I shrug. “It’s just temporary. Until we both get summer jobs as gardeners. Then we can come and go as we please.”
Declan sighs. “That’s impossible, Sophia. The company only hired me because of my grandfather. Now that I’m graduating, my job is gone.”
I shake my head. I’ve waited several days to be able to tell him this good news. I’ve been saving it for the perfect moment, and this feels like it.
My life has changed a lot in the last few weeks. My mom apologized, for one. She called me up and said she had met a new yoga teacher who made her realize that she’d been too harsh on me. She’s still upset that I didn’t want to be her pet perfect daughter in Africa, but she and I are on speaking terms again, which is a good thing. I do love my parents, even if they have different lives than I do.
And while I told my mom I didn’t want my trust fund because I wanted to pursue my life on my own terms without the help of money, she wasn’t having it. She said she’d earmark the money for me later in my life, when I’d “come around” as she put it, and want my inheritance again.
So I came up with a compromise.
I asked her to buy the landscaping contract for the gardens.
A few lawyer phone calls later, and Mom assured me it was done. Now my dad’s company is in control of the school’s famous gardens, and the first thing he’s going to do is hire Declan’s family back to run it full time.
I tell Declan the good news and he watches me in awe, his jaw hanging open slightly. “Money really does solve a lot of problems,” he says.
I laugh. “I hope you don’t mind. I told them I’d like my inheritance in the form of a landscaping company. Dad said when I graduate college, he’ll make me the VP of his newly formed company, Brass Landscaping,”
Declan’s arm wraps around my waist. “So I’m going to be working for my girlfriend?” he says, grinning as he kisses my cheek.
“I was thinking we could run it together. Be like dual CEO’s or something.”
“Sounds fun,” he says, leaning so close, I can feel his breath on my ear. “Now our garden can be ours forever.”
I grin. “That’s the plan.”
Declan takes my face in his hands. The morning sunlight brings out the amber in his hair, and the sparkles in his eyes. “This place is magic,” he says, tipping my face up until my lips meet his. “You are magic,” he breathes against my lips.
A soft flutter in my heart makes me smile. I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy.
We both turn as the soft sound of knocking interrupts our mushy love fest. “Sophia? Are you in here?” It’s Belle’s voice.
“Yes,” I call out, scrambling to my feet. She’d been asleep when I left this morning.
The door opens up and my cousin steps into our garden, wearing her black and silver graduation gown. “I thought you’d be here.”
“Did you walk here all by yourself?”
She nods. “I did. And I’m going to walk at graduation, too.”
Belle has made a lot of progress lately. We walk up and down the hallway in our dorm every day, and we’ve gone outside a few times, too. We even passed by two students the other day and Belle didn’t have an anxiety attack.
“Are you sure?” I ask. “We’re going to be surrounded by people.”
“Yes,” Belle says confidently. “Because I’ve got this.” She gestures to her graduation gown.
“Everyone will be wearing the same thing,” Declan says in understanding.
“Yep,” Belle agrees. “I’ll be just another graduating student in a sea of other black and silver gowns. No one will notice me. And I’ll be okay.”
“I think we’ll all be okay,” I say.
Declan puts an arm around my shoulders. “I told you this place was magic.”
* * *
