Page 93 of Beach Vibes

She clicked on the lamp by her bed, then grabbed her phone. She quickly sent a note to the volunteer coordinator saying she wouldn’t be able to make it in for her shift tomorrow. Her guilt multiplied, but she ignored it. In the morning, she would text Jana and make up a reason for not being at the food bank. Then she would spend her day trying to do good for others to make up for the crappy way she was living her life.

***

Jana finished the simple addition, then crossed both fingers and hit the solve button on her calculus online program. Instantly the screen filled with the correct way to reach the solution. She compared her handwritten answer and gave a loud “Yes!” when she saw she’d gotten the answer right. Twice she’d been tripped up not by the complicated math necessary to work the issue, but by the adding and subtracting at the end. Not the end of the world as she would get partial credit by showing her work, but still. It was gratifying to nail it.

She still had time until her last test, but with her weekend away with Rick coming up, she wanted to make sure she stayed on track with her study schedule.

She tossed down her pencil so she could stand and stretch. According to her instructor, if she got an A on the final, she would be able to earn an A in the class. She’d turned in all the homework assignments to get the extra points, and they might be enough to push her over the top. When class had started, her goal had been to get a B, but knowing she was close to an A made her want to try harder.

She’d come a long way, she thought happily. Not just with calculus but with her life. Five years ago she’d been pregnant and scared and living with the shame of not knowing who had fathered Linnie. That combination of unsettling emotions and a grim reality had forced her to take a look at her life. She’d been determined to do better, to grow as a person so she could raise a happy and healthy child.

Now she was completing her AA degree, and in the fall she would start nursing school. She had a plan and she was making it happen. Linnie was thriving. Just as exciting, her daughter was watching her figure out her goals and then work hard to make them happen. A priceless lesson she would always remember.

There was also the little matter of finally finding a good guy. Rick was so sweet and caring. He was sending her funny littlecountdown messages about their trip. He’d moved from days to hours. She was pretty sure he would start counting in seconds as the date got closer.

The front door opened. “It’s me,” Teddy called.

“In the kitchen.”

He walked in. “Hey. How’s the calculus homework going?”

She smiled. “Pretty good. I think there’s a decent chance I’m a genius.”

He laughed. “Good for you.”

She glanced at him. He looked exhausted, thin and pale, with dark circles under his eyes.

“Have you eaten?” she asked, heading for the refrigerator.

“I’d rather just go to bed.”

“No, you’re going to eat first. How many more days?”

“Saturday’s the end of the seminar. Unfortunately it’s the day everything is open to the public.”

Meaning he would be scrambling with even bigger crowds. Teddy might not like being a celebrated speaker, but he was good at giving talks on acupuncture and alternative medicine. He had an easy and engaging style, no doubt because of his years of acting.

“All the more reason you need to eat. Dex took the kids out for Italian and ordered extra for both of us.” She smiled at him. “The lasagna is excellent, by the way. You’ll want some of that.”

“Thanks.” He sank onto a stool at the big island, then turned to her and frowned. “Didn’t you have dinner with Beth tonight? It’s your food bank day.”

“She couldn’t make her shift.” She held up a hand as her brother immediately came to his feet, ready to do battle over whatever was wrong.

“She’s fine,” she added. “She’s having a bad period. It’s a girl thing and it happens. She just needs time.”

“What makes a period bad?”

“Usually cramping. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes it hurts a lot.”

“Should I go see her?”

Jana thought of her own occasional bouts with a difficult “time of the month.” Ibuprofen and a heating pad were how she got through.

“Let her deal with this on her own,” she advised. “She’s not feeling her best, and the last thing she wants to do is worry about grossing you out.”

“I was there when all three of the kids were born. I can’t be grossed out.”

“Yeah, you saying that and her feeling it are two different things. Like I said, just let her be.”

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