"Are you here for me?" he whispered.
"Um, no," she turned to make sure he wasn't talking to someone else. "Just for ice cream."
"You're sure?"
"That's kinda why I came to an ice cream stand," she said with a laugh.
"What flavor?"
"Surprise me."
"No. I don't want to upset you."
Deidre looked over the flavors. She pointed out two finally. His hands shook as he scooped them into a bowl. She took it and handed him a five dollar bill.
"On me."
"Oh, thanks."
"Just, ah, remember that. Make it quick when I'm up."
Flustered, Deidre nodded and walked away with her ice cream. The woman she saw in downtown Atlanta had reacted to her the same way. Unwilling to let the weirdness ruin her day, Deidre dismissed the strange exchange, distracted by the smells coming from a display of homemade candles. She went down the line, smelling everything, until one candle in particular caught her attention.
"Smells good enough to eat!" she said to the lady sitting behind the table.
"Pecan pie."
She bought it then moved on. She passed three face painting clowns before she gave in and decided to have her own done. By the time she reached the beach house, her face was Smurf blue and she was laboring under the weight of the treasures she'd found. She walked in and paused in the doorway, listening.
"Logan?"
No answer. He hadn't texted her to say he was going out before heading to Atlanta this evening.
"This is getting old, Logan," she said with a sigh. Deidre piled everything on the kitchen counters and pulled out the candle. She lit it and set it on the back porch. Sitting down with a book, she propped her feet up on the table and relaxed, calmed by the sounds of the ocean and the warm sun. Eventually, she dozed off.
The candle's wick popped loudly enough to wake her awhile later. It was past dusk, and bonfires were springing up down the beach. Deidre grunted at how stiff her legs were. She twisted to see into the beach house. The lights were off. Logan wasn't home. A glance at her phone made her roll her eyes.
She was beginning to think he wasn't going to propose. He'd walked out on her. The hot sex, strange distance he put between them, sudden disappearance.
Yeah, he wasn't coming back.
She wasn't sure she cared. Deidre flipped on the lights in the bungalow and made herself stir fry with the fresh veggies she'd bought that day. The neighbors were having a party around a huge bonfire. The muffled beats of music thumped through her open windows. She watched them with a smile as she cooked.