Haley held out the edges of her sundress, staring at her reflection. With an annoyed breath, she dropped it and shook her head. Spinning around, she crossed her room, snatching up the hacky sack she had stolen back from Matt on her way to her balcony. Warm air wrapped around her as she stepped out.

The buzz of weekend noises bloomed from the neighborhood, the rattle of a lawnmower, the laughter and splash of children in a swimming pool, the faint purr of a passing car. Evening was drawing in, the sky beginning to show a darker shade of blue. Across the way, Jace sat on the edge of his bed, bent over a control, eyes pinned to the tv screen.

"Jace," Haley said.

He didn't answer, his face screwed up in concentration as he pounded at the buttons, avoiding certain death on the screen. Haley twisted her lips to the side and threw the hacky sack at him. It bounced off his shoulder and tumbled onto the bed quickly followed by the floor.

"What?" Jace said, still not looking at her.

"I need your help."

"Kay, what do you need?" He swore and punched at the controller, leaning in, body tense.

"I need you to look at me."

"I am looking at you," he said, doing nothing of the kind.

Scowling, Haley folded her arms and turned her attention to the adventure playing out on the tv. A cruel glint brightened her eyes.

"Go left, go left, go left!" she shouted.

Startled, Jace directed his character how she advised and was instantly murdered by a pack of mummies. When the game announced Jace was now dead, he frowned at Haley.

"You did that on purpose."

She shrugged. "You weren't paying attention and you said you would help."

With a half annoyed, half resigned sigh, Jace tossed aside his controlled. Stretching over, he grabbed a baseball from his nightstand and flipped it into the air.

"What did you need my help on?" he asked.

Haley held out her hands, giving him a full view of her dress.

"What do we think about this?" she asked.

Jace scratched the top of his head, rumpling his hair.

"I thought you and Lettie were talking again, can't she do this?"

Haley waved a dismissive hand. "I get a hold of her one out of every ten times I call and I need help now." She gestured to him with a pleading grin. "So you are my only hope."

"Fine. What did Isaac say again?"

"That it would be a casual date and to dress in something comfortable."

"I wouldn't go with a dress then," Jace said, throwing the ball back and forth.

"Why?"

"Cause casual could mean lazar tag. You don't want to be running around in a dress."

Bowing to his knowledge, Haley darted back into her closet, exchanging the dress for a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt. When she reappeared, she was relieved to see Jace hadn't returned to his game.

"What about this then?" she asked.

Jace cocked his head, his face pinched in dismay.

"Don't you have anything more...I don't know...girly?"

Rolling her eyes, Haley walked back into her closet. After flipping through a myriad of choices, she pulled on a pair of colorful cotton shorts and paired it with a loose top. As she stepped back out into the summer breeze, Jace's expression lightened.

"There you go," he said. "It looks good but you won't have problems with whatever he has planned. Do you know what he has planned?"

Haley tossed up her hands. "Not a clue. He just gave me this big smile and said to dress casual. What do you think it is?"

Jace contemplated the question, the ball rocketing between his hands.

"Honestly, I have no idea. The easiest answer is dinner and a movie, but I don't think he would do something so boring. I guess you'll find out."

A bubble of anticipation grew in Haley's stomach at the thought of what was to come

"I guess I will."

Jace set the ball down and stood. "Okay, well now that we've deemed your outfit good enough, help me." He waved his hands at his attire, baseball T and shorts. "We have this shirt or..."

He tugged it over his head and reached over to the chair, tugging out a simple navy blue shirt. He put it on, brushing his hand down the front to disperse some of the wrinkles. "Or this one."

"Shouldn't you be wearing a clean shirt? I mean it is the first time Josie will be meeting your family."

"It is clean. And it's not a big deal. Yes, I want them to like her and if they don't that could be bad, but if I don't make a big deal of it then it will most likely go better."

Haley shrugged. "Okay. I liked the baseball T better, it shows your arms off."

"You mean these arms?" Jace flexed his biceps, making Haley laugh.

She shook her head and took a step back. "I got to get going."

Before she could fade back into her room, Jace called out. He picked up the hacky sack and tossed it to her.

"Have fun tonight," he said.

She smiled at him. "You too. I want to know how tonight goes."

"I guess that means I should expect to be rudely awakened by a hacky sack to the face tomorrow morning?"

"Is there any other way to wake you up?"

"Not as far as I know."

The two of them shared a grin and split ways.

Haley tugged on her shoes and plucked her phone from her nightstand and dropped it into her purse. She skipped downstairs and found her father dressed in jeans and a faded shirt, sitting on the couch, papers laid out on the coffee table. He raised his head.

"Where are you off to?" he asked.

