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Lavender Hill

Page 51

by Aurora Rose Reynolds

“No.” I roll my eyes, then focus on Tiffany. “It’s been cool working with him. He’s really nice and is actually really funny.”

“Wyatt’s funny?” Anna asks, and I turn to find her frowning.

“Yeah, I mean he’s not cracking jokes all the time, but he can be funny.”

“Hmm.”

“What?” I ask when she looks into my eyes like she is trying to see into my soul.

“Nothing.” She lifts one shoulder as Virginia starts to approach our table, carrying a tray of food.

“Please tell me that’s ours,” I say when she stops, and she starts to laugh.

“It is.”

“Thank god.” I help her hand off Anna’s fries, then take my plate when she passes it over. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Can I get you guys anything else?” She looks around the table, and we all shake our heads. “All right, I’ll come back and check on you in a few,” she says before she wanders off.

“Are you guys going to the fall festival this weekend?” Tiffany asks, thankfully off the topic of Wyatt.

“Yeah, Mom wants me to help her hand out swag after Mike publicly endorses Wyatt.” Not that I would have missed it if Mom hadn’t asked me to go with her and help out. I’m actually anxious to see Wyatt speak, and I want to be there to cheer him on. I get the feeling that the whole thing is going to be really uncomfortable for him, so maybe more than one familiar face in the crowd will put him at ease.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to go. I have a full calendar that day,” Anna tells us while mixing ketchup and Tabasco sauce together. “But maybe I’ll see if Kolter wants to go in the evening for dinner if all the food trucks are still there.”

“Are you going?” I ask Tiffany before taking a bite of my grilled cheese.

“Maybe. I haven’t decided yet.”

“Oh my god, Genevieve.” We all turn at my name and look up at the woman standing over us. She’s stunning, with big brown eyes, shoulder-length chocolate brown hair that is cut in flattering waves, and expertly applied makeup that accentuates all her best features.

“Can I help you?” I ask while trying to place her. I swear she looks familiar, but I just don’t know why.

“It’s Maeve White.” She laughs, leaning down to give me a hug that catches me off guard, and it clicks.

“Maeve.” I jerk my head back so I can look at her face again. Long gone are the braces, teenage acne, and chubby cheeks. The woman in front of me couldn’t be more different from the girl who used to sit in the corner of our cheer practices because, despite her mom being our cheer coach, she never once made the team, even with being forced to try out each season. “Oh my god, how have you been?”

“Good, really good.” She looks at Anna, then Tiffany, smiling in that way that says hello without actually saying hello. “Are you here for a visit?”

“No, I actually just moved back.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, what about you? Do you live here?”

“I do.” She laughs. “I’m one of the science teachers at the high school.”

“You always did love science.”

“I still do.” She smiles, then looks over her shoulder when someone calls her name. “I need to go, but it was really good seeing you, and I’m glad you’re back.”

“Same.” I return her hug.

“Maybe we can get together sometime for coffee.”

“I would love that.”

“Get my number from Anna or Tiffany,” she says before walking off, and I look between my friends.