Touch of Heartache (Stay in Touch)

Touch of Heartache First Chapter Sampler

Lilac had been sitting on her big news for days—well, more like hours, but it certainly felt like days. She'd wanted to tell Gavin almost immediately, but she hadn't been in the mood for one of his mood-killing—though well-intentioned—lectures, and waiting until Brielle and Pembroke joined them seemed like the smarter idea. They'd act as a buffer for Gavin's paternal instincts coming to fore and then she wouldn't have to repeat herself to each one individually.

Besides, she wanted her college life to go out with a bang. And boy, would this be a bang.

She hadn't eaten much of her farewell-cafeteria-food lunch. Instead, she opened her mouth, about to deliver the news, when she noticed Brielle staring down at her lunch tray as if it were the ashes of a recently-lost pet. "Are you crying?" she asked, the wind knocked out of her sails just a bit. "Bri, are you actually crying?"

Laughing, she looked at Gavin and Pembroke, hoping to share her amusement with them, but one was blowing his nose and the other was trying to touch up her makeup. Okay, everyone is crying...

"Just because some of us are made of stone doesn't mean the rest of us aren't going to miss this place," said Brielle, her mouth full of a tater tot she was chomping with way too much relish.

Sometimes Brielle really got on Lilac's nerves. But not today. No, she wouldn't let her get to her today.

"A college is but four walls and a roof, my dear," Lilac said, putting some of her high school drama teacher's advice into effect by gesturing grandly as if about to deliver a Shakespearean monologue. "Albeit four very expensive walls and a roof, but walls and a roof nonetheless. No graduation is going to take away what this place means to you." She put her palm to her heart. "You'll always find it here."

Gavin gave Lilac such a mischievous grin at that, she could have recited what he said next if she'd been so inclined. "In your ginormous boob?" he asked.

"Har har," retorted Lilac, whapping his shoulder. Gavin was the only one she'd ever let get away with talking to her like that. He had a heart of gold and was as sweet as a grandma—to everyone except her. But that's why she knew she was his best friend. Suddenly hit with the realization that she wasn't going to be seeing her bestie every day from now on, she started playing with her food, mushing the greasy tater tots into one corner of her tray. It doesn't matter, she thought. This is just how life goes. We'll never not be friends. You can't get stuck in the past.

She nodded to herself more than to anyone in particular. "I don't know. I think it's about time we move on. Crappy French toast and tater tots served on a divided tray? What are we, middle schoolers or soon-to-be-independent adults?"

"Says the soon-to-be elementary school teacher," said Brielle between sips of her orange juice. "Get used to these," she added, pointing to the crumbs left in the squares on her tray.

Ha! The perfect segue. Thank you, Brielle's need to rub things in.

Lilac shrugged. "Maybe someday. Maybe not. I don't have to anytime soon."

Pembroke spoke up then—Lilac had almost forgotten she was even there. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Aren't you going to be teaching at Jacobson Primary this fall?"

"Nope." Lilac dug into her scrambled eggs with glee. Let them chew on that, she thought, taking her time to swallow her food.

"Shut up," said Gavin as he nudged her. "Are you serious?"

"Would I joke about something like that?" Lilac grinned, doing her best toddler-caught-breaking-Mommy's-favorite-lamp impression. Then she laughed. On second thought... "Don't answer that."