A Million Little Things (Mischief Bay, #3)

“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Zoe told her. Her head was spinning. She’d made an appointment to talk to one of the counselors in the graduate school office and had been blown away by all the various programs. There were so many choices.

Janice stapled a business card to the folder she’d filled with information. “This is just an overview. There’s a lot more material online. You have our schedule, with application dates right on top. My email address is on the card. I’m here if you have any questions.”

“Thank you. I’m sure I will, once I figure out a direction.” Zoe shook hands with her, collected the folder and walked out of Janice’s small, cluttered office.

Once in the hallway, she paused to catch her breath. She’d come in hoping to be inspired. She hadn’t realized her bachelor’s degree qualified her for so many different grad programs. She could pursue education, if she wanted to go in that direction and stay in the K-12 schools. She could get her master’s in a specific subject, if she was interested in teaching at a community college. There were even some Masters/Ph.D. combined programs, if she was feeling especially ambitious.

She headed for her car. The campus was large and sprawling, with low, older buildings, newer multistory buildings and massive parking lots. It had been built back when land had been cheap. Over time she was sure parking garages would be added, but for now, the Cal State Dominguez Hills campus was in transition.

She felt better now that she’d taken action. Thinking about what to do with her life wasn’t very satisfying. Equally troubling was the fact that it had taken her dad to get her moving forward. His comment about putting her dreams on hold because of Chad had stung. Probably because he’d been right.

She had put aside what she wanted—hoping that Chad would finally pop the question. She’d been so sure she wanted to be with him. That he was the man of her dreams. Now that he was out of her life, she was shocked at how easily she’d been able to move on. Shouldn’t it have taken longer? Been harder? Sure, there’d been that one afternoon of stupid sex, but she’d regretted it the second it had happened and she hadn’t been tempted to do it again.

Seeing him a couple of weeks ago had convinced her she wanted nothing to do with him. She was healed. But while she might be over him emotionally, she still had to deal with the consequences of her relationship.

She’d quit her job for a man. The reality was humiliating and awful, but there was no escaping the truth. She could pretty it up by saying there had been another opportunity or that she wasn’t sure she had loved being a teacher, but the truth was she’d changed careers because of Chad. Because she’d assumed they were going to get married and she wanted to work at home when they had children. WTF?

Now, looking back, she could see the giant red flags that she’d so cheerfully ignored. The fact that he never spent the night at her place. That he rarely wanted her to visit him at his. That they didn’t talk about the future, go on vacation or spend time with his kids. She’d been a fool. Worse, she’d wasted five years of her life being a fool. And she’d always thought she was so smart.

Zoe started across the parking lot. The afternoon was sunny and warm. Perfect late-April weather. She told herself the day was too beautiful for her to dwell on the past. She wasn’t going to beat herself up for her poor choices. Instead she was going to move forward, making better decisions. She’d already filled out the paperwork to be a substitute teacher. It would take a while for that to be processed, but she was looking forward to working with kids again. That should help her figure out if leaving teaching had been the right decision or not.

She’d nearly reached her car when her phone rang. She dug it out of her bag and smiled when she saw Steven’s name on her screen.

“Hi,” she said.

“How did it go? Did you get the information you needed from the counselor?”

“I did. To be honest, I’m overwhelmed by everything she told me. I’m going to have a lot to think about before I can make a decision.”

“Want some company while you’re contemplating?”

His question caused her toes to curl in her shoes. She and Steven had been seeing a lot of each other. Ever since they’d “taken things to the next level” so to speak, they’d been hanging out a lot. She liked being with him.

“I would love some company.”

“Good. I still have to fix your stairs. I’ll bring my toolbox and take care of that.” He chuckled. “I’ve been putting it off because I wanted to have an excuse to come by. I guess I’m feeling more secure in our relationship.”

She stopped by her car and stared at her phone. Had he really just said that? Admitted he’d been nervous about them?

“I’m glad,” she told him. “You should.”

“Good. You should, too. I’ll see you at about five.”

“See you then.”

They hung up. Zoe allowed herself a second of pure happiness and did a little two-step before getting into her car. It wasn’t the L word, but it was them moving forward. Easily. Normally. No secrets, no agenda. Just two people finding out that they liked each other. And it was really, really nice.

*

Sometime close to four, Pam looked up as Steven walked into Jen’s house. He crossed to her and pulled her to her feet before hugging her.

“I just got your text about Lucas. Have you heard anything?”

“No.” Pam sank back on the floor next to Jack. “He’s still in surgery and will be for hours. They’ve heard it’s going well. His shoulder is the biggest problem. I guess they have to pin the bone or something. It’s going to be a long recovery. Jen should be home in a bit. She wants to get Jack through the evening herself, then she’ll head back to wait for Lucas to wake up.”

Steven sat on the carpet, across from his nephew. “Hey, big guy. How’s it going?”

Jack beamed at him, then pointed to the puzzle pieces on the floor.

“That’s a tough one,” Steven told him. “Look how green that cat is. What a funny cat. Where do you think this piece goes?”

Jack took it and tried it in several spots before setting it into the correct slot.