Page 77 of That Summer Feeling

“We love you,” Tommy told me.

“I love you too.” It was so beautiful to tell people I loved them and not worry about sounding too intense. If anything, it was hardly enough. They deserved so much more than I could put into words.

“What on earth are you going to do next?” Tim asked me. “Back to driving?”

“No,” I said. “No more rideshare driving. I don’t knowwhat I’m going to do. I was hoping the answer would magically appear here. So far, no luck.”

“Stevie? What are you doing next?” Tommy asked.

“I guess I’ll just keep driving my van around,” she told him. “Until I figure out something better.”

“Don’t you hate driving?” Tommy asked her. “I remember when you got your license. You told me you never wanted to be the one to drive.”

“I do hate driving, yes,” Stevie said.

I couldn’t imagine her hating anything. It shocked me but also pleased me a little, to see a new side of her. There was so much more to know about Stevie Magnusson.

“I like to drive,” I told her, taking one last risk.

Tommy locked eyes with me. He understood what I was getting at. I suspected most people thought of the twins as a unit, and a lot of times, I did too. But I knew I was closer to Tommy. We were both young and divorced, for one, but there was just that intangible closeness. That true kind of friendship that spoke without words. We got each other.

“Do you?” Stevie said kindly, interested but not comprehending. She had seen me so clearly all week, but she did not see what I was trying to say. Or to ask, really.

Bolstered by Tommy’s silent support, I nodded. “I do. Small vehicles. Or large ones. I can drive them all.”

“Some would say she could even drive a van,” Tommy told her.

Tim understood then. He winked at me, then said, “I’ve driven with Garland before. I can attest to her skill. If it weren’t for her careful and steady hand behind the wheel,maybe we wouldn’t even be here. After all, she took us to a very important appointment with our contractor.”

Dara approached, wheeling her luggage up to where we stood. “Are we talking about how good Garland is at driving? She’s great. Rain. Shine. Snow. There’s no element she can’t navigate.”

If Stevie didn’t get it before, she did then. She fought off a grin. Fought off the hope that had started to grow in her eyes.

“What a shame I don’t have anywhere to drive,” I said. “There’s so much of this country I’ve never seen. If only I had someone to navigate. Maybe someone who has lived all over? Knows the country better than me? That would help, I think. Because I just use my GPS and let it guide me. It would be nice to not have to do that.”

Slowly, the group backed up until Stevie and I stood alone. Or as alone as two people could be with three very eager spectators pretending not to be interested in what they were watching.

I put my hand on Stevie’s cheek. Brushed my thumb over her freckles. “What do you say, Stevie? Need a copilot for the road?”

“Are you serious?” she asked.

“Are birds real?”

She laughed.

I pulled her closer to me. “Will you let me live on the road with you? I know we’ve only known each other six days, and you said the thing about the stereotype and the—” She interrupted me with a kiss I could only assume meant yes, becauseher lips and her hands and her mouth all seemed determined to merge with my own.

“Gay rights!” Tommy called out.

“Love is love!” Tim said after.

They were kidding. I loved that I understood it. I had always understood it. I had always been this version of me. I’d just never noticed her before. With Stevie’s mouth on mine, everything about me made sense.

“I just need to spend a few days gathering up my stuff, and then I’m yours,” I told Stevie. “I have nothing but time.”

“Let’s do it,” Stevie said, beaming. She grabbed me so tight we fell over. And just like she had on that very first day, she rolled so her backpack caught the ground instead of me.

“Now,that’smagic,” I said as we landed.