“Well, now you know.”
I nod. “Thanks, Dave. I appreciate it.”
He sighs. “For what it’s worth, Cassie didn’t deserve it—I know that. I think I knew it even then, but those girls use what they’ve got for evil.”
“It sounds like it.”
“If you weren’t so busy playing all your sport and studying, you might have noticed more.”
I scrub my face with my hands. “I let her down so badly. I’m really hoping I can make up for it now.”
“Just keep Vicki away from her until the end of summer. Then you and Cassie can sail off into the sunset together.”
I laugh. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
“She deserves better—whatever that is. And you guys are lucky you’re getting out of here.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You’re staying here?”
“Dad wants me to work on the orchard. You know me, I’m not really academic. But I’ll stay and work a year and seehow things go.” He drops his gaze. “It might help if I knew what to do with my life. You’ve always been so together.”
“I’m not sure about that.” It’s true that I’ve wanted to be a doctor for a long time—it was something Cassie and I had in common. But along the way, I wanted to do a ton of other things as well. “I told Mum once I wanted to be an astronaut.”
He chuckles. “You probably would have killed it. I suck at everything.”
“Nah.” I bump his shoulder. “Thank you for telling me the truth.”
Dave frowns. “I should have told you a long time ago. What are you going to do?”
I lean back and stretch. “Break up with Vicki for good.”
Vicki’s expecting me.
Things have been so strained that we have barely been speaking. So when I sent her a text to say I was coming over, she replied faster than I’d expected.
I’ve got a sinking feeling she thinks I’m going to make up with her.
Her mother smiles warmly when she opens the front door. “Hi, Patrick. Come in. She’s out the back by the pool.”
Of course she is.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and stroll through the house until I reach the ranch slider leading to the deck.
It’s like a scene from a magazine.
Vicki’s stretched out on a lounger by the pool in a white bikini, one arm up behind her.
She lies there, her eyes closed as if she doesn’t know I’m here.
I’d bet anything she does.
“Vicki.” I step out onto the deck.
She turns her head, a wide smile on her face.
I take another step and come to a halt.
Vicki pushes herself up and then runs toward me.
