“Night,” she says, moving away from his touch.
He finally turns away, getting lost in the crowd, and I should be happy the shithead is finally leaving.
But I can’t be, because everything just changed for us in a big way.
He’s Monty’s coworker.
And last year he was my son’s teacher.
He knows exactly who I am, and he knows what we were doing in that photo booth.
* * *
The moment she’s certain Brandon is gone, my girl flounces back over to me, grinning.
“Whew. That was close.”
I nod but don’t say anything. I don’t trust myself.
I take her hand and lead the way back to the parking garage, not wanting to risk running into anyone else we know.
“That’s the guy I’ve been telling you about, my coworker who kept asking me to go for drinks and such over the summer. He’s your competition.”
I know she’s teasing, but it doesn’t mean I hate the words any less.
“Monty, he’s—”
“Kind of a creeper?” she interrupts.
No, he’s going to rat us out. He was Xavie’s teacher.
“I know,” she continues. “He gives me such weird vibes. Sometimes he’s not so bad, but some days it’s hard to handle. I think he might just be going through a tough time. He was a kindergarten teacher last year before moving up to second this year and was dating one of the secretaries. They were engaged. Turned out she was engaging in some not-so-clothed activities with the gym teacher too.”
I hear it in her voice—sympathy. No matter how hard of a time the dude has taking a hint and not leaving her alone, she still feels bad for him.
Which is so like my Monty.
She leans into me, pressing her body against mine, and I throw my arm around her shoulder, bringing her in closer.
“Thank you for tonight,” she says shyly. “It was…nice.”
My heart is hammering in my chest, and I pray she doesn’t hear it.
Tonight was nice…until Brandon ruined it.
He won’t keep his mouth shut about this. If there’s anything I learned when he was Xavier’s teacher last year, it’s that this dude is a douche with a capital D. We butted heads…a lot. I’m fairly certain he hates me too, because I wasn’t afraid to call him on his crap.
He will rat us out. There’s no way he won’t.
He’ll wait though. He’ll drop the bomb when we’re least expecting it, let us get comfortable and close and fall completely and utterly in love before pulling the rug out from under our feet.
I can’t let that happen.
“You okay?” she asks as we approach the bike.
“Yeah, everything’s great,” I tell her, giving her the best smile I can muster and throwing my leg over the seat. “I’m great. You’re great.”
“I know.” She winks and gives me a saucy grin before sliding her helmet over her head and climbing on behind me.
There’s something different about her on the ride home, and not just because she has her arms outstretched against the wind as we barrel down the highway.
It’s more than that.
She seems so…free. Adventurous.
Ready for whatever life throws her way.
And she needs that right now.
Because tonight? Tonight is going to be the last time I see Monty for a long damn time.
I just don’t know how to tell her that.
* * *
“I did something really fucking stupid.”
“Color me surprised,” my best friend says with a lopsided grin.
When I don’t laugh or even smile at his remark, he sobers up, sitting straighter in the chair and turning all his focus on me.
It’s Monday morning and I’m sitting on the other side of Zach’s desk at Embody Positivity.
Considering we spent the better part of the last several years running his business from his basement, it’s weird to see him behind a desk again.
But here we are.
And here I am asking for his help…again.
“What happened?”
“Monty is Xavie’s teacher.”
Zach’s right bushy brow rises, but just the right one. “How long have you known?”
“Long enough—almost a week.”
“And you’re just now telling me why?”
“Because it’s fucking complicated, you ass. The fewer people who know about it, the better.”
“But I’m your best friend.”
“Play that butthurt bestie card later. Right now I need help.”
He sits back, pretending to slide something off his desk and tuck it away in a drawer. “Butthurt bestie card has been stowed for later. Tell me what’s up.”
I roll my eyes at his joke and sigh. “We went out Sunday night. I took her to TacoWay and—”
“She totally orgasmed from those amazing tacos, didn’t she?”
“Yes, but stop interrupting. Anyway,” I continue, “I’m pretty sure I told her I loved her, we danced, and then I’m pretty sure I told her again.”
