The Best of Us (Sullivan's Crossing #4)(11)

“You’re either going to find a new girlfriend or flunk English.”

“I guess I’m going to flunk English. And you’re not going to do that well in math.”

“You’re my go-to boy for math,” she said, laughing.

Maia read all the time. She wanted to be an English teacher. But even though they were hot and heavy by now, she was going to college in Flagstaff and he was going to CU in Boulder. Boulder was close; he’d be home a lot of weekends. Flagstaff wasn’t so close.

“I only read the directions on things I have to assemble,” he said. “Or textbooks when there’s going to be a quiz. Stories bore me.”

“But you’re a genius at math.”

“Well, that’s because I’ve got my aunt Sid—she knows everything about math. She’s really a genius. She’s a physicist. Big-ass brain.”

“I know. That is so cool.” She nibbled her cheeseburger.

She took little bites, he noticed. Her fingernails were pink and he liked that. A lot of the girls were painting their nails green and blue and black. Freaky. Maia’s nails were the color of her lips. And she didn’t wear much makeup. Just lip stuff that tasted so good. Her eyelashes were so thick and dark she didn’t have to dress them up.

They talked about school. Her favorite course was obviously English; he loved science and right now his favorite class was advanced chemistry. They talked about their teachers and both of them loved their math teacher even if Maia didn’t love math. They talked about how they dreaded being separated while they were in college. Then, lunch devoured, he reached for her. “Don’t hurt your hand,” she said before landing on his lips.

A few minutes later he stopped the kissing. “You’re making my hand feel better. Do you have to go all the way to NAU?” he asked.

“I love NAU. You should see it. It’s almost like home.”

“You can’t guess how bad I’m going to miss you.”

“That’s funny. I had to drop hints for months before you even noticed me!”

“Oh, I noticed,” he said, pulling her closer. Then he bumped his hand and yelped in pain and she pulled away.

“I’m going back to school before you do something to your hand.”

“Will you come back after school? I don’t have to work at the pub. The only bright spot...”

“I’ll have to check in with my mom and see if she has anything I need to do.”

“Tell her I’m seriously injured and need you,” he said. “If my dad likes me even a little bit, he’ll make Sean work at the pub and we’ll be alone.”

“Are you going to behave?” she asked.

“I’ll do whatever you say. But we could be alone.”

“How long is it going to take for that hand to heal?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “We can use it to our advantage. Want to go out Friday night? Obviously I don’t have baseball...”

“I have to babysit Friday night and till about five on Saturday afternoon. Then I’m free. I have to clear it with my parents, though.”

“Tell them I’m pathetic and need you.”

She giggled a little. Then she kissed his cheek. “I gotta go. Can you handle the trash with one hand?”

“Got it,” he said, lifting the bag.

She took her Diet Coke and skipped out the door.

“Thank you!” he called out. And she smiled and waved.

He closed the door and leaned against it. “Thank you, God!” he said. She was the hottest, sweetest, coolest girl in his school. And she was his.

He backed up to the couch and flopped down on it. He did not sleep. His hand miraculously did not hurt. At. All.







Experience is the teacher of all things.

—Julius Caesar



3


LEIGH WOKE UP and looked out the window at the heavy rain. She smiled as she remembered what Sully had told her when she’d asked him when he thought it would be hamburger day. “First really wet rainy day when I can’t work outside,” he said.

Knowing he got up even earlier than she did, she called Sully. “Can we meet at Shandon’s Pub and will you let me buy you that hamburger today?” she asked.

“Perfect. That’s where I like to get my beef. I’m not going to waste my special day on meat loaf at the diner.”

“Noon?” she asked.

“That’ll do,” Sully said.

At fifteen minutes prior to noon Leigh put her raincoat over her scrubs. With her wallet and cell phone in her pocket and umbrella in hand, she told Eleanor where she was going. “Call if you get anything you can’t handle,” she said. Then she walked down the street in the rain. From within every business doorway she passed, someone yelled, “Hey, Doc!” A couple of cars tooted their horns and she waved. This little town seemed to sparkle in the rain. It was clean and busy and shop owners left their doors open in a welcoming fashion unless it was freezing outside.

She was glad she’d given Helen her support in selling the house. She missed her aunt, but if she’d been working in Chicago, Helen wouldn’t have seen much of her, anyway. Her hours had been brutal and Helen was often away. Helen had been clear—those tough winters were in her rearview mirror. She was passing through Chicago for just a week and got caught in a huge spring blizzard. She announced that was the last time she’d be in the Midwest before May.