You did so great today,” I said, looking at Bella. “You have done great this entire time. You are one of the smartest little girls I have ever met.”

“Will I still see you after I start school?”

“Of course, you will,” I said, slightly choked up. “I will make sure that you are good and happy, and I’m always here to help if you don’t understand something or need help with something. And you still have me until Wednesday.”

“Let’s do the coloring, just to finish up,” she said, handing me a crayon.

I smiled and put my things down, taking the crayon from her and kneeling in front of the table. We colored five pictures together, talking about the scenes in the pictures, where they were from, and the history behind them. It wasn’t part of the lessons for the day, but I was wrapping up my tutoring with Bella because she started her entrance activities for her school on Wednesday, and there wouldn’t be enough time for me to come teach her every day. In all reality, she didn’t need me anymore. In just a short amount of time, she had really shown us what her potential was. I was sad, and I was trying not to be because I had actually become pretty attached to Bella and to the time we got to spend together. She made me realize that I had chosen the right profession, and I wished that I could teach her forever.

When we were done, I helped her hang the pictures up in her playroom, hoping that even if I was unable to be a regular part of her life, she would remember me fondly. I knew that I would remember her and the amazing start to my life here in Blue Hill. I hugged her tightly and wished her luck at school the next week before walking somberly out to the living room. I stood at the counter making sure I had all of my things in my box when Caspian walked up beside me.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “I just can’t believe she starts all this stuff next week. When I went to kindergarten, I just showed up the first day.”

“It’s a really thorough school,” he said, patting me on the shoulder. “Besides, you are going to be around. I have you now, and I’m pretty tough to shake.”

“Oh yeah?” I laughed and looked up at him.

“Yep,” he said with charm. “I wanted to know if you would go on a date with me tonight? A real date where I pick you up and take you out.”

“Wow,” I said, giggling. “I would love to.”

“Awesome,” he replied. “You better go get ready then. I’ll be there in a few hours to get you.”

I smiled excitedly, picked the box up off the counter, and headed for the door. He opened it for me and helped me get my trunk open, waving from the front as I started the car and headed back to the house. I went from solemn to hopeful in two seconds, and I was way more excited about this date than I ever thought I would be. I got to the house and put everything away before skipping back to the bedroom and laying out several outfits. I didn’t know where he was taking me, so I didn’t want to dress up too much, but I wanted to look really nice.

I had never been the girl that was worried about fashion, mostly because I could never afford twelve-hundred-dollar shoes, but Jessa was. She had gifted me a little black dress and Jimmy Choo black stilettos before I had left because she said every girl had to have that staple in their closet. I decided that this was the perfect night for an outfit like that, so I pulled it out and laid it across the bed before I jumped in the shower. I took extra care to shave everything really well and used the body wash that smelled like lavender and strawberries. I felt like I was going out with Caspian for the first time, and my nerves were out of this world.

After I was dressed, I stood in front of the long mirror that I had stood in front of so many times as a child. Only then, I was playing dress up in my grandmother’s clothes, and this time, I was a grown woman, standing there in a tight black dress that fell just below my knees, with a gaping neckline that showed the perfect amount of cleavage and expensive black heels. I smoothed my hands over my curves and pushed my long brown curls over my shoulder, happy with how well I had managed to do my own makeup. I barely recognized the woman looking back at me in the mirror, and I really hoped that Caspian liked what he saw.

I turned and grabbed my clutch off the bed and put my phone inside, hearing Caspian’s Jeep drive up in the driveway. I turned off the light in the bedroom and smiled as the doorbell rang. I couldn’t remember the last time a man had come to pick me up for a date. It was very romantic. When I opened the door, my cheeks blushed at his wide-eyed expression.

“Wow, you look amazing,” he said, kissing me on the cheek.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I said, gazing at his black suit, turquoise shirt, and killer tie.

“I clean up pretty well, right?”

“You do.” I laughed. “Is your mom watching Bella?”

“Yeah, she took her overnight,” he said, helping me close the door behind us.

“Why overnight?”

“I wanted us to have some privacy,” he said, shrugging and hiding a smile.

