The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach, #1)(102)

Sheree’s eyes widened. She squeezed Noelle’s forearm. “Damn, girl. Tell me the rest!”

So, Noelle spilled everything about what happened with her and Jeremiah this summer, and how everything had unraveled on Sunday night. It felt good to tell the story to someone who was unfamiliar with it. Although Tati had been supportive and attentive, Noelle could tell that she was beginning to drive her best friend crazy with the number of times she’d brought up Jeremiah this week.

“Well, it sounds to me like you had a little drama, but it’s ultimately something you can work through,” Sheree said, after Noelle finished explaining.

“Maybe,” Noelle said. “I’m sure it’s something we could overcome. But I don’t know if we should.”

“Why not?” Sheree asked.

“I’m afraid now,” she said. “I really love him. But what if I put in the effort and our relationship fails? What if I end up wasting my time and my heart and get too distracted from my own goals? I’ve done that in the past, and I don’t want to make that mistake again.”

“Even if you’ve made mistakes in the past, you’ve probably learned from them and grown, right?” Sheree said. “From what I’ve seen from you, you’re professional and on the ball. Maybe you aren’t giving yourself enough credit now. If we spend too much time thinking about the what-ifs, how can we ever accomplish anything? And isn’t love always a risk, regardless? Justin has never given me a reason to doubt him. That doesn’t mean that something might not go wrong down the line. You never know. But I have enough trust in him and our relationship to believe that we’ll be okay. I mean, shoot, I’m marrying him, aren’t I?”

She laughed, and Noelle laughed softly too.

“What I’m trying to say is,” Sheree continued, “don’t take yourself out of the game before you’ve really had a chance to play. You might be surprised by how well everything turns out.”

Sheree’s advice was not dissimilar to Tati’s advice to not miss out.

Noelle realized that, in a way, she’d been punishing herself for the things that had happened to her when she’d dropped out of college. She’d held on to the embarrassment and shame, and those negative feelings had pushed her to work hard and get back on track. But she didn’t need those negative feelings to drive her anymore. She’d grown since then. And she needed to give herself grace about forgetting to schedule her advisor meeting. Because, as Professor Mathis said herself, who would be thinking about something like that on a Saturday night during summer?

Noelle wasn’t giving herself enough credit, like Sheree said. And she wasn’t giving Jeremiah enough credit either. She had no reason to believe that he’d try to interfere with her studies. Look at how he’d respected her desire for space this week. Yes, they’d experienced a brief rough patch, but not giving their relationship a chance would be the real waste. Why couldn’t she be dedicated enough to keep her eye on the ball and graduate, while also maintaining a relationship with Jeremiah if that was what she wanted?

“I think you’re right,” she said softly. Sheree smiled and nodded.

The bathroom door opened, and Sheree’s mom peeked her head inside. “Sheree, everyone’s looking for you. It’s time for the toast.”

“Okay, I’ll be out in a sec,” Sheree said. She turned to Noelle. “You coming?”

Noelle nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be right behind you.”

Sheree began to follow her mom out into the hall, but then she doubled back. “Hey, once all this wedding stuff is over, do you want to hang out for real?”

Noelle’s smile took up her whole face. “Yeah. I’d love that.”





Chapter Thirty-Two




Okay, so she needed to get to Heart Beach.

Every minute not spent in Heart Beach was a minute wasted. The man she loved was moving across the country soon, and he was in Heart Beach. She needed to haul ass and get to wherever he was.

Once Noelle pulled into her complex, she rushed inside her apartment and kicked off her heels. She ran into her bedroom and dragged her suitcase out of her closet. She didn’t have time to change, so she’d have to keep on her afternoon-tea outfit. She haphazardly threw clothes into her suitcase. She needed to stop and get more gas before she hopped on the highway, and there would definitely be traffic on the parkway because it was rush hour and everyone was getting off work and driving to the beach. But whatever, she’d dealt with worse things than traffic in summer.

She slipped on her flip-flops as she dragged her suitcase behind her into the living room. She sent Tati a quick text, Driving to Heart Beach! Then, with a pounding heart, she called Jeremiah.

He answered on the first ring. “Noelle?” He sounded breathless.

She closed her eyes. Relief and joy washed over her at the sound of his voice. She missed him so much.

“Hey,” she said softly.

“Hey, I was just about to call you. Where are you?”

“I’m home right now, but I’m about to leave for Heart Beach. That’s why I’m calling. I know we have a lot to talk about, and I haven’t called you this week, but I’d rather we talk in person, and—wait, you are in Heart Beach right now, aren’t you?”