Page 108 of Only One Tour Bus

“My computer died as I was inputting grades. I had to scramble and find another one on campus.” I kiss her.

Since getting my teaching certificate, I’ve gotten a job at a secondary school in Edinburgh, and I actually enjoy most of my work now, instead of only enjoying a small slice of it. I teach history, and although classroom management isn’t my favorite, high school students don’t have anything on the people in my former tours. Turns out being able to control their grades makes them somewhat behave, whereas I had no incentives on tour.

“It’s okay. The group isn’t coming for a few hours yet.”

Asha’s business is booming, just like I knew it would. She’s been working so hard this past year, doing so well she hired Vihana as a new tour leader—since Vihana had wanted to do the job for years but Rob would never let her take the role—and hired administrative help as well.

And now it’s officially summer break, so I’m going to spend it on tour with her, giving these lucky tourists two guides who perfectly balance each other out for the price of one.

“I bet you’re going to miss the ability to send troublemakers to the headmaster’s office when they annoy you this summer.”

“I’ve learned to embrace the vacation outlook,” I say mildly, knowing they’re still going to annoy me. But also knowing it’ll all be worth it to travel around the historic sites of Europe with my favorite person. Or really, the only person I can stand for long periods of time.

She hasn’t gotten tired of my attitude. And I haven’t gotten tired of hers. If anything, I’m coming to appreciate her outlook more with each day that she turns to me with that blinding smile of hers. I can appreciate things more when they make the woman I love look like that.

But I just have to get past this next tour. Because the one after that is my surprise. It’s another one that I’ve booked, this time in Paris, and Asha doesn’t know it yet.

It’s also filled with her family from America, and the friends we’ve made here in the past year. She hasn’t gotten a break with the business, so I’m going to give her one.

And then I’m going to propose to her, in Paris. The place where we first kissed.

It’ll be just sentimental enough to make me a little uncomfortable, and just sentimental enough to make her cry happy tears. It’ll be perfect.

The perfect beginning for our next, and best, adventure.