Maven grinned, her heart fluttering.
One day I will convince you to try it. It’s yummy.
Let’s start with pineapple lip gloss. If I can stand kissing it off your lips then I’ll give pineapple pizza a shot, deal?
Maven giggled loud enough to make the woman sampling perfumes look over at her.
She stuffed her phone back in her pocket. The girls behind her started up a conversation.
“Tatiana is crushed.” Maven’s ears perked up at the familiar name and she froze where she was. She couldn’t help but listen in on the gossip. There weren’t many Tatiana’s in Portwood.
“What do you think happened?”
“I don’t know. But I heard he dumped her on Facebook.” The girls laughed at the shocking rumors that were nothing but ugly to Maven. She knew how it felt to be in Tatiana’s shoes.
“I wonder who he is dating now. I’m sure he already had a backup.”
Maven’s mother tapped her on the shoulder. “Are you ready?”
Maven shot the girls one last look before heading out of the dress shop with her mother. Jake and Tatiana’s liaison lasted less than a year. What had been the point of ruining her life for less than a year? Jake Summit always seemed to find a new way to destroy someone’s life. And part of her was glad that this time it wasn’t her who had to deal with the heartache. Her heart was healing just fine.
UNINVITED
MAVEN’S FATHER SMILED at the sound of his daughter’s laughter outside on the porch. A sound he had begun to miss. But now it was back and he could see why she enjoyed Henri’s friendship so much. Henri had a way to make her all smiles and free from care.
Maven’s mother snuck up behind him. She wrapped her arms around him.
“Are you enjoying your day off?”
“Absolutely, but not as much as our daughter and Henri,” Her dad pointed out, he raised a finger signaling his wife to wait. Seconds later another giggle slipped through the windows.
“He’s a nice boy.” She stroked her husband’s arm, planting a kiss on his cheek.
“I know that. I try to tell myself that every day that I see her take off for his house.”
“She’s happy. Happier than I have seen her in a long time,” her mom said.
He parted the curtain, giving the lovebirds one more look before he took his sandwich and went into the den for lunch.
“I swear I was born with two left feet,” Henri said. He watched Maven’s eye sparkle as she giggled about his poor dancing skills. Her legs draped lazily over his lap. They swayed carelessly on the porch swing.
“You’ll do just fine.” Her hair fluttered in the breeze. “We are going to have a lot of fun. And we are going to take a lot of pictures.”
Henri idly ran a thumb against her thigh, listening attentively
“And they will be the best pictures ever.” She smiled, sitting up and resting her head against Henri’s shoulder, the mood dying down.
Maven touched his face, staring off, stroking the side of it, lost in an awful contemplation. The thought that one day all she would have of him were pictures. She pulled her phone from her pocket.
“What are you doing, Maven?” Henri asked, tugging the beanie from his head and covering his face with it. Maven pulled his arm away from his face.
“I’m making a video of you.” She dropped her feet to the porch standing up. “Say something, Henri.”
Henri sighed. His brown eyes lighting up with amusement, he grinned. “You should be the one on camera.”
“Why’s that, Henri?”
He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes looking away from the camera. “Because you’re so beautiful it hurts.”
Maven smiled from behind her phone. “Say something else.”
He stared into the camera lens, a solemn expression creeping across his face. “I’m Henri Levitt. And I have no idea what I am going to do when I have to dance with Maven.” He laughed, springing up from the swing and took off after her, she squealed, bounding across the porch, her bare feet echoing through the wood as she tried to get away from him.
She almost made it to the other end of the porch before Henri grabbed her by the waist, twirling her around in his grasp, her feet no longer on the floor. He set her back down, backing her against the white railing. His hands on both sides not allowing her to escape, he took the phone and turned the camera on her now, positioning the two of them in front of the viewfinder. He kissed her cheek.
“You see that?” he said, talking to the camera. “We just made a memory.” He kissed her again.
Maven’s heart pittered and pattered as he held tight to her chin, kissing her again. He shot a look at the camera, the only witness to the undeniable connection between the two of them. “An everlasting reminder of my amazing kissing skills,” He laughed. Maven snatched the camera away from him hiding her sadness. She knew he was joking, but it still dug at her emotions, making her ready to burst into tears.
Henri watched her take a few steps away from him. Her attention pinned on the video they just made. He leaned against the railing, knowing he had ruined the moment between them. But what could he say? Sorry? You couldn’t apologize for something you had no control over—like inevitable death.
When the silence was starting to become too much…that’s when Jake Summit ended it. His voice pulled them both back into reality. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“What are you doing here?” Maven said without delay. She shoved her phone into her pocket.
Jake gave Henri a quick glance before he bothered explaining himself. “I wanted to talk to you.”
Henri was beginning to feel awkward caught between the two of them. He moved out of the way.
“I don’t have anything to say to you, Jake.” Maven couldn’t believe Jake had the nerve to show himself at her house. It had been made clear he was to stay away from her. It was one thing to try and be malicious out in public, but at her home it was uncalled for and she was close to screaming for her father.
Henri pushed off the railing. “She said she has nothing to say to you. So why don’t you just leave?” He wasn’t going to let Maven deal with Jake alone. But he wasn’t quite prepared for what came next.
Jake shoved him into the railing. Maven jumped between them. “You keep your hands off of him.”
“Talk to me and I won’t lay a finger on him again.” Jake was angry, it was obvious by the heated scowl pinned to his lips. Maven had seen it time and time again. He was a bully their entire life.
Maven spun around and looked Henri over. Her heart beating out of her chest, she was so upset. “I’m sorry. Are you alright?”
Henri shook his head. “Of course. It was just a shove, a rather pathetic one.” He squeezed her arm. “Whatever you want me to do.”
Maven searched Henri’s eyes confused. She didn’t want Henri hurt. “I don’t want you to do anything.”
Jake groaned. “Just let me talk to her and it will be like nothing ever happened. That’s not too hard to do is it?” He raised an eyebrow. “Go home, Henri.”
Maven looked at Jake. “Don’t tell him what to do. You have no say in any of this.”
“I can go. As long as you think you’re okay being alone with him.” Henri lifted his hat from the porch swing. “I’m calling in fifteen minutes.”
Jake scoffed, watching Henri walk down the stairs. Henri shot him a look. “Don’t be stupid.”
Jake grinned, amused Henri had the nerve to threaten him. “Or what?”
“Or I’ll make you wish you never showed up uninvited,” Henri said, he looked at Maven for confirmation it was okay to leave. She nodded.