“What I’m trying to say is . . . I think that person is you.” She took a deep breath. “If you would give me another chance, I’d like us to start over again and see if there’s something real here.”
He looked deep into her eyes, pulled her close, and kissed her. It felt surprisingly natural being in his arms. And for the first time, Madison felt genuine love for George—not because of his money, but because of the person he was . . . and who she was when she was with him.
47
laura
AS LAURA WALKED into Claire’s tidy, sunlit kitchen, she was greeted by a cooing Sadie and a table full of pancakes.
“Happy last day of school!” Claire said, wiping off Sadie’s face. Sadie and her high chair were both covered in blackberry applesauce. “Come join us! I made you breakfast.” Claire pointed to the pancake plate on the table.
Laura couldn’t believe this day was actually here—that she was actually graduating high school. She felt a strange sense of déjà vu. A year ago, she’d experienced what she thought was her last day of high school, and she’d been so proud to be leaving Toulouse behind. But one year later, everything had changed. Now she was just happy to have her diploma and her future—whatever it held—ahead of her.
She pulled out a chair, the scent of deliciously browned batter welcoming her as she sat. “Ooh, chocolate chip! My favorite. And you made ’em into a smiley face . . . that’s how my mom used to do it.” She grinned up at Claire, touched by the effort. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Laura poured syrup over the pancakes. “You’ve been so wonderful to let me stay here.” After she’d left Brian that night at Mossy Pointe, she’d packed up her things at Rob and Janet’s and moved into Claire and Gavin’s guest bedroom . . . although Gavin was no longer there. He’d been staying with his parents while he and Claire met once a week for counseling. She hated having to impose on her friend, especially when Claire was going through her own problems, but being together had helped them both get through these past few weeks.
She took a bite of the fluffy pancakes, thinking about how lucky she was to have such supportive friends. Her emotions had been in a constant flip-flop since leaving Brian. Sometimes she’d feel thankful that it had happened the way it did, that Brian was the one who clearly messed up and betrayed her. In a weird way, she felt like it gave her permission to break up with him, even though she was already unhappy in the relationship. But then other times, she would start crying as she mourned the good parts of their marriage, from the seemingly insignificant stuff like how comfortable she was singing music in the car with him, to the more significant things, like how he was the only guy she had ever loved.
“So, have you decided what you’re gonna do after you graduate?” Claire asked, taking a handful of Cheerios and feeding them to Sadie.
Laura shook her head. With the stress of the breakup, making up all of her schoolwork so she could graduate on time, and taking on some extra shifts at the Sea Shack, she hadn’t had a chance to sit down and actually plan her new future. After she graduated, she’d probably head to Arlington to live with her parents . . . but after that, she had no idea. Not having everything planned out was scary and exhilarating at the same time.
Claire stood up and put the dirty dishes in the sink. “Well, just know that you can stay here for as long as you need to while you figure it out.”
“I appreciate it, Claire—I appreciate everything. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you and your hospitality.”
“Love you! We’re so proud of you.” Claire turned to her baby. “Isn’t that right, Sadie?” The little girl giggled and nodded her curly blond head.
As Laura headed off to school, she realized that she was proud of herself, too.
? ? ?
“CHEERS!” LAURA AND Vince sat outside of Sal’s Sno-Cones, a tiny shed on Dupont Road that sold fifty different flavors of shaved ice. They had snuck away during their lunch hour and managed to snag the last available table outside, which happened to be right next to the speakers that were blaring Cajun music.
“I’m glad we’re doing this,” Vince said, cracking a smile. He bit into his cone. True to their argument all those months ago, he’d gotten root beer, but Laura had decided to go with a wildcard: blue moon.
“Me, too,” she said, trying not to feel guilty. Since Brian’s surgery, Laura had neglected her friendship with Vince—not answering his texts, declining his offers to study, and studying in the library during lunch to avoid having to talk to him. “I’m sorry I’ve been so MIA recently.”
Vince set his sno-cone down, his hazel eyes widening. “Listen, you don’t have to apologize. I understand why we stopped hanging out. You know, I’m not married, but I could see where it would be weird to make new friends of the opposite sex.” He blushed and adjusted his blue Duke baseball hat. “And as much as I liked hanging out with you, I don’t wanna make things complicated in your relationship.”
Laura took a deep breath, shifting on the wooden bench. “Vince, I left Brian a couple of weeks ago,” she quietly admitted.
Too quietly, apparently, because he cupped his ear and said, “What was that?”
Laura cleared her throat. “I left Brian,” she said more loudly, practically shouting. She glanced around the packed outdoor area, afraid that someone from school was around and had overheard—so far she’d only told her parents and her closest friends.
Vince’s mouth dropped open and he leaned across the table, lightly touching her arm. Laura felt a spark of heat at his touch. “I’m so sorry,” he said.
“That’s why I’ve been so weird,” Laura continued. “I’ve just been doing a lot of reflecting. I won’t get into everything, but I really wanted to thank you.”
Vince gave her a confused look.
Laura shyly tucked her hair behind her ears. “I feel like you pushed me this year. You made me feel smart, like I wasn’t just this dumb girl who lived in the shadows of her husband.”
“But you are smart,” Vince said incredulously. “And you know that.”
“It’s always good to be reminded.” She shrugged, feeling her face turning red. “Anyway . . . you’ve been amazing this year, and I’m excited about your future.”
“You know, you’re not the only one who got something out of this,” Vince said.
Laura glanced back up, and they locked eyes. Her stomach flipped.
“Thanks for making me feel welcome here,” he said with a chuckle. “It was hard coming into a new school for my senior year—especially such a small, insular school—but you made everything feel easy.”