Page 52 of It’s Only Love

“Thank you.” I try not to squirm as I meet him dead in the eye to show my seriousness.

“I appreciate you listening. Look, I know I screwed up. But honestly, I wish I’d fought harder for my job when you fired me, which was totally understandable.

I regret that, though, because I know I can be an asset.

I know my stuff, and I’m a really hard worker.

God, when that boy…” I look down at my feet and shake my head, my fingers digging into my thighs.

I take a deep breath and continue, grateful he’s not interrupting me.

“I was devastated, and I blamed myself. But I did everything I could to find him and keep him safe. And I would do it again. This job means something to me. And it’s something I need so I can eventually start my own business for kids in need. I tried to find other work, but it’s…”

“There’s not a lot out there close by.”

I look up at him and nod. “Yeah, exactly. I almost had another job. I think I would’ve gotten it, too, but it was far away, and on my way home from the interview, my car was totaled in an accident because the mountains had fogged up.”

“Jesus, Dennis. Are you okay? ”

“Yeah, I am, thanks. The car kept me pretty protected. But driving again has been… hard. I’m still pretty nervous.

” With another deep breath, I plow on. “But the truth is, I don’t want another job.

I want this one. It’s absolutely perfect for me.

Not only does it allow me to teach others everything I know about Cannon Beach, but I love the interaction and getting kids to appreciate the world around them. It’s what I live for.”

“Dennis…”

“Please give me another chance. Just one. That’s all I ask. I swear I won’t ever lose a kid again. Hire me on a trial basis—just one chance. I think I deserve that. I think everyone deserves a second chance.”

I watch him, pleading with my eyes as he mulls over my words. Eventually, he sighs, then nods, and I know I’ve got my job back. “Okay.”

Now my heart beats faster for another reason. Relief and excitement. “Okay? Yeah?”

“Yes, trial basis, Dennis. Do not lose another kid, I beg you. Because it wouldn’t only hurt you, it would ruin my reputation.”

I nod vigorously. “Absolutely. I swear.”

He stands and holds out his hand to me. I stand too, taking it, and we shake. “I’m putting my faith in you, Dennis.”

I feel the weight of his words, but I’m determined not to waste this second chance. “You got it. Thank you so much, Mr. Hutchins.”

“You’re welcome. You can start this weekend. Saturday. Be here at 6 am sharp.”

“You got it.” We let go of our hands, and I turn to leave, but stop myself. “What about Harper? Can she get a second chance, too?”

He holds out his hands and shrugs. “She’s heading back to school soon, but I can reach out to her if she wants to come back next summer.”

“You’re amazing. Thank you! ”

He chuckles and waves me off. I can’t wait to fucking tell Mike! He’s going to blow a gasket with the news. He’s going to be so excited for me. For us.

Unfortunately, Mike’s working and I won’t see him until tonight, but I can’t wait to share my news, so I pull out my phone from my back pocket and call him.

“Hey, baby?” he answers immediately, making me smile like a loon.

“Hey, guess what?”

“You invested in Fireball candy stock?”

I snort a laugh. “ Noooo , but what I do have is a job.”

“No shit?! Congrats, baby. What job is it?”

“I got my old job back.”

There’s silence on the other end for a moment before he says, “Holy shit… how?”

“I literally begged,” I chuckle. “Mr. Hutchins is giving me a second chance, but no more losing kids.”

“Definitely not. I’m so fucking proud of you, baby. And relieved, to be honest.”

“God, me too. This eases so much stress, you know?”

“I do. Remind me to offer Mr. Hutchins some free landscaping or something.”

I laugh at that. “No bribing my boss.”

“This is exciting! Look, I’ve got to run, but let’s have dinner tonight to celebrate.”

“Sounds good! Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

We hang up, and I head home for some lunch. Mom and Dad are working, leaving the house empty. Or so I thought, because as soon as I open the fridge to pull out some ham, Swiss cheese, and Dijon mustard, Aaron walks in, the front door closing behind him .

“Hey,” I say, looking back at him when he walks into the kitchen.

“Make one of those for me, would you?”

I smirk and pull two plates down from the cabinet. “Yes, Princess.”

He chuckles behind me. “Ass.”

After I make our sandwiches, I drop a sliced pickle on the plate and a pile of potato chips. I sit down, and we both dig in.

“Listen, I just got back from Eugene,” he says carefully around a bite of pickle.

