The Last One (30 page)

The shift in topic made me frown. “Ah, not until the end of the month. When classes begin. She wants to spend every minute with Brian. I’m not going back to Savannah right away, either. I’m going home, to the Cove.”

“You are?” Surprise tinged his voice.

“Yeah, for a little while. It’ll make my mom and Logan happy, and I’d like to see my nephew. He’s growing up so fast. I don’t want to be an absentee auntie.”

“Are you looking forward to hanging out with your old friends from home?” Again, there was neither encouragement nor condemnation, as though he wanted my answer without any influence from his own feelings.

“No, most of them are gone. They left to go to college or get jobs, and I don’t think any of them are in the Cove now. I didn’t stay in touch with most of the people who graduated with me.”

“So you’ll just spend time with family?”

I nodded, my ear rubbing against his chest. “Yeah, family and friends. My parents’ friends, I mean. And the people who work at the Tide are like family, too. My mom’s so excited about me coming down that she’s throwing a big party at the restaurant after closing on Sunday.”

“That sounds wonderful. You’ll get to have a little vacation after all your hard work here.” His words would’ve been perfect, if he were in fact just the guy who had hosted me for the summer and not the guy who was lying naked in the forest with me.

I wanted to say,
I don’t have to go.
I wanted him to ask me not to leave, or at least to care that I was. I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but my summer fling had turned into something real, without doubt the most real relationship I’d ever had. And yet here we lay, talking about its ending in emotionless tones, as though we were discussing the ending of a movie or a book. Come to think of it, I was a lot more passionate about both of those.

But these were our terms. I’d both insisted on them and agreed to them, and there was no going back now. Sam had the farm, and I knew from our talks that this had been one of their most successful summers ever. He was pretty sure they could take back another parcel of leased land next spring, if he were careful and planned just right. And Ali had told me that she thought they’d be able to swing art lessons for Bridget, too, which I knew was gratifying to both Sam and her.

“It must be such a relief to you and Ali, to know you’re safeguarding your family’s legacy. That you both brought it back from the brink of losing it, and you’ll be able to pass it on to the next generation.”

Sam pushed up on his arms into a sitting position. “What brought that up?”

“I don’t know.” I lifted my shoulder. “I was just thinking ... I understand how much it means to you. I get it. After being here all summer, I can’t imagine how you could ever give it up. You should be proud of what you’ve done.”

He held my chin, staring into my eyes. I willed him to say something, anything, but he only kissed me, one quick light peck on my lips.

“We’d better get dressed. It’s almost supper time, and I don’t think I could come up with a good explanation if Bridge finds us out here naked.”

AS THE END OF my time in Burton came closer, a lump of dread took up residence in my stomach and grew every day. Ali didn’t help, as she took to pointing out what I’d be missing when I left.

“I drove by Myrtle Cantor’s orchards today. Apples are going to be good this year. Oh, sorry, Meghan, you’ll be gone by the time they come in.”

“I heard they’ve set the date for the harvest dance. Too bad you’ll miss that, Meghan.”

“No, Bridge, Meghan won’t be here on your first day of school.”

Each time Ali mentioned something about me leaving, Sam’s mouth tightened and his face shuttered. Most of the time he found an excuse to leave the room.

Our after-supper sessions on the front porch had taken on a slightly desperate edge, too. Sam became more daring, and I wasn’t objecting. More often than not, whatever bra I was wearing ended up on the floor.

“I think Ali knows better than to come out here after dark, and Bridge is sleeping.” I knelt on the floor in front of Sam, who was sprawled in the rocking chair. Walking my fingers up his leg, I teased toward the zipper of his jeans.

He grabbed my hand. “You may be right, but you know when you have your mouth on me, I can’t keep quiet. I won’t be able to look my sister in the eye if she hears me yelling your name while you suck me off.”

I sighed. He wasn’t wrong, but I found I couldn’t get enough of him. I may have pouted, just a little.

“Hey, come on up here.” Sam lifted me onto his lap. “We’ll be out at the river tomorrow night, and my body’ll be yours.”

Mine, but for only one more night. Mine, but only temporarily. And that fact made the lump in my stomach ache even more.

On my last day of classes, the parents and students surprised me with a little party in the afternoon. They presented me with a framed collage that all the kids had contributed to making and a homemade card each of them had signed. There were cookies and punch, and I cried when they presented the gifts to me.

“Miss Meghan, when are you coming back?” Rachel, who was just going into first grade, slipped her little hand into mine as I nibbled on cookies.

“Oh, sweetie, I was just here for the summer. But I think there’s a good chance your school will be able to hire a full-time art teacher pretty soon, and then you won’t even miss me.”

“We’ll definitely miss you, Meghan.” Rachel’s mother smiled. “You’ve taught these kids so much. I can’t imagine a better teacher.”

“I couldn’t, either.” Ali met my eyes. “I think lots of people are going to miss Meghan.”

“Luckily for you, I’m only going to be about forty-five minutes away in Savannah, and you can visit me when you come into the city. I’ll take you to my favorite galleries, and I can even show you around the college.” I patted Rachel’s shoulder.

An older woman with gray bouffant hair stepped closer, and Ali introduced us. “Meghan, this is Mrs. Abbott. She’s on the school board, and her granddaughter Nicole was one of your students.”

“Of course. Nicole is a very talented painter.” I shook the woman’s hand.

