The girl returned with Zach’s change and handed it over. Zach just glanced down at Danielle as he took the money. There was a slight irritation in the way he looked at her. But he didn’t respond. Instead, he just slipped the money into his pocket and stepped back.
Once the funnel cake was delivered to her, she took it and walked over to Zach, ready to give him a piece of her mind.
“Why do you fight it?” he asked, just as she walked up.
Startled by his question, she stared at him, trying to get her bearings. “Fight what?”
“Fight everyone who wants to help you…care about you.” His voice dropped low and she had to lean forward to hear him.
His words sunk into her mind as she tried to figure out how to respond. She was closed off for so many reasons. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell him. How much she wanted to trust him with her past.
She pulled a chunk of funnel cake off and shoved it into her mouth. Maybe if she was eating, he wouldn’t expect any answers. But, when she finished chewing, the same incredulous expression remained on his face.
“I’ve spent my whole life protecting myself. People just leave,” she whispered as emotion choked her throat. There was so much truth to the words she was saying that it hurt to speak them out loud.
She’d gone from living a happy life with a boyfriend and a future to being pregnant and alone. Having to brave her new world by herself.
Zach stepped forward and looked gently down at her. His warmth cascaded over her as he leaned closer. “I would have never left you had I known where you went.” He tipped his face closer, as if he wanted those words to be heard by her and only her.
Her eyes widened at the intensity of his stare and the depth to his tone. Her heart hammered in her chest as she found herself tipping her face toward his, bringing her lips closer to his.
Even though they weren’t touching, it was as if they were. He was so close and yet, so far. A desire to bring herself closer to him grew in her stomach. Closer to him physically as well as letting him into her heart.
Just as she was sure she was going to lean forward and forget her resolve to keep Zach at a distance, her mind caught up with her body and she stepped away from him.
Not wanting to look at his face, she finished off her funnel cake as fast as she could and then dumped the paper plate into the garbage. She waited until the last moment before she turned her attention back to Zach and caught him staring at her. He snapped his attention up as he pushed his hand through his hair.
She wondered what he’d been thinking. Could he hear her pounding heart? Did he know what he was doing to her?
“Let’s go find Jesse,” she said as she stepped toward the crowd, not waiting to see if Zach was following her. Right now, she needed as much distance put between them as she could possibly get. If she didn’t, she feared what she might do, and worried that if she did what her heart seemed to be begging her to do, she just might not ever recover.
Chapter Eleven
It was torture, following behind Danielle as she weaved in and out of the crowd, searching for Jesse and Sunny. He wanted to pull her aside. To talk to her. To take her into his arms and protect her. His heart pounded as all of these desires swirled around in his mind, suffocating him.
Why was she pulling away? He could feel their chemistry, it was undeniable. There were moments when he thought he misinterpreted her look or tone of her voice, but it would return, throwing him off his guard again.
They made their way around the entire carnival with no sign of Jesse and Sunny. Danielle stopped by a hotdog stand and pulled out her phone to call Sunny for the tenth time since the search started.
When Sunny’s voicemail sounded, again, Danielle clicked the phone off and threw it into her purse. She glanced up at Zach and he could see the frustration in her gaze. He wished he could do something. Help fix this, but what could he do?
“I’m sure they’re fine. Sunny seems responsible. She’ll take good care of Jesse.” He gave her an encouraging smile, hoping it would help ease her stress.
Danielle chewed her lip as her gaze darted around. Then she glanced up at him and nodded. “You’re right. You’re right. Sunny’s a great girl. I’m sure they are just on a ride and she’s not checking her voicemail.”
He shrugged as he shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Yeah. I’m sure they’re fine.”
She sighed. It sounded tired and weighed down. Zach couldn’t help the feeling that grew inside of him. He wanted to help her. To lighten her burden. The Ferris wheel caught his attention. Maybe if they got on it, they could see across the whole carnival. They just might find Jesse.
“Maybe we need a different vantage point?” he asked, nodding toward the ride.
Danielle followed his motion and then she squinted back at him. “I don’t know. I’d rather be on the ground in case Sunny calls.”
Zach gave her an encouraging smile. “It’ll be fine. The ride takes all of five minutes. We’ll take a peek and if we don’t see him, we’ll come straight down.”
Danielle stared at the buckets on the ride and then sighed. “Okay, fine.”
Zach extended his hand to lead her to the ticket booth. After paying for their tickets—Danielle seemed too worried to fight him about paying—he approached the ride operator and handed them over. One of the buckets came into view and after the riders got off, Danielle got in and Zach followed after her. He sat next to her, trying to keep his legs and shoulders from bumping into her—but it was too hard. Zach wasn’t small and this ride was tiny.
