Page 84 of Meant to be Mine

A pause. “My classroom. What I want to do differently this year.” Another pause. “Stupid stuff.”

“It’s not stupid.”

“I love my job,” she said, like she was reminding herself of something.

“I know you do.”

“I’m good at it.”

“You’re great at it,” I said. “From everything you’ve told me, you’re exactly the kind of teacher those kids need.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she closed the book, set it in her lap, and looked out the window at the darkening sky.

“I don’t want to spend the rest of the summer with this hanging over everything.”

“It doesn’t have to.”

“Okay.” She seemed to accept that. She turned back to the window. “Okay.”

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and she settled back against my shoulder.

We landed just after ten. The car was waiting on the tarmac. Kensey stood beside me while our bags were loaded, looking up at the LA sky.

“Welcome home,” I said.

She smiled. “It never stops feeling like home. Even after all this time.”

I held the door for her and we got in. She sat close to me in the back seat, our hands loosely linked, neither of us talking much. I couldn’t explain the feeling. It was like we were marching toward our own funeral. I hoped the next few weeks weren’t spent thinking about the end.

The car pulled up in front of her parents’ house. Kensey unbuckled and turned to look at me. “Thank you,” she said. “For all of it. The bookstore. The burgers. The ridiculous tourist bus.”

“Thank you for the thing with the whipped cream,” I said with a grin.

She laughed. “And all of that.” She leaned in and kissed me. I held the back of her neck and didn’t rush it. When she pulled back, her eyes stayed closed for just a second. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“You better.”

I watched her walk up the front path with her bag over her shoulder. The door opened before she reached it. Her mother stepped out and waved at me. I felt like an ass for not walking her to the door but I had a feeling it was easier this way. And I would see her tomorrow.

I got back to my house and it was exactly as I’d left it. Clean. Quiet. Empty. Devoid of life. I missed her and it had been exactly a half hour since I’d seen her.

But I needed to make plans. I was going to make the most of our time and maybe, just maybe if I impressed her enough, she might think about staying. And if she still had to leave, I was going to make sure she went out in style.

I pulled out my phone and called Annika.

“Drew.” Her voice was warm and alert. “How are you?”

“Good. Listen, I need a favor.”

“Don’t we all.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “What are we doing?”

“The yacht party is coming up. I need something for Kensey. Something that works on a boat. Not too formal, not too casual. She’s going to fight me on it, so don’t tell her I called.”

There was a pause on the other end. A considering pause. I could hear the wheels turning.

“I already have her measurements from the beach club event,” she said. “I have just the thing that will really make you swoon.”

“What? Me? Swoon?”