The Assignment

“Define this.”

“I can’t, really. It’s indescribable. Like I’m outside of my own body, watching it all. It’s a phenomenal feeling, though.”

“Oh, that. Yeah. I’ve had that feeling for weeks. Pretty sure I’m ten steps ahead of you. It only gets more intense, by the way. Like, don’t be surprised if you put the TV itself in her lunch box next.”

“That bad, huh?” She laughed.

I held her tighter. “Yeah…in a good way.”

Aspyn

The following Tuesday at work, I made a point to pop into Mr. Serrano’s room to say hello. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t subconsciously ignoring him to avoid having to address my relationship with Troy. When I entered, the usual scent of Love Spell body spray lingered in the air.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while,” I said.

“Well, from what I hear you’ve been busy.” He grinned.

I was still formulating my response to that when he saved me.

“I’m teasing,” he said.

“I know your grandson has filled you in.” I took a seat across from him.

He nodded seriously. “He’s a good boy, Aspyn. He’s made some mistakes in the past. But I believe he’s changed. And I also know he really likes you. I’ve never seen Troy talk about anyone the way he talks about you. But you didn’t hear that from me.”

A pathetic level of butterflies developed in my stomach upon hearing that news. I smiled. “My lips are sealed, but thank you for letting me know.”

“He told me he took your niece to that dance.”

“He did. Kiki has really taken a liking to him. She is a handful but a blessing in my life.”

“Troy feels like he can relate to her situation, I think. It wasn’t easy for him, growing up without a mother and all. We were so busy all the time. We did the best we could, but we certainly made our mistakes. He didn’t have the happiest childhood.”

I patted his arm. “Well, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you can try your hardest and still have an unhappy kid at times.”

Mr. Serrano turned down the volume of Judge Judy. “I had no idea when I met you that you had so much on your plate. And you still manage to have a nice smile on your face all the time.”

“Well, it doesn’t help anything to be miserable. I try to look on the bright side, even if I’m having a bad day.”

He cleared his throat. “I’m just going to say one more quick thing, because I know what’s going on with you and Troy isn’t my business…”

“It’s okay.” I smiled. “I value your opinion.”

“I hope it works out for you two. Because he deserves a girl as nice as you.”

That warmed my heart. I didn’t always feel like a nice girl, but the fact that he saw me that way made me happy.

“Thank you for saying that,” I told him. “We’re taking it one day at a time. A lot is still up in the air. But he does make me happy, Mr. Serrano. Between you and me, I haven’t been this happy in a very long time.”

“Well, that makes me happy.” He smiled.

I hadn’t even admitted that to Troy. For some reason, it was easier to open up to the old man instead.

“I realize how ironic all of this is, given the way things started between us.”

He nodded. “Life can be funny. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life has an amazing sense of humor.”

• • •

That evening, I was sorting through the mail when I noticed a small envelope addressed to me. The return address was Troy’s. Oddly, my first reaction was panic. Was this a Dear John letter? Why the hell did he mail me something when he could have just given it to me the next time we were together?

I opened it as fast as I could. Inside was a simple piece of off-white, lined paper with a handwritten note in blue ink.

Dear Aspyn,

I’ve been trying to figure something out for a while, and I think I finally have.

Lately, my coffee tastes better. At first, I thought maybe I’d bought a different brand by mistake, but no. It’s the same brand I’ve always used.

Then I noticed that the leaves on the trees seem so much more colorful than I remember. I don’t think I’d ever stopped to appreciate fall in Meadowbrook. Why am I noticing it all of a sudden?

The answer is, it’s not the coffee or the leaves. It’s you, Aspyn. You make me happy. And everything is better, more vibrant, when you’re happy. You’re the first woman to ever make me feel this way.

I hope you realize how special you are.

XO Troy

I couldn’t believe he’d sent me this. My heart beat rapidly as I held my hand to my chest. At first, I wondered whether he’d written this because of what I’d told his grandfather. I thought maybe Mr. Serrano had told him about my confession. But that conversation was only earlier today. And this had been mailed before then.