resulted in a multilayer ham and cheese sandwich with mayo and not a slice of lettuce in sight. The closest he’d gotten to a vegetable was a thin slice of tomato.
“How can anyone look so disappointed at a mere lunch box?”
The amused voice came from behind him, and he turned with a smile at Zizi Berthold, the art teacher. She hadn’t been at the party on Saturday because the only people at the school who got less respect than the part-time teachers were the art and music instructors who were set up on some tricky 1099 employment situation that gave them no security and few benefits. The attitude seemed to be that after all, they were only teachers of the frivolous arts that might need to be cut at any time. As usual, Zizi’s bright pink-red hair that resembled nothing in nature, stood out around her pixie face and her gypsy skirt brushed the floor. She’d told Toby that she didn’t want to be put on a salary and tenure track because then she’d have to follow their rules. Follow she did not. Fortunately, she was a brilliant painter and the parents loved their little darlings showing signs of artistic talent.
Toby leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Just disappointed at myself for what I put in the lunch box.”
“Darling, you’re adorable as you are.”
“Thank you, but honestly I either need to love my waistline or change it. It’s the waffling that’s crazy-making.” He snorted. “And the hamburgering, and the fried-chickening, and the ham-sandwiching.”
She laughed. “See you in there.” She pointed toward the teacher’s lounge and disappeared through the connecting door.
Closing his locker, he plopped on the bench in the center of the small room. His brain wouldn’t give up sorting through the events of the two nights before, trying to decide what had been the moment Ernest had concluded he didn’t want any more of Toby. Was it because Ernest hated the people at the party? He hadn’t seemed to. Maybe it was because Toby had pushed him on the whole being followed thing. I still don’t get that. Somebody was following Ernest for some reason, maybe nefarious and maybe not, but Toby couldn’t imagine what the non-nefarious reason was. Was the man an old boyfriend keeping tabs on Ernest? He appeared years older and, honestly, not all that appealing, but who knew? And if that were true, why didn’t Ernest react when he saw him?
Oh hell. He stood, grabbed the lunch bag, and walked into the lounge where a few teachers were sitting at the big table eating lunch and chatting. Most of the tenured staff went out for lunch, so the group in there was seldom large.
Pulling out the chair Zizi had saved for him, he slid into the table, grabbed his sandwich, and took a bite before he could convince himself to skip lunch. When he did that, he inevitably ended up grabbing fast food on the way home.
Zizi gave him a smile. He’d kind of like to talk through the Ernest issue with her, but honestly, the details were so complicated, he didn’t have time between then and the end of the day to explain it all, much less in their short lunch break.
She leaned over and whispered, “I hear you were at the party with your devastating boyfriend.”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“It’s all over the school. Of course, Justin’s suggesting that the guy was a fake, but most people said you two looked damned convincing. Something about a kiss?” She grinned and ate her vegan salad.
He tried to smile as he chewed. “He’s pretty great.”
“I’ve never heard you talk about him before though.” She kept her voice low.
“I’ve known him for about a year.” True in the very strictest terms, if you counted the first time Toby had ever seen Ernest and Cat at the vet.
“Wow. You have been close to the vest.”
“We haven’t been, uh, dating all that time.”
“Oh? How long have you been together?”
He chewed the inside of his cheek and tried to get the mushy mouthful of ham, cheese and bread to go down. WTF. He whispered, “A few days.”
Her eyes bugged, but she managed to keep chewing without a coughing fit. “Holy crap.”
“Yeah.” They just ate for a while, but then two of the people closest at the table got up and left. Toby whispered, “But now he seems to have vanished, so I may not even have the one-week boyfriend to show.”
She turned to him. “Oh