it was weird to be asked for a hall pass at a school I’m teaching at. The guy refused to believe that I wasn’t a student until one of my students saved me from getting sent to the principal’s office.”
Jenna, April and Mia were all chilling in the hot tub, each holding a glass of white wine. I sat on up on the concrete around the pool with only my legs inside the bubbling hot water. Mia caught my eye, her dark brows creasing in a frown. “Come sit in here with us.”
I shook my head. “I’ll melt. Canadian blood can’t take the heat.” It was already a hot August evening, and I’d been sweating it up since we’d arrived. The guys had the right idea. They were in the cooler, more refreshing water of the pool either floating on lounges or sitting in the shallow end drinking beers.
Someone plopped down right beside me with her own glass of chilled sangria. Alex looked tanned and gorgeous in her aqua bikini. “Hey you. I haven’t even had a chance to ogle your rock yet, you know that?”
Obligingly, I held out my hand for her to check out the gorgeous antique ring that Lucas had given me. I got to sport it for a short while longer while I still had my role of pretend-wife.
“Ooh this is gorgeous! So unique. Is it an antique?”
I wiggled my fingers to make the diamond glitter. “Yes. It belonged to Lucas’s great-grandma in the Netherlands. They got married during the Roaring Twenties.”
Alex bent to take another look. “Soo pretty. So detailed. I can imagine parties and beautiful beaded dresses with fringe and low waists and gentlemen dancing the Charleston.”
I brought the ring up to my own eyes. “Me? I’m most curious about the woman who wore this before me. What were her hopes and dreams? Was she happy? I wonder about the man who gave it to her. Did he truly love her and want her for ever and ever, even when she had aged out of her beauty?”
Alex smiled. “Who would have pegged you for a romantic, Kat?”
I ducked my head, abashed. “You caught me. Please don’t spread that around. I have a reputation to preserve.”
“I’m so glad you’re happy. I’d heard that you and Lucas didn’t get along at work. But damn I don’t blame you for coming ‘round. Your hubby is a snack.”
I almost forgot to thank her for the compliment because I was distracted by a movement off to my left. I turned my head, feeling watched. Sure enough, I caught Lucas’s gaze. He was sitting nearby on the deep-end step beside Jordan, sipping beers. But he wasn’t that far away from us. The way he looked at me, then glanced down at my ring with a smile made it clear he’d heard what I said.
And for some reason, that made me suddenly shy. Especially if he thought I was getting all romantic and gushy about things the way Alex claimed I was being. Ugh. Not a good time for tough Kat to show her gooey marshmallow center. I worked so hard to keep that all hidden. But nowadays, the gooey seemed to want to ooze out and take over.
Not long later, on my way back from the outdoor patio washroom, Heath accosted me. “Come grab something to munch on so we can talk.”
I followed him to a table arrayed with every kind of yummy appetizer imaginable. Chips and dip, salsa and guacamole, crunchy veggies and different types of salads. Cold cuts and deviled eggs and fancy sandwiches.
“Is everything okay?” I asked Heath.
Heath was looking better than I’d seen him in a long time. He’d put on most of the weight he’d lost with his horrible breakup last year and had clearly been working out again. His body was finely tuned without an ounce of extra fat on it anywhere. With him looking so good, I had no doubt he wasn’t lacking for bed partners these days. “It’s fine. It’s just that you and I haven’t talked lately.”
It had been weeks, as a matter of fact. Which was weird because we used to see each other every day as roommates. I felt a pang of regret that I hadn’t reached out regularly. Soon it would probably be like that with Lucas, too. What would it be like when we weren’t seeing each other every day—outside of work? I felt a pang to think about it. Regret? Apprehension? Who knew?