Page 41 of How We Fooled

“Okay, that’s enough for family photos.” Eli tries to cut our time short. “Didn’t I hear you bought some dessert too?”

She pats Eli’s shoulder as she walks past him. “That I did. Some apple pie, just for you.”

Eli raises his eyebrows at me in excitement. “My favorite.”

I wrap my arms around his waist, wanting to feel him close to me as we walk back to the kitchen together.

We head back outside with pie and ice cream, where we relax for the rest of the night, enjoying each other’s company and laughing at the stories we tell.

As night falls, Eli stands with his hand on my shoulder. “We should get you back to Mason Creek. I have an early flight to catch to Florida tomorrow.”

I sigh at the thought of him leaving again, and when my eyes meet with Heather’s, I can tell it makes her sad too.

“Summers are hard with him gone so much,” she says with a sigh. “As is the life of an athlete though. Always on the road, playing somewhere.”

I place my hand over his and stand. “Yep, let’s get going.” I walk over to Heather and David, who are both standing now. “Thank you so much for having me over.”

They both give me a hug, making me feel like I’m a part of their family even though we just met.

“It was so good to finally meet you. You’re welcome here anytime,” Heather says.

I smile, then turn to Ava, who runs into my arms with a big hug.

“Promise you’ll come over again?”

I laugh at how tightly she squeezes me. “I promise.”

We wave our final goodbyes and head outside toward Eli’s truck. He walks to the passenger side first, opening the door, then stopping short and kissing me.

“It was absolutely killing me, not being able to kiss you these past few hours,” he whispers as he pulls back, making me laugh.

“I’m glad you survived,” I tease.

“Barely.” He kisses me again as he lifts me into the truck.

Once we’re on the road, I ask, “How long is this trip?”

He sighs. “Five days.”

“And I’ll get to watch again?”

He glances my way with a slight tilt to his lips. “Sure will. Through the same app. I’ll send you the times once I get them. Do you have any plans for the week?”

“I’m hoping I’ll get some interviews. I have a few leads lined up, so we’ll see.”

I really only have one, but I’m trying to manifest more. With school starting soon, I’m kind of getting to the end of my rope on possibilities of getting my own class, which means I’ll have to sub for the year if this doesn’t pan out.

“That’s awesome! How come you didn’t tell me earlier?”

I shrug. “I don’t want to jinx anything. I thought I would have to substitute first to get in the school district, but I’ve heard of some openings, so I made some phone calls.”

He reaches for my hand. “I know they’ll love everything about you. Don’t worry one bit.”

I rest my head back against the headrest and grin in his direction. He’s so enduring and confident in his words and actions. I just hope he’s right. I moved here to work. This summer has been amazing, but I know reality is just around the corner, and I can’t freeload off my aunt and uncle forever.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Liza

---