CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chloe knew she shouldn’t have accepted the third glass of wine when Nick offered to top her off. But she was on her best behavior every single moment she was around the man, and it felt good to let her guard down, to laugh and enjoy his stories. It felt good to forget for a single moment who she was and who he was.
She wasn’t so foolish as to think this would change anything between them, but to have a single night off without her father’s voice in her head―without analyzing every move Nick made―wasn’t asking too much of herself. So she did accept the refill, and she leaned back against one of the posts on the gazebo as she picked at her chicken and laughed at yet another story Nick was telling her from his days at the Coast Guard base.
“. . . After the itching powder incident, our captain had to ban all practical jokes. About ten of us were going around shifting a hell of a lot as a part of our bodies burned that we’d rather were in perfect health,” he finished.
“I have never understood how guys think it’s so funny to hurt each other,” she told him, but she’d been laughing right along with him, nullifying her words.
“It’s not that we want to hurt each other. We just want to get the upper hand,” he said.
“And were there any winners in this practical joke campaign?” she asked pointedly.
“If I had to declare a winner, I would say it was me. Johnson had to shave his head to get the glue out of his hair. That was genius,” Nick said proudly.
She looked at him as if he was insane. That only made him laugh all the more. “Come on, give me some credit. It took me a while to find the right glue and to get it in his shampoo bottle without him knowing it.”
“You are terrible. And it really isn’t fair because he won’t be able to get his revenge with the captain’s ruling,” she pointed out.
“Nah, after a few months, the captain will forget all about it, and then the games will begin again,” he told her with a chuckle.
“Don’t you think it’s time to grow up at some point?” she asked.
“I’ve never understood that exactly,” he said, sounding almost serious.
“Understood what?” she asked.
“Growing up,” he said. “Just because we turn a certain age, does that mean our entire personalities should change?” He waited as if expecting an answer.
“Well, we can’t be kids forever,” she told him. Though there were a lot of days she would love to have no responsibilities, to be free like a child. Why had she rushed to grow older? She didn’t really know.
“Why not? Why can’t we have fun and embrace life? Why is it so important to change into a new person just because the number of candles on your birthday cake has increased each year?”
He was serious as he said this. The questions surprised her. She wasn’t sure what the correct answers were. Everyone said you had to grow up. It might not be an actual law, but it was just what people did.
“Well, I guess it’s because if adults ran around acting like children the world would be in chaos,” she said.
“How so?” he asked.
“What do you mean by that?” He was really pushing this point. She wasn’t sure what to think about that.
“Do you honestly think the world would have half as many problems if people didn’t take themselves so seriously?”
“What are you talking about?” she asked with exasperation.
“Okay, here’s an example. When you are in grade school and you want to make a friend, what do you do?”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
He sighed as if he were talking to a child. “It’s a simple question. Think back to your elementary days and tell me specifically what you did to make friends.”
She thought for a moment. It had been a long time since she’d been in school. But he seemed to want a genuine answer.
“I guess I shared my toys,” she began before she smiled. “And my mom used to put a treat in my lunch every day, usually something coated in chocolate. I met my best friend, Dakota, that way. I would sneak it into class with me, and when we were supposed to be having quiet reading time, I would pull it out and give her half,” Chloe told him.
“Were you stressed that the teacher might catch you?” he asked.
She laughed. “No. As a matter of fact, she might have known what we were doing, but she never called us on it. We weren’t hurting anyone,” she pointed out.
“That’s my point, exactly. You made friends by sharing your treats, by helping a friend with homework, or by playing at recess. You didn’t have to put on airs, didn’t have to try to be someone you weren’t. You were yourself and you drew people to you. Why can’t it be that simple now?” he pushed.
“Because we have to grow up,” she said with a huff.
“But why?”
“I want to know why you’re pushing this,” she said, her voice growing more agitated.
“Because I’ve been told since I was young that I needed to grow up, that I needed to take on responsibility and act like an adult. But why can’t I have the best of both worlds? What’s wrong with playing baseball in the rain and getting coated in mud? What’s wrong with having an epic Nerf battle with my friends and family? What’s wrong with sharing my candy with a pretty girl?”
As he finished his little speech, he pulled out a box of chocolates that had been hidden. She immediately smiled and reached for them. They were the creamy fruit-filled chocolates that were a secret vice of hers. She had no idea how he had figured that out.