Page 19 of Scoop Me Up (Love in Maplewood #7)

Sam

Gabe and I went to bed—in separate rooms—several hours later than I was used to, thanks to our lengthy make-out session, and when I woke the next morning, I was bleary-eyed and still tired.

I grabbed my phone to scroll a little before I had to get up and head to school, only to find I had a half dozen texts from people in town, all saying they were “just checking in.” Cooper, Mayor Axlerod, a teacher friend, and more.

As I got dressed, Cooper texted me an excerpt from Maplewood Matters , speculating on the fact that “perpetually single elementary school teacher Sam was seen for the second night in a row with summer visitor Gabe—and rumor has it, Gabe has taken up temporary residence with Sam.” It ended with a comment about how we couldn’t seem to keep our eyes off of each other.

There was never going to be any “no going public” with our…

whatever this is, was there? I thought, shaking my head at the article in the gossip blog.

Soon enough, Gabe would return to Burlington and there wouldn’t be anything left to speculate on with my love life and they would move on to the next unsuspecting victim.

I drove to school that morning, my stomach in knots as I prepared to tell the principal the news. I hated to quit and leave him in a tough spot to find a replacement, but I had to do what was right for me and follow my dreams.

The hallways were quiet as I made my way into the school building, inhaling deeply and letting my breath out slowly. There was something not necessarily calming about being in school for me, but familiar. Home-like. I hoped I’d feel the same way about the ice cream shop soon enough.

I knew deep down that quitting now was the right thing to do. It gave the principal time to find a replacement teacher, at the very least, but part of me was terrified. All the fears of failure and risk-taking bubbled up inside me, threatening to choke me. I could feel myself stalling.

Once I’d put my things down in my classroom and set up for the day, I knew I’d procrastinated enough.

Kids would be arriving in less than a half hour and I needed to talk to Principal Carnell.

I walked to the office, each footstep sluggish, like I was walking through mud.

Stop it , I told myself. You’re following your dreams.

When I got to the main office, I nodded at the secretary. My plan was to say hello quickly and move on to speak to the principal. Rip the bandage off.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get that lucky.

“Sam,” she said in a singsong tone. “Good to see you this morning.”

I frowned and stopped, suspicious of her greeting. “Good morning, Ms. Finch.”

“I hear you were out on the town last night. Tired?”

I closed my eyes briefly. Damn small towns. And Ms. Finch was one of the worst gossips of them all. “No, ma’am. You must have heard wrong. I was actually home pretty early last night.”

She frowned, obviously unprepared for me to refute her claim. “Hmm. Maybe.” A moment passed. “Can I do something for you?”

I shook my head. “I’m just looking for Principal Carnell.”

She nodded her head in that direction. “Go right on back. He’s just getting the day started.”

“Thanks,” I said, trying to shake off the momentary derailment. I kept walking until I came to the principal’s office, the one with a little name placard that read “Max Carnell, Principal,” and knocked tentatively.

“Come in,” a voice called behind the door.

I pushed it open to find Max sitting behind his desk, focused on his laptop. After a moment’s hesitation, I closed the door behind myself and cleared my throat.

Max looked up at me, brows drawn close. “Sam, what can I do for you?” He knew something was up, I could tell. “Is this about last night? Because I have no issues with you dating a student’s parent. I trust you to exercise good judgment.”

I sighed softly and sank onto the chair in front of the desk. Jesus Christ, this town. “No, it’s not about last night.” My throat was tight with anxiety, and I swallowed hard.

Max’s frown deepened. “What is it then?”

How is it possible that everyone on the planet knows about Gabe and me, but Max hasn’t heard the news about the ice cream shop? I wondered briefly. A second passed and I shook my head to clear it. “Sorry. It’s just… I won the Frozen Fest flavor contest.”

His expression turned from worry to pride, a bright smile on his face. “I heard you won again. We’re very proud of you. I was thinking of finding a way to incorporate your ice cream passion into the school year next year. You could possibly lead a unit on food creation. How does that sound?”

I nodded slowly. “It sounds great. But… I don’t think that will be possible.”

Max tilted his head slightly. “Don’t worry, I’ll get the funding approved.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s—I’m here to put in my resignation.”

He didn’t respond for a moment, brow dipping in confusion. “You’re… leaving?”

“Because of my continued success with Frozen Fest, and a few other factors, I’ve been given the opportunity to open my own ice cream shop. It’s always been my dream. I don’t want to miss out on this chance, so I’ve signed a two-year lease. We open in August.”

After a quiet moment, he nodded slowly. “I understand. You’ll be sorely missed—by students and adults alike. Will you be finishing out summer camp?”

“Yes,” I said in a rush. “Of course. I've already got my parent volunteers prepped and ready for next week. Next Friday will be my last official day. I'll come in and pack up my things one day the week after camp ends.”

Max nodded again. “I appreciate your time here. You’re a great teacher and we’re sad to lose you, but I understand a thing or two about following your dreams. Maybe we can bring the kids by for a field trip sometime, once you’re up and running.”

