Chapter 18

 

 

They continued to race until it got late, and by then Kate had improved significantly—an irritation to Roman, who had yet to do as well. Bidding him farewell, they walked out to her car and climbed in.

“We stayed later than I thought,” Kate said, eyeing the clock on the dash.

“It’s past eleven,” Reed said, surprised at how quickly the time had flown.

“I was going to take you to an ice cream place a few miles from here. They serve a dish called the race track, which has a car made of candy on top of a chocolate and vanilla waffle cone.”

“You think they’re still open?” he asked, loathe to end the date.

“We’ll get back after midnight,” she said. “Unless that’s another rule you’re willing to bend on.”

“Let’s go,” he said. “But not too late.”

She pulled onto the road. “Next thing I know, you’re going to want sex in the back seat.”

He grinned and shook his head. “I don’t drive that fast.”

She laughed and turned onto the main road, accelerating toward the highway. As they drove away Reed found himself wishing he was still racing with Kate. In an odd way they’d been close. Separated by car and space, they had nevertheless woven around each other, the cars occasionally touching.

“I still can’t believe you drive a go-kart like that,” she said.

He smiled. “I played a lot of Mario kart at the time, and it felt like the real thing. Mario kart lost its appeal afterward.”

“I bet it did,” she said. “Nothing like the real thing.”

“True,” he said.

“Did you ever beat him?” she asked. “The professional racer?”

“A few times,” he said. “But I’m pretty sure he let me win.”

“That’s nice of him.”

“Those were the times he was sober,” he said. “It was tough to tell, though. He and my dad drank a lot.”

She got off at the next exit and followed the directions on her phone to the ice cream shop. They pulled in and the sign revealed it was about to close, so they rushed in to place their order. With Race Track Supremes in hand, they settled into her car and ate as the entire strip mall went dark.

“This is surprisingly good,” he said.

“Roman mentioned it,” she replied. “I figured it went with the theme.”

“Are you getting tired of planning these dates yet?” he asked.

She swiveled in her seat to look at him. “Are you?”

“It’s different, planning for one person over several dates. I’m used to just one or two, or occasionally three dates with the same girl. This is our tenth, and even though I’ve only planned half of them, it’s proving to be an increasing challenge.”

“You didn’t answer the question,” she said.

“Neither did you,” he countered.

She tipped her spoon as if to say, fair point. Her gaze lingered on him, gauging the purpose of his conversation, and he tried to keep his expression mildly curious. He was curious, but if they were going to elevate their relationship, he wanted to see what she wanted. But was he saying too much? Eventually she shrugged.

“When I was a little girl I watched movies and read books that always talked about adventure. I remember wondering what an adventure would be like, and fell asleep many times imagining my own. I never thought I’d get one.”

“You really feel that way?”

“I do,” she said. “There may not be dragons or knights, but this adventure certainly has magic.” She smiled coyly, making him laugh. “Now your turn. Are you tired of it yet?”

“When we started this game, I thought I would crush you,” he admitted. “I never thought you would prove such a formidable adversary.”

“I hope that’s not all you see,” she said.

“Poor word choice,” he said. “I just mean you’ve surprised me—and continue to do so. I never thought this game would become an obsession.”

“Now I’m an obsession?” Her lips twitched with amusement.

He grunted ruefully. “I seem to have a talent for finding the wrong words tonight.”

“I won’t hold that against you,” she said. “Especially since you’re still in the lead.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“My roommates keep a tally,” she admitted. “And you’re still in the lead—not by much, mind you, but enough. The island date gave you a big advantage.”

“The one where we fell in the pool?” he asked, incredulous.

“They call it the one where I took a shower in your house,” she said. “Ember thought it was the closest you and I came to spending the night.”

“True or not,” he said, “I’m glad to know I have the lead.”

“Don’t sound so smug,” she said, throwing a napkin at him. “Tomorrow they’ll post the picture of us at the track, and the details of the night. You can see for yourself if you’d like. Ember put it online after I used the band in the library. It’s getting a following and people are voting.”

Reed pulled out his phone and followed her direction to the site, surprised to find an image of himself standing with Kate. The picture had been taken of them on their third date, and the way they looked at each other implied exactly what they felt.

“I can’t believe she posted it online,” he said.

“Does that bother you?” she asked. “There are thousands of people posting now. There’s even a Creative Dating hashtag about us.”

“I had no idea.”

“Are you upset?”

He considered her question but then shook his head. “I always wanted my methods of dating to become more commonplace. By the tone of these comments, it seems to be having an impact. Turns out all I needed was you.”

“Truest statement you’ve ever made,” she said fervently, and they both laughed.

They finished their ice cream and stepped out to drop the napkins and spoons into a trash can. Then she drove him home. On the way he read some of the comments aloud, surprised and gratified by the praise some of the girls seemed to be heaping upon them.

“They’re calling you the new age woman,” he said.

“Hardly,” Kate said, pulling into his driveway.

They got out and she walked him to his door, but Reed found himself looking around, wondering if someone was taking a picture of them. They reached his porch and he embraced her, and once again she lingered in his arms. For the first time, he did not feel the sting of regret, and smiled as he held her to his chest. When they parted she had a knowing smile on her face.

“I’ll expect your invite,” she said.

“Be ready,” he said with a smile. “I have to maintain my lead.”

She laughed and walked to her car, glancing back as she got in. “I look forward to what’s coming.”

He could not restrain his smile. “You should,” he said.