Haley nervously smoothed down her shirt. "A date with Isaac."

Her father raised an eyebrow, surveying her. "Tess! Do we know this Isaac character?"

Blushing, Haley shook her head at the amused glint in her father's eyes. Her mother popped her head out of her room.

"What?"

When realizing shouting across the house was pointless, she joined them, taking in Haley's outfit.

"You look cute, sweetheart," she said.

"Thanks."

"Tess, do we know Isaac? Is he worth investigation."

The teasing note in her father's voice made Haley glow, feeling as if she hadn't seen him at ease for a very long long time. It was the hope of less stressful days to come. Picking up on her husband's playful mood, Haley's mother plopped down beside him.

"Is this the same shirtless Isaac, I met before?" she asked.

At the wide-eyed look from her father, Haley shot her mother a halfhearted glare.

"It's not as bad as it sounds, dad."

"Still," he said. "I want you home by ten."

Haley decided not to fight this point. "Okay, can I borrow the car?"

"You can. Drive safe and text us when you're on your way home."

"Got it."

Haley grabbed the keys from the peg by the door and was just reaching for the handle when it opened and Matt stepped inside. He eyed her outfit and the keys in her hand.

"Where you going?" he asked.

"Date," she said.

He smiled. "Have fun."

As Haley was about to make a break for freedom, Matt stopped her.

"Before you go," he said, glancing from her to their parents. "I thought tomorrow we could all have dinner together."

Surprised, Haley looked between him and her parents, who were regarding each other.

"I don't see why not," her father said. "Any specific reason?"

Matt shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I figure graduation is in two weeks and I'll be leaving sooner than we expect. I thought we should have dinner together at least once more before things get crazy."

"All right," their father said.

"Let's go to La Cocina," their mother said.

Hope flooding Haley's chest. "It will be like old times."

************

The music cut out as Haley pulled up to the curb outside of Isaac's house and switched off the engine. A congregation of butterflies were conversing in her stomach and no matter how many deep breaths she took they never settled.

As she stepped out of the car, the front door to Isaac's house opened and Cal bounded out, his pink tongue hanging from his mouth. Following close behind was Isaac, his smile as nervous as Haley felt. But with it was a look of barely concealed excitement.

They appeared too quickly for it to mean anything other than the fact that they had been waiting by the door. Somehow this managed to double the buzzy feeling ricocheting through Haley.

"Hey," Isaac asked, opening the gate for her.

There was an eagerness in his voice that made Haley's heart race.

"Hi," she said.

As she entered the yard and Cal took this to mean he could attack her hand with kisses.

"Cal, calm down," Isaac said. He whistled once and the dog sat, his tail beating a frantic pattern on the grass.

Smiling at her, Isaac took her kisses-free hand. There was no spark. Instead, a warmth spread through her calming the butterflies and stilling her nerves.

His hand in hers was the most natural thing, familiar in a strange way like she could describe every line and callus without looking. It was if it had always belonged there.

"You ready?" Isaac asked, his voice smooth as if her hand had the same effect on him.

She nodded.

"Okay, we'll take my car."

"To..."

Haley raised her eyebrow but Isaac only grinned.

"You'll see," he said.

She liked how his eyes brightened with his secret and found she was okay with not knowing. As they crossed the lawn to the garage, the front door opened and his mother stepped out.

"Have fun! Home by ten," she said.

Isaac nodded his agreement and tugged Haley into the shadow of the garage. His car was waiting and as Haley slid into the passenger seat, Isaac opened his door and Cal climbed in. As the dog flopped onto Haley's lap, she looked at Isaac in question. His smile was bashful as he brought the engine to life.

"My mom says he will keep us from doing something we shouldn't."

Though Haley's cheek turned pink, she laughed and scratched the puppy's head. In return, he closed his eyes in pure bliss. They backed out, Isaac's mother waving to them. An upbeat song kept them company as they drove, filling the space that a conversation would normally be. The lack of one wasn't awkward, instead, it was comfortable as if they had done this a thousand times and had no reason to be anything less than at ease with each other.

Haley sank back in her seat, loving the pine scent of the car, the weight of Cal laying on her lap and the rush of wind as it whipped in through the open windows.

She turned her head, watching Isaac. His blonde hair fluttered and his expression was peaceful, body relaxed. Sensing her gaze, he locked eyes with her. He smiled but it was an unconscious smile like he wasn't aware of a reason that he or his appearance should garner any attention.

When the radio switched to a Seven Ships song, the pair shared a secret glance.

"Has Josie been texting you?" Isaac asked.

"About coordinating what we're wearing for the concert? Yeah, like ten times."

