think youâre a hero.â
âSo Iâm not hot?â
She laughed. âYouâre both.â She dipped her head and kissed him. It wasnât one of those that came with tongue, but it was much more than a simple peck.
And it didnât end quickly. It lasted, not long enough, but long enough for it to mean something.
When she pulled back, he looked up at her. âAre you only kissing me because I hit Eric? Because I donât want to have to hit a guy every time I want to score a kiss.â He smiled at her, his heart still racing from feeling her lips against his.
âNo,â she said, grinning from ear to ear. âIâve wanted to kiss you for a long time. And â¦â she made a funny face, âsince Iâm gonna die soon, I figured Iâd better do it.â
âIn that case, do you think you should do it again?â It was a lame line. But it worked.
She kissed him again. And this one did come with a little tongue. He was nervous at first, but just like he thought, he didnât suck at it. He suddenly felt confident. He even reached up with his uninjured hand and held the back of her head.
The sound of a ringing phone broke the kiss. His sister stood about ten feet away staring and smiling as she pulled her phone out.
When she looked at the phoneâs screen, her eyes widened with panic. She came running up. âItâs Dad. Pleeeasse tell me you didnât call him about this.â
âI didnât,â he told her and stood up. âHeâs probably just checking in.â
She inhaled a breath and took the call.
âHey, Dad,â Mindy said, sounding extra cheery, but she really did sound okay. She paused. âI hate that. Yeah, we were ready to come back anyway.â She looked up at Chase. âOkay, weâll meet you in twenty minutes.â
She dropped the phone back in her pocket. âHeâs picking us up early. Something about a storm and a surgery heâs been called in to do. Weâre going to have to leave this afternoon. Like soon, because everyone is trying to get out of town before the storm.â
âI hate that,â Tami said.
âMe, too,â Chase said. He wasnât ready for this weekend to end. He plopped the ice heâd been using on his knuckles on the table. He moved his hand. It wasnât broken, just bruised.
Mindy stood there staring at him, looking worried again. âPromise me you arenât going to tell Mom or Dad about this.â
Chase studied her frown. âPromise me that youâll be more careful from now on. And not hook up with jerks.â
âI promise,â Mindy said. âNow you promise. I want to hear it.â
Chase shrugged. âI already promised, but to make you feel better ⦠I promise I wonât tell Dad or Mom.â His sister came over and hugged him again.
âI love happy endings,â Tami said.
As they walked back to the place they were supposed to meet his dad, they passed the palm reader. She was with someone else, holding a manâs palm in her hand, probably telling him lies. Then, as if the palm reader felt them, she glanced up. Her dark black eyes followed them. But it was her expression that concerned him more. It wasnât evil. Not angry. It was sad.
Chase looked away quickly, glad Tami hadnât seen her.
He didnât believe the woman. He didnât. But he gazed back one more time and for some reason he recalled what Tami said.
I love happy endings.
***
As they were walking back to meet his dad, Mindy claimed she needed to find a restroom. And because apparently girls never went to the bathroom alone, Tami went with her. Chase sat down on a bench a half a block from the facilities.
He sat there practically glowing thinking about the two kisses, and trying to decide what he needed to do next. And not just kiss her againâoh, he was definitely going to do thatâbut wondering what a boy was