Page 57 of Make It Last

She nodded. “I’m officially his foster mom, and I take that responsibility very seriously. Honestly, I’m glad he’s older. I can’t move fast.” She pointed at her foot, wiggling her finger in mock warning.

“He seems content to chill,” I said.

“I have a question.”

“For me?”

“No, for Growly.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course for you.”

I laughed. “All right, what’s that?”

“Josie offered me a job.”

“Oh?”

“You think I should take it?”

I couldn’t deny the jolt of hope inside. Instantly, the cynical voice in my head barked, What the fuck are you thinking, Beige?

“I don’t know,” she said before I could answer. “Obviously, if I hadn’t broken my ankle, I’d already be home. This trip would’ve just been a memory. I’d never have met you.” She leaned back. “Anyway,” she murmured. “I don’t know. I have to think about it. Technically, I could push it and fly back now, but I don’t want to. I feel like that tells me something.” She let out a sigh. Her lips twisted as she wrinkled her nose. “It’s… everything that happened with my ex. The cheating. The lying.” She brushed her hand through the air, like she was wiping it all away. “It just sucks.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

She wiggled her shoulders. “I don’t want to dwell on that. What do you think? Should I take the job?”

I leaned back, studying her. “I’m not sure I can answer for you.”

She groaned, grabbing another slice of pizza and dramatically biting into it. Growly stretched beside her. She took a piece of cheese and held it out to him. “You want some?”

Growly sniffed, then accepted it delicately. I waited until she leaned back again.

“Honestly,” I began. “That’s a big choice. One of those life-altering, you-should-trust-your-gut kinds of choices. I can’t make it for you.”

“Fine,” she said, her tone exasperated. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Okay. What else do you want to talk about?”

She chewed for a second, tilted her head, and then asked the most unexpected question. “Do you miss your ex?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ava

Situationships & spark

“No,” Tanner said firmly after I asked him if he missed his ex.

“Wow. That was a fast answer. She was your high school sweetheart.”

He let out a breath. “She was. I’m not mad. I’m honestly not. The things she said hurt at the end, but...” He paused. “Obviously, you and your ex broke up for different reasons.”

“Oh, I’ll say,” I replied.

He nodded and tipped his head to the side. “But some things you just can’t come back from. I’m aware—because we were in a relationship long enough—when you have arguments, it’s not great. Even when you’re trying to do your best, you don’t always handle shit well. And I’m not saying I did. Or do.”

“Have you had another relationship?”

“I haven’t wanted one.”