Her heart was beating so hard she was sure he could hear it.
“I love you, too,” she said. “I never stopped, even though I wanted to.”
Blue’s face lit up, and he rose, but she put a hand on his shoulder to keep him down a second longer.
“You have a ring?”
“I do,” he replied, patting his pockets.
“Not yet,” she said, taking his hand. “I have to think about this and be sure this time.”
He didn’t argue, which surprised her more than the proposal had. He only nodded and got to his feet, brushing sand from his knee, watching her with an expression that held some disappointment, but most of all, hope.
“Okay,” he said, nodding. “I can wait.”
“I’m not saying no, Blue.”
“I’ll wait,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere this time. I’ll be right here, for as long as you need.”
They stood together at the edge of the water while the sun slid lower and the tide crept back in around their feet. A gull landed a few feet away, considered them both, and wandered off toward easier pickings.
This beach was the same as it always was, but now everything looked brighter to Jo.
Finally, she said, “I have the launch party at the diner tomorrow. This means a lot to me, Blue. I’ve hardly had time to think about anything else.”
“Your new line is amazing,” he said. “I followed your campaign every day.”
Jo wondered how his presence might affect her concentration during the debut event. His support of her work was important, as was her support for his work. He needed to see this new level she was stepping up to and understand what it meant to her.
“I want you there,” she said, lifting her chin. “Will you come?”
He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Just try and keep me away.”
21
Jo sat on the front steps to her house with Blue’s proposal still ringing in her ears. She could hardly believe what had just happened.
Blue was back in her life.
Whatever she decided, she still had a debut party in less than twenty-four hours. With this new upheaval, she needed support at the event more than ever.
She called Hugo first. When he answered, he was out of breath as if he was racing somewhere on campus.
“Hey, big sister. What’s up? I only have a minute. I’m headed to my study group.”
“I know it’s last minute, and I know you’re slammed, but my coffee campaign celebration is tomorrow at the diner.” She twisted a curl around her finger. “It’s turned into a bigger deal than I expected, and I’d love for you to be there. I know this is a big ask with your schedule, but could you come and bring Mamie Rose?”
There was a pause, and she could picture his face before he even said it.
“Hey, I’d like to. But I have a huge exam tomorrow afternoon that’s forty percent of my grade. If it was any other day, I’d be right there.”
“I know you would.” She kept her voice light. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I feel terrible.”
“Don’t. You need to study. That test matters more than a party at the diner.” She stood up, pacing the length of her walkway. “I threw this whole thing together so fast I didn’t think it would turn into what it turned into. I just wanted my people there, that’s all. But your degree comes first. Always.”
“You’re the best sister in the world, you know that?”
