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His phone chimed with a text. He looked down. “I have the address. And, shocker, there’s only one room open tonight, but we’re welcome to it.”
Becca laughed. “I almost would’ve been disappointed if they’d missed an opportunity to stick us in ‘“the only room’”,” she said, using air quotes.
“Maybe the room has a couch.”
“Or maybe we’re two grown adults, who are good friends and know where we stand and can share the bed with nothing happening.”
He looked at her for a long moment. A long moment, that seemed heated. At least to her. Her stomach got warm, and she finally shifted on her seat.
Finally, he said, “Yeah, maybe.”
That did not seem absolute at all.
They went up to the cash register to pay, but the café owner told them that their sandwiches and sodas were on the house.
Beau shook his head as they stepped out on the front sidewalk. “Mom, Ellie, Leo, and who knows who else really thought this through. They called ahead to everybody.”
Becca shrugged. “Let’s just enjoy it. Free food, a free bed and breakfast, and time away from the disappointment and disapproval at home.”
“Your dad is not disappointed or disapproving of you.”
“No,I’mdisappointed inhim. But I know he’s disappointed about the fact that we’re having problems.”
“Yeah, you moving out will be a good thing for all of you. There’s just a point where you can’t live with your parents anymore.”
She nodded and they started up the sidewalk toward the bed and breakfast.
“Hey, there’s something we could do,” she commented, pointing to a sign hanging from one of the lampposts. There was a fall festival going on.
“Awesome,” Beau said with surprising enthusiasm.
“You’re in the mood for carving pumpkins?”
“I’m in the mood to not be stuck in a quaint bed and breakfast, with a big, comfy bed and the woman I want more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
Becca stopped walking and spun to face him. “You can’t say stuff like that.”
He seemed chagrined. “Yeah. I know. Slipped.”
“You can’t let things like that slip.”
“I know. Sorry.”
She stood studying him for a moment. She loved affecting him. She loved knowing that everything she felt was reciprocal. Except that she hated it too. It made it very difficult to ignore. It made it very difficult to not act on it. She wanted him. She wanted to have a relationship. And even though she’d spent most of her life in Autre with himnotbeing her boyfriend, ever since she’d fallen in love with him, it just felt wrong to not be able to hug him, hold his hands, kiss him, climb into his bed at ten o’clock at night when she was cold or had a bad dream. She’d never done thatinAutre, but it felt like she should be able to.
He felt like hers.
Yes, she’d broken up with him. But she’d never expected the break-up to actually last. She’d really thought when she came home, everything would be good. That they would start over.
He thought she was leaving eventually. She understood that. He thought she could be happier somewhere else. And until a few weeks ago, she thought he was crazy. Now she wasn’t so sure. Things with her dad were uncomfortable. Things with the other teachers were tense. And none of that would change. This football field thing would pass, but there would be other issues. And her dad would never listen to her.
Which was why she couldn’t get over the conversation she’d had with Sarah, one of the girls she’d gone to college with. Becca had called to get an objective perspective on what was going on in Autre.
Beau, Toby, and Savannah were her closest friends, but none of them were objective about this situation. So she’d called Sarah.
Not only had Sarah commiserated and given her some good advice, she’d also informed her there was an opening coming up in one of the kindergarten classrooms in Houma. Houma was only an hour away from Autre and was a much bigger district with a more diverse community, student body, and faculty with a lot more resources. And the position would be permanent.
Sarah had offered to put in a good word for her with the principal and Becca had said yes.