When Zach doesn’t say anything like I expect him to, I keep going.
“Then we kinda sorta…um, fooled around in a photo booth.”
Both brows lift this time and a smile curves across his lips, but he still doesn’t say anything.
“Then I’m pretty sure she told me she loved me, which is still kind of blowing my mind, but I digress.” I scrub a hand through my already messy hair. “We ran into her coworker when we came out of the booth, both of us looking guilty as fuck.”
Zach steeples his hands together, resting his chin on the tips of his fingers. “So? It’s not like he knows who you are.”
“Remember when I said Monty is Xavie’s teacher?” Zach nods. “Well, that means Monty works at the same school he went to last year.”
“And?”
“And I know her coworker. Actually, in a way, you do too.”
A crinkle forms between his brows. “You’re gonna have to start elaborating.”
“Remember how I was having issues with Xavie’s teacher last year? The one who kept sending him to the principal’s office for really stupid things?”
“Mr… Oh, shit—what was his name? Mr. Dipshit? Douchebag? Dickweed?”
“Donahue, Brandon Donahue, and that’s who we ran into Sunday night.”
Zach’s eyes light up at this revelation. “Oh fuck. He knows you. He really knows you, and he absolutely hates you.”
“I know.”
“You’re fucked.”
“I know,” I say again. “And it’s not even in the fun way.”
“I mean, from what I hear happened in that photo booth, it was.”
He barely dodges the stapler I throw at him.
“Hey! That was heavy, you ass!”
“Deserved too, you dick.”
“Fair enough.” He scoots around in his chair, too lazy to even get up, and grabs the stapler, putting it back in place. “What are you going to do?”
“Well…” I draw out.
“Okay, what stupid-as-fuck thing did you already do?”
“I haven’t…yet, but I’m going to. I have to. I can’t see her again, not after last night, after almost getting caught—not when that douchebag knows about us.”
“You can always keep it on the DL.”
“That was our plan, but now that means not even going out for fucking tacos.” I let out a frustrated groan. “It means being holed up in our apartments for fear someone will see us together and take this to the extreme.”
“You’re not doing anything wrong, you know,” he tries to reason. “It’s not illegal, and it’s not even entirely unethical, just…frowned upon.”
“Frowned upon is enough for Monty to freak out. Frowned upon is also enough to cause problems, especially for a first-year teacher.”
He winces. “I didn’t realize this was her first year.”
“Yeah, and I don’t want to be the re
ason things get fucked up for her, or the reason she gets a bad rap, or for this to cause any drama. I’m not worth it.”
“I think Monty would say differently, but that’s your call, Robbie.” He taps his fingers to his chin a few times before huffing out a loud breath. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’ll be wrong whatever you decide to do. This is a really tough situation, and I won’t judge you if you break up with the best broad that’s ever happened to you or if you continue to bang your kid’s teacher. Up to you, man.”
“You’re so eloquent.”
He spins himself around in a circle, grinning like an idiot. “I’ve been told that a time or two.”
Zach continues to spin as I mull his words over.
Monty is worth the fight—there’s no denying that—but when that fight isn’t just something that’s tough to handle but something that could affect her career? It becomes a battle I don’t know if we should fight.
“What are you gonna do?” he asks, still spinning.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I don’t either. You gotta figure that shit out on your own.”
I push up to stand and stare down at him. He is still spinning. “I hope you puke.”
“Think I could get my boss to give me the day off if I do?”
I shake my head at him and head for the door as I call out, “You’re exhausting.”
“You love it!”
Twenty-Four
Robbie
Monty: Hey. I haven’t heard from you today, which is kind of unusual because you’re always super annoying.
Monty: I was kidding. I like it when you’re super annoying.
Monty: Robbie?
Monty: Huh. Guess you’re busy or sleeping. I’ll leave you be. Just text me when you get the chance. *kisses*
* * *
Monty: Good morning.
Can’t Text This Page 21