Page 81 of Library or Lattes?

When I got older, I changed myself to prepare for future journeys. Started drinking black coffee I hated. Wore new clothes. Looked down on the town I’d grown up in, like it was something to escape rather than somewhere I belonged. I thought if I was going to travel the world, regular Willa Taylor from Oak Falls wasn’t good enough. I had to become someone else first.

I was wrong.

It took falling for someone who saw through all of it, and nearly losing my best friend, to understand. You can’t run toward something new if you’re running away from who you are.

I still want to see new places. I still dream of the Taj Mahal, the Colosseum, the Tower of London. But not to become someone different. Now I know I want to see what parts of myself I discover when I’m ordering coffee in broken Italian, when I’m lost on a Greek street where nobody knows my name, when I’m standing in front of a beautiful piece of art.

Travel isn’t about leaving yourself behind. It’s about taking yourself with you and coming home to see everything with fresh eyes.

The girl who raced Barbie across wooden floors already had everything she needed for the journey. She just needed to stop apologizing for it.

Lennie closed the laptop quietly. “Will, it’s beautiful. There’s no way you aren’t getting in. You were born to do this. Willa Taylor, I’m so proud of you.”

And as Lennie’s eyes filled again, so did mine. But I didn’t do quite as good a job of keeping the tears away.

When Lennie went home, I promised to call her the second the exam ended.

And before I went to sleep, I opened Mom’s notebook for inspiration.

Lisa May leaves tomorrow.

Paris first, then who knows where. She asked me one more time to come with her. “Just for a few months. See what it’s like.” Part of me wanted to say yes. The part that wonders what the Seine looks like at sunrise, what it feels like to be anonymous in a city of millions. But Mike is here. And this town, these people. My whole life is here. I told Lisa May no. Watched her try not to look disappointed. She said, “I hope you’re not staying because of a man.” I said, “I’m staying because of me.” But here’s what I didn’t tell her … if Mike wanted to go somewhere, really wanted it, I think I’d follow him

anywhere. Not because I need to. Because I’d want to see the world through his eyes. That’s the difference, I think. Between staying for someone and staying with someone.

Obviously it couldn’t be possible, but it felt like Mom was there with me right then, cheering me on and wishing me luck. And all my nerves disappeared because I knew that whatever happened, I would be okay.

And then it was here. Exam Day.

Too nervous to eat more than a protein bar, I said goodbye to Pop, declining his repeated offers to walk me to the library. I wanted to clear my head.

The rust-colored trees were still shedding their leaves along Maple Street, and I kicked a pile of burnt gold, thinking of Mom and her laugh.

Jo was keeping one section of the library blocked off for me. The exam was for one hour online under supervision. I tried to breathe evenly.

My friends sent strings of emojis and messages of love.

And when I turned the corner to the library, there was Theo, across the green, holding two cups.

I ran, because I couldn’t wait. I didn’t want to waste a second when I didn’t have to. And he almost dropped the cups when I ran into his arms.

“Wow, that’s some welcome,” he said.

“We weren’t going to meet until after!” I said. This was the best surprise.

He handed me a cup. “Pumpkin spice latte for good luck. Not that you’ll need it.” He winked at me and my stomach flipped. I sipped the hot, sweet coffee and it took me right back to the first day we’d met at the library.

“Just what I needed.”

“Willa …?”

I glanced up to see Theo looking … nervous? And my heart started to race. I didn’t need anything complicated right now.

“I’ve decided something. I’m staying in Oak Falls, at least for now. I’m going to apply to architecture programs I can do remotely, give Alfie and Hadley some help with the kids … and I was thinking about your course. And I won’t be offended if you hate the idea or you say no, or anything like that … but I was just thinking that maybe I could come over and help you get settled before you start in September?”

I gasped in shock. Not bad shock. But because my whole world had unexpectedly fallen into place in the most spectacular way.

“I literally cannot think of anything better.” And then I kissed him, as if to seal it as a promise, as the fall leaves danced around us.