I tug at her dress and she climbs on top of me, straddling me with her legs.
“There’s a lot more here than we’ve let on.” I breathe.
She leans forward and we kiss a long, deep kiss.
When we’ve come up for air, she says, “I’ve missed seeing you and talking to you. I miss you coming up and staying with me. I want you in my life, Danny.”
“You’re sure about that? ’Cause you do have a tendency to change your mind,” I tease.
“I’ve never been more certain of anything.”
“Well, that’s good because I’ve got some news of my own.”
She leans back. “What?”
“I was offered an internship in Rochester. It starts in January.”
“Doing what?”
“Helping with security drills on Lake Ontario.”
“Really? How’d you get that?”
“Nick Whalen put me in touch with someone from the Coast Guard Academy. I’m required to do an internship as part of my degree. I thought it might be nice to be closer to Carolyn. And you. I’ll be working there through June.”
“What about your job at the marina? Won’t Carl be upset?”
“I already told him. Charlie can help him out with the charters until I get back next summer. With the sale of the house, my parents decided to give Joe and me some money, so I should be fine without much of an income for the next few months.”
“This is amazing!”
“I just have to find a place to stay.”
“You can stay with me!”
“I thought about it. But Rochester is a good hour drive from Dresden. It’s better if I get a place closer.”
Laurel’s face saddens. I grab it with both of my hands.
“Listen, if we’re going to do this right, let’s not jump into living together, okay? We’ll see each other all the time. An hour is not seven. I really think it’s better if we both have our own places for now. I don’t want to play house with you.”
I can tell I’m not making her feel better by the pout on her face. So I continue. “I don’t want to play house with you because I want the real thing. We’ve done everything backwards so far, having a kid before a real relationship, going against each other in family court. Let’s not shack up together before you’re even officially my girlfriend.”
Laurel nods in agreement.
“Maybe we can even go on a first date,” I say.
She smiles. “Does today count?”
“Sure.”
“You clean up really well,” she says.
“So do you.”
I look at my watch. “November 28th.”
“What about it?”
“When Carolyn is older and she asks when did you and Daddy have your first date, you can say November 28th.”
She leans in close to my face so her breath is on my mouth. “Works for me.”
“Happy first date,” I whisper.
About the Author
Christine Duval lives in New Jersey with her family. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Women Who Write, and the Authors Guild.
When not creating fictional characters or organizing carpools, you can find her walking through houses and writing about them for an upscale real estate company. She also has an extensive social media background and has worked for several well-known magazines.
ChristineDuval.com
Yours and Mine (Freshman Forty Book 2) Page 16
