Hello, Goodbye

Chapter Fourteen

Saturday morning, she woke up feeling more nervous than she had anticipated. Her stomach was in knots, and she couldn't get her makeup right due to her shaking fingers. She couldn't find the right outfit. Everything was going wrong. She didn't know why she was feeling this way. He'd made it perfectly clear it wasn't a date. Just two friends hanging out on a Saturday afternoon. Totally innocent. But her hair wasn't sitting right, and the dress she chose had a hole in the armpit, so she had to choose something else. Everything was falling apart, and it wasn't even ten in the morning.

Right around noon, she heard a knock on her front door. He was there. Right on schedule. She gave herself one last check in the vanity mirror in her bedroom, making sure she looked halfway decent (and that there were no holes in the dress she finally settled on). Then she got up and ran to the living room to open the front door. He was standing just outside, and he didn't look any different than he usually did. Another sign it wasn't a date. She wasn't sure if she should be disappointed or relieved.

He smiled, and she couldn't help noticing how his eyes quickly scanned her up and down. Maybe he was checking her out? "Hey! You ready to go?" She nodded her head, giving him a smile she hoped didn't reveal how nervous she was actually feeling. "Great. Should we take the car or just walk?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I guess if we're reliving a day in the life of young Emersyn, then we should walk. I never drove to the ferry. I'd either walk or bring my bike."

"Great," he said, grinning. "Then looks like we're walking. I mean, if that's okay? I don't have a bike here."

"Sure, that sounds great," she said, closing the door and locking it behind her. Then she turned back to him and said, "All right, let's roll."

He walked with her to the port, where they bought two tickets for the 12:30pm ferry. She tried to pay for the tickets, but he just shook his head. "No way. I invited you out. You're not paying for anything."

She smirked, feeling her stomach flip like an Olympic gymnist. "Thought you said this wasn't a date?"

And there it was. It happened so quickly that she would've missed it if she'd blinked. But for just a moment, there was something in his blue eyes. A small hint of embarrassment. Why? Ugh, she wished she could crack open that head of his and get a look at all his inner thoughts. "It isn't a date," he replied, as he slid his hands into his pockets casually. "But I'm still buying. Where I come from, the person who extends the invitation is the one who pays."

She rolled her eyes. "That is such crap," she replied, but she was smiling. He paid for the ferry tickets, and they had a great time enjoying the view. The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot. Perfect weather to spend the day in Port Townsend. There was a jigsaw puzzle of a bunch of exotic animals sitting on one of the tables inside, and they sat across from each other trying to see who could put together the most pieces. By the time they pulled into Port Townsend, the puzzle was almost done. They left the rest of the puzzle on the table and headed out.

Port Townsend looked just as she remembered it. There were people walking down the streets, checking out all the shops. Zeke was particularly fond of an old cutlery store. She found out that he had a big knife and sword collection at home in Oklahoma. He told her all about it, and every so often she could hear a little bit of a southern drawl in his voice. It was so unbelievably adorable that she caught herself smiling every time she heard it. He bought a pocketknife with a Damascus steel blade, which he seemed thrilled about. He also purchased a book on local wildlife from the bookstore, and she could tell he was excited to start learning more about the types of creatures he could discover on the island.