Isaac chuckled and shook his head. "I don't see why we even would. It's a concert."

Haley shrugged and rested her wrist on the window lip, letting the current tug at her fingertips.

"I guess people go all out and mimic the outfits from the music video. I once saw a picture of someone who had drawn a skull on their face to represent that one song lyric."

"Really?"

"Yup!"

From there their conversation flowed as easy as breathing, but as intimate as holding hands. They cut away from the town and took backroads towards a rise of hills. At the change in scenery, Haley perked up, her curiosity growing. They turned off the paved street and onto a weedy, rutted path that wound its way up the side of a hill. When they stopped they sat on the edge of the knoll overlooking the town.

Haley opened her door and Cal leapt out, running off to explore. The air held the scent of grass. It was a green landscape around them, sprinkled with little white, wildflowers. Over the edge of oaks trees sprung up looking like marching soldiers trying to reach the top. Over the top of the leafy heads, the heart of the town stood out, buildings surrounded by nature. The horizon was softening with pastel hues and below lay a sliver of the ocean.

Haley was pulled from the view when she heard Isaac nudge one of the rear doors closed. In his arms were a basket and a thick, olive blanket.

"A picnic?" she asked.

He set the basket down and shook out the blanket, laying it down.

"Yes, but something else too."

Haley sat, the thick grass acting as a thick cushion. Cal came running back and clambered onto her lap, affection seeming to outweigh his curiosity. Isaac popped the trunk of the car and ducked inside. He took out a metal stand and set it up beside the basket, piquing Haley's interest. When he made a second trip, this time carrying a smaller telescope than the one he had in his room, it all made sense.

"You're showing me the stars," she said.

Isaac carefully attached the telescope to its base.

"You said that you couldn't remember the last time you looked at the stars so I thought I would change that."

Lifting Cal off her lap, she stood.

"You can look at the stars without a telescope, you know," she teased.

Isaac straightened, his eyes shining with a glow that could only come from a love of something.

"Yeah, but this way I can show you what they look like close up. I can teach you their names. What the stories are behind them. I don't believe in horoscopes but I can tell you what some people believe about them and which collection fits which sign."

Haley couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips at his clear pleasure at getting to share his passion with her. Seeing the smile, Isaac ran a hand through his hair, ducking his head, embarrassed.

"Sorry," he said. "I get excited about this stuff." He let out a self-mocking laugh. "I guess I deserve the label of nerd."

Haley cupped his face, making his eyes meet hers then kissed him. 

"Nobody is just a label," she said. "Everyone knows that."

**********************************************************************

Oh my goodness! 🙈

We made it! I can't believe you stuck with me through it all! Any last thoughts! 👉🕳👈

I'm not sure how to close out this book because in someways it's different than the rest. But like all the rest I can imagine the lives of the characters continuing on even if we don't see how they live on we know that they will stumble, trip, and sometimes fall but will always get back up and keep going on.

I will tell you this, for the first time ever I can see my characters not staying together.

Hold on! Before you have a heart attack let me explain.

I can see Haley and Isaac splitting ways for college. Haley will spend a year learning what it's like just to be by herself and make friends. But after a year they find each other again and are stronger because of the break. Because they learned that even with distance and meeting new people they still want to be with each other.

What do you think?

Also Jace will always have Haley's back and their kids will grow up together becoming the best of friends!

I think that's a pretty good note to end this book on, don't you?

Thank you for going along for the ride! Just know that there are so many more journeys waiting for you! Here's a list!

A Secret Service [COMPLETED]
Kickbutt girl. Action. Mystery. Hot guy. Love.
Classified [On-going] (Companion to A Secret Service)
Open Case File [On-going] (Companion to A Secret Service)
Companion to A Secret Service.
A Vagabond's Tale [COMPLETED]
Adventure. Fantasy. Court life. Love.
Three Weeks [COMPLETED]
New girl. Life guard. Adventures. Waffles. Love.
A Second Chance [COMPLETED]
Playboy singer. Small time singer. Contract. Love.
Mr. Write [COMPLETED]
Co-writers. Humor. Love.
Celebrity Cruise [COMPLETED]
One week. Cruise worker. Famous singer. Love.
Every Second [COMPLETED]
Pop singer. Drummer. One album. Love.
Beyond The Barrier [COMPLETED]
Zombies. Action. BA girl. Love.
Tristan's Decision [COMPLETED]
A You Decide adventure book

Flipping dolphins that's a lot of books! 😳

And as always I have a new book one coming your way so make sure to follow cause you don't want to miss out on another adventure. Especially when it involves a pirate! I know, exciting stuff! 😄

That is the leading man of my next book! 😏 Excited about it now, aren't you?