Page 93 of XOXO, Valentina

“It’s chocolate,” she said.

He slid his arm around my shoulder. “Gabriella’s favorite.”

Ms. Taylor she darted a glance at me. She probably wished she’d gone with a different flavor.

“We were just sitting down to dinner,” I said, reaching for the door. “Thanks for the dessert.”

Ms. Taylor peeked around my shoulder into the living room, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “It smells delicious.”

I slid my arm around Joey’s waist and gazed up at him adoringly. “Joey is the most amazing cook.”

He beamed and dropped a kiss on my forehead. “Thanks, baby.”

Ms. Taylor’s forehead twitched, and a faint line appeared between her brows. I was pretty sure we broke her Botox.

The baffled expression was still on her face when I closed the door.

Joey strode into the kitchen and tossed the cake box on the counter. “Everyone in town is going to know about us now,” he said.

I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Good.”

His hands came up to rest on mine. “I wish I wasn’t leaving for the summer,” he said. “It seems like we never have enough time.”

I thought ahead to the summer. Shane would be gone, and I would be mostly on my own. I would have my job to keep myself busy, but summers were completely different from the school year. The students wouldn’t be around to keep things interesting. My work would be preparing for the upcoming year, scheduling building maintenance, and hiring teachers. Duties that I could perform without difficulty.

I leaned against Joey’s back, hugging him tighter. “I have some vacation time I haven’t used,” I said. “Maybe I could visit for a week.”

“I’d like that.” He turned around to face me, and we kissed.

My phone sounded. It was Shane’s ringtone, so I answered.

“Hey, Mom,” Shane said. “We got done early.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’m coming.” I hung up and stuck my phone back in my pocket. “What were you saying? Something about not having enough time?”

Joey laughed. “Good thing there’s always tomorrow.”

Epilogue

Four months later

Gabi

Santiago was waiting for me at the Nosara airstrip instead of Joey. My disappointment must have shown on my face because Santiago laughed good-naturedly when he lifted my suitcase and stuffed it in the back of his truck between two surfboards and an assortment of fishing gear.

“Sorry I’m not Fernando.” He reached into a cooler and plucked out a frosty bottle of Imperial. “Although most people think I’m much better looking. And I have beer.”

He popped the top and handed me the ice-cold bottle. One sip later, and some of the stress from traveling all day melted away.

Santiago watched me drink with a knowing smile. “You hungry?” He shoved aside a bucket and reached into another cooler. “I have fruit.”

He laid out a feast of papaya, pineapple, and banana on his tailgate and handed me a plate. Even though food was the last thing on my mind, I didn’t want to be rude. I selected a few of each and thanked Santiago.

“You can eat on the way,” he said, closing the tailgate.

Grateful that Santiago sensed my urgency to be away from the airstrip, I settled into the cab of the truck with my refreshments.

The food and drink took the edge off my travel weariness but didn’t erase my need to see Joey as soon as possible. We hadn’t seen each other in six weeks since I had visited him in June for a long weekend.

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