My Favorite Souvenir(33)

“Yeah. I’m not too hungry either.”

Not for food anyway.

But I’ll keep that to myself.

“Although…” she said.

“What?”

She grinned. “I could go for some ice cream.”

“Ice cream sounds really good.”

We ended up finding a little ice cream shop within walking distance. I got a double scoop of chocolate chip with chocolate sprinkles while Maddie opted for a single scoop of cherry.

As we walked in the direction of our hotel, the sun was setting. It was a gorgeous, breezy evening. I was still thinking about everything that happened over at Zara’s. Somehow I could feel Zoe’s presence with me now, when it had seemed so out of reach before today. I had no doubt she’d been guiding this journey. Although, how did Maddie play into it? It was kind of weird to think Zoe might’ve orchestrated my meeting another woman. Maybe I was reading into it too much.

My thoughts were interrupted when Maddie screamed. It took me a few seconds to figure out what was happening. A pigeon had landed on top of her ice cream cone. It flapped its wings and proceeded to take a big chunk of the ice cream into its beak.

Then it flew away.

“What the hell was that?” she asked.

I was too busy laughing to answer.

Then it hit me. “Don’t say Zara didn’t warn you about birds.”





Chapter 11




* * *



Hazel



As soon as I locked myself in the bathroom, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was the first time I’d been alone in a while. Though I loved being joined at the hip with Milo, sometimes I needed to process my thoughts without him being able to read them all over my face.

I turned on the shower and got in. As the water rained down, I thought about what had happened today. Zoe’s coming through was one of the most incredible things I’d ever experienced—not only because it helped prove there was something out there beyond this life, but because it served as a reminder of the kind of love that transcends this universe. Milo and Zoe’s love had been authentic and based on respect. Milo wouldn’t have done to her what Brady did to me.

On the other side of the coin, what happened to Zoe was a reminder that life was short. We may not have forever to forgive the ones we cared about. Did that mean giving Brady a second chance was something I should consider? And then there was Zara’s warning about a conflict and the name Matthew… I reminded myself to call my dad tomorrow from the road.

After about a half hour, there was a knock at the door. Then Milo’s voice registered.

“You still alive in there?”

Shit. I had been in here a long time.

Shutting off the water, I yelled, “I’m fine.” I squeezed out my hair. “Just got a little carried away.”

“Don’t stop on my account. Just making sure you’re okay.”

Maybe subconsciously I’d been taking my sweet time in here to avoid being alone with Milo. He’d looked so sexy when he emerged from the shower earlier. I’d only gotten a quick glimpse of his wet, shirtless body as he walked past my room in our suite with a towel wrapped around his waist. I knew it was going to be hard to avoid wanting to be near him tonight. How I would love to cuddle next to him, at the very least. Falling asleep next to Milo tonight sounded really good. But I was certain that would lead to other things, so it had to remain a fantasy.

After I dried off and slipped into my cami and sleep shorts, I found my small tub of facial mask. It was the kind you rubbed over your face and slept with all night. That could be my armor, an additional layer of protection. No one can get frisky with green muck on their face, right?

I tied my hair up and began spreading the mask over my face. It quickly hardened. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw some kind of monster. Perfect.

After I opened the door and walked out into the common area, Milo’s eyes widened.

“That’s a good look, Mads.”

“Well, thank you. I figured since we’re bunking together tonight, why not show you what happens behind closed doors?” I teased. “I don’t wake up looking like I do, you know. It’s hard work.”

“And here I was thinking you were just naturally gorgeous.”

His words heated my body.

“I’m surprised you put a shirt on before I had a chance to admire you this time,” I joked.

“Yeah, well…” He sighed and put his legs up on the ottoman. “You have nowhere to run tonight, so I figured it wouldn’t be fair.” He winked.

“Thanks for sparing me.” I sat down on the far end of the couch, away from him. “How are you feeling?”

He turned to me. “You mean because of Zoe?”

“Yeah. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that whole thing. I can only imagine what you’re feeling.”

He rested his head back and stared up at the ceiling. “It was surreal. I never imagined something like that could happen. It definitely brought me a sense of peace. I’m not sure how Zara could have been making all of that up. If it were just one thing, I’d still have doubts, but the name, the skiing accident reference, and the fact that Zoe said she was with me when I was singing the other night? All those things? Too much to be a coincidence. And believe me, I was the biggest skeptic about this kind of stuff before today.”