Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“Are you okay?” Maddie asks. “You were gone quite a while.”
I put on my best smile. “I’m fine. Just needed some air.”
Angie raises an eyebrow at me. “You look…”
“I look what?” I ask as innocently as I can muster.
She cocks her head. “Nothing. Just a little frazzled.”
I pause a moment to gather my thoughts into something coherent. “Well, who wouldn’t be? I’m about to embark on an amazing adventure. With this girl here.” I squeeze Maddie’s arm.
“I have to say, now that you’ve talked me into the whole thing, I’m really looking forward to it.” Maddie beams. “I mean, seriously, when else would I be able to see Europe? Both my brother and sister will be there. And Callie, for part of it. It’ll be like a Pike sibling adventure.”
“Yeah. It’ll be great.” I grin, my lips still reeling from Jesse’s kiss.
“I suppose a Steel cousin adventure for you,” Angie says. “With Donny and Brock there.”
“Yeah, Brock has offered to hang out with us.” I roll my eyes.
“I know,” Maddie says, “but maybe it’s a good idea. Is he familiar with Europe?”
“Not really, but he feels a sense of duty. I’m sure my mom and dad have already told him to keep an eye on me.”
“We’re grown women,” Maddie says. “But Jesse feels the same way.”
“Yes, I know. To all of them, we’re still babies.”
“I don’t mind Brock joining us,” she says. “Since he and Rory have been together, I’ve grown to like him quite a lot.”
“Yeah. Brock is a lot of fun.”
He is. I love my cousin. I love all my cousins. But with him watching over me, I won’t be able to get near Jesse.
And now? After that kiss?
I might have a shot.
But I can’t get ahead of myself. I can’t throw myself at him. My God, I actually begged him to kiss me tonight.
And he did.
Then he left.
Maybe the kiss wasn’t good for him. But how could it not have been? It was an amazing kiss, and I’ve done a fair amount of kissing.
Of course…he’s probably done much more kissing than I have. He’s a rocker. He probably has groupies in the other towns where the band plays.
I can’t even think about it.
All the Emerald Phoenix fans are going to see him up there and fall madly in love with him when they hear him sing.
How am I going to deal with this?
Maybe going on this tour wasn’t such a good idea.
No.
I will not second-guess myself.
This is my chance. My chance to try to get close to Jesse. After all, he won’t be rehearsing and performing the whole time. He’ll have a chance to do some sightseeing himself, and somehow, I will finagle a way to go with him.
Without Brock, and without Rory, and without Maddie.
Jesse and me.
I will find a way.
The next day, I drive into Grand Junction alone for some shopping. I want to find the perfect holiday gift for Jesse.
I’ll give it to him anonymously—figure out a way to sneak it under the Pikes’ tree. Probably during a visit to Maddie.
If only I could give him money. It’s what he needs, but he wouldn’t take it.
I’ll find something. Something that will have meaning to him. Meaning to both of us.
I stop at a mall, wander around. I don’t have any idea what I’m looking for, until I see it in the window of a small shop called Yesterday’s Treasures.
It’s a brass belt buckle with a dragon etched on it.
A dragon for Dragonlock.
I walk into the shop, and I feel like I’ve stepped out of a time machine. The decor is an intriguing blend of history and charm, and I inhale the scent of lavender and parchment.
The walls are lined with wooden shelves, showcasing an eclectic assortment of iconic items. Each shelf is a visual feast—vintage vinyl records, classic movie posters, porcelain figurines, leather-bound books, and myriad vintage jewelry.
I’m drawn to the rack of retro sunglasses. I can’t help myself. I choose a pair of round frames, put them on, and view myself in the mirror.
Yeah, I could have lived in the sixties. I rock these frames.
But I’m not here to buy for me.
At the center of the store, a young man sits behind the counter. “May I help you?” he asks when I approach him.
“I’d like to buy that dragon belt buckle in the window,” I say.
He smiles. “You got here just in time. That’s our last one.”
I frown. “It’s not vintage?”
“Not that piece. Most of our figurines and a lot of our jewelry are new.”
Bummer. It’s not one of a kind. But on Jesse it will be.
“I’ll take it.”
“Would you like to have it engraved?”
Hmm. I tilt my head. That way I can make it one of a kind for a one-of-a-kind man. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“It’s an extra twenty-five dollars.”
“Sounds great. Let’s engrave it.”
The clerk steps out from behind his counter, walks to the window, grabs the belt buckle, and brings it back.