“I’d forgotten how vicious you could be. I am sorry. It was shitty of me. But I’m older and wiser and more discriminating than I once was.”
She rolled her eyes, and he had to close his eyes for a second as the scent of her perfume wrapped around his senses.
“Why the eye roll?” he asked when he’d gotten hold of himself once more.
“Discriminating? You not only put your dick in Stephanie, you were going to marry her. That is not exactly discriminating in my book.”
“I’d say something like she’s not all bad, but that’s a lie. I sort of…anyway, She came to my house for dinner and she had a stack of wedding invitations she was trying to choose. She’d taken out an ad in the engagements section of the paper and put our picture in it. One of her friends took it at some party! Anyway, I went along with it for a while, but in the end, I couldn’t keep lying to her about it and I couldn’t talk myself into marriage to a woman who didn’t make my heart beat faster unless it was from sick fear. Do you have someone? Back in Macon?”
“I did.” The song was ending, and he knew she’d break for it once it was over.
“Did like how? Like you broke up a while ago or…”
She sighed. “I’ve been single a while. Not that it matters to you, Nathan Murphy.”
“Let me buy you a drink.”
“No.”
“Why you gotta be so hard? We used to be friends. Before we had the other, we were friends. I miss that.”
The song ended and she extricated herself. “I missed a lot of things for a long time. But I don’t now.” She turned her back on him and stalked back to the table where heads bent close, he knew asking her for details.
Then Steffie headed in his direction and he had to melt into the crowd to escape.
Chapter Four
Two weeks later, thoroughly angry, Lily drove through town until she found her quarry standing around the new convenience store a mile from the high school.
She whipped into a space and got out, heading straight for him. “In case you’ve forgotten, it’s a school day.”
He turned with a start and tried to act cool in front of his friends.
Taking her phone out, she videoed the little scene as she continued walking to them.
“You’re missing third period. I’m sure it’s an oversight. So get in the car and let’s go.”
“I was meaning to go.”
“Yeah? Well it looks like you really meant to be a loser and cut school to me. Congratulations. Top marks on that one. This isn’t a discussion. I am not seeking your input.” She turned her glare to the malcontents her brother had taken up with. “Do your parents know you’re also late to third period?”
“What’s it to you?” one of them, Paulie, if she remembered right, said as he smoked.
“You’re nothing to me actually. But he”—she grabbed Chris’s hand—“is everything. So, I guess, to be blunt, what I mean is, will your parents care that y’all are here when you’re supposed to be in school?”
Chris groaned. “Let’s go.”
“You don’t have to go with her. What’s she going to do, carry you?” Paulie sneered and she pitied his parents.
“Knock it off, Paulie.” There he was, the sweet kid she got to see a few times a day. The one she knew could make it if she pushed him. And she was going to, even if she had to pick him up and drag him.
He got in the car without another word.
“You know, Chris,” she said, pulling out of the lot and heading toward the school, “I was in the middle of a piece when the school called me. I told you they would. This bullshit is beneath you. Those dipshits you hang out with are too.”
“I just lost track of time.”
She sighed. “Don’t insult me. You can lie to your friends and even Mom, but don’t waste my time. I love you, kid. I think you are worth the effort.” She parked and got out, loving the look of panic on his face. “But we’re on my time now and you’ve broken your word. You didn’t lose track of time. You shouldn’t even be off campus to start with.”
“I just needed some caffeine. I’ll bring soda tomorrow. You don’t have to go in. I’m going. I promise.” He scampered toward the front doors.
“Unfortunately I do. Because I can’t trust you, and the state would frown on my kicking