“This feels weird,” I said as I watched the waves below.
“Us?”
“Yes.”
Miller held his glass to his lips and smiled. “Is it because I hold a solid job, have a regular income, comport myself in an age-appropriate manner, and don’t need you to be my mother?”
“Possibly.”
“Would it help if I called you ‘dude’ and asked you to loan me rent money?”
I fanned my face where a gentle breeze blew. “I am feeling a little flushed at the very mention. How’s your concert t-shirt collection?”
“Completely lacking.”
“Hmm.” I pulled a disappointed face. “Good thing you kiss so well.” I closed my eyes on an internal scream. Why had I said that? There was no need to bring up kissing. None at all. Just because Miller’s lips were inches from mine, and he looked like a windswept sea captain ready to rescue a fair damsel in distress. We’d sat through a grilled fish dinner with scalloped potatoes, herbed corn, and bread so warm and pillowy, I wanted to slather the whole basket in butter and have my wicked way.
But Miller had yet to kiss me.
He’d touched me at every opportunity, but that was it. Just a holding of the hands, a brushing of the cheek, or an arm curved around my shoulders.
The anticipation had me wound tighter than rope on a ship anchor.
Now night was falling, and the evening shadows bouncing off the water made Miller’s profile all the more handsome.
Seeing my slight shiver, Miller slipped his windbreaker over my shoulders. His fingers grazed the sensitive skin at the base of my neck as he lifted my hair and let it slowly fall onto the jacket. “Is it because we’ve known each other forever that this is still weird to you?” he asked.
“A little.”
“Change is hard.”
It was. “But sometimes necessary.”
“You’ve seen a lot of change,” Miller said. “It hasn’t all been bad, right?”
In my work with horses, we kept what was called a “soft eye.” It meant we didn’t focus on one specific detail of a horse, missing information. We worked at seeing the whole picture.
I’d not applied that same principle to Miller. I’d focused on only a handful of qualities, and now, when I got honest, I realized by panning out, there was so much more to my old friend. “It hasn’t all been bad,” I admitted. “I love being back with my family in Sugar Creek.”I love being here with you right now. “Thus concludes my list of things I love.”
His knowing grin was lethal. This was not a man easily insulted. “Do you intend to spend the rest of your days casually dating?”
“That’s the plan. Relationships are very time-consuming, and now I’ll finally have time for the important things.”
Miller’s finger traced the chain of my necklace. “Such as?”
“Netflix, green smoothies, goat yoga.”
His face was close enough to kiss. “So glad your dream is in sight.”
“Aiming high.”
His hands went to my hips and brought me flush against him. “What if someone comes along who changes your mind?”
“I won’t.”
There was laughter and smolder in those eyes. “I guess I’ve been warned.”
“Miller?” I said his name like a prayer.
