“Are you going over to see him again?” Dex asked a few weeks later. When I dropped him off at the airport after Labor Day weekend, he promised me—really promised this time—that we would video chat more often.

“Yes.” I punctuated the word with the pull of a sweater over my head. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”

Dex ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “It’s not that, because I am happy for you, Ames. It’s just that when I told you to say yes to him I didn’t expect—” he bit his lip, pausing mid-sentence.

I narrowed my eyes. “No. No, don’t you dare tell me you never expected it to take up more time in my life because you and I barely talk. You want to know the only reason we’re talking right now? Because I made you promise me when you went back to California.”

“Yes, but—”

“And how many times have you canceled on me so far?” I demanded.

“Three, but—”

“Exactly. So you have no excuse.” I was yelling at this point, but I didn’t particularly care.

“Amelia, just stop.” Dex scowled at me through the computer screen. “We can’t keep doing this, okay? You have to let go of this anger you have at me for leaving. Because this is my life that I’m living. It’s time you lived yours too.”

Before I could protest—or even tell him he was right—the screen went dark. My heart sank. So much for being supportive. I kicked myself; I did this all on my own. Dex never did anything wrong, and friendship worked both ways.

I could still feel his breath on my neck from the night we hooked up after my date with Braden. And yet, no matter how much I tried to feel the same euphoria with Dex that I felt anytime I was with Braden, there was nothing.

There was nothing left for romance with me and Dex but the smoke from a diffused sparkler.

When I went to open the door a little while later to head out to my car, bag on my shoulder, I ran right into Braden who stood with his fist raised to knock on the door and a six-pack of beer in the other hand.

“Hey. I thought I was coming over tonight, not the other way around,” I said, letting him into the apartment out of the cold. Ever since it had hit October, Portland weather decided to catch up on matching the month. Grey skies and wind greeted me behind Braden.

“Surprise?” he offered weakly, letting out a chuckle. “Thought you might want to stay in because it’s supposed to snow tonight.”

“Oh good idea.” I led him into the living room where the table was covered in papers from school. Before I had been talking to Dex, I was looking over lesson plans and figuring out how to teach my students about the planets.

Like, how does one go from My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies to My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos? You just can’t downgrade, like that!

“Can’t believe they’re making you ignore Pluto as a planet,” Braden commented. “Back in my day…”

I snorted. “Back in your day, huh? Yeah, it’s quite a shame, but we gotta follow the curriculum. Although, I have ways to sneak it in.” I walked over to the kitchen to find the bottle opener and popped the top off one of the beers before collapsing onto the sofa next to Braden. “So, you wanted to spend the night in, hmm?”

Braden grinned. “Lucy is with her mom this weekend, giving me a few days off plus Linda had that business trip the other week so I had her for a bit extra time. Man, if she doesn’t love spending that time together.”

I sipped my beer in silence. We’d made Lucy and Linda an “off-limits” topic for our relationship, so whenever Braden brought them up I didn’t really know how to respond. The only time it became allowed to discuss was when I had to keep bothering Braden about the parent-teacher conference which we’d been finally able to schedule for the following Monday.

And even then I considered myself in teaching mode whenever that was brought up.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I said, curling into his side. His body was warm and comforting, and his touch was just what I needed tonight.

“Me too.” He pressed a kiss against my temple. “So I guess I kinda ruined our plans for dinner, huh? By my surprise visit?”

I shook my head. “No, not really. What were we gonna do for dinner?”

“Pizza, probably,” he replied. “I’ve been craving it lately.”

“Well then, that’s what we’ll do tonight.” I sat up and whipped out my phone, texting my sister. “I’ll ask Eloise to pick up the ingredients. We can create our own here.”

“I love the way you think.” He winked at me. “What’s your take on pineapple?” he asked.

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I wrinkled my nose. “On pizza? No way. In alcohol though…”

Braden snorted and together we fell into a fit of laughter. “I like that answer.”

We flipped on the television, curling up with a show while we waited for Eloise to come home with ingredients for dinner.

***

At school the following Monday, the nerves would not leave me alone. Daphne and Rachel from the Parent-Teacher night talked me down. It was only a conference, not an interrogation. I was a professional. I wanted Lucy to get the help she needed with reading. Linda was just a person.

A person who could easily get me fired, but a person all the same.

When the office called me down to let me know my 12pm appointment had arrived, my heart quickened its pace.

“Just another set of parents,” I muttered under my breath as I walked through the office doors with a grin plastered on my face. The sight that greeted me turned knots in my stomach.

Linda was sitting next to Braden, leaning her head against his shoulder. He had an arm slung over her shoulders, rubbing the far one with the pad of his thumb. And I could’ve sworn I saw him kiss her temple.

