Page 120 of Stealing Sunshine

Delaney squirts extra ketchup onto her burger before taking a bite of it. I opt out of ketchup and eat my grilled cheese dry.

“Classes are going good?” Kiki asks, the question not directed specifically at either one of us.

Della finishes her bite first. “It’s hard to not enjoy your days when the kids are so cute. Even if they can be total assholes sometimes.”

“I don’t think we’re supposed to call kids assholes, Della,” I tease between bites.

Kiki reaches for my iced tea and drinks from the side of the glass before saying, “Why not? I’ve known some real asshole kids. Two of them are my nephews.”

Della laughs, unrolling the napkin around her cutlery and using it to dab at the ketchup that’s streaked over her mouth.

“We can think it, at least.”

“Fair enough,” Kiki agrees.

An older woman around Eliza Steele’s age lifts her hand and waves at us, and Kristen pats the table. I give her a quick side hug before she slips from the booth.

“I’ll text you later, Didi. And I’ll see you around, Delaney.”

Delaney nods, and I watch Kiki leave before tearing my teeth into my grilled cheese.

“She’s a nice girl,” Della notes.

I hum past the food in my mouth, and she snorts a laugh.

“Is she coming this weekend too?”

With a forceful swallow, I shake my head. “No. She works here pretty much every day.”

“I haven’t seen Poppy in a long time.”

“Not even at Peakside?”

“I don’t go there,” she says quietly.

I shrug and focus on appearing nonchalant, even as a weight boulders my chest. “It’s crowded and loud, anyway. And they upcharge for drinks.”

“Thank you, Daisy. You don’t have to try and downplay the place for my benefit, though,” she says, seeing straight through me.

“I’m sorry.”

“How about you tell me a bit about Bryce and Poppy? I’ve missed a lot, I’m sure.”

“Okay, well, first, Poppy’s dating someone, and it’s pretty serious.”

“I heard about that. Cherry Peak grapevine and all that. He’s not from here, right?”

“Not in the slightest. He’s from Toronto. A city boy through and through.”

Our conversation goes on until both of our plates are scraped clean and we’re paying the bills. We avoid any and everything to do with Darren, and by the time we’re heading back to the school, I think she’s feeling a bit more confident in her decision to join us this weekend.

I just can’t wait to finish the day.

Seeing Bryce once the final bell rings is the only thing on my priority list, and I think I love that.

I’m falling in love with her more every day. And I don’t think I’ve ever felt such excitement for the future than I have with her by my side. A future that she’s now a focal point of.

I just hope that once I finish making the fall, she’ll be there waiting to catch me.

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