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curled up and he chewed slowly, eventually swallowing. 
    “Wow,” he said, setting the plate down. “That.  Is.  Awful.”
    I looked sheepishly over to him, not wanting to offend him after he’d worked so hard.
    “It’s not that bad,” I said, scooping another piece onto my fork.
    “Don’t you dare take another bite of that.”  He took my plate before I could argue and set it beside his. “Well, that didn’t go as I’d planned.”
    “At least you tried.  That was incredibly sweet of you,” I said, but Jesse shook his head and stood up.
    “Okay…onto my backup plan then.  Since that was such a failure, I’ve got something that you’re sure to love.  Be right back.”
    He stood up, walking into his room before returning a moment later.  He held out a wrapped rectangular box and I looked at it curiously before taking it from him.
    “Go on and open it,” he encouraged.
    I unwrapped the box and then smiled once I realized what it was. 
    “Where did you get this?” I asked, staring down at the box of salt water taffy from my favorite roadside stand in Cape Cod…the same kind I’d given Jesse for his birthday when we first met. 
    “I called Natasha and asked her if she could get it for me and she did.  I figured since you couldn’t be in Boston for graduation, I could bring a taste of it back to you.”
    I just shook my head, trying to understand how Jesse always did what he did.  He always knew what to do to make me happy. 
    “I don’t even know what to say.  I haven’t had any of this since I gave you that box when I first got here,” I said, taking out a piece. “I forgot how amazing this stuff is.” I paused for a few moments to chew, but once I’d swallowed the taffy, I looked back over to him.  All I could do was smile. I put the box of candy beside me and leaned over, wrapping my arms around him. We held each other for a moment and then I pulled away, looking at him playfully.
    “What’s that look for?” he asked.
    “I’ve got a question for you,” I said and he raised his eyebrow in curiosity. “Can I drive the mule?”
    “You want to drive the mule?”
    “Yes, I do.  I never have and I’d like to try.”
    “Alright, let’s go.”  He stood up and held his hand out to me, pulling me up from the couch.
    “What?  You’re not going to argue with me?  You’re not going to try and talk me out of it?”
    “No.  This should be fun.  I’ve seen how you drive your Jetta, so experiencing how you handle the mule should make for some great entertainment.”
    I just ignored his snarky remark and followed him outside, excitement washing over me as we approached the mule. I got in the driver’s seat and Jesse handed me the keys.  I turned the ignition, put it in gear and pushed the gas pedal too hard.  I immediately slammed on the break and we both lurched forward.
    “I knew this would be fun,” he laughed.
    “I’ll get the hang of it,” I said, pushing the pedal again.  It felt different than a car.  The pedal seemed to stick and the steering wheel was tight, but I turned onto the road, not sure I was ready to tackle the trails.
    “You’re doing a pretty good job, Boston,” Jesse said and I smiled, hearing his pet name for me.  When I first moved to Carver, I used to give Jesse a hard time for calling me Boston.  In fact, I’d hated it, but now I loved it, even though he rarely called me that anymore.
    “This is fun,” I said as the warm summer air whipped around us.  “I can’t believe I always let you drive.”
    “We’ve had some good times in this thing.”
    “We have,” I said, nostalgia causing a small lump to form in my throat as I thought back on all the memories. 
    “Maybe we should take it with us to K-State.  I could drive you to your classes in it.”
    I started laughing and floored the pedal even harder.   It was quiet except for the engine and the wind blowing past us as we continued down the road.  Soon, I spotted Mrs.