Tag’s eyes dart to me. “If you think for one second I’d make a woman pay for anything, you don’t know me very well.”
“But—”
“I made you come. I would never expect you to be pay and would be insulted if you tried. Don’t worry about anything, okay? Work, money… anything. Right now is about fun.”
“I don’t think—”
“Clara.”
“Tag—”
“Oh, look. We’re here,” he says, tapping his fingers on his steering wheel. “I say we start at the rides then head towards the food.”
“Sounds perfect,” I murmur, staring at all the rides in vision as he parks the car.
“What’s your views on scary rides?”
I stare at his profile. “The scarier the better.”
“My kind of girl.”
We get out of his car and walk side by side to the entrance. Tag pays our fee, which makes me feel bad, but I stay quiet as he leads me towards the rollercoaster.
It was huge.
“You down for this?” he asks, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
I roll my eyes at him. “Oh please. This right here—child’s play.”
I’m sure his booming laugh could have been heard from all areas of the carnival. “Fuck, you’re cute, you know that? Let’s see if you’re as tough as you think you are.”
We wait in the short line, then grab a seat right in the very front.
“You can always hold my hand if you get scared,” he says once we’re buckled in.
“How considerate of you,” I reply dryly.
His mouth twitches as he stares down at me. When his gaze drops to my mouth, my breath hitches. “Are you single?”
I nod. “Are you?”
“I’m always single,” he replies, winking.
I don’t want to read into that comment.
Lucky for me, the ride starts, and everything else is forgotten.
“What’s so funny?” he asks, licking his lips.
I look at him, speaking through my laughter. “Look at you. Big, bald, muscled guy, covered in tattoos. Bad ass goatee. Eating pink candy floss!”
“Are you stereotyping me?” he asks, amusement filling his tone. “I happen to like candy floss. A hell of a lot.”
“I can see that,” I reply, breaking off some of my own.
We had gone on about ten rides, each more fun than the last. I can’t remember laughing so much in my life. Tag was so much fun, always joking around and always flaunting a friendly smile. He is charming, a bad boy with a good heart. How the hell am I supposed to resist that? We are co-workers however, and apart from some innocent flirting, I don’t think he is into me in that way, which is a good thing.
Keep telling yourself that, Clara.
I have bigger problems right now. I need to pay my rent and get back on my feet before I even think about starting something with anyone. And Tag? Well… he was always single. Did that mean that even if he was with a girl he was still single?
“I had fun today.”
“Me too. Thank you for bringing me here. I really appreciate it,” I reply in all honesty.
He swallows his mouthful before he speaks. “No problem. Maybe we could do something else next week.”
“I’d like that,” I reply, licking my finger.
His gaze follows the motion, and all of a sudden, the air between us thickens.
He clears his throat. “You looked like you could use some fun.”
I nod. “It’s been a while.”
“Do your parents live here?” he asks. “You live alone, right?”
“They live in Melbourne. Yes, I live alone,” I say, leaning back against the bench. “I moved here two years ago, as soon as I turned eighteen.”
“Do you like it here?” he asks, looking genuinely interested.
“I do. It’s a beautiful city.” And it is far enough away from my parents that I don’t have to see them.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” he continues, studying me.
“Only child. You?”
“Same.”
“Did it suck for you as much as it did for me?”
He grins. “It wasn’t so bad. I have good friends. My mother passed away a few years back, and my dad lives down south. He’s retired.”
“I’m sorry you lost your mum,” I say, barely a whisper.
He shrugs. “It was bad, but you can’t control everything, you know? I miss her everyday, but life goes on.”
“And your daughter…?”
“Isabella,” he says, smiling fondly. “She’s six. So damn cute. Here, I’ll show you a pic.”
He pulls out his fancy looking phone and brings up a picture. I stare at the little girl with dark eyes, hair, and a dimpled smile. “She’s gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” he replies. “She’s a good kid. Best thing in my life.”
I want to ask about Isabella’s mother but refrain. Luckily, he continues.
“Kaley and I share Isabella during the week. Since I work nights, I usually go see her in the morning and get her ready for school and drop her off. It’s just a little extra time I get to spend with her, you know?”
That is really sweet.
“Do you get along with your ex?” I blurt out. So much for not asking.
He nods slightly. “We do okay.”
He doesn’t elaborate on that, so I ask, “Should we get going?”