I took my spot next to Jaxy, spreading our food out while he bit into his lunch without a second’s hesitation. “Are you guys sure Space Mountain is the best ride to go on right after lunch?”
“Oh,” Nate said, sucking in a breath so it hissed through his teeth. “He’s got a point, babe. I know you’re used to being around little kids, but I’m a sympathetic barfer and if one goes, I’m definitely going too.”
“Wow,” Evie said, laughing. “Just when I thought there wasn’t anything else to learn about you.”
“I promise I won’t throw up,” Jaxy swore, making everyone laugh. “No, really, last year I went to the spring break carnival with Grandma and Grandpa. I had three slices of pizza, cotton candy, and a milkshake, then went on the Gravitron, like, seven times. Didn’t barf once.”
“Jax,” I said with a groan, “stop talking about throwing up. We’re all trying to eat.” Jaxy shrugged and then took a giant bite of his hot dog.
“I’ll brave the roller coaster,” Evie said with a smile. “We’ll just make them sit behind us.”
Chapter Seven
Grace
The last day of school was always a mixed bag of emotions. I was glad school was out, was looking forward to two months of not teaching, but that year in particular I would really miss the kids. This was the first time my life hadn’t severely intruded on my work, so I’d spent one blissfully drama-free year teaching those kids, and something in my brain didn’t want to let them go; didn’t want the first successful year to be over.
But the summer promised to be good. Promised to be relaxing. Promised to be exactly what I imagined when I moved to Florida.
I took a job bartending in the evenings on the weekends. I wasn’t looking to participate in the party that seemed to sprout up when the sun went down, but I definitely didn’t have a problem making money serving alcohol to those who did. Two or three nights of tending bar gave me almost what I made in a week teaching, and I needed something to sustain me over the summer. I’d started three weekends ago, in order to be trained before summer officially started, and working both jobs was really taking a toll on me.
That, coupled with the emotional good-bye to twenty-six second graders, left me mentally and physically exhausted. Luckily, the last day of school fell on a Wednesday, so I had a day to recover before I had to go back to the night job.
I left the school building, hearing the door close with a familiar thud that felt more final than it ever had before, and the emotions started to come over me. I felt the pinching in my throat and stinging in my eyes. I didn’t want to cry, but the idea of not seeing those tiny faces smiling at me every morning pulled at me. I made it to my car without a tear, but once the car door was shut behind me, one slid down each cheek. I’d wiped them away, still trying not to lose control, when I heard the ping of my phone indicating I had a text.
**You’re not crying outside of a school, are you?**
This came from Devon and made me laugh. Since our trip to Disney I’d seen him a few times when he was picking Jax up from TAG, and we’d been texting back and forth sporadically. The texts were friendly and completely appropriate, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t excited to receive them. Something about attention from Devon lit me up inside, made the day-to-day seem more vibrant and exciting. From the little flutters in my stomach to the random smiles whenever he came to mind, everything about him made me happy.
**Perhaps. I’ve heard it’s cathartic.**
**Need some cheering up?**
I stared at his message for a good minute. In all the texts we’d exchanged in the past six weeks, none of them had alluded to spending more time together. I’d thought about him a lot, but more in a lamenting way, wishing things were different. But now things were different, and he was basically asking me to meet up with him. I couldn’t find a way to make my fingers move, or the thoughts to come up with some sort of reply. He must have figured I was having a minor panic attack because he texted me again.
**Nothing fancy. Just coffee? Between friends.**
Between friends? Ugh. Either I’d been friend zoned, or he was adding the emphasis to make me more comfortable. I didn’t know which, but I was hoping for the latter.
**Can I meet you in an hour?**
The idea of meeting Devon looking like I did was terrifying. I needed to go home, shower, and regroup.
**Sure. Name the place.**
I sent him a link to my favorite coffee shop, Silk, and told him I’d be there in an hour.
When I entered the coffee shop, it was practically empty. I immediately spotted Devon sitting on the two-person couch in the corner. He saw me coming and stood with a smooth smile.