Page 24 of Always Been Yours

That’s not the case now. Amada Beach hasalwaysbeen my home even when I was trying to run away. I want to make this my daughters’ home. I want to become a part of this school; in the same way my mom has been since it opened and Vivi has in the few years she has been teaching here.

“Should we meet again next Monday?” I ask.

“Hmmm,” she contemplates to herself, pulling her iPad out of her purse. I try to look at the screen—wondering exactly what she puts on that thing—but she shifts it slightly. Just enough that I can’t read it. “How about the Monday after next? It will probably take me some time to talk to all of the coaches and teachers anyway.”

I don’t like the idea of not having a reason to spend time with her for two weeks. It feels just long enough to undo the little bit of progress we have made.

“Yeah, that works for me,” I shrug.

She starts packing her bag and I panic. I don’t want her to leave yet. This meeting was way quicker than I had expected. Plus, she said she had two hours blocked off.

I want at leastonefull hour.

The nervous sweat that’s beginning to form at the base of my neck is distracting and I ask the first thing that comes to my mind, “Do you plan what time you go to the bathroom on that thing too?”

Slowly, ever so slowly, she turns around. Her mouth is gaped open in offense but the gleam in her eyes shows amusement. “Excuse me?”

I point toward the tablet she’s slipping back into her purse.

“Only on days I’m really busy,” she retorts, pushing her hair over her shoulder.

My eyebrows quirk up.

There is no way she actually schedules that, right?

“Wow, you’re an idiot. No, I don’t plan when I go to the bathroom. Though, if I didn’t know any better, I would wonder if Lexi or Asher put you up to asking.”

“They don’t like your planner?”

She takes a seat next to me again, pulling out the tablet. “Hm, I don’t know why you have such an issue with how I live my life—“

“No problems here.” I hold up my hands in surrender.

She unlocks it and hands it over to me. “You can take a look. It isn’t a secret.” There’s a light blush on her cheeks, making me think that maybe itisa secret. That only piques my interest more. I tentatively go to grab it.

Her hand releases it easily and I immediately amblown away by the articulate organization of it. Its color coordinated—green for work, blue for personal, yellow for appointments, orange for volunteering, purple for her family, gray for exercising, which is mostly kayaking, and pink for dates. As I scroll through her calendar, it brings me an immense amount of selfish satisfaction to see that she hasn’t used pink in at least three months. There are little blurbs for a new restaurant she tried with Lexi, the books she’s currently reading and how she likes her coffee from different shops. I can guarantee that she’s spent money on this planner app. There are hundreds of stickers, fonts and note options. It’s dorky and a little neurotic. But I can’t stop myself from finding it completely adorable and endearing at the same time.

“And just so you know, Lexi and Asherhatemy planner…“ I’m only half listening, too distracted by an appointment she has in a few days. I pull the tablet further from her reach and read the title:UCAH Advisor Meeting, 10:45 AM, Teaching & Admin Building.

“Are you going to school again? My mom didn’t mention that.” She gives me a questioning look and I can’t stop the heat rising to my cheeks.

She raises her eyebrows, giving me a slow once over before meeting my gaze with a cheeky grin. “Ask about me a lot?”

I roll my eyes but don’t deny thatmaybeI’ve casually asked about her a couple of times recently. “Are you looking at graduate programs for teaching?”

“No,” she shakes her head and slips her hands under the thighs. She’snervous.“In school administration.”

The lightbulb in my head immediately flicks on. “You want to be a principal?”

She bites back a smile and nods.

“Are you going to leave High Tides?” There would be a couple years at least before that would happen but it doesn’t calm medown either.

She shakes her head, giving me a shy smile.

I tilt my head, about to ask what she means when it finally clicks. “You want to be the principal at High Tides?” I whisper it. I don’t know why I do but it reminds me of when we would whisper to each other while her siblings and Blake slept around us on those summer nights.

“Yeah, I do. I really do. I love this school so much.” Her eyes drop. She’s waiting for my reaction.

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