“It’s perfect.”
Sarah dropped her bag and went to wrap her arms around Lizzie from behind. Breathed in the smell of her shampoo and tomato sauce and felt some of the tension from earlier drain away.
They ate at the small table. Lizzie talked about the party, her plans for the next welcome event, ideas she had for improving the spring break experience.
“You’ve been here three weeks already,” Sarah said. “Hard to believe.”
Lizzie’s fork paused halfway to her mouth. “Three more weeks left. Then back to New York.”
“Unless you don’t go back.”
Lizzie set down her fork. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve been thinking about it. About us. About what happens when the internship ends.” Sarah reached across and took her hand. “I don’t want this to end, Lizzie. I know it’s onlybeen a few weeks, but I can’t imagine going back to my life before you.”
“I can’t either.”
“So what if you stayed? Finished your degree here?”
Lizzie’s eyes widened. “In Key West?”
“There’s the Florida Keys Community College. You could talk to someone in admissions.” Sarah squeezed her hand. “Or there are schools in Miami if you wanted something bigger. It’s far but your stepdad is there, so maybe you could split your time?”
“You’ve really been thinking about this.”
“I have. But I need to be honest with you about what it would look like.” Sarah pulled her hand back. “We still couldn’t be open about us. Not until the lawsuit is settled.”
Lizzie nodded slowly. “I know.”
“You’d need to live on your own. We couldn’t have you staying here all the time. Not where people could see.” Sarah hated saying it out loud. “You could work part-time at the Carlson. I could help you find a place. Or maybe you could room with Chrisla if she’s looking for someone.”
“So we’d still be secret.”
“For now. Yes.” Sarah met her eyes. “I know that’s not fair to you. I know it’s asking a lot. But once everything is settled—”
“Then we could be together. Really together.”
“Yes.”
Lizzie was quiet for a long moment. “I need to think about it. Talk to my mom. I can also with NYU about remote learning options.”
“Of course. I’m not trying to pressure you.”
“I know.” Lizzie reached back across the table. “But I want you to know that I want this. I want to stay. I just need to figure out the logistics.”
“Okay.” After a beat, she dipped her head to one side. “Has Cynthia said anything else? Since the beach?”
“About what?”
“About seeing us. On the island.”
“Not that I’ve heard. Why?”
“She extended her stay. Another two weeks.”
Lizzie pushed pasta around her plate. “She’ll miss a lot of classes. She did the same thing last year. Just doesn’t care.”
“Her parents probably donate enough that the school looks the other way.”
