Page 72 of 6 Clues Your Nemesis Loves You

She presses her forehead to my shoulder, shaking as she laughs. “He did not.”

“Whatever,” I grumble and run my hand down her back. “I am an excellent cuddler, by the way. If there was a spooning competition, I’d win gold. It would be my honor to show you later.”

Maggie’s laughter trails off. She straightens and tightens the tie on her wrap dress. “Which pieces are by Max?”

Right. Max. Art. Topics such as cuddling and spooning still give Maggie hives.

I hold out my arm to her. “His are the best ones, obviously. Shall we tour the show, milady?”

“We shall.” She takes my arm and relaxes.

Together, we tour the gallery. We praise Max and his amazing pieces. Maggie goes gaga over a miniature merry-go-round one kid made. I get lost looking at an exquisite painting of Elder Falls, remembering how special it was being out there with Maggie. I also tell Sadie that Desmond once drank too much Gatorade, and Jake jumped out of the bathroom to scare him, at which point Des peed his pants. His answering glare is worth the price of admission.

Maggie and I gather our coats and leave together, hands held on this brisk but bright evening. “Let’s take a walk,” I suggest. “It’s too nice to be inside.”

She gives my hand a squeeze. “Let’s.”

The sun has started to dip, painting the distant Rough Ridge Mountains a lighter gold. We stroll toward Corner Creek and the path behind the gallery, swinging our hands as the water gurgles steadily. A stretch of forest on the opposite side adds a hit of tranquility only nature can provide.

“I really missed this town,” I say. “Doubt there’s a prettier place in the world.”

She makes a soft mmhmm sound. “Being with you in and around town is like being with a little kid.”

Um, yeah. Not the comparison a man shoots for. “Maggie, I’m strong and masculine. I eat little kids for breakfast.”

She snorts, leading us toward the small bridge ahead. “Of course you do. But you know that feeling kids give off—pure excitement over small things adults take for granted? When I’m around them, I look at the world through their eyes. See things in a fresh way. You do that for me with Windfall.” We walk into the middle of the bridge, lean on the railing, and stare down into the burbling stream. “Everything’s prettier when I’m with you. You remind me how lucky I am to live in this amazing slice of paradise.”

Everything’s prettier when I’m with you. Says the woman who thinks she can’t handle the intimacy of commitment.

Unwilling to let those special words go unappreciated, I cup the back of her neck and tilt her face up to mine. “You’re part of what makes this place so special for me. You make it shine.”

Her pupils blow wider. There’s a swirl of fear in their depths but also a hint of…wonder?

I turn us back to standing side by side, giving her a moment to let my words settle. We watch the water, practically leaning on each other as we rest our forearms on the railing.

“Reading,” I say after a beat. “You mentioned a while back that you read lots.”

“Every night before I go to sleep.”

“Your nightly vacation to far-flung locations?”

She smiles. “Yeah.”

I run my tongue over my teeth, wanting to dig deeper. Understand what makes her tick. Gentling my words, I say, “Is it because of your past? Your way to be wild and reckless without actually being wild and reckless? Living through an avatar, like you said.”

She stares intently at the running water. “I’ve never analyzed it, really, but I bet that’s part of it. Probably a big part, actually.”

I rotate toward her, brush her hair behind her ear. “Is that why you won’t sleep over too? Why you need to take things slow emotionally?”

“Because I like living wildly in my head?”

“Well, I know you don’t need to read erotic romances these days. No avatar is needed when I’m in your life.”

She presses two fingers to my abdomen and walks them up my chest. “Overconfident much?”

I grab her fingers and give them a kiss. “Am I wrong?”

She lifts her shoulder in a cheeky shrug. “When’s the last time you tied me to a bed and brought out a whip?”