Page 69 of My Heart to Keep
Headlights bounced down the driveway as Celia pulled in.
“Celia’s here. Love you to the stars and back.” I blew him a kiss. “Talk later.” I ended the call before I jumped through the phone or decided to bribe Celia to drive up to the academy.
I darted down the porch steps, when Momma came out of the house. “Quinn, please make sure you’re home right after school. You’re working at the farm store today.”
“I know, Momma. Love you. Kiss Daddy for me.” I jogged the short distance to the car.
“You guys be careful,” Momma called out. “The news just reported that roads are slick with black ice.”
I hopped in. “Black ice?”
“That’s why I’m late,” Celia said. “I was driving like a grandma.” The wipers cleared the droplets of snow from the windshield as Celia backed out.
I adjusted the heater in my direction. “Maiken and I did it yesterday.”
Her neck snapped in my direction. “Oh, hell no. You can’t tell me this while I’m driving.”
I pointed at the road. “Pay attention. Black ice, remember.”
She huffed as she traveled super slow down the two-lane country road. “Tell me everything.” She sounded more excited than I did at the moment.
We’d promised each other we would tell the other when we stepped into womanhood. She hadn’t yet. She and Liam had never taken that step.
I let out a contented sigh. “It was tense and beautiful and unexpected.” The boy I fell in love with, who had the bluest eyes on the planet, made my heart sing even more than ever before. I felt as though we had sealed our relationship forever.
She adjusted the hat on her head, glancing at me. “You do look different.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please.” I pulled down the visor to check myself in the tiny mirror just the same. “I don’t see anything different. You’re full of it.”
She snorted then laughed. “We’re growing up, Quinn. I’m not sure if I’m happy about that or not.”
I closed the visor. “I know what you mean.” I thought of Daddy and the farm. I was seriously considering not applying to any college. “I think I might take a year off after high school.”
Again, her gaze rounded to me. “What?”
I stabbed a finger at the windshield. “Road, please.”
“You’re going to give up your dream of being a doctor?”
“I might change my major to teaching actually.” I hadn’t had a chance to share that with her yet.
She pumped the brakes, slowing to a stop way before the stop sign. “You would make a great teacher.”
“Thank you, bestie. But with Daddy’s health, I have to stay and help. I can take classes at the community college at night.”
“What about your brothers? Surely Liam isn’t going to drop out. Please tell me he isn’t. He’s got a great gig with his scholarship, a once-in-a-lifetime gig for that matter.”
“He’s not,” I said. “He wanted to, but Carter and I convinced him not to. Besides, Trevor, Noah, and Dustin are helping for the short term, especially since we’re selling Christmas trees now.”
With the coast clear of any cars, Celia turned right. “I can help too. My mom only needs me in the wee hours of the morning. I’ll help at the farm store after school.”
It was humbling that friends were rallying to help us. Momma was going to talk to a couple of Daddy’s friends from church too. She wanted to find someone who could be on the farm during the day, helping Carter, since Trevor, Noah, and Dustin had school. Coach Dean had offered to help as well.
The snow continued to fall as we slowly made our way to school.
“Okay,” Celia said. “Since we’re on the topic of growing up and college and stuff, what about the prom? Are you going to go? I found out from Elise, who’s on the prom committee, that the theme is the Roaring Twenties.”
“I hadn’t thought about the prom.” Given my luck with parties and dances, I wasn’t sure I wanted to attend. However, it was my senior year.