Just as he’d done to me when we’d curl up on the sofa so many times.

There is a logical explanation, I told myself as I cleared my throat. This doesn’t mean Linda was right about anything. This is just me jumping to conclusions.

“Miss Freeman? Mr. Callahan?” I called out.

Linda sniffled and rose to her feet. Her eyes, previously narrowed and strict, were now red, raw, and sad.

Braden offered her a comforting smile before flickering his gaze to me. “She’s been upset about the meeting.”

I nodded in understanding. “That’s perfectly okay. A lot of parents can be confused over the need for additional serv—”

“I am not confused,” Linda snapped.

Ah, there she was again.

I glanced over at the receptionist who was pretending not to listen to our conversation as she typed away on her computer. “Why don’t you both follow me? Cindy, our reading specialist, is waiting in my classroom.”

“This is going to be good for Lucy,” Braden said to Linda in reassurance as we started to walk down the hallway.

“I still don’t see the problem,” she mumbled.

Once in the classroom, we made introductions and got settled in at the little brown table in the back of the room. Thankfully, I’d pulled some adult-sized chairs from the teacher’s lounge to avoid any grief about the tiny seats.

Sitting across from Braden and Linda, I could see familiar features across both of their faces. Braden’s smile. Linda’s nose. Braden’s eyes. Linda’s posture. But of course, that was when Lucy wanted to participate. Otherwise, she had her dad’s slumped over not-a-care-in-the-world routine down pat.

“So, the reason I brought you both in today was to discuss Lucy and her reading progress this year. Now, I realize we are only in October, but the sooner we determine the potential need for additional reading assistance, the better it can be for the child in the long run.”

Linda gripped Braden’s hand, and I suddenly felt sorry for her. She was no longer the woman determined to keep her firm hold on a man she still loved; she was a mother worried about her child and reading ability.

“Now, Amelia brought Lucy over to me recently and I got to spend a little bit of time with her recently,” Cindy piped up. “She is a very bright child, and I can see a lot of potential.”

“What’s the ‘but’?” Linda asked. “There is always a ‘but’.”

Cindy clasped her hands on the table. She kept her spine straight and her smile professional as she explained what she believed to recognize with Lucy as dyslexia. Lucy could see the words on the page, but the letters presented to her in a different manner than we would consider as ‘normal’.

As she talked, I watched Braden and Linda’s expressions. Braden stayed stoic, not offering more than a grunt here or there. Maybe a glance at me with sadness in his eyes. Linda curled deeper and deeper into Braden’s embrace as if Cindy’s words were crushing her soul.

And to be honest, if I had been in her position, I probably would have felt the same way.

“What this means,” I said when Cindy finished, “is we would like Lucy to begin working with Ms. Cindy twice a week. We want to work with you and your schedules to figure out if this will be during school hours or after-school.”

“We’ll do it during school, probably so that Linda and I don’t have to worry about coordinating pick-up times.”

Linda shook her head. “I will not have her missing school if she is already struggling.”

“But if it’s for extra help, don’t you think she should have it during the school day to avoid burnout?” Braden argued.

“She’s seven!” Linda threw her hands up, exasperated. “I will not have our child fall further behind.”

Cindy held up her hands to stop an argument that clearly had no end in sight. “You do not need to make the decision today. This is often a hard choice for parents, and we will work with you to figure out a plan.”

Linda dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Her mascara smudged, leaving black dots on her under eyes. She turned to Braden. “This conversation is not over.” With a sniff, she stood up and thanked us for our time.

Cindy left after her, giving Braden her contact information for when he and Linda made their decision.

And then there were two.

“I’m so sorry,” I said to Braden. I placed a hand on his shoulder. “This really has to be so hard for the both of you.”

He nodded, sadness in his eyes. “I think it’s worse for her because she knows the implications having not been reading with Lucy the way I was. She probably blames herself.”

“It’s not her fault. Nor is it yours. These things happen, and what’s important is acting on it now,” I said.

“Thanks, Miss Lawrence.”

I smiled. “We’re alone, Braden. You can call me ‘Amelia’ right now.”

“There’s a lot more I’d rather say,” he murmured, taking a step closer.

“Braden,” I whispered. “Be careful. We’re still in the school.” I resisted the urge to run my fingers along his arms, to tangle my fingers in his hair. To kiss his lips.

Braden shoved his hands into his pockets. “So I’ll see you soon for the camping trip? I’m kinda excited, more than I’ve been in past years.”

My cheeks flushed. “Yeah.” Man, now I really wanted to kiss him. “I’m really looking forward to it. Take care, okay? I’ll see you soon.”

He nodded, sending me a wink. “See ya.”