may have blurred the truth to get us an hour alone here, so we have to keep up the cover. Let’s see your camera.”
She slipped her wrist out of the looped zipper pull and tried to think of a reason not to open the purse, but he looked ready to bounce out of the car without her if she delayed much longer. She wrinkled her nose and pulled it out.
His brows furrowed, and he leaned closer. “That’s a camera?”
“It’s the only one I have. You said I couldn’t use my phone.”
“Yeah, but it’s so small. And pink. And plastic. Is that a Hello Kitty sticker?”
She groaned. “Yes, okay? It was a hand-me-down from Sophie, and she got it from Shiloh. And yes, it takes thirty-five-millimeter film.”
“Uh, it’s okay. We just won’t broadcast that to management. Maybe hold your thumb over the sticker.”
She felt a pout coming on, but he leaned in and kissed her cheek, and “woe is me” went out the window.
• • •
Madden hopped out the driver’s side and almost tripped on a rock and face-planted in the sand in his sprint to open Saralynn’s door before she could beat him to it. Her rewarding smile was so worth it. Even dressed down she still looked out of his league. He led the way into the main building shaped sort of like the Sydney Opera House and handed their tickets to the lady behind the front desk.
“You’re the photographers?”
He nodded and held up a pretty impressive camera with a big zoom lens. Saralynn raised her little, pink rectangle, but only for a second. Desk lady narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips but nodded and waved toward the back door leading into the park.
Once they stepped into the cool night air alone, he let his shoulders hunch forward. “Man. I thought she was going to ask for fingerprints and dental casts.”
Saralynn glided down the few steps onto the dust path and turned in a slow circle, her head tilted back to take in the massive signs all lit up or backlit in different colors. “Whoa.”
“I know, right?”
“How did I not know about this place?”
“It’s not one of the city’s main attractions, but it should be.” He shuffled down then took a few backward steps into the maze but kept watching her take it all in.
“This is amazing.” It felt pretty great to claim credit for the awe on her face.
“Come on.” He held out his arm. It wasn’t flattering when she stared at it like an alien tentacle, but she looped her arm around and held on tentatively. Baby steps. “So what do you think?”
“I love it. It feels like an abandoned carnival. Spooky but really cool.”
“That’s the vibe I get, too. Especially at night. Kinda romantic though, huh?”
She glanced at him sideways and didn’t say anything, but that smile was enough. “So you learned all about me on the last shared evening.”
“You wanted to say date.”
“Did not.” Her tongue flashed at him, and he resisted pulling her in for a kiss.
“My mistake.”
“Anyway, it’s my turn. If we’re going to get to know each other, we really have to put it all out there and open up. Do you agree?”
His stomach sank, but at the same time, hope expanded in his chest. “Sure. Okay.”
“You seem like a pretty smart guy. How did you … I mean, what happened that … ”
“I became a gambling addict?”
She glanced up at him almost shyly and nodded.
So, no easing into the shallow end. And here he’d thought he’d romance her until he could gloss over his past between flower bouquets and imported chocolates. He should have known better. Saralynn shared no other traits with women he’d dated before. This was a new frontier, and how could he deny the pretty trailblazer on his arm? Not that that made it any easier.
“I was always good with numbers, and our dad raised us to be competitive. To win every contest, and if something wasn’t a contest, to turn it into one. Combine that with a decent bank account at twenty-one, and, well … I got sucked into gambling. Several
She slipped her wrist out of the looped zipper pull and tried to think of a reason not to open the purse, but he looked ready to bounce out of the car without her if she delayed much longer. She wrinkled her nose and pulled it out.
His brows furrowed, and he leaned closer. “That’s a camera?”
“It’s the only one I have. You said I couldn’t use my phone.”
“Yeah, but it’s so small. And pink. And plastic. Is that a Hello Kitty sticker?”
She groaned. “Yes, okay? It was a hand-me-down from Sophie, and she got it from Shiloh. And yes, it takes thirty-five-millimeter film.”
“Uh, it’s okay. We just won’t broadcast that to management. Maybe hold your thumb over the sticker.”
She felt a pout coming on, but he leaned in and kissed her cheek, and “woe is me” went out the window.
• • •
Madden hopped out the driver’s side and almost tripped on a rock and face-planted in the sand in his sprint to open Saralynn’s door before she could beat him to it. Her rewarding smile was so worth it. Even dressed down she still looked out of his league. He led the way into the main building shaped sort of like the Sydney Opera House and handed their tickets to the lady behind the front desk.
“You’re the photographers?”
He nodded and held up a pretty impressive camera with a big zoom lens. Saralynn raised her little, pink rectangle, but only for a second. Desk lady narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips but nodded and waved toward the back door leading into the park.
Once they stepped into the cool night air alone, he let his shoulders hunch forward. “Man. I thought she was going to ask for fingerprints and dental casts.”
Saralynn glided down the few steps onto the dust path and turned in a slow circle, her head tilted back to take in the massive signs all lit up or backlit in different colors. “Whoa.”
“I know, right?”
“How did I not know about this place?”
“It’s not one of the city’s main attractions, but it should be.” He shuffled down then took a few backward steps into the maze but kept watching her take it all in.
“This is amazing.” It felt pretty great to claim credit for the awe on her face.
“Come on.” He held out his arm. It wasn’t flattering when she stared at it like an alien tentacle, but she looped her arm around and held on tentatively. Baby steps. “So what do you think?”
“I love it. It feels like an abandoned carnival. Spooky but really cool.”
“That’s the vibe I get, too. Especially at night. Kinda romantic though, huh?”
She glanced at him sideways and didn’t say anything, but that smile was enough. “So you learned all about me on the last shared evening.”
“You wanted to say date.”
“Did not.” Her tongue flashed at him, and he resisted pulling her in for a kiss.
“My mistake.”
“Anyway, it’s my turn. If we’re going to get to know each other, we really have to put it all out there and open up. Do you agree?”
His stomach sank, but at the same time, hope expanded in his chest. “Sure. Okay.”
“You seem like a pretty smart guy. How did you … I mean, what happened that … ”
“I became a gambling addict?”
She glanced up at him almost shyly and nodded.
So, no easing into the shallow end. And here he’d thought he’d romance her until he could gloss over his past between flower bouquets and imported chocolates. He should have known better. Saralynn shared no other traits with women he’d dated before. This was a new frontier, and how could he deny the pretty trailblazer on his arm? Not that that made it any easier.
“I was always good with numbers, and our dad raised us to be competitive. To win every contest, and if something wasn’t a contest, to turn it into one. Combine that with a decent bank account at twenty-one, and, well … I got sucked into gambling. Several
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