Macie hit send. She’d almost told him about Mark. Almost. It wouldn’t have served any purpose except to show him other men were interested in her. And she couldn’t tell Guy that. It was pointless. She only had virtual eyes for the man on the other side of her screen.
She needed to just set a date to meet him and get it over with. One way or another.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Graduation day. It was both anticipated and dreaded by so many of Zac’s classmates. Zac was indifferent. He had his life laid out for him since he could remember. And it was going to be a good life. One last party after the ceremony and he’d be on his way to wealth and, hopefully, happiness.
Things had gone somewhat back to normal with his mystery girl. They’d exchanged messages as if neither one had agreed to meet. He hadn’t wanted to push and wondered if she felt the same way. But now it was time. Zac sat at his small dining room table and opened his tablet. He reread her last message.
Confession, I’ve never seen the ocean or been to a beach. We didn’t go on vacations when I was a kid. As close as we are to New Orleans, I haven’t even been there. Crazy, right? I think I would like the beach. I’m not someone who can sit still for any length of time, but I imagine long walks along the water would be nice with the tide covering my feet. Who knows, maybe I am the type to just sit on the beach. I’d like to find out. Maybe someday.
I’m moving into my new apartment. It’s perfect for me. It’s also scary. I’ve never lived alone. Maybe I should get that dog just for protection, but if I work insane hours, that’s not really fair to the dog. I need an attack cat.
My new job is interesting. The company I interned for, the one I was waiting for an offer from, never contacted me. I called them, and they said they went in a different direction. Talk about a stab in the heart. I’ll show them they made a mistake.
I’m sorry. I’m rambling again. I’m so uninhibited in my messages to you, sometimes I forget you don’t necessarily need to know everything on my mind. LOL
That little bit of knowledge that she wasn’t leaving, sent his heart into the sky. It was a weird sensation. He’d never felt anything close to it before and now it was with a girl who could have a wart on her nose and practiced magic in her spare time. It didn’t matter if she did or didn’t. He still wanted to meet her, warts and all. A smile crossed his face at the cliché.
Good morning,
Or afternoon, if that’s when you read this. Today’s the day. Graduation. It’s such a long word with even longer implications. I’ve been mulling over what you said. What if we chose the wrong major? What if we’ve accepted a job we hate? What if we’re not supposed to do what we think we’re supposed to do with our lives? What if we’re on the right path? What if everything goes right? I’ve never really considered any of it before.
I’ve known my career path for as long as I can remember. And I walk it willingly. It’s a good life. I’m not ashamed to say I’m following in my father’s footsteps. The real question is whether I’ll be any good at it. I think so, but who knows? I’ll find out soon enough, I guess.
So many of my classmates are either freaking out or overly confident in their next step. I know I shouldn’t, but I find it amusing. Does that make me a horrible person? Maybe, but life is going to throw things at us no matter how confident or freaked out we are. I choose not to stress about it. That’s something I’ve learned from my father. He juggles so many things and, if something falls, he picks it up and continues on. Because things fall. You can’t go back to fix it, but you can move forward.
But you know that’s not the real reason I’m writing today.
We agreed after graduation. And, technically, it’s not after just yet but it will be in a few hours. There’s a party tonight. Well, there’s a party every night around here, but there’s one at the Epsilon house. I will be there in a red polo. Please come.
He read over his message. The only thing that didn’t work was the red polo. What if she showed up and met some other guy in a red polo? He backspaced over it until it read I will be there and pressed send. They could plan other details when she responded. If she responded. He closed his eyes and leaned back into his couch. There was a chance she wouldn’t get the message in time. It was something he needed to remember. There was a lot going on today, and a party may not be on her mind. It wasn’t really on his, either. His phone buzzed, distracting him from the negative thoughts beginning to fill his mind.
“Hey, Dad,” Zac answered.
“It’s Amanda. Your father’s ...” She sobbed, and Zac’s heart sank. “He’s at Mercy.”
He grabbed onto her use of the present tense and forced calm into his voice. “Hospital? What happened?”
Another sob and then rustling on the other end. “Hey, big brother,” Lucy said. She didn’t sound much better than her mom. “We just got here so we don’t really know what’s going on. They think he had a heart attack.”
“But he’s alive?”
“Yes. Mom hit the security panel, and Taylor called 911.” She pulled in a sharp breath. Her voice dipped into his chest and tore at his heart. “I did CPR. The doctor said it maybe saved his life.”
“Thank God.”
“Zac?” Lucy’s voice was small, making her sound younger than
