Chapter Three
It had only beenone day, and my sisters were already turning my life upside down. If Avery had sung any more love songs over breakfast, I was going to beat her with my bagel. I’d never been so happy to leave the house and head to volunteer somewhere. I left a few minutes early so I could have time to drive by the plantation home before I was due at the center. Based on all the wood stacked outside and the supplies, it looked like the new owner would be fully restoring the beautiful home. Of course, I’d keep an eye on the place to make sure he or she didn’t change it into some modern-looking business or something elseridiculous.
I’d come back tomorrow and maybe offer to help. I’d always been so busy with school and work, this vacation left me a little unnerved without a tightschedule.
I followed Sadie’s directions and found the new rehab center. It was small compared to the big facilities in and around Atlanta. I pulled in and parked in front. The structure looked clean, with glass windows and door, but the porch resembling Aunt Cathy’s house in Creekside, Tennessee, gave it a touch of Southerncharm.
My phone beeped, and I saw it was a message fromEdward.
You are the call, and I am theanswer,
You are the wish, and I thefulfillment,
You are the night, and I theday.
What else—it is perfectenough,
It is perfectlycomplete,
You andI.
I recognized the poem from one he’d read to me a few months ago, “Bei Hennef” by D. H. Lawrence. Part of me wished he’d called or Facetimed me, but it was a miracle Edward would even text since he was more a lover of the perfectly scripted written word. He’d left love notes for me all over campus and in my backpack over the last year. The clock on my dash showed nine forty-five, so I still had a fewminutes.
Thanks to the help of a quick search on my smartphone, I quickly found a reasonably poetic reply, one from William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet XLII.” I figured I’d get bonus points for using words from the legendary man whom Edward loved to live his life attempting toemulate.
All days are nights to see till I seethee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee tome.
With still ten minutes to spare, I decided to see how his day was going, so I calledhim.
“Hello, Zoey,” Edwardanswered.
“Hello, Edward. How’s your day going?” Iasked.
Papers shuffled in the background, so I imagined Edward sitting behind his oversize mahogany desk looking studious as always. “All is well. I’ll be dining with Dr. Holliman tomorrownight.”
“He’s on the Board of Trustees, right?” Iasked.
“Yes.”
“That’s good. Are they still going to name the new dean of Arts and Sciences before Christmas?” I waited, willing him to say yes and to get in his car tomorrow to drive down to Magnolia Corners, tome.
“Yes.”
“Great! When will you be here?” I held my breath, hoping he’d say in a fewdays.
“About that. Why don’t we go somewhere for Christmas to celebrate? I’ll sweep you off on a literary tour in England. We’ll visit Stratford-upon-Avon,and—”
“No. You promised Edward,” I saidflatly.
“I know, but just think about it. I mean, what is there to do down in that little town? You can visit with your sisters while I finish working, and then we can leave onvacation.”
I thought about it for a minute but decided a promise was a promise. “You said you’d meet them. You gave me yourword.”
“Yes. You’re right.” He sighed. “Why don’t we plan on meeting at that great restaurant in downtown one night? We’ll all eat together, and then I can sweep you away to the airport rightafter.”
“But you said you’d come here.” I heard the disappointment in my voice, and I didn’t care if it made me sound like achild.
