Authors: Bekah Bancroft
At the burger place, she sat out on the patio and ordered an ice cream sundae to treat herself after the emotional rollercoaster Raven had put her on. She took out her phone and found she had excellent reception in the little town. She decided to go ahead and put Alexis’ and Victoria’s numbers in her contacts.
About twenty minutes later, true to his word, Josh drove up in his pickup truck. He waved at her as he slammed the door and bounded up the steps to join her on the patio.
He sat down at the little table across from her and leaned back, his hands clasped behind his head.
“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”
She blushed, and looked away.
“No. I don’t think you’ve ever said anything about my looks.”
“Well, you are. You are incredibly beautiful.”
“Well, thank you. But unfortunately, right now I’m beautifully unemployed.”
Josh let out a big sigh, and nodded in acknowledgment. The waitress came out and asked if he wanted anything. He ordered an iced tea.
When she walked back inside to get him the drink, Josh said, “You’re not alone in that regard. I resigned.”
Lissa raised her eyebrows. But then she remembered something Josh had said to Raven’s dad about replacing him, too.
“I’m so sorry, Josh. I didn’t mean to cost you your job.”
“Nah, you didn’t cost me anything. It was a resignation in protest, for the way he let Raven dictate things. You were definitely not treated right.”
She could hardly believe somebody would stick up for her like that.
He sacrificed his job on account of me,
she thought. Nobody had ever done anything like that for her before.
“Josh, I’m touched. That’s the sweetest thing anybody’s ever done for me. But, your job . . . I feel so bad you lost it.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it.”
The waitress came back, carrying his tea. He thanked her and took a sip.
“I’ve lost jobs before. It’s just a summer job anyway. I’ll head back to College Station and pick up something else until school starts.”
Lissa dropped the spoon for her sundae in surprise.
“College Station? Are you an Aggie?”
He smiled, that gorgeous smile of his that lit up his face.
“Yeah, I go to A and M. Why?”
“I’m going to A and M, too! I got accepted last year. I’ve always wanted to go there, ever since I was a little girl! I’m moving in August!”
“That’s great, Lissa. I’m starting my junior year in the fall. I can show you around town and everything!”
They chatted for another hour, talking about themselves, their families, their futures. Finally, he checked the time on his phone, and paid the bill that the waitress had brought. He left her a nice tip since they took up the table for so long.
“Hey, Bryan-College Station is about four and half, maybe five hours away. If we leave now, we can still make it before dark. You want to get an early start on seeing the town? There’s not much there, really. It’s more about who you know and the people you meet than the sights, anyway.”
She smiled. He looked really enthusiastic about the idea, and she longed to spend a lot more time with him.
“Sure. I’ve got nowhere else to be the next few weeks. I’d love to spend them with you.”
He smiled back, and they walked out into the parking lot holding hands. At her car, he held her tight and gave her one last long kiss.
When they broke for air, she said, “It’s going to be a great fall.”
He nodded.
“The rest of the summer is looking good, too.”
The End
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