
When Maddie slid into the front passenger seat, she immediately turned around to pet Roxy.
“Well, hello, girl.”
Roxy licked Maddie’s hands as Jace slid into the driver’s seat.
“Someone is excited to see me,” Maddie said, scratching Roxy behind the ears.
“She’s not the only one.”
Maddie’s eyes met Jace’s, and she blushed. He winked and started the car, pulling onto the street and heading toward the local park.
Once they were all out of the car, Jace put a leash on Roxy and handed it over to Maddie, who happily took it. Then he pulled out a picnic basket and blanket that he tucked under his arm.
They walked through the park with Roxy tugging at her leash and stepping off the path to sniff the grass every so often. They would stop and wait for her to finish before continuing along the concrete pathway.
Maddie glanced over at Jace, who held a picnic basket in one hand with his free hand tucked in his jacket pocket. It was getting cold, signaling winter was near. The clouds threatened to rain as the sun began its descent into nightfall. Maddie shamelessly dangled her free hand at her side, making it easy for him to take hold of it if he wanted.
They found a thick grassy area on a more secluded end of the park, away from all the attractions that usually drew visitors. Trees were gathered around adding enough privacy that Jace felt comfortable taking off his baseball cap.
Despite them choosing a more secluded area, it hadn’t been necessary to do so. With the threatening rain, there weren’t any other people in the park. Maddie had wondered if they were crazy, but a little rain never hurt anybody.
Jace set the picnic basket off to the side to spread out a blanket for them to sit on before opening the basket and pulling out their sandwiches and side dishes. Maddie unhooked Roxy’s leash and tossed a ball Jace handed her. Roxy raced after it, picking it up quickly and trotting back to Maddie for her to throw again.
“Your meal, m’lady,” Jace said as he presented Maddie with a sandwich.
She smiled at him and took it. “Thank you, kind sir.”
He pulled out a dish for Roxy and poured some water in it, while Maddie unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite.
“Is it ever weird for you to have to disguise yourself to go in public?”
He shook his head. “No. I grew up with the publicity following me, so it’s all I’ve ever known. Is it inconvenient? At times. But weird? Never.”
She nodded. “That makes sense. What’s the strangest place one of your adoring fans has approached you?” She smiled at him to let him know she was teasing.
He laughed. “Honestly? A urinal.”
“No!”
“I kid you not. Some guy approached me while I was at the urinal and asked for an autograph.”
She leaned forward. “Did you give it to him?”
He shrugged. “Well, yeah. I don’t need people writing online that I’m a mean person. That doesn’t do well for my business. Of course, I waited until we had left the bathroom.”
She laughed loudly. “Some people’s kids.”
“Some people’s kids, indeed.”
He watched her with a small smile on his face. She blushed and turned away, finishing the last of her sandwich.
He took the wrapper from her food and threw it into the picnic basket before pulling out their dessert. Her eyes lit up.
