Page 88 of All This Time

Fletcher clears his throat. “Do you regret not going? To college, I mean.”

His question makes my head snap to meet his eyes, and my heart starts pounding. The last thing I expected him to want to talk about was this. “Sometimes.”

He nods. “Have you ever thought of going back?”

“I actually got my degree.”

His eyes widen in surprise. “You did?”

Staring at the notepad, I start scribbling the title to the lists, one for him and one for me.

“Yeah, I did it online a few years ago.”

“How come I never knew this? What is it in?”

“English,” I reply. “I actually finished my last class on the ten-year anniversary of my mom’s passing.”

You can almost hear the silence resting between us. “She’d be so fucking proud of you, Laney.”

When I lift my eyes to find Fletcher staring down at me, something passes between us, but I can’t put a name to the feeling. “Thank you. I’d like to think so too.”

“Just so you know, I’m still counting those thank-yous.”

I roll my eyes and head back to my chair. “Let’s get this done, shall we?”

He lets out a heavy breath and then makes his way over to the table, taking the seat next to mine. When our knees brush, I move away, but he pulls my knee back to his and rests his hand there.

My body temperature instantly rises.

Clearing my throat, I try to focus back on the reason we’re here. “So, we have less than seventy-two hours until this party, and no concept of a plan. My dad said we can have it at the winery, which I think is better than the ski lodge. But we need a theme, food, decorations, games…”

Fletcher blows out a breath again. “Okay, let’s do a Vegas theme…”

“Is that because you would have preferred to be there right now instead of here in Blossom Peak?”

The corner of his mouth lifts as his thumb rubs my kneecap, his eyes locked on mine. “Actually, I’m rather enjoying my time in Blossom Peak.”

Is he talking in general, or right at this moment, here with me?

It doesn’t matter, Laney. Focus.

“Oh. Okay, well Vegas would work,” I continue, bypassing his comment while simultaneously trying to decipher it. “Elliot would love that.”

Fletcher chuckles to himself before sitting up tall in his seat, his hand still on my leg. “That’s what I’m thinking. We can have poker and blackjack tables, slot machines, and everything in black, gold, and red.”

I drop my pen to my notepad. “Great ideas, but uh—how do you plan on getting all of this stuff by Saturday, Fletcher?”

His smirk grows. “You’d be surprised what you can get done when you know people and have a credit card with no limit, Laney.”

I know his comment is meant to make me feel less stressed about the situation, but all it does is remind me of how different his life is now—how when he goes back to Charlotte after this wedding, that’s the kind of reality he returns to.

That’s why you need to focus on the here and now, Laney. Stuff like that doesn’t matter.

I pick up my pen and finish my note. “Okay then. You’re in charge of all of that, and I’ll handle food and games.”

“I told you, we can do poker—”

“We need something else too, not just cards.” Tapping my chin with my pen, I think for a moment, but ultimately shake my head when the ideas don’t come. “I’ll think of something.”