Chapter 38
“Sunshine, I hear we might have a guest with us for Easter,” Seb says as he greets me in the morning outside of school.
“Yeah, we invited Sue to fly down from Virginia. I’m excited to see her,” I smile. “I assume Bay, E, and Alex have family plans?” I ask, giving him a hug.
“Yeah, at least on Friday and Sunday. On Saturday, I’ll introduce you to our Easter tradition.”
“Okay…” He just smiles at me as we head to my locker. Hmm, mysterious. I greet the guys, then walk to class with Alex.
I notice Ben a few times in the hallway between classes, and he’s in the library during AP Seminar, but he stays away. I walk between Nick and Alex to lunch, as usual.
“What are the plans for this long weekend?” Seb asks everyone at lunch.
“Tea and church on Friday. Church and dinner Sunday with the grandparents,” E says.
“Family’s coming into town Friday. Church and dinner Sunday,” Bay offers.
“My father will be in town, so church and a dinner party at our house on Friday. Church and Sunday brunch with Reesa and her family.” Alex replies.
“So your place is out this year for Saturday?” Seb asks Alex.
“Yes, we will have to choose another location for…” Alex begins.
“Stop,” Seb shouts. “It’s going to be a surprise for Sunshine,” he smiles. The guys all smile and nod at that. “Nick, Troy, Gabs and I will be with Zander and Summer, as usual. Sunshine has some exciting news too.”
All the guys turn to look at me. “Oh, um, my foster Sue is flying down for the long weekend.”
“That’s great, Summer,” E smiles. Bay and Alex offer similar comments.
During last period, I join Jaxon on the track in gym, after Nick drops me at the locker room door. “He’s out on the pitch today,” he informs me.
“Good.” I won’t even have to see him working out today. I wave to the coach as I begin my jog.
“There’s a rumor going around that you two hooked up at the party. I heard one of his friends talking at lunch.”
“Just great.” I shake my head. “How does that explain his injuries?”
“Oh, he got into a fight Saturday night with someone.”
“He’s got an answer for it all, it seems. Honestly, I don’t care.”
“You don’t want to fight the rumor?” He questions, seeming surprised.
“No one will believe the new girl anyway,” I say. “It’s his word against mine.” I know how damaging rumors can be from Virginia, but explaining the truth didn’t help me back then, and I doubt it will now. Best to focus my energy on more important things.
“I guess. I’m picking up the pace. See you at the end of class,” he waves.
Nick is standing outside the girls’ locker room when I grab my things. We walk to the parking lot, and I see all the guys there. He and Seb drive me home today.
Zander arrives home a little after 6pm. I tell him there’s salad in the fridge, which he happily eats.
After he finishes dinner, he tells me about a government contract they’ve won for training pilots.
“It’s something we applied for before I knew about you.
It will require some overnight stays for me.
I’m not sure what to do about it honestly, because I don’t want to leave overnight when you just got here. It may be best to turn it down.”
“Were you excited about the contract before you found me?” I ask him, taking a seat at the island.
“I was, but I’m not now.” Zander grabs two muffins for dessert, offering me one.
“Tell me more about it,” I request.
“I’d be working east of Columbia at a joint military base. Training would be on and off for four weeks. I can drive up there for most of it. Depending on the schedule, I’d have to stay there for nighttime flight training. It would probably be for a few nights in a row.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” That’s only one month of work. It doesn’t bother me at all. His job is important.
“I wouldn’t want you staying here alone, though. You don’t have your license yet. Then there’s the Ben situation.” He points out.
“Okay, I can understand that. So what’s the solution?”
“I’m not sure. You’d have to stay somewhere else or have someone stay here with you.”
“We can talk to the guys about it. Is Troy going with you?”
“No, he would be here. I’d take Jensen with me. He’s a helicopter pilot too.”
“I’m okay with you taking the job, Zander.” I can tell he’s secretly excited about the contract, despite him downplaying it. He offers again to pass on it, but I push for him to accept.
“We can talk to the guys and see what they think. This contract could lead to several more for the company, and the pay is massive. Am I a terrible father for even considering this so soon after you’ve arrived?”
“No, I don’t think so,” I smile at him. “It’s not like you’re leaving me for months or anything. It’s just a few nights. Take the contract.”
Zander nods at that. “Okay, everyone should come to dinner tomorrow. I’ll order some takeout, and we can discuss it.”
“Sounds good. I’ll text the guys tonight.
” I finish my homework and spend the rest of the night stretching and massaging my legs.
I call Seb and tell him about Zander’s upcoming trip.
He, of course, volunteers to stay with me.
I send a text to the other guys, inviting everyone to dinner tomorrow to talk about Zander’s job.