Page 74 of Chasing Forever

“On the way back, I want to stop at this outdoor marketplace I read about. Supposedly, they sell quality handmade jewelry for low prices.”

“Sounds perfect,” Chase said with an eye roll.

Suddenly Miranda popped her head up from the travel guide she’d been looking at. “Are you being sarcastic right now?”

“Sarcastic? No. Not me.”

Callie turned and gave Miranda an apologetic look. “I think it sounds like a wonderful day. Thanks for planning it.”

Miranda beamed. “She writes the best romance books, and she’s a genuinely nice person. You have to keep her, Chase.”

While Callie appreciated the compliments, she stiffened at the reference to the future. She and Chase hadn’t discussed that yet, and she waited to hear his response.

“I’d like to,” he said and shot Callie a sweet smile.

She smiled back, though she wasn’t sure how to take that. Had he meant, I’d like to, but I can’t? I’d like to, but I’m not committing to it? What did it mean?

Miranda pressed on like nothing was amiss. “Mom would love her. Especially after what happened with Cassandra.”

Chase stiffened. “Miranda…”

“Oops. Sorry. I assumed you already told her.”

“Not everything, but now is not the time.”

Callie assumed they were talking about his ex, but he’d never shared the details of their break-up. Then again, she hadn’t told him the reason for her break-up with Adam either. Chase was right. They didn’t need to be talking about this now.

Miranda seemed duly chastened, and the three of them were quiet for a while. Soon enough, they arrived at Waimea and sought out a sandwich shop. They bought drinks, sandwiches, and potato chips and then continued up the highway to the canyon.

The last time Callie had visited Kauai, her family hadn’t explored the western side of the island, so this was all new to her. One of the things she loved about Kauai was the versatility of the landscape. There were lush green forests, sharp, towering cliffs, and beautiful sandy beaches. The island offered something for everyone.

The rest of the afternoon went as planned, with no further mention of exes or the future. They drove through the park, stopping at scenic overlooks and marveling at the beauty surrounding them.

They were also surrounded by chickens. They were everywhere—hens and roosters showing off their colorful plumage. They pecked the ground and happily accepted handouts from the tourists.

After eating lunch at a picnic table with a fantastic view of the canyon, they prepared to leave. Miranda had been snapping pictures with her phone throughout the day, and when they got back into the car, she showed some of them to Callie.

There were a couple of photos that gave her pause. “I didn’t even know you took these.”

“How could you? You two only had eyes for each other,” Miranda said sweetly.

One picture was of Callie and Chase from behind. They were looking out at the canyon, and Chase’s arms were fencing her in along the railing. Their heads were nestled together, and she was pointing to something in the distance. In another photo, they were facing each other, their profiles to the camera. They were smiling profusely, and Chase was tucking her windblown hair behind her ear.

Miranda had captured the moment perfectly in both shots. Studying them, Callie thought they looked like a real couple. In fact, she could envision either photo as a romance book cover, though she’d never put a picture of herself on the cover of one of her books.

Miranda tilted the camera toward Chase, and he took a quick look while he was driving.

“We look gooood.” He’d purposely exaggerated the word good, and they all laughed.

“If you give me your phone number or email address, I’ll send these to you,” Miranda said to Callie. “Unless you’d rather not. You’re probably not in the habit of handing out personal information to your fans.”

What she’d said was true, but Callie had stopped thinking of Miranda as a fan and started thinking of her as a friend…or even a potential sister-in-law? No. Don’t go there. But she would like to have the pictures even if they only ended up being part of her vacation memories.

“I’m not worried about you sharing it,” Callie said and rattled off her phone number.

As Miranda was typing it in, Chase said, “No bugging her about when her next book is coming out and stuff like that.”

“No worries. I can always find that out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.”