He opened the car door for me and helped me inside, shutting it and making his way around. I watched as he crossed in front of the car and climbed in, liking the sound of privacy more and more every second. We took off out of the driveway and toward town, going to a small restaurant right on the outskirts, on the beach. It was the only really nice restaurant in Blue Hill, and it had been there for as long as I could remember. I had only been there once, though, for my grandfather’s retirement party, and I was just a child.

The hostess showed us to a candlelit table in the back corner, and he pulled out my chair for me. The place was dimly lit but very nice, and I smiled as he ordered us some appetizers and a bottle of wine. With Bella at his mother’s all night, we had no reason to rush.

“I like this place,” I said, nodding my head and looking around.

“It’s no Michelin Star restaurant from New York, but I thought you’d like it,” he said, smiling.

“I never went to those restaurants in New York. I was a broke college student.” I chuckled. “I worked at a catering company at nights and went to school during the day, at least until my internship started.”

“Wow, that’s a full schedule.” He chuckled.

“When my grandparents passed, they left me the house, but they had been the ones paying for college since my parents refused to help,” I said.

“Why?”

“They thought it was stupid to waste my education on becoming a teacher,” I explained. “They are both very successful business people. We have never really seen eye to eye. So, when my grandparents died, I had to take up the bills. It took me six years to finish a four-year degree, but when I was done, I felt really accomplished.”

“I bet,” he said, smiling. “What was NYU like?”

“Big, busy, and surrounded by the constant chaos of the city.” I laughed. “I met my best friend Jessa my first year in school, and she made it bearable to be there. I owe her a lot. She was really there for me.”

“That’s awesome,” he said. “When Isabella died, I kind of stopped talking to everyone, so my mom has been pretty much my only friend.”

“Now you have me,” I said, smiling.

“I do, don’t I? So, what age children do you want to teach?”

“I think Bella’s age, but I’m not positive yet,” I said. “Children are so interesting, and they are all different.”

“That is so true.” He chuckled. “I thought I had it made since I had been around my best friend’s baby since she was born, but when Bella came, she knocked me on my ass.”

“She is very spirited.” I laughed.

“She is,” he said. “She has been laughing and smiling since the day she came home from the hospital. She was so tiny, but so tough. She is mighty, and I hope that she continues to be that way as she grows into a young woman.”

“With you as her father, and Betty there, I’m sure she will be amazing,” I said.

We talked more about our lives, our own childhoods, and Caspian’s father’s death as we ate dinner. It wasn’t a somber conversation at all, and Caspian really showed me how strong and tough he truly was. He had lost his father and his wife and could still sit across the table from me and smile. He was an amazing man, and dinner went better than I could have imagined. When we were done eating, he paid the check, and we headed out to the Jeep. Instead of getting in, though, he pulled a blanket from the back and led me out onto the beach.

I took my heels off and held his hand, feeling the cool sand beneath me. It was a beautiful evening, and the sun was getting ready to set. I could feel the warm water rush over my feet as we walked along the water’s edge. He looked down at me and smiled, warming my chest.

“I really love living here,” he said. “Even with everything that has happened here, I couldn’t even imagine raising Bella anywhere else.”

“This place really has something magical about it, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” he said, squeezing my hand tighter.

“I came here every summer growing up, and I knew that one day I would call this place my home,” I said. “I just wish my grandparents were still here to share it with.”

“I’m sorry about their death,” he said. “My mother reminded me of who they were. I was actually at both funerals.”

“You were?” I asked. “Thank you for coming. There were just so many people there, it was hard to keep track of everyone.”

We walked past a group of rocks jutting out into the beach and found ourselves in a secluded section of the beach with no access from the road. Caspian let go of my hand and spread out the blanket, sitting down and patting the place next to him. I dropped my shoes and smiled, plopping down and staring out at the sun setting behind the clouds. His hand slid over top of mine, and butterflies fluttered in my chest. I leaned into him, putting my head on his shoulder and looking at all the colors reflecting off the waves in front of us. His arm slid around mine, and he turned his face toward me, lifting my chin with his other hand. I looked deeply into his green eyes, feeling the heat rise up in my chest.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against mine, cupping my cheek with his hand. I pressed back, pushing the gentle nature of his kiss further into the heat erupting inside of me. His breath quickened, and he slid his tongue over my lips, opening them up and tasting the wine on my breath. I whimpered, falling into his arms, the sounds of the waves surrounding us, and my will completely gone.