“Show me what else you have first,” he said warily. I could tell he needed more than just the act of burning my books to see that I had changed.
I picked up the recipe box and opened it wide, exposing the hundreds of entries inside. “All yours. You could read them, or burn them, too. They are yours to do with as you please.”
He took it graciously, nodded, and shut the lid. “This is a big deal, Cerise. Are you sure?”
“Positive.” I finally worked up the nerve to touch him. I took his free hand in mine and squeezed it tight. I felt an exhalation of relief in my body, thrilled to be touching him again. I could see his posture relax as well.
“There’s more, William.” I handed him the key. He knew what it was. He held it between his fingers gently, as though it were precious.
“Too much,” he whispered. “You don’t have to do all this.”
I took the ribbon and draped it around his neck. “I don’t have to, I need to. For you, and for me.”
He tucked the key into his shirt and held his hand over it. “Cerise.”
“And the final piece,” I said, gushing with pride as I reached into my purse, “is this.”
He opened the folded paper. “A contract?”
“I’ve been hired by the Newmarket school district. I’ll be teaching trig, calc, and personal finance in the fall.”
“A permanent position?” he asked with wonder.
I nodded, grinning widely. “Yes. I’m officially faculty.”
It was only then he swept me into his arms with a flourish. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered into my hair. His cool breath ruffled the strands I had tucked behind my ear and they fell into my face. He brushed my hair aside and kissed me on the cheek.
“So is my mom.”
“Your mom?”
I nodded with a grin. “I’m flying out to see her next month. My therapist thinks it’s a good idea, too.”
“Therapist?” William asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I’m working on myself,” I answered.
“You certainly are. Let’s light that fire,” he said, prepping the logs and tinder. “But I’ll put on the air conditioner for you,” he said, noting the hot weather. We sat down cross-legged on the rug and began to tear the pages out of my planbooks.
“Do you want to keep a few of these?” he asked. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy them, it’s just—”
“Burn, baby, burn,” I said, tossing my contents into the budding flame. “If we want to scene, we can improvise.”
He ran his finger across my palm. “Anything you desire.”
I caught his hand in mine. “So does this mean you’ll take me back?”
He made a half-gasping, half-choking sound. “I’m shocked you’re taking me back,” he said. “The fact that I broke your rules, and disrespected you like that. I mean, the fact alone that you even wanted to make up shows me your commitment. You truly have changed, and not just for me.”
I smiled, and felt pride for the first time in a while.
“You were right. I needed to change my life for myself. And it feels good,” I said, throwing more sheets into the fire. “I’m happy I have a permanent job. I am actually relieved to be getting rid of some obsessions.” My eyes fell on the recipe box and my stomach turned cold. “Are you going to read them? They’re yours.”