Page 44 of Scoop Me Up
I remembered the way their body reacted to my touch, the soft moan that escaped their throat, the way they held me tightly. “Good,” I said, my voice cracking a little.
Jennifer smirked again. “Don’t get too caught up in your thoughts about this. Go with it. Do what feels right.”
“What if it ends terribly?”
She shrugged. “Then you’ll know.”
I nodded slowly. Before I could speak again, Ellie shouted from the other room. “Daddy, are you ready yet?”
With a laugh, I looked at Jennifer, who shrugged. “Have fun.” I couldn’t tell if she was talking about the park or Sam.
“On my way, Bug.” I hesitated one last second. “Hey. Thank you,” I murmured.
She nodded. “Anytime. I’m always here for you.”
I appreciated it more than I could say.
“Daddy!”
“Coming,” I called. With that, Ellie and I left, heading to the park to play, my mind consumed with nothing but thoughts of Sam.
Chapter 17
Sam
The minute Gabe was gone, the door closed tightly behind him, I grabbed my phone and texted Cooper.
Sam: Gabe kissed me.
Cooper responded almost immediately.
Cooper: Oh my God, how was it?
Sam: Perfect.
Cooper: Should we get together to celebrate?
I laughed. Of course that would be the first thing on his mind.
Sam: I think I’m just going to watch TV and unwind for a while. Maybe go to bed early. Long day tomorrow. I still have to meet with Miles after school to sign the lease and discuss renovation needs.
Cooper: Can’t wait to hear all about it.
I texted with Coop for a few more minutes, turning the TV on and barely watching the baking show I put on. After a while, I gave up on paying attention to the TV and went to bed. Of course, I tossed and turned, thoughts of Gabe dominating my mind as I tried to sleep.
The next day, I found my thoughts constantly wandering, despite my best efforts to focus on class. Between Gabe and the ice cream shop, I was in no shape to teach anyone anything. During lunch, I sent an email to the parent volunteers for the read-and-math-a-thon, giving them their assignments and details about the event. After what felt like an eternity, the school day ended and I headed to my meeting with Miles.
Miles lived on the outskirts of downtown, close to the school. When I arrived at his house, I stood on the front step, heart racing.This is really happening, I told myself.You’re going to do what you’ve always dreamed of doing.
The door swung open, Miles on the other side with a bright smile on his face, wearing khakis and a short-sleeved button-down shirt. He greeted me warmly.
“I’m so glad you were able to make it. I’ve been talking to the owner a lot in the past twenty-four hours and he’s really excited. Come on in and we’ll chat.”
I followed him to what must have been intended as a dining room, but had been organized as an office space instead. There was a large desk to one side, a table in the middle surrounded by chairs, and a single cup coffee machine off to the other side of the room, perched on a bar that separated the office from a kitchen.
“Have a seat,” he suggested, gesturing to a chair. Miles turned to the desk and grabbed a folder from it before placing it on the table between us. “Here’s the lease. It’s pretty standard, but you should read it carefully anyway. It also includes language about the renovations, which I’ll help you coordinate with the owner and the foreman.”
“How long do they estimate the renovations will take?”
