Perfect Partners by Maggie Cummings

Author:Maggie Cummings [Cummings, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635553642
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2019-01-18T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“How’s things at school?” Elena slid into a cushy lounge chair on the back porch of their parents’ house. “Still hot for teacher?”

Izzy leaned her head back against the wooden post of the railing where she sat close enough to keep an eye on Chase and her nephew playing in the grass. The mere mention of Sara made her heart ache, and she wondered what Sara might be doing right now on this warm Saturday evening, the summer weather finally upon them. She was probably in a T-shirt and cutoffs somewhere, enjoying the sunset.

“Completely,” Izzy answered, her admission hanging heavy in the space between them. She couldn’t lie to her sister—Elena would see through her in a second. She might have downplayed it and avoided the third degree, but something inside her needed to get it out. Two weeks had passed since her bizarrely awesome hike with Sara, a day that had started full of tension but included an almost-kiss, she’d put money on it. There was no arguing Sara had opened up to her, and for a few minutes she’d let her walls down, but then there was a bear, and then their colleagues. And while the afternoon was nice, they’d ended up right back in the friend zone.

She shouldn’t complain. In the last week and the one before it, Sara had been attentive to her at school, giving her individual instruction and praise, even chatting her up during class breaks and at lunch. But Izzy could tell she had pulled back again. All of their interactions occurred in the company of others, and even then, Sara avoided eye contact.

“Come back to me, baby sister.” Elena touched Izzy’s calf with the tip of her pedicured toe.

“Sorry,” Izzy said. She took a long sip of the IPA her brother had handed her earlier, the cool beverage helping bring her back to the present.

“Wow.” Elena sighed. “Where did you go just now?”

“I’m losing my mind. No big,” she said, her mood evening out as she enjoyed another long swallow.

“Because of your instructor?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She watched Chase tug against the looped end of his rope toy, steering Jack in circles around the yard. Her nine-year-old nephew went crazy when Chase let him win over and over. This dog was a genius. Smart, social, protective. She smiled to herself, every bit the proud parent.

Elena sat upright on the end of the lounge chair. “What’s going on? Last you told me you all were doing the friend thing. Give me the latest.”

Izzy let out a sigh. “There’s nothing really to say. That’s it. We’re friends, I guess.”

“But you want more?”

“Yes,” she said emphatically. “The thing is, I know she does too. I’m telling you, I can feel it.” She wiped the sweat from her beer bottle. “Elena…” She chewed her lip nervously. “I’m pretty sure we almost kissed a few weeks ago.”

“Who almost kissed?” Rick’s deep voice surprised them both as he came outside to check on his son.

“Izzy and her teacher.

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