Page 93 of Seasons of Love
“She has a knack for predicting these things,” Arlo says, “but…let’s maybe allow destiny to do its thing first, shall we?” He winks and then whispers something in Ava’s ear. She runs off to the back of the stand.
Arlo leaves me to serve a customer that calls for him, and I don’t see Florrie, so she must have moved on to another stall. We agreed to meet back at the car if we got separated, so it’s not a big deal, but now I don’t know what to do.
Do I acknowledge Ellis? Do I pretend I don’t see him? Ugh, stupid fucking crush.
I stare at Sara, but she’s just babbling away and playing with her toy. Not that I’d expect a nine-month-old baby to tell me what to do in this situation. Obviously.
By the time I decide to move on, he’s already seen me.
“Milo, how nice to see you here,” he says.
“Oh…er…hi, Mr.—Ellis.” I hold on to the stroller, trying not to fidget. Usually, the checkout counter is my safety buffer, but now I don’t know what to do with my hands, and he’s close enough that I can smell his cologne.
“Oh my goodness, is that your daughter?” Alice asks.
“Um…yeah.” I always forget that I know most people in Stillwater because they see me at the store, but they don’t know me. They know nothing about me. At least those from this side of town.
“She’s so precious. What’s her name?”
“Sara.”
“That’s a beautiful name,” Alice says.
“Thank you.”
I look at Ellis, and he’s staring at me like he’s trying to figure me out. He seems to do that a lot.
“Milo, I’d like to talk to you about something. Would you be okay leaving Sara in my sister’s capable hands for a few minutes?”
I waver for a moment. It’s not that I don’t trust Alice. She’s raising two children, and they’re a wonderful family. But Sara…
“You know what? Never mind,” he says. “Alice, do you mind meeting me by the ice cream cart?”
“Sure.” She gives Sara one last goodbye and leaves us, taking her two children with her.
“They’re really well behaved,” I say.
“That’s because they know there’s ice cream in their future if they do,” Ellis says, laughing. “Come on, let’s get a cool drink.”
I follow him, pushing the stroller, unsure of what’s happening or what he wants to talk about.
There’s a cart nearby selling cold drinks. He stops, so I do too, and my stomach sinks, especially when I look at the prices. I wasn’t expecting to spend any money today.
“What would you like to drink?” he asks.
“I’m okay, thank you,” I say. “I have water in my bag.”
He turns around. “I’d like to buy you a drink. Is that okay? Would you like a cool lemonade?” My skin overheats as it becomes clear that he knows I can’t afford a simple drink at a fair, but I appreciate him asking away from the cart man’s hearing range.
“That would be nice, thank you.”
Ellis buys the drinks and then points to a bench under a nearby tree.
The cool lemonade gives me the boost of sugar and hydration I didn’t realize I needed after walking in the sun. I check on Sara, and she’s fallen asleep, so I change the position of the stroller so she’s lying flat.
“Milo, please forgive me if I’m stepping way out of line, but when I saw you at the summer festival, you seemed excited about taking the classes to do the GED exam in the fall.”
I look down at the cup in my hands. Why did I have to get overexcited about it?
