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I pursed my lips to one side of my mouth and pretended to think. “We usually discuss all the awesome things you’ve done that week and how we can’t wait to see you again.”
Scott leaned in dangerously close. “Anything else?”
My mind went blank as his lips barely brushed mine. “I definitely don’t tell him about this.”
“Good.” He closed the gap and pressed his lips to mine. With the sound of the waves and the taste of champagne on his lips, I couldn’t think of anything other than how much I loved being here, in this moment, with this man.
“Ms. Ivy?” a voice from behind me called.
Startled, I pulled away from Scott. His eyes crinkled in amusement while I played the part of deer in headlights. Who was this, and why were they calling me?
“Ms. Ivy, it is you!” Raelynn appeared around my shoulder.
“Hey Raelynn,” I said, giving her a hug.
“See, Dad, I told you it was Ms. Ivy,” Raelynn shouted.
“And I told you to leave her alone,” Derek called back to her. As he walked to our picnic, he mouthedsorryto me.
Completely mortified, I looked back at Scott for assistance, but he was useless. He introduced himself to Raelynn and Derek.
“Is Ivy your coach this year? Or is it Blake?” Scott asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
“It’s Ivy, thank goodness,” Derek said. “Blake has been a disaster for Adalynn’s team.”
I smirked. At least someone recognized it. But at the same time, it hurt my heart knowing that our best dancers were getting the short end of the stick.
Derek glanced between me and Scott once more. “We’re going to finish up our walk before the sun sets. Have a good night.”
“Thanks. You too,” I said.
“Nice to meet you,” Scott called after them.
I sighed in relief as they walked away.
Scott chuckled. “You’re so dramatic.”
“Usually you say that’s a good thing.”
“What’s the worst that could happen?” he asked. “Amy and I are on good terms again. There’s no reason to keep this secret anymore.”
I waved my arms frantically in front of me. “Absolutely not.”
“What? Why?”
I settled my hands in my lap. “When you’re teaching a baby new skills, you only do one new thing every couple of months. Like potty training, and then you wait a few months, and then transitioning into a big kid bed, and then another few months before the next change.”
“Okay,” Scott said, dragging out the word. “I don’t see how that applies.”
“Amy just had a big change. You had this big conversation with her, and now she’s not mad at you anymore. Orasmad. She needs time to settle into this before she gets hit with something else.”
Scott shook his head, taking a sip of his champagne. “You’re overthinking this. But if it matters that much to you, we can keep it a secret for a little bit longer.” He pointed at me with his glass. “But I want to tell her as soon as possible.”
I nodded solemnly and put my hand up. “I promise.”
When I got home at eight-thirty, my mom was busy baking my dad’s favorite cookies: oatmeal with chocolate-covered raisins. A quick glance at the office revealed that he was busy playing video games with Katy. She was going to have a hard time falling asleep after staring at a screen this late at night.
I washed my hands and put on an apron, then started measuring the dry ingredients.