I stand and pour us both a glass of lemonade Mom made yesterday. “Okay.”

“I went to see your professor.”

My stomach clenches, and I whip around to face my brother. “You fucking did what?! I told you all to leave it alone! Dammit, Aaron!”

“Shut up for a second, and sit down.”

I huff and sit, taking a bite of my sandwich as I stew.

“You’re my little brother, Dennis. I’m going to protect you, whether you like it or not, so get the fuck over it. Mom and Dad were also behind this. I get it makes you uncomfortable, but your professor fucking molested you, dammit!”

“I get that, but—”

“No buts. Do you want to hear the story or not?”

I sigh and take a sip of my lemonade. “Fine.”

“So, I did some digging on other students he mentors. I kept it quiet, so don’t worry about that.

When I found nothing, I confronted him. He needed to know that what he did was wrong.

Dad had originally wanted to go, but since I’m in law school, I convinced him to let me go.

I’m sorry we went behind your back, but you would never have let us go. ”

I hate that my entire family went behind my back, but I also understand they were just trying to protect me and others. “He… never did that to another student before?”

Aaron shrugs. “Not from what I could find. And apparently… he really was attracted to you. That doesn’t make it fucking right, but yeah, he actually wanted to date you and shit. Nice if he’d just said that to you instead.”

That doesn’t make what he did much better, but at least no other students were touched like that. “H-how did you get him to confess?”

“Through legal action. I threatened him, making it loud and clear that I was going to sue. I’m not, by the way, because there’s only your word against his, but I got him nervous enough to admit his feelings for you.”

My shoulders sag, and I pop a potato chip in my mouth. “God. But still… he was my mentor, and I respected him. I didn’t want him to feel like that about me.”

“And to touch you… fucking asshole. Anyway, he’s aware we know. I wish there were more I could do, but there isn’t. Technically, you can report him to the school, but I can’t do that for you.”

I nod and look at Aaron, noticing for the first time how tense his features are. This has really stressed him out. I love him for it, despite going behind my back. “I’m going to let it go, Aaron.”

“That’s your choice, but I think it’s the wrong one.”

“I know you do, but I’ve moved on. I’m in a really good place now. I’m happy. I don’t want to go through a lawsuit. Don’t get me wrong. If you’d found out he was doing this to others, I might’ve sucked it up and tried to take his ass down.”

Aaron visibly relaxes and nods. “Okay. I get that.”

“Thanks for trying to protect me.”

“And I’d do it again. ”

“But don’t. Don’t go behind my back like that again.”

As we eat our lunch, I tell him about getting my job back. He tells me he’s thinking about asking Amanda to marry him after he wraps up law school. He’s leaving soon for Stanford, but I’m glad we had this summer to really bond.

Aaron waggles his brows and smirks. “Maybe we can make it a double wedding.”

I nearly choke on a piece of pickle. Aaron pats my back as I cough, tears in my eyes. I finally manage to wheeze out, “Calm your tits, we’re not there yet.”

Aaron feigns a cough. “Liar. You’ve been there since you were a teen. I have no doubt you’ve had your entire wedding planned since you were fifteen.”

Okay, so maybe I have, but I’m not about to tell my brother that. “Mike and I are taking it slow. Taking our time.”

Aaron nods solemnly, then his face breaks into a broad grin. “ Right … Keep telling yourself that. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“Fuck off.”

“We can make a bet, right here, right now.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest with a carefree smile, a teasing glimmer in his eyes.

“You really don’t mind?” I ask, changing the subject.

“What don’t I mind?”

“Mike and me? That we’re together?”

“Nah, I think it’s great. That whole over a decade of mutual pining was fucking pathetic.”

“It was hardly a decade,” I mumble. “ Fine , it was a decade.”

“Felt like a fucking century.”

I chuckle and throw a potato chip at him. “Shut up.”

We sit in silence, finishing up our lunch. Then Aaron eventually says, “I’m really happy for you. For both of you. And I mean it, I don’t mind. Not at all. Mike’s a good guy. The best. So are you, Dennis. It was always gonna end up this way, you and him.”

I nod, swallowing around the lump in my throat, because I know what he means.

Mike and I belong together. It was inevitable.

We were always going to end up together, one way or another.

Our souls were intertwined; our lives incomplete without the other.

We may have had a few bumps on the road, but they’ve only made us stronger.

Now we’re right where we were always supposed to be, right where it all started, in Cannon Beach.