“I’ve heard nothing but praise for you and your classes, Miss Hawthorne.” Mrs. Abbott’s voice held all the music of the south, a refined accent that went beyond a drawl.

“Thank you. I’ve enjoyed teaching this summer. I appreciate Burton—and ArtCorps, of course—for giving me the opportunity.”

“I’m happy to hear that. As I understand it, you’ll be entering your senior year of college in Savannah this fall. Is that correct?”

This lady made me want to stand up straighter and fold my hands. “Yes, ma’am, it is.”

“Aha. Well, as you might know, we’ve been without a formal art program in the school for a few years now. It’s a cut I always regretted that we had to make, but there’s been an anonymous donation to the home and school association.” Her lips twitched, and there was no doubt in my mind who’d contributed that money. “So we’ll be able to reinstate art in our schools this year. I’ve spoken with the rest of the board, and we’d like you to consider the position.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I follow you. I’m not a teacher yet, just a volunteer.”

“I do understand that. What we had in mind was a part-time job for the first year, while you’re still at school, and then moving into something full-time after graduation. Even if you could give us a day or two a week to begin, we could run the class as we’ve done this summer. We can smooth out details later, but I wanted to extend the offer before you left town.”

I opened my mouth to explain all the reasons I couldn’t possibly take the job. A few months ago, the idea of burying myself in a little backwater town like Burton would’ve been horrifying. But now, the possibility was bittersweet. I couldn’t imagine agreeing to come back when it felt like Sam didn’t want me here. If he did, he would’ve asked me not to leave, and he hadn’t said anything. The idea of being in Burton and not being with Sam was unthinkable.

Before I could speak, though, Ali put her arm around my shoulders. “That is so exciting, Mrs. Abbott. Meghan’s leaving tomorrow to go spend a few weeks with her family in Florida, and I’m sure she’ll use that time to think it all over.”

Mrs. Abbott didn’t seem put off that Ali was answering for me. She beamed at us. “Why, that’s just fine. I’m sure Alison here has your contact information, and we’ll call you after your little vacation, just to see where everyone stands.”

When she had walked away, I turned on Ali with wide eyes. “Are your freaking crazy? Why would you say that to her?”

“What?” Ali was all innocence. “I just didn’t think you should say no right now. What if something happens and you decide you want to spend more time around here? Wouldn’t it be great to already have a job in place?”

“Nothing is going to happen. I’m leaving tomorrow morning, and that’s it. I’m not coming back here.” I kept my voice down and a pleasant expression on my face.

Ali rolled her eyes. “You’re being ridiculous.” She smiled at someone across the room, but I heard the frustration in her tone.

“No, I’m being realistic. We told you from the beginning that this thing between Sam and me is just temporary.”

“Then why wouldn’t you consider coming back here, if Sam doesn’t mean anything to you?”

“I never said that he doesn’t mean anything to me.” My voice rose and a few people near us turned to look at me. I closed my eyes. “Let’s talk about this later.”

“Fine. But don’t burn any bridges yet. Promise me that?”

I shook my head. “All right. I promise. Nothing hasty. I’ll wait until after I come back from Florida to tell them I’m not taking the job.”

I STOOD AT THE kitchen window, watching as Sam went through his ritual of washing up. I couldn’t go out to show my appreciation as I would have liked, since Ali and Bridge were both in the room with me. But no way was I missing this show tonight. Not when it was the final performance for me.

“Meghan, the lasagna is ready.” Bridge took my hand. “Just like the night you got here.”

I picked her up and gave her a smacking kiss on her cheek. “You are the best, Miss Bridget. I’m so excited to see how you do with your art lessons. You’ll send me pictures, right?”

“Yes.” She played with my necklace. “But why won’t you come back and see them yourself?”

“Honey, leave Meghan be and go wash your hands.”

I slid the little girl down and watched her dash out of the kitchen. Ali smiled apologetically. “Sorry about that. I swear I didn’t put her up to it. And I tried to get her to go upstairs so you could ogle my brother in peace.”

I flushed. “Ogling was accomplished. I might need you to video that and send it to me. You know, just to keep it fresh in my mind.”

Ali made a face. “I don’t think so. Making a B-grade porn of my own brother is not high on my to-do list.”

The screen door opened, and Sam stepped in. He nodded to both of us before getting a clean shirt from the laundry room. A lump rose in my throat. Another last. The day had been full of them.

Dinner was an odd affair, with Bridget chattering away while Ali, Sam and I made vain attempts to act as though nothing were wrong. I ate mechanically, and more than once I looked up to find Sam staring at me, his eyes unreadable.

When the food was eaten and the dishes were done, Ali took Bridget upstairs to get her ready for bed. She flashed me a sympathetic look before she left the room.

Sam stood up and went to the window. “Are you ready to go now? I thought maybe if we got an early start, you could get a decent night’s sleep. After we come back to the house, I mean.”

The last thing I wanted to do tonight was sleep, but I pushed back my chair. “Sure. That sounds like a good idea.”

He offered me a hand, and when I took it, he lifted mine to brush his lips across the knuckles before entwining our fingers. “Come on. The fish are waiting.”

We held hands all during the drive to the river, and when Sam stopped the truck, he pulled me closer to him. The kiss he gave me made my heart pound, and for a minute, I thought we might skip fishing altogether. But then Sam pulled back, smiled at me and let go of my hand.

We settled down to our fishing, both of us silent. Sam caught a catfish early on, but he threw him right back.