Lila stood with her hands on her sides, leaning against the metal door. She’d taken Tylenol only a couple hours earlier for the headache that refused to leave, and it was too soon for more. Deeply inhaling the cold air, she counted to ten. She focused on her feet—the farthest point possible from her head.
The pain gradually eased, taking the nausea away with it. Lila grabbed a container of M&Ms and walked back out to the dining area. She filled the candies back up then turned to see Gavin reading a crumbled piece of paper at the cash register.
Horror filled her. Lila ran over, slammed the container down on the counter, and made to grab it from him.
Gavin laughed as he held her list high above her head.
“What are you doing?” Lila demanded. “That’s private!”
Gavin looked at the list again, laughing as she jumped to reach it. He had several inches on her and easily kept it away.
“Use a fake ID to sing karaoke in a bar?” He raised a brow. “Weston, my little deviant, I didn’t know you had it in you.”
He watched the panic in her eyes as she quickly scanned the room. Gavin liked to tease her, but he wasn’t cruel. He would not have read that one out loud if people were around. Moving down the list, he froze. “Go on a date?”
Her face flushed, and she backed away. She ran a hand through her hair, whispering, “Please just give it back.”
The please threw him. When Lila held out her hand, he gave her the list. “You’ve never been on a date?”
She folded the paper and held it tight in one fist, refusing to meet his eyes. Guilt nagged at Gavin, warring with satisfaction. Growing up, Lila was so outgoing. Their parents always said she didn’t know a stranger. Something happened to make her hide away, and while he knew he played a part in her never having a date, he was determined to finally find out why she shut him out.
“All right, I’m in,” he said.
“W-what?”
Gavin grinned at the stammer. “Relax, Weston. I mean I will help you cross off your summer bucket list.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Really?” He leaned a hip against the counter. “You’re going to get all this done in the next three months by yourself?”
“Two weeks.”
He barely heard her words. “What?”
“I have two weeks to do it all.”
Gavin stared at her. Lila was smart, she always did exceedingly well in school. It wasn’t a surprise that she was leaving for college early. He just thought they had more time.
The bell over the door chimed, and Lila moved to help another family. After she scooped their ice cream, Gavin rang up the order. They stayed inside at one of the small tables, so he dropped his voice. “We start tomorrow.”
Lila bit at her bottom lip. Someone at the window caught her attention. As she passed Gavin, she shook her head. “No, Gavin. I don’t need your help.”
He watched her take the order of the teenage couple that looked a year or two younger than Lila and him. While Lila made up their cones, the two kissed. The girl pulled away, laughing as she leaned into her boyfriend.
Gavin had two weeks to figure out what happened between him and Lila. Despite her refusal, he was determined to check off every item on that list with her. He thought back through it, trying to decide which to do the next day. But the same one kept flashing in his mind.
Be kissed in the rain.
4
Tuesday
“All right, Weston.” Gavin clapped his hands then rubbed them together with a grin. “Ready to get started?”
Lila shoved her bag under the counter before flinging an apron over her neck and tying it behind her back. It smelled sweet, as if already covered in ice cream. The job shouldn’t be a messy one, but she always managed to spill bits of the sugary concoctions on herself. Gavin moved past her, getting the ice cream set up.
“It’s too early for that much enthusiasm,” Lila said. The list was long, and she knew for a fact some of the items would be a lot easier with another person—some required another person. But she didn’t want him involved with any of them. She still couldn’t believe he read through the embarrassing list. “Besides, I said no, remember?”
He turned to face her. “Oh, come on. We can cross off at least one thing right now.”
“Even if I did say yes, which I’m not,” she held up a hand to stop whatever he was about to say and continued, “we need to open the store. We can’t check things off the list while at work.”
“Au contraire.” Gavin turned to grab a bowl. “You can try something new.”
Lila stilled, her hand hovering with a container over the topping bar. That vague item on the list could mean just about anything, and she was curious as to what he had in mind. Slowly, she dumped the rest of the cookie dough bites into their tub then turned to face him. “What could I try?”
Gavin raised his eyebrows a couple times with a grin. He held up the bowl, now filled with ice cream, and she moved closer, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She hated her traitor heart. She didn’t want to enjoy working with him, but the charm and ease he’d had as a child poured from him in waves.
“Try this.” As she reached for it, he pulled it back and yelled, “Wait!”
He rushed over to the toppings and piled on several types of candy—candies she never would have paired together, like gummy bears and chocolate chips. He sprayed whipped cream over it all, drizzled chocolate on top, then tossed on some sprinkles.
“Are you trying to kill me?” She finally smiled as he brought the monstrosity back to her.
Lifting up a spoon, he handed both over. “Try it.”
“You’re ridiculous,” she
