Epilogue

One Year Later

The best way to spend a hot, Florida summer day is on the beach. The whole gang agrees to meet at two o’clock for a picnic, games, and water activities.

Riel, me, and Mar bring sandwiches and chips. Gillian and Joe contribute cold drinks, cookies, and other snacks. Everyone brings whatever beach game or toy they own.

Gillian lounges under an umbrella, covered from head to toe in a beige, gauze wrap. She sports a wide-brimmed, straw hat with huge flowers stuck in it and red-framed, bumblebee sunglasses.

I laugh when I see her.

“What?” she says, taking absolutely no offense.

“When’s your next show?” I ask, speaking about her pottery. It makes her a decent income. Not a great income, but already an okay one.

“Key West in two weeks.”

I nod. “Count me in.”

Joe plants a kiss to Gillian’s lips, grabs his boogie board, and heads into the ocean.

“I can’t believe you and Joe are together. What’s it going on? Three months now?”

“Four.”

I strip down to my white string bikini.

From behind me Riel whistles. “Sexy.”

“See,” Gillian says. “I told you he’d love it.”

“No,” I remind her. “What you said was wear it now before I’m old and saggy.”

Gillian laughs. “That is what I said, isn’t it?” She scoots up in her chair. “Hey, how’s your mom?”

“She and Carl are still together.” This’ll be her longest marriage. “She’s working register at Lowe’s, and he’s been promoted to the shop manager.”

“Hey, that’s great!”

“They even moved a county over to give the whole family a fresh start.” At least my sisters won’t be raised with that family reputation like I was.

Gillian nods to Riel and Mar down by the ocean. “How’s MIT going?”

“Oh, he loves it, of course.”

“And Mar?”

I glance at her slender silhouette. “We love living together in the fifth wheel. It’s a shame their dad hasn’t been around to see what a great girl she’s growing up to be.”

“So what now for you three?”

“Same, I guess. I’m at University of Miami. He’s at MIT. We see each other when we can.” I don’t tell her that I applied to MIT again. I don’t want to jinx it. I got turned down the first time and am holding out hope for admittance this time around.

“Viola!” Mar calls, waving me down to the ocean.

“Be back,” I tell Gillian and run toward Mar and Riel.

Smiling, I take Riel’s hand. Even though we’re over a thousand miles apart, we’ve managed to do great at the long-distance thing.

Mar hands me a pink conch shell. “Gorgeous, huh?”

I smile as I remember the other conch shell she gave me when we first met.

Riel nods to it. “I think there’s something inside.”

“Yeah?” I turn it up and give it a shake. Out slides an MIT pendant. I look up at him. “I don’t understand.”

Riel’s dimples pop with a big grin. “You know I work in admittance, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I saw it come across the dean’s desk. You’re in. You should be getting the letter any day now.”

“What?” I whisper.

“You’re in,” he repeats, and my heart nearly stops.

Mar leaps into the air. “Yay!”

Riel grabs me up and swings me around, and we share a delicious kiss as the waves crash around us and Mar claps.

“You look stunned,” he says, carrying me into the ocean.

“I am. I never imagined…” I think back to my home in Tennessee and all that I’ve been through to stand where I am right now. “I’m going to MIT.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Holy shit.”

Riel laughs. “And I’ve found an apartment big enough for all of us, if you’re interested.”

“Yes!” I kiss him. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“So you’re not holding a grudge I got your scholarship and the Edwards Engineering internship?”

I narrow my eyes. “You bragging?”

He squeezes me. “Un poco.”

We go a little deeper into the water, and his hands get busy all over my body.

I kiss his neck. “You’re a bad boy.”

“Only around you,” he teases.

We kiss some more and he pulls back. “Forgot to tell you, there’s another internship, this one online at—”

“M&V Corp,” I deadpan. “I know.”

“Because,” he realizes, “you already applied for it.”

It takes us both a second and then we laugh.

“Viola, are we doomed to a life of competition?”

I kiss him. “I hope so. Because it’s worked well for us so far.”

“Yes it has,” he agrees.

Yes, it definitely has.

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