laughing when their backs were turned. I wish the Parkers were my family.
“Meet you tonight.” I stepped off the bus with my phone up to my ear.
“Looking forward to it.” Landon’s voice was chipper on the other end of the line. “What are you doing today?”
I looked up at the Washington sky, wondering if the gray clouds in the distance were going to infringe on my day. Landon was working while I had the day off, and I’d gone to the Pike Place Market for some fresh fish and vegetables to make jambalaya. “Just getting some supplies for your dinner.”
“Sounds awesome,” he said happily. “Can’t wait.”
“Me, neither.” I hung up and tightly pulled my long gray sweater around my shoulders. I was wearing black leggings and my favorite yellow-checkered rubber boots, the perfect ensemble for an afternoon that might or might not be rained on.
After watching the men in the fish market toss halibut and red snapper back and forth for fifteen minutes, I purchased a pound of jumbo shrimp for my fresh-out-of-the-Pacific jambalaya. I held my shrimp carefully while I counted out my money into the hand of the salesman, who called out all of the orders at the top of his voice over my head.
“Who is that beautiful girl over there?” a deep, velvety voice sounded behind me.
I strained to see past a flying salmon. There stood Gabe, holding a small bag. He was dressed down—not a look I got to see very often—and he looked like the kid I remembered from our teenage years. His worn jeans hugged his legs nicely, and underneath his unzipped hoodie he wore a faded black T-shirt that looked molded to his chest. I had to bite my lip to keep from squealing. On the top of his head, he wore his old, beatup Mariners baseball cap backward.
Backward. Back in the day, a backward baseball cap on Gabe’s head usually made me want to pee my pants.
“Gabe.” I tossed a thank-you over my shoulder and walked toward him. “Whatcha doing here?”
He held up the bag. “Took the morning off to run wedding errands.”
I wanted to spit at the mention of said wedding but refrained. “What is it?”
“I’m not allowed to look in the bag. I think it’s my wedding present. She just didn’t have time to pick it up.” Gabe’s eyes wandered to my hair. “Hey, your hair is lighter.”
I fingered one of my loose pigtails. “Kim’s been working miracles. We’re aiming for platinum by the time your wedding comes around.”
“It looks great.” He winked at me, and my breath caught.
“Thanks.” I glanced down at the cement ground, suddenly self-conscious. Gabe was at the market on wedding errands, which was my sign to get up and get out. “So…I guess I’ll see you later.”
“Whoa, wait.” He touched my arm. “You’re not ditching me, are you?”
I looked over my shoulder. “Don’t you have to get back to wedding central?”
“I did what I was asked to do.” Gabe raised his eyebrows. “Let’s hang out.”
“Hang out?”
He laughed. “Yes, Vi.”
My body hummed at the mention of the nickname only Gabe was allowed to use. “Aren’t you supposed to be folding napkin swans today?”
He tugged on my arm. “Come on, let’s live on the edge.”
As always, I was powerless against him. We wove our way through the crowd and around the tables full of fresh vegetables, meat, and fish. “Where are we going?”
Gabe ducked as an enormous silver halibut was thrown over his head, amidst cries of joy from the watching crowd. “I don’t know.”
I realized that I was grinning, but I couldn’t help it. I loved hanging out with Gabe. Spending time with him always felt like home to me. There was a pang of guilt that kept sounding in the back of my mind, though. After all, Landon was waiting for jambalaya back at his place, and I was hanging out with the first boy I’d ever loved. Something was wrong with this scenario, but time with Gabe was time with Gabe.
“Let’s put this stuff in my car. I’ve got a cooler in the back.” He led me to his Escalade, which was parked in the diagonal slots lining the street just beyond the market.
Laughing, I set the bag of shrimp into the tiny drink cooler. “How did you manage to score a parking spot like this?”
Gabe gave me a sly glance. “I’ve got mad parking skills.”
I shook my head. “You mean you flirted with a woman as she was leaving and scored her spot?”
“You’re