Page 93 of A Class of Her Own

“Mer, your face was so dreamy,” Hailey said.

“I think the wall crumbled,” Ruby stated. “You used to love the idea of punching his face, but now you love his face. It’s the absolute best turn around I’ve ever seen.”

I held up my hands. “Okay, I’ll admit that I’m happy to be with him. But only because it’s logical and not based off an emotional response. We have a lot of the same goals and ideals, we’re both successful people who work hard, he’s into serving others and so am I.”

They were silent for a heartbeat before Hailey said, “Baloney. You have chemistry. There’s no reason to take that out of the equation when it should be firmly planted in the middle of the whole thing. Logically, you work, yes, but that’s not as important as that pull you have toward each other against all reason.”

“Hailey is right,” Ruby nodded. “Ford and her don’t make logical sense, but they keep sneaking off to have special time together. The heart wants what it wants.”

Hailey was blushing, but she pressed on. “She’s right. Ford and I are opposites who are mad for each other.”

“Great. So, when that chemistry fades?” I asked.

“Then you still have all those logical reasons you listed.” Ruby smirked, throwing my own words back at me.

“Do you like Brooks?” Hailey asked. “And I actually mean like as in enjoy him as a person and find him pleasant to spend time with?”

“Yes,” I admitted.

“Then it’s icing on the cake that he makes your heart sing,” she offered.

“My heart isn’t singing so much as . . .” I began.

“Lies,” Ruby called over me. “She’s singing.”

“Fine,” I rolled my eyes with a smile and waved my hands. “I’ll keep you posted. Now, can we talk about literally anything else?”

“I caught Ford’s secretary trying to sneak two jars of Nutella out of the kitchen last night,” Hailey laughed. “I came into the room as she was shoving them into her purse. We made eye contact, and she froze and then slowly pulled one jar out and set it on the counter while holding my eye. I could see a second bottle in there, but she turned and strolled right out with her head high. I didn’t try to stop her or bother telling Ford, and I’m still laughing about it. Why would she do that?”

That got the ball rolling, and we delved into funny things we’d seen, heard, or participated in at the Winter Wonderland New Year’s Eve. I admitted I’d not read the invite, which got them both howling, and Ruby admitted that her dress had been held together with safety pins after it tore during her exuberant karaoke performance. Overall, we complimented Hailey on a smashing party and then begged her to let us go back to pajama night the next year.

An hour later I was driving home, thinking about my friends, my students, my dad, and Brooks. My mind was full with ideas for resolutions and setting up a schedule with Willow for meals and cleaning at Dad’s house. As I got close to my neighborhood, I had the thought hit me that maybe it was time I did something nice for Brooks. He’d ice melted my walks, shoveled my driveway, helped me with my dad’s house, brought ice cream sundaes, and generally lifted my spirits over the past weeks.

So, I made a quick turn and headed to my favorite sandwich shop. When I parked along the curb, I shot off a text letting him know I’d be bringing dinner with me. The sandwich shop had been around for as long as I could remember, and it had smelled the same for years. I ordered two roast beef heroes, two Jackson Hole sarsaparillas, and two bags of potato chips. I bounced on the balls of my feet as the local college students put my order together and nearly jumped when my phone buzzed with a text from Brooks.

Brooks: Thank you

Me: Hope you like Logan’s Heroes

Brooks: Love that place

A smile lit my face, goofy and way out of proportion, but I couldn’t tamp it down even when they handed me my food and had me pay. I drove straight to Brooks’s house, anxious to be there, missing him even though it hadn’t even been a full day. He opened the door as I parked, waving when I looked up to see him there. I felt an overwhelming sense of coming home as I walked toward him, and, when I reached the porch, I found that same big, silly grin had reappeared.

“How was setting up your room?” he asked, stepping aside to let me in.

“Great.” I gave him a light play-by-play as I followed him into his kitchen.

I sat the sandwiches on the counter, and he helped me shrug out of my coat and hung it over a bar stool. Then, I turned to face him, and, in a move I’d never imagined I was capable of, I launched forward and took his face in my hands, tugging it down to meet my lips. I pressed firmly against him, still cradling his face, as his hands came to my waist to steady both of us. It didn’t take long for him to catch up and join fully in the exchange. His lips were warm and soft, and he tasted sweet as though he’d had syrup recently. I ended the kiss and pressed my forehead against his chin momentarily, breathing heavily from adrenaline and something deeper, before straightening up and stepping out of his arms.

“I think we should date,” I said.

He licked his lips and a smile bloomed. “I thought we already were.”

I laughed and put a hand on his chest, where I could still feel his heartbeat racing. “Right, but we should set some ground rules.”

He shook his head. “No ground rules.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to get our sandwiches off the table. I reached into the bag and pulled everything out while I spoke. “Yes, rules. Like, I prefer to go to bed early, and I wake early, so no late nights. And you have to respect me if I say I need some space.” I handed him his sandwich, chips, and sarsaparilla bottle and moved to take a seat on his couch. “Are you okay with food in the living area?” He nodded. “Great. So, other rules. No phone calls during business hours. Texts are okay. If we make plans to do something, we honor them. I will always be where you expect me to be, and I’d appreciate the same in return. We don’t loan each other money or ask each other for money.” I unwrapped my sub and took a bite. “What rules do you have?”

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