Page 54 of Beach Vibes

Dex caught her and spun her around. “Good for you. That’s fantastic.”

The kids gathered around, cheering and jumping. Linnie hugged her.

“Mommy, you’re going to be a nurse.”

“I am.” Jana picked up her daughter and held her tight. “It’s going to mean more studying, but I’m ready.”

The other three wanted their hugs as well. Once they’d all collapsed on the sofa, Jana waved her phone. “I have to fill out the financial aid paperwork and get it back to them. But I’m pretty sure my tuition will be covered, and most of my books.”

That would mean she was only responsible for her labs and the normal fees that came with being in college.

“You worked hard,” Dex told her. “I’m proud of you.”

“Me, too. UCLA nursing school.” She squealed. “I got in and I got financial aid.”

A muscle in Dex’s cheek flexed. She pointed at him. “No! You’re not going to tell me you could have paid for school. We talked about this. I need to do it on my own.”

Linnie and Orchid looked at each other, as if they didn’t understand.

“Are you fighting?” Linnie asked, her voice concerned.

“Never.” Jana pulled her daughter onto her lap. “Dex is just as happy for me as you are.” She glanced at him, waiting for him to confirm.

He nodded. “Nursing school is great. I’m proud of your mom and impressed by how hard she’s working. But sometimes she can be stubborn.”

Magnolia looked at the two younger kids. “That’s when someone won’t change their mind, even when there’s a good reason why they should.”

“I’m not being stubborn,” Jana told her. “I’m being determined. I want to pay for college myself. It was my decision not to go when I graduated from high school. Back then it would have been easier. But I decided to go a different way.”

At the time she’d been so sure. Now, ten-plus years later, she was a single mom with minimal skills and no real way to support her daughter, and she wished she’d been a little more conventional. But there was no changing the past.

Linnie nodded slowly. “Now you have to figure something out.”

“Exactly. And that means paying for college myself. I don’t have the money sitting around, so I applied for financial aid, and I got it.” Wonderful news considering how much more expensive UCLA was going to be when compared with community college.

“Will I need financial aid?” Linnie asked, sounding worried.

Jana smiled at her. “I’ll have a good job by then, and I will have put money aside. You’ll be fine.”

“What about me?” Orchid asked.

“Dad has a college fund for each of us,” Magnolia told her. “We’re covered.”

Linnie hugged her. “I’m glad you got financial aid, Mommy. You’re going to be the best nurse ever.”

“Thank you, sweetie. I hope you’re right.”

* * *

Jana hovered in the hallway, trying not to look like a stalker. She was going to give Rick five more minutes, and if he didn’t show up by then, she would head downstairs to the derm office and start her day.

She supposed it would have made more sense to simply text him her good news, but she’d wanted to tell him in person. Rick was the kind of guy who would get how excited she was and want to celebrate with her.

She walked back and forth in front of the doors to his medical suite, stepping out of the way as patients arrived. She was just about to head to the elevator when he rounded the corner.

“Hi,” she said brightly, hurrying toward him.

He came to a stop and stared at her. There was no welcoming smile, no eager greeting. Instead he looked at her as if he barely knew who she was and wished she wasn’t there. She stumbled to a stop.

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