Timeless(13)

Other than several couples enjoying a late afternoon stroll, she was the only person in the park without company. She could not help but feel a pang of envy as couples walked by holding hands and laughing together, occasionally stopping to kiss. Her shoulders slumped, and she turned away, thinking about Bran and how magical his kiss had been.

A roiling mass of gray clouds drifted lazily across the sun, darkening the sky and her mood further still. She stood, walked around the circumference of the carousel, looking for possible clues as to why her mother had drawn the carousel in her journal, but found nothing offering any hints at what that reason might have been. She squinted skyward as a slight drizzle, which was nothing more than a fine mist, began to fall. A flurry of wind rattled leaves from branches, sending them silently to the ground.

"You're out of luck, it appears."

Alexandria spun around, surprised in discovering she was not alone. "Pardon?"

"The carousel," River said, gesturing with his hand. "Closed for maintenance." He was lying on a park bench and wore black trousers, a dark blue button-up shirt, and a black leather jacket. He was dressed in mourning clothes, she realized. His usually fair hair was damp from the rain, and had turned a burnt honey color. His eyes, however, hypnotic and alluring, were the same dazzling blue she remembered. He sat up and looked directly at her.

Alexandria folded her arms behind her back and looked down at her feet, breaking free of his magnetic gaze. "I can see that, but I'm not actually here for a ride." Loose strands of her own damp hair fell over her shoulders as the rainfall grew gradually heavier. "I was so sorry to hear about your loss," she said, looking back at him. "Kat told me how close you and Dorothy were." She sat down on the lip of the carousel, opposite the park bench.

He got up from the bench, walked over to the carousel, and sat down next to her, his leg brushing against her hand. She quickly pulled it away, folding her hands in her lap. "I don't bite," he said, giving her a sideways glance.

"I hope not," she replied, returning his gaze.

His head lowered, moving closer to hers, and she could feel herself being drawn towards him, her lips parting. She could feel his breath on her mouth, then she suddenly jerked away, and the spell was broken. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just can't—"

"It's okay, I understand," he said, pulling away and looking around. "Blame it on the romantic setting, okay?"

She nodded, and they sat in silence for a long moment, lost in their own thoughts. Alexandria broke the silence first. "We were talking about Dorothy," she reminded him.

He picked up a large fallen leaf and turned it in his hands. Beads of raindrops slid across the glossy surface, then spilled onto the ground. "Dorothy was like a mother to me, and now Clive has gone as well. He didn't feel comfortable staying in the house with Dorothy gone."

"Clive, that's Bran's father, isn't it?"

River nodded, brushing damp hair out of his eyes.

"So now that Clive's gone, where will Bran stay, with you?"

He shook his head. "Clive and Dorothy owned a family home here in Ferntree long before they came to stay at Lancaster house, so he's moved back in there."

"Oh, I see."

"After my mother died, my father offered Clive and Dorothy a fulltime position if they agreed to move into the house. Bran, too, of course. My father thought the company would be good for me. He was right."

"So you and Bran must be pretty close, then?"

He lifted his hand, letting the leaf fall back onto the ground. "We were like brothers, until he moved away, that is. Listen, this rain looks like it's going to be hanging around for a while. What say we go somewhere and I buy you a hot drink?"

"I wanted to check out a few things," she said, looking at the carousel over her shoulder.

He stood up and held out his hands. Alexandria placed her hands on his palms and he pulled her to her feet. "The carousel has been here for years, it will still be here tomorrow," he said, taking off his jacket for her to hold over her head. "Come on, I'll race you to the café across the street. One, two..."

Alexandria shot off like a racehorse out of a starting gate on Derby day, laughing as she ran.

"That's cheating," he called, catching up to her within moments.

Almost breathless, she laughed again, smiling broadly up at him from under eyelashes glistening with rain. Minutes later, they stood beneath the pink and white striped awning of Rosie's Pancake Parlor, Alexandria catching her breath and River smiling as he watched her. Alexandria shook out River's wet jacket and handed it back to him. "Thank you. That was very sweet of you."