More Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories - By Lisa Scott Page 0,59

the site, it was clear what item on the list he had in mind. “A hot air balloon?” Zoe asked.

Nick grinned. “You did ask if I had one stashed away.”

She froze in her seat. “Wait, you didn’t buy this, did you?”

He laughed. “No, just booked a trip for the two of us.”

She stared at the big rainbow-striped balloon, wondering if she’d really be able to do it while sober. “I survived the other stuff, I suppose this won’t kill me either.” She looked down at her shoes. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I can’t believe you arranged this. I’m just a little scared.” Scared of heights, scared of falling to her death, and scared of the way this guy made her feel.

Nick looped his arm around her, in a tight, friendly way. “Don’t be. I bet this will be one of the best experiences of your life.”

She adjusted her hat. “You’re right. This will be fun.”

***

Zoe sat at the bottom of the basket, her hands linked around her knees. “I’m sorry. It’s scarier than I thought.”

Nick sat down next to her. “But you did it, and that’s what counts. I think all of the feet-off-the-ground adventures are over with now.”

She nodded. “Good.” How many batches of jam would she have to make to get over this?

He stood up and held out his hand. “But I don’t want you to miss this view. You’ll kick yourself if you do. I won’t let go of your hand, I promise.”

“Even if we plummet to the earth?”

“We’ll plummet together.”

She reached for his hand, closed her eyes, and then stood up. The view below was amazing. “Wow,” was all she could say.

“Wow indeed.”

Up there in the sky, she realized she was a little bit closer to Jenny, too. She looked up and smiled in case she was watching. Of course she was watching.

“You think your cousin’s watching?” Nick asked.

“You know, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” Just then, a gust blew past them, taking her hat with it. Zoe screamed, reaching for it, like she might be able to snatch it back.

“Oh, my god. Your hat!” Nick cried. They both watched the pink splotch in the sky twirl through the air, until it disappeared somewhere below.

Zoe tried to blink back the tears.

“I’ll get you another hat,” Nick said.

She shook her head. “That was from Jenny. Another hat couldn’t replace it.” She slid back onto the floor of the basket. He sat next to her and put his arm around her. How she wished she could bury her face in his neck and hug him back; spending time with a guy like Nick was going to ruin her for other men.

“Friends without benefits,” she could imagine Jenny saying. “Lame.”

When the balloon landed, Nick spent at least half an hour driving by nearby roads on the off chance they might find her hat. They didn’t. “Do you want to get dinner?” he finally asked.

Going on another pretend date with the guy she was falling for seemed like a bad idea. But hunger trumped bad ideas. “Sure,” she said. And maybe, the restaurant would have a really great dessert tray.

***

It was becoming a weekly thing, meeting for a Saturday adventure. She decided to show him Jenny’s list and Nick made a copy. Then he got busy. They swam in a fountain in the park. They drove around looking for construction projects so they could write their name in cement. They went down to the pier and dropped a message in a bottle into the ocean. Zoe was being nicer to people on the phone, even the ones who were disputing their bills. She brought in jam for her co-workers to try and a few people asked if she’d take orders.

She and Nick didn’t do anything together outside of their Saturday quests. She was beginning to accept nothing would ever happen between them, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

On a sunny Saturday morning, she laced up her sneakers as she’d been instructed, trying to remember what was left on the list that would require sneakers. You didn’t need sneakers to get a tattoo, so that was good news. That was one item she definitely had to work up to. But if that were what he was planning, at least running shoes would help with a quick getaway.

Zoe met him in the lobby again and wondered if her knees would ever stop wobbling when she saw him. It’s like her heart hadn’t gotten the news