“Now it’s the hard part. We have to decide what we’re going to do,” Cam says.
Tyler scratches his chin. “Do you think your mom could help us, Cam?” I clear my throat, trying not to laugh.
Cam tosses an empty water bottle at Tyler. “Dude, that’s low.”
We brainstorm ideas while we clean up the boat and put everything away. “Let’s meet up Monday after football practice and get everything ready,” I say, jumping off the boat onto the beach.
“Why Monday?” Cam asks. “Wednesday would be better.”
I open my mouth to answer, but Jack cuts me off. “Clark teaches dance on Monday, so she can’t hang out.” Jack smirks at me, but I just shrug.
“It’s true. I can do Thursday if that’s better. Hannah has dance class.”
“Knowing us, we better plan on both days.” Ty chuckles. But he’s right.
“Yeah, okay, sounds good.” Cam nods.
“Hey, Baby.” I sit down behind Hannah, wrapping my arms around her shoulders.
“Hi, Stud.” She reaches up, kissing my nose.
“It’s too bad you can’t have fires out here. This would be a great place to chill,” Cam says, sitting down next to Aubrey and taking her hand.
Ty sits next to June, and Jack sits next to Leah. Today was a lot of fun. In the past, when I’ve gone boating with Ty, there’s always a lot of drama—mainly girl drama. But there wasn’t today, and I realize it’s because we’re all paired off. It’s been nice. I haven’t had this much fun with my friends in a long time. It’s been a good day.
31. We Have Forever
I’ve never been on the water after dark before. It’s pitch black. I wrap my arm around Ford’s leg for comfort. “It’s okay. We’re almost home,” he says, kissing the top of my head. There’s a chill in the air. It won’t be long before the leaves turn colors. The nights are already shorter. I keep lamenting that summer’s gone, but there are so many things to look forward to. When we pull into the cove and up to Ford’s dock, his house is lit up, and we can see his mom in the kitchen. So much for spending some time alone. Ford sighs behind me, and I pat his leg. I help him cover his jet ski and put away the life jackets.
“Hey, mom,” Ford says as we walk into the house.
“Hey Bud, how was your day?” Mrs. Cross asks. “Hi, Hannah. How are you?”
Uh wow! Ford’s mom knows my name, and she just asked how I was. And it sounded friendly and sincere. “I’m well, Mrs. Cross. Thank you for asking. How are you?”
“I’m good, all things considered. What did you two kids do today?”
Ford walks around the kitchen island, opening the fridge and grabbing a couple of bottled waters. “We hung out at Ty’s and took his boat out. We went up to the north side of the lake to Scenic beach.”
“That sounds fun.” Ford’s mom smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Her eyes are all red, and she looks tired.
“Did you go to the spa?” Ford asks.
“I’m about to leave, but it’s not a spa. It’s called Miracle Five Springs, and it’s a healing retreat. I’m going with an old high school friend that just moved up from California. I’ll be back tomorrow evening. You have my cell phone number, but I left the number for the retreat if you have an emergency.”
“Have fun. I hope it helps you feel better.” Ford pats his mom on the back, but she pulls him close, giving him a hug and kiss, smearing red lipstick across his cheek.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Someone left a package on the front step for you. I put it on the kitchen table.” Mrs. Cross points to the large box. Before Ford can ask her any more questions, she leaves.
We both stare at the box. “What do you think it is?” I ask.
He runs a hand through his hair, scratching his neck. “I have a good idea.”
“You do? What is it then?” I’m excited. I never get packages in the mail.
“Open the box and find out.”
I stare at Ford like he’s gone crazy. He walks around the counter and grabs a pair of scissors out of a drawer. I examine the box, but there’s no packing label or mailing address, only the words for Ford Cross scribbled across the top in red marker. Ford uses the scissors to slice the tape on the box. “Are you sure you want me to open it?”
