Chapter 24: The Front Row

Pinewater was nearly empty at closing time.

The sun was low and orange over the roller coaster, and the paths were wet from the last of the afternoon.

I bought two tickets at the gate with my own card.

The girl in the booth didn't look at my name.

Hallie stood beside me with the navy umbrella still folded in her hand.

"You didn't have to pay," she said.

"I wanted to this time."

"That's different from last time."

"Last time nobody asked me if I wanted to."

She laughed, and we went through the turnstile together.

It scanned for both of us, green, with no trouble.

"Ask me," she said.

"Ask you what?"

"The thing you asked in the hotel and let go."

"Hallie what?"

"Kirkland," she said. "Hallie Kirkland. You can ask me as many times as you like."

"I'll ask you every morning," I said, and she took my arm.

We walked past the closed funnel cake stand and the empty carousel.

My steps got slower as we got near the water.

I hadn't expected that.

The log flume sat at the back of the park with its long wet trough and its painted fish, exactly as I remembered.

A teenager in a yellow poncho stood by the gate with a clipboard.

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