Page 33 of That Kiss

“Never mind. We’ll talk more tomorrow, if that’s okay. I start the day before sunrise, but I’ll come back around 10 a.m. and we can have coffee if that works?”

She nods her head. “Thank you.” She motions around the room and I know she’s thanking me for more than just giving her a place to stay for the night.

“Good night, Cami.” I close the door behind me and let out one of the longest, heaviest sighs of my life.

Chapter 14

Juniper

I’ve gotten to the giddy point where I’m checking my phone every five minutes. Phantom vibrations are making me feel crazy, because I’m clinging to the next time I hear from him.

When it finally buzzes, I’m practically jumping out of my chair to answer it, knocking over my water bottle in the process.

“Hello?” I practically gasp into the receiver, not even bothering to see who it is.

“Good morning. This is Dr. Nester’s office reminding Juniper Riley of her upcoming dental cleaning tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. Do you still plan on coming?”

“Yes, I’ll be there.” I sink back down in my seat. “Thanks, you too.”

“Are you okay?” Izzy organizes her gel pens in their container, staring at me with a questioning look on her face. “You seem frazzled this morning. Too much coffee?”

“Something like that.” I drop my phone into my desk drawer, slamming it shut so I won’t be distracted by it.

“I know what you mean. Last week I forgot I had a double espresso before leaving my apartment, and then I grabbed one of those big energy drinks from the gas station.” She exhales in a puff through pursed lips. “Lesson learned.”

“You forgot you had a double espresso?” I laugh.

“Yeah, someone,” she lifts her hand up to shield her mouth like she’s telling me a secret, mouthing Noah, “kept me up the entire night before. But trust me,” she spins around in her chair, “it was soooo worth it.”

“Oh yeah? Things have officially progressed past that first date, huh?” I sit back in my chair when her face lights up, and I’m suddenly struck by the desire to join her, filling her in about my insanely hot trysts with Decker. To say I’ve been dying to tell someone is an understatement, but at the same time, the thought of it being a forbidden little secret sends a thrill of excitement through me.

“Big time.” She grabs her coffee and pushes her chair over to my desk to fill me in while I sort through emails and invoices. “That first date was . . . magical. There’s no other way to put it. I expected both of us to be nervous, but it felt like we’d known each other for years already. We immediately fell into conversation—” She giggles, interrupting herself. “You know he almost died when he was six?” Her tone changes to serious. “He fell through the ice over at Miller’s Pond, and they had to do CPR to bring him back. He almost didn’t make it.”

I listen to her tell me about all of their little moments and inside jokes. Her face is glowing and I wish I could jump in with both feet like she has. I wish I could just let myself go—let myself fall and be happy—but I can’t.

“He’s the one, Juney. I’m so in love with him.”

“The one?” I can’t hold back my surprise. “Izzy, it’s only been a few weeks.”

“I know, but when you know, you know. I realized that particular saying is a saying for a reason. Don’t worry, though, we aren’t rushing to the altar, but we’ve already talked about it. We know we’re going to get married someday.”

I smile at her genuinely, even though I want to tell her it’s too soon and she’s too young and there’s still so much world for her to see . . . all the fears and insecurities about my own self and my own situation projecting onto her happiness.

“Do your parents like him?” I don’t bother asking if they’ve met him. Since we live in a small town and Noah and Izzy are both from here, I know they’ve met somewhere along the years.

“Yes! He and my dad actually love going fishing together. Apparently I scare the fish away, so I’m not allowed to tag along.” She rolls her eyes but it makes me laugh because I can just imagine Izzy laughing and talking at her usual volume while the guys try to fish.

“Were they . . .” I’m not sure how to ask the question without sounding judgmental or like an asshole, but I also know that Izzy comes from a loving home with supportive parents.

“Worried because of his home life?” She nods. “Yeah, but I expected that; we both did. But we were also confident enough in our love for each other that even if they didn’t support it immediately, we knew they’d come around after spending any amount of time with us.”

“That’s great.”

“My parents are protective of me, being an only child and a girl. I know you can relate.” We both laugh because I can relate, plus I’m what my parents like to call their “miracle baby” since they had me late in life after years of trying and heartache. “But they’re also understanding people; they realize Noah’s upbringing wasn’t his fault.”

“And the age difference?” It’s not nearly as large as the one between Decker and me, but she’s pretty young at 21, and Noah’s at least 26, so I could see it being an issue for some parents. Of course, I can’t help but wonder how my parents would react to Decker and me. It’s something that’s been on my mind since the night he kissed me. My mind spirals down the rabbit hole of what-if situations and happily-ever-afters.

“They weren’t concerned. My parents met when they were 15 and 16, got married at 18 and 19, and had me at 20 and 21, so they understand young love.”

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