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“I don’t even know what to say.” Her tone was hesitant.
Was she about to tell me not to bother? Cold fingers of dread held my heart as I awaited her response.
“I never imagined you’d do something like that for me.” Jenna looked up at me with wide, appraising eyes. “What if you can’t find an assistant director position?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. I didn’t relish the idea of losing my professional independence, but losing Jenna would be worse. “I’m sure I can do interesting work anywhere.”
Jenna cupped my face with her hands. “That’s the sweetest offer I’ve ever gotten.”
“But?” There was clearly a but.
“You don’t have to find a new job. Like I told Frank, we hardly even see each other.”
“So... you can see us dating?” I clarified. “Even if I’m working at Beaufort?”
“I can’t see us not.” Jenna stood up on tiptoes to kiss me.
Just as our lips met, the first fireworks exploded into the sky. Startled at first by the sudden noise, Jenna and I laughed in relief when we realized what had caused it.
Jenna turned to face the ocean, and I shifted until I was standing behind her with my arms around her, chin resting on her head. It was an objectively perfect moment. Perhaps I could write an article about it in theJournal of Social Psychology, something interdisciplinary about the pleasant symptoms of discovering someone more enthralling than a new strain of MRSA.
Or maybe I could just enjoy a blissful moment that had nothing to do with work.
I kissed the top of Jenna’s head, savoring the shampoo that had become my favorite scent on earth. I’d come on the cruise to please Grandma, but I was the one who ended up happier than I could ever have imagined.
Adam was sitting on our tiny suite couch, laptop open on his knees, when I hauled my suitcase out of my room before sunrise the next morning. Apparently, it hadn’t taken as long as both of us had planned to pack, but I didn’t regret getting up super early if it meant squeezing in a little extra time with Adam before we met his family for breakfast.
He looked up, a guilty expression on his face, and motioned toward the screen. “Work email.” He started to close the computer. “I can do this later.”
“No, it’s fine.” I couldn’t imagine how much he had to do to catch up after so long away from work.
“If I’m lucky, I can get through all of them by the time we get to Philadelphia. And then maybe we could grab dinner?”
I walked over to join him. “Sounds wonderful.” He shifted on the couch, making space for me. Before his eyes could drift back to his email, he pulled me in for a sweet kiss. I nestled into him, loving the closeness. While he returned his attention to his screen, my fingers found their way to the back of his neck, tracing gentle patterns there.
After a minute, he looked up again. “Oh, what time is your sister’s wedding? And it’s August fifth, right?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed. “The ceremony is at eleven, and there’s a reception afterward. It’s in the email I sent you with all the plans.” My heartbeat picked up a little, but I reminded myself Adam wasn’t like Westin, always wriggling out of meeting my family with last-minute emergencies. “Do you have somewhere else you need to be?” I tried to keep my voice calm.
He flashed a half smile at me. “Only with you.”
I smiled back, heaving a little sigh of relief. I didn’t have to worry about Adam.
A knock echoed from the door and I sighed, breaking away from our cozy bubble. Stretching leisurely and stifling a yawn, I began to push myself up to see who our visitor was.
“I’ve got it,” Adam assured me, and put his laptop down on the coffee table before going to open the door.
Nicole stood in the hall. “Hey, Grandma wants to give you something.”
Adam looked over at me. “Be right back.”
I smiled at him and leaned back against the couch, still sleepy from having woken up so early. A moment later, Adam’s computer chirped to announce a new email. My eyes flickered to the screen before I could stop them, then I hastily pulled my gaze away, chastising myself for invading his privacy. But the smattering of words that I’d caught sight of yanked my attention back with the force of a defibrillator jolt reviving a failing heart.
Cassidy,Adam had typed in a draft email,that’s wonderful news about the paper, and I absolutely think you should accept.
My mind seized on the name. Could he be writing to Dr. Cassie Croft? She used to work at Beaufort, Adam’s colleague in Infectious Disease. In fact, she’d been sitting with him at the hospital benefit gala Ellie dragged me to last spring.
MaybeCassiewas the woman Adam wanted to bring on the cruise. I’d heard him start to say “Cass” while we were on the airplane to Miami, but I hadn’t connected her with the woman I’d met officially at Ellie’s birthday party. During that same conversation on the plane, Adam had used words like “wonderful,” “smart,” “kind,” and “generous” to describe her.
