Page 53 of Library or Lattes?
Me: SOS!
Me: I’m so so so so sorry … x
She didn’t make me wait even ten seconds.
Lennie: SOS!
Lennie: Me too … x
Me: I seriously miss you, and I don’t ever want you to think I don’t care about your life. That I don’t care about you and Sara. I’m so happy you’re happy …
Lennie: I know. Like of course I know. I just got freaked out that I was going to lose my best friend
Me: You could never lose me Len x
Lennie: Good, because I don’t think I can cry any more x
Me:
Lennie: So tell me, what’s been happening in your life? I want to know everything!
Me: Same! Every detail ☺ And there kind of is one thing …
Lennie: WHAT?!
Me: We kind of kissed … a lot
Lennie: You and Theo?
Me: Me and Theo …
Lennie: OMG! WILLA! This is so exciting! We need to hang out. Little Acorn early morning? ☺
Me: Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll skip my run. Coffees on me xx
Lennie: Can’t wait ☺ x
And I couldn’t either.
The next morning, I took a shower and let my hair dry naturally, the normal way. Not to try to look British, or French, or anything else I wasn’t. I just wanted to look like me again. I pulled out my favorite green sweater, threw on my jacket, and walked to the Little Acorn. I couldn’t stop thinking about Theo as I walked along Maple Street. The way he kissed me. Soft, but firm, and completely addictive. I breathed in the earthy early-morning air. I was meeting my best friend, and I had a hot guy into me. Life couldn’t get much better.
The little bell dinged as I walked in. I ordered two pumpkin spice lattes and sat at the seat in the window.
“There she is,” said Geoff’s kind, soft voice. “How are the studies going? London School of Journalism? Very fancy.” He nodded in approval. “They won’t know what hit them.”
It was nice that everyone knew about it now. Somehow it seemed less like a dirty secret. I’d told Krista and Avery first, and they were so sweet about it, asking tons of questions. And I guess because Krista knew, most of the town knew too. For once I didn’t mind the gossip, but it did add some extra pressure. Now I actually had to pass the exam and go. But maybe that was a good thing.
My eyes landed on someone else coming out of the storeroom. Tall, dark-haired, square-jawed, my age … no, a bit older. Handsome. Really handsome.
Geoff caught my gaze. “Willa, meet James. My son. I mean, of course you would have met years ago, but James has been out of the house for a while now, so you might not recognize him.”
Geoff smiled, and James looked up briefly. “Hello,” he said.
“Hey, nice to meet you,” I said. Of course I remembered James, but mostly for bad reasons … When Pop and I used to come into the coffee shop after school, the older two boys, Sam and Kyle, would take me outside and swing me around, making me laugh until my stomach hurt. But James, he was different. Standoffish, intense. Then when I was like eleven he’d kissed me under the Kissing Tree. My first kiss. I remember being outraged that he didn’t ask, and our names never got carved in the bark …
“Dad, I’ll be in the back with the books if you need me.”
“Okay, thanks, son,” Geoff said. He looked so proud. I remembered him once saying something about James’s fiancée, how James didn’t come home much, and I got the impression it was all kinds of complicated. But maybe whatever it was had all worked out.
