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“He’s taking it just fine,” Milo answers, emerging from my bathroom with my toiletry bag in hand.

“Really? Your girlfriend is ditching you early to go set up shop in a city she’s never even been to, and you’re not freaking out? Not even a little?” Sienna asks suspiciously.

I bite back a smile as Milo comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.

“Who do you think is driving her?” he asks, shooting her a wink.

“Ugh. You two are too sweet for my blood. It’s nauseating.”

I roll my eyes and press a kiss on Milo’s cheek. “Can you grab my hairdryer? I think I left it on the bathroom counter.”

“On it.” He kisses my temple before heading back into the bathroom.

“So, tell me what the plan is,” Sienna continues. “You go to Boston, he goes to Atlanta, and you guys see each other during the holidays here in Fairhope?”

“Nope,” Milo answers, returning with my hairdryer. “We’re done with Fairhope.”

“And by done, you mean…?” Sienna asks, looking between us.

“He means we don’t intend to come back here. I’ve already landed an online job that pays enough to cover the rent on a small one-bedroom apartment in Waltham. The flexible hours mean I can attend community college while I work toward getting a scholarship to Boston University. Meanwhile, Milo will finish his first semester in Atlanta before trying to transfer to Bentley in January. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll both be living in Massachusetts by the new year. And if our families want to see us, they’ll just have to make the drive. Dad’s already on board with it, and Milo’s dad…” I glance over at him.

“Is pissed,” Milo finishes for me. “Told him last night, and let’s just say he’s not exactly thrilled that I’m changing my plans just to follow Max. But he’ll get over it eventually. Especially once he understands that this town has nothing left to offer us.”

“Well, look at you two, with an actual plan. Wow. Like I said, I’m impressed.”

“We live to please,” Milo chuckles, wrapping his arms around my waist again, apparently incapable of going a full five minutes without touching me.

“Yeah, okay. Then I guess I’ll just have to make a few pit stops in Boston whenever I fly home to check on my grandparents. I suppose I can live with that.”

“Glad we have your support,” I reply sarcastically.

“What are best friends for?” She winks at me.

Milo releases me when his phone chimes with an incoming text.

“Looks like the guys want to throw us a little send-off party at the old mill. Dylan’s setting everything up. He says for us to meet them there at nine.” He looks at me. “You wanna go?”

“Sure. It would be nice to say goodbye to Paige and Kody before we leave.” I turn to Sienna. “What about you? Do you want to come with us? One last hurrah?”

“Why the fuck not?” She shrugs, then shoves her hand into her back pocket to pull out her phone. “Mind if Craig tags along?”

Milo and I exchange a knowing glance, both struggling not to smile.

“Hey, I saw that,” Sienna snaps, pointing a finger at us. “You said one last hurrah, so I figured I might as well bring someone worth hanging out with, seeing as the rest of you are all paired off and shit. Don’t go reading into it. It’s not that deep.”

“I don’t know, Sienna. You two have been seeing each other for years now. Seems pretty serious to me.”

“First of all,” she says, standing up and wagging a finger at me, “We have not been seeing each other.” She makes air quotes around the word. “Hooking up with someone does not automatically make them your boyfriend.”

“Whatever you say.” I laugh.

“Ugh. You two are so fucking annoying,” she mutters, her attention already back on her phone. “Just because you two are all loved up and disgustingly happy together doesn’t mean the rest of us have to follow suit. Some of us are perfectly happy keeping things casual, thank you very much.” She continues muttering under her breath as she types out a message to Craig. “Okay, he’ll meet you there.”

“You’re not coming with us?”

“Not yet. I need to check on my grandparents and make dinner. Also, since my sister’s here for the summer, I should check up on her too just to make sure she isn’t bored out of her mind. Thank God Mrs. Carver has a daughter Lily’s age, or she’d be climbing the walls by now. Fun fact—ten-year-olds aren’t exactly entertained by the ramblings of eighty-year-old grandparents. Who knew?” She pauses, considering something. “Actually, I should do something fun with her before the summer’s over. I might take her camping down by the lake. She loves it there.”

“You’re a good big sister.”