“Yeah. How about you?”
“Close-ish. I live about half an hour away in an apartment, but my mom and her husband are nearby—that’s why I was at the beach.” He laughed and rubbed the nape of his neck. “Sorry, that was way more information than you needed.”
I smiled. “No, it’s nice to have someone aside from a five-year-old to talk to... and also runs into the lake because he thought I was flailing around.”
“It was the riptides. I was worried about the riptides.” He nudged my shoulder playfully, laughing along with me.
When we reached the edge of the park, I glanced to the right. “I’m a little bit farther that way.”
I didn’t want to show him where I lived. I didn’t really know him or what he did, and I was trying to be smart about not giving a stranger my address.
“I can walk you there.”
I shook my head. “Thanks, but I’m okay, really.”
“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow at pickup?”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He looked down and then back up at me, a smile illuminating his face. “It was nice saving you out there, Ms. Honey.”
“Thank you for checking an item off my bucket list... Hot Brother.”
I turned to leave, not wanting to embarrass myself anymore, but when his laugh echoed through the night, everything felt warm inside me.
I never imagined that running into the lake illegally and naked would lead to standing next to a guy, laughing under the moonlight. When I came to Chicago, I promised myself I’d keep my guard up—that I wouldn’t let anyone in too far because nothing in my life ever seemed to last. But I couldn’t deny the fun and lightness I felt tonight.
Still, that’s all it could be—a fun night. He wasn’t going to be my always. This was a moment in time I’d carry with me, but not something I could keep.
9
charlie
“The gossip sucks this week. If anything, we’ll be sitting at happy hour on Friday with nothing to talk about.” Jennie dramatically laid her head on the table and sighed loudly.
Fortunately, Jennie, Maura, Sara, and I had lunch at the same time, which was a nice break to look forward to during the day. We were in Jennie’s room to get away from the prying ears of anyone in the teachers’ lounge.
“It really does. I thought Darla was going to come in clutch.” Sara sighed. “Jeff and I?—”
“No, please.” Maura held up her hand. “If I hear one more thing about Jeff, I think I might keel over.”
“It’ll be either that or the new math program that’ll hurt me.” Jennie nodded in agreement, then turned to me. “Come on, new girl. As the new person in the group, it really is your responsibility to keep us entertained.”
“Oh really?” I waggled my eyebrows at them and laughed as I took a bite of my salad.
“I don’t make the rules.” Jennie shrugged. “Give us the dirt.”
I sighed. Without wanting to delve into my family dynamics because that would be complicated, I wasn’t sure what to saythat would keep the conversation light. “My brother is a year older than me and is single.”
Maura spit out her salad. “Age? Sex? Location? Did I age myself with that?”
I laughed, instantly recognizing her old internet slang.
“He’s single. He works for my family’s business back home in Georgia. He’s... nice?” I shrugged, unsure of what more they were expecting.
Jennie sighed dramatically. “Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but I need some real gossip, new girl.”
I grinned, pretending to think for a moment before my bucket list popped into my head. “Actually, I do have a good one.” I leaned in. “Alright, so when I got here, I made this bucket list—things I wanted to do before... well, it’s complicated. Anyway, I figured I’d start crossing stuff off one by one.”
