Page 23 of Play the Last Card

Ivy:Thank you. I’m sorry for cancelling.

Scott:Let’s go with rescheduling … I want that date.

For the first time in what seems like hours, a small smile curls up my lips.

Ivy:Someone’s keen. Haha

Scott:You have no idea.

Ivy:I’ll be needing it after the first week of school that's coming up.

I watch the three little dots appear on the screen, before they disappear and appear again. He’s writing and then deleting whatever he wants to say. It makes me laugh. He’s tall, dark and handsome but I can feel his nerves through the phone. It makes me feel better about my own, knowing he’s right there with me.

Scott:I’ll be out of town this coming weekend, but make it the Saturday after and you’re on.

Ivy:Done.

Chapter Six

Ivy

I’ve never been soaddicted to checking my phone than I have been this last week.

Since Pops’ health scare had me canceling our dinner date with promises to reschedule, Scott and I have been having one long, continuous conversation. I’d learned so much about him. He spent more hours awake than asleep—a fact I knew because whilst I did my best to stay up talking to him each night, I still failed and woke up to not one but two texts from him from the night before and then from earlier that next morning.

I’d learned his parents were both incredibly intelligent and from family trees littered with political powers and scholars. I’d learned that he’d finished a psychology degree and graduated top of his class at UCLA. He loved going to the gym. Hiking. Peanut butter toast. The colorful socks his mom buys him every year at Christmas time.

I’d also learned that he didn’t like to talk about his job, the only time he’d bought it up was when he mentioned that Flynn Reed was a friend from college. Before I could pry further, he’d changed the subject. He also didn’t respond well when I asked why he’d moved here. He’d answered a shortnowhen I’d asked if he liked Boston yet and then changed the subject again.

He is so open about everything else that I just left it. Despite his closed off attitude when it came to his work and Boston, Scott has me smiling at my phone every single time his name appears on the screen.

I may as well build a huge, flashing arrow pointing directly at me and illuminating the path to my heart for him. Catching feelings is inevitable and I don’t even care.

Katie’s been giving me shit about it all week.

It’s because of her constant pestering and jokes that I opt to relieve her of her best friend duties of helping me set up my classroom. School goes back next week and the principal allows us to get into our classrooms the Friday before to get organized. Bless him for trying, but one day isn’t enough for me to get my bare room ready for a new round of kindergarteners.

Last year, I hadn’t tried that hard and the amount of comments the parents made got on my nerves. So, over the thanksgiving weekend, Pops had helped me deck it out with color and posters and pretty much any learning tool I could get my hands on at the time. The kids had been amazed walking in after the break.

Their tiny faces, the wonder and the excitement in all of them, is why I’ll do it again. From the start of the year this time though.

I reach up on my tip-toes, stretching my arm into the corner with one end of the banner’s string in my hand. “Damn it,” I huff, dropping my heels back onto the chair. It wobbles beneath me and my hand slaps against the wall in an attempt to steady myself. Falling off and landing myself with a broken bone just in time for school to go back would be the worst-case scenario.

I’m starting to regret relieving Katie of her duties.

I got a jump start on decorating and have been in the room since seven this morning. My stomach is threatening to begin growling if I don’t feed it and I could probably use a coffee— with a hit of sugar, of course. I jump down from the chair, heading for my bag to dig for my phone when it chimes loudly, as if it knew I was coming for it.

Scott:What’s your coffee order?

I smile, and then try to smooth my features. Fight back against the smiling and maybe I can protect my heart from completely falling in love with the man before we even have a first date.

I’m so done for.

Ivy:Something too sugary for you, Mr.-I-workout-seven-days-a-week.

Scott:Maybe I work out because I have a huge sweet tooth I have to counter …

Ivy:Do you?