Read Almost Summer for Free Online Page B

with herself two weeks ago. How hard could that be?
    She rounded the corner of her street and started toward her
house. As she walked closer, something moved on the porch. A man stood, as if
he’d been waiting.
    Her heart fluttered, her breathing quickened and it was all she
could do to keep from flying the last few feet.
    “What are you doing here?” she asked, aware that she sounded
breathless.
    “Montana tires easily,” Alistair told her. “Simon and I have
caught up and I thought I would leave the two of them alone for a few hours.” He
paused and stared into her eyes. “Plus, I’ve missed you.”
    “I’ve missed you, too.”
    “When I arrived here and you were gone, I wondered if you were
out on a date.”
    “I put in a couple of hours at work at the fire station.”
    Relief eased the tension in his face. “Good to know.” He held
up the computer case he held. “I have a plan.”
    “I can’t wait to hear what it is.”
    Fifteen minutes later, his computer was sitting on the dining
room table. Next to it was a large map of Europe and a pad of paper. Paige had
poured them each a glass of wine. She handed him one and then looked at
everything he’d brought.
    “I don’t understand.”
    “All you have to do is take the first step,” he told her. “Plan
the first trip. The rest will follow.”
    She knew he was right, yet instead of agreeing, she set down
her wine and tucked her hands behind her back. “I can’t.”
    He put his glass next to hers and put his hands on her
shoulders. “We’ll do this together. You don’t have to be afraid.”
    She didn’t deny the obvious. That she was afraid. What was the point? But for all his claims of their
doing anything together, the truth was she would leave on the trip by
herself.
    What had seemed so glamorous in theory was suddenly lonely.
Looking into Alistair’s eyes, she realized that she’d always assumed there would
be someone with her when she traveled the world. Sophia, or a nameless, faceless
friend.
    Alistair pulled two chairs close together and urged her to sit
in one. He took the other, then typed into his computer’s browser. A picture of
Paris appeared on the screen.
    “I suggest you start with a more traditional destination,” he
began. “Paris, or London. With a Eurail Pass, you can explore the rest of Europe
at your own pace. You have to see Rome. Now I’ve taken the liberty of suggesting
a few itineraries.”
    He clicked a couple of keys and a list came up. The title was
Paris, followed by a list of places to go, including several walking tours.
    “This is a museum most people overlook,” he told her. “Yes, the
Louvre is important, but I think you’ll enjoy this one as well.”
    He continued talking, explaining about a Saturday morning
market he favored and how she could be in Italy in time for the grape harvest.
His voice washed over her, making her see the journey he had planned. Finally,
he turned to her.
    “I know this is what you want,” he told her. “What Sophia
wanted for you. You’ve been missing her, which shows how much you loved her. Now
it’s time to take a step forward.”
    He took her hand in his. “I know what I’m talking about. I’ve
spent the last few years beating myself up for being gone when I lost my family.
I’ve been unable to release the past and move on. You’ve helped me get unstuck.
I want to return the favor.”
    His eyes were the most remarkable color of blue, she thought
hazily. She could stare into them forever. If only he would come with her. If
only…
    There it was again, she thought. A reason to delay. A reason to
say, “Not today.” She was twenty-six. Would she find excuses until she was
thirty? Forty? Would she reach sixty and then say she was too old?
    Her heart told her Alistair might be the one. That she could
easily fall in love with him. But he wasn’t offering anything beyond travel
advice and if she didn’t act now, she would be stuck for who knows how long.
    “Do you