I gave him a genuine smile. “Thanks, Max. I appreciate you, too. You’ve been a great boss.”

He winked at me. “Hopefully your next one will be just as good.” At that moment, the bell rang, indicating the start of the day. “Time for announcements. Let me know if you need anything at all while you’re making this transition.”

“Of course.” I stood, a warm contentment radiating from my chest, and headed to my classroom to get the day underway. As I did, my phone buzzed with an incoming text.

Miles: The foreman wants to change things up. Can you meet today after school?

It only took me a second to reply before I stepped into my classroom, students already unloading backpacks and setting up in their stations.

I looked around the room, stricken by sadness.

I’d miss it. I’d especially miss the students, whom I loved, and I had no idea how I was going to break it to them, but a different future awaited me.

My childhood dreams were starting to come true.

The day went smoothly and by the time I was ready to leave school, I was giddy with excitement over meeting with the project foreman and getting the renovations underway. When I arrived at the building, I stood on the sidewalk in front for a few long moments, staring up at the second-story windows.

Mine , I thought. Well—not entirely mine. Mine-adjacent. Whatever. Either way, I felt the enormity of what was happening, a weight settling on my shoulders like a blanket. This was happening. It was really happening.

When I stepped inside, I found Miles chatting with Luke MacDougall. His eyes lit up when he spotted me.

“Sam!” He strode over to me in a way that was entirely too reminiscent of a puppy chasing a ball. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Hi, Luke. Are you my project foreman?”

“Looks like it. Are you ready to get to work?”

Miles cleared his throat and interjected. “I guess I’ll be off then. You two call me if you have any issues or need anything at all. Sam, Luke has the new owner’s requirements in mind, so don’t worry about a thing. If Luke says it’s possible, he can make it happen.”

We said our goodbyes and I watched as Miles left, heading out onto the sidewalk in the direction of Sparky’s.

Luke rubbed his hands together. “Okay, then. Let’s get started.

” We took a walk around the building, me pointing out things I’d like changed, Luke talking me through necessary renovations, and the two of us agreeing on things like the layout and equipment hook-ups.

The more we talked, the more excited I got, the vision coming together in my mind.

“What do you think?” Luke said as we finished our tour.

“If you can pull this off, you’re amazing.”

He shrugged. “We can definitely make it happen. You’ll have to pick out flooring, fixtures, wall colors, that sort of thing once we get closer, but for now, we can get started on the big things.”

I shook his hand and thanked him. “Can’t wait to see what you come up with.”

As I turned to go, Luke called me back. “Wait!” When I looked at him, he gestured up, toward the second floor. “The apartment is in pretty good shape, considering, but if you want us to work on that, too, we’ll need to do a walkthrough there soon.”

“That would be amazing. Can I go up there now?”

With a laugh, he nodded. “Of course. Your name is on the lease for the whole building. It’s effectively yours.”

Mine. I hurried up the stairs to look around.

The apartment was still in good shape. Dated and dusty, but things worked—the water ran without the faucets leaking, the lights came on without flickering, and when I turned on the air conditioning, cool air blew from the vents.

The possibilities were really hitting me.

I could live there. There were only two bedrooms, but I didn’t need a third bedroom.

It had always been a luxury. And if I sold or rented my house and moved into the apartment, I’d have funds for the shop, at least enough to carry me for a while.

On my way downstairs, voices echoed up the stairway, including a voice that I recognized immediately as not Luke . I stepped out into the vast area and my suspicions were confirmed—it was the mayor.

“Mayor Axlerod,” I said, trying to cover my surprise. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

She waved away my comment. “Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong. I saw Luke in here and thought I’d swing by and see if there was anything you needed from me.”

I was touched by the offer. She certainly didn’t need to stop by and check in on me, and I was reminded that there were good things about living in small towns, too—not just the annoying things, like local gossip.

“I’m good, thank you. I appreciate the offer, though. I’m glad you stopped by.”

“Me too,” she said. “Listen, Sam. I just want you to know, we’re behind you. The whole town is. Professionally and personally.”

Here we go again, I thought. “Thanks, Mayor.” It was genuine appreciation for her, despite my mild annoyance. We exchanged pleasantries for a few more moments before she took her leave. Once she was gone, I said goodbye to Luke and got in my car to head home.

As I drove, the weight of everything crashed into me like a lead vest—more oppressive than calming. I was giving up a stable career for… what? To chase a dream? A dream that very well might fail? My stomach felt sour as I let my mind spiral to places I didn’t want to go.

As I pulled into the driveway, I mentally switched gears to focus on Gabe.

I was falling for him. I knew I was. The thought of coming home to him brought me joy.

I couldn’t wait to share my day with him and hear how his had gone.

I shook my head, knowing I was getting way ahead of myself.

I was falling for a straight guy. A straight guy who might not even be around much longer.

And I had no idea how I was going to cope if he left.