Page 146 of Late Fees

She was beautiful. She was ethereal and…effervescent, her magical energy flew off the pages. Leaning into the side of the couch, I found myself completely engrossed in the story—the story of a little boy who chases a girl through time and space. And how her energy and dynamic nature gives him the strength and resolve to do just about anything. He feeds off her energy but doesn’t want to steal what makes her magical. No. He wants to bask in her exuberance.

He just wants to be near her.

Ronnie showered, dried her hair, borrowed some of my clothes, and cleaned my kitchen, and I still hadn’t moved from the couch. I was eighty pages into the saga and had read through two of the episodes he’d created for these characters.

And I was in awe. Not just of his drawing abilities, which were spectacular, but of his creativity, of his ability to tell a story that gripped my heart as I flipped each page. It was poignant, it was profound…and most importantly, it was Wyatt.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Ronnie asked, and I nodded, new tears streaming down my cheeks.

“It’s magnificent,” I said with a sniff.

Dutch walked through the door, and I snapped back into reality, wiping my cheeks and looking at the clock on my VCR. “Shit, I have to work in, like, thirty minutes. I’m a mess.”

“No, I already walked over there. I’m taking your shift,” Dutch said, putting his hands in his pockets, looking sheepish. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Seriously, Dutch?”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Ronnie said, placing her hand on her heart.

Oh man, she’s got it bad. For Dutch.

“Yeah, I told Hannah you’re not feeling well and that I’d fill in…and she’s cool with it.” He tilted his head to the side. “That is, if you are. I don’t know if you need the hours or whatever.”

“No, that would be great. Thank you. I, uh…I have some reading to do.” I held up the project. I was only a third of the way through the stack. “A lot of it.”

“And don’t forget the letters,” Ronnie said. “If he can do this with fiction, imagine how good those must be.”

“Oh, God, you’re right.” I shook my head. “I’m such an idiot. Like, the biggest idiot on the planet. Why couldn’t I see what was right in front of me?”

“You did…you have to give yourself a little credit. You did give him a second chance, and I’m really proud of you for that. Just because you were cautious doesn’t mean you don’t love him.”

I felt like my heart was going to burst inside my chest. “I do love him. I always have.”

“I have to head home, otherwise you know I would stay. I have to go to my cousin’s baby shower.”

A sardonic laugh escaped my lips. “What is it with you and baby showers?”

Ronnie looked puzzled, raising one eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“That day back in high school when Wyatt left. You were going to a baby shower; that’s why you didn’t stay. Remember?”

“Weird,” Ronnie said, wrinkling her nose. “I guess I just have a frisky family, huh?”

“Guess so,” I said, managing the tiniest of laughs.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, thanks, Ronnie.” I turned to Dutch. “And thank you, too, Dutch. I’d better get a big cup of coffee. I’ve got a lot of reading to do…and maybe some writing of my own.”

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