Chapter 9
The first day of school signaled the end of Alex’s free time for the foreseeable future. She intended to call Grant after he gave her his number at the park, but at the end of each day she was exhausted and fell into bed. The first weekend was spent grading papers and working on the next week’s lesson plan. She had a list of parents she already needed to see, and she had to email each of them to request a conference. She was expected to be at the school for drop-off supervision the following week which meant she was getting up earlier and even more tired at the end of each day.
By the last week of August, she finally felt like she could breathe. She’d conducted her parent-teacher conferences for those students that were clearly going to struggle, she wasn’t on car rider duty for another month, and she had her lessons written up and ready to go. She was prepared to actually spend some time with Grant, but when she hung up on his voicemail, she received a text that said he was working all day and he’d call her later.
“Labor Day,” she said when he called her that evening.
“What about it?” he asked.
“No school for three days. It’s coming up.” She stood in front of the large whiteboard style calendar in her kitchen and looked at the date she’d circled in red.
“I have to work almost all major holidays, Alex.”
She groaned. “Why didn’t I think of that?” she grumbled.
“I’ll see what I can do, but no promises.”
It turned out that there was nothing he could do. Alex wanted to cry, or at least invite him to spend the night, but that would be too much like a committed relationship. It was the Friday after Labor Day that he finally called and asked if she wanted to get a drink. She met him at a different bar than the one they’d been at previously.
“Why here?” she asked as she leaned in to kiss his cheek when he arrived.
“Nobody I know is a regular.”
That stung more than she expected it to. He didn’t want to show her off to his friends or be seen with her by anyone he knew. She dragged him to a booth near the back and sat across from him.
“What’s been going on with you?” she asked.
“So much work. We’ve picked up lately because Stu’s closed. They used to be our competition.” He flagged down a waitress and they ordered drinks.
“It’s been crazy at school. It always is at the beginning of the year. Now that everyone remembers what the routine is like and the first few awkward days are over, things are smoothing out.” She thanked the waitress when she came back with her beer.
“Is that what you would normally drink?” He gestured to her pilsner glass.
“I like a variety. I drink whiskey, wine, beer, mixed drinks. I like to order based on my mood.” She took a sip and smiled at him as he raised a brow.
“So there are layers to you. Interesting.”
Alex felt like he wanted to say more but he decided against it. It would be too much like dating, she supposed. Would she ever get the chance to tell him about her Italian mother or her exuberant and large extended family? Would she introduce him to Carmela and Aunt Francesca? Would he meet Hailey, ever pick her up from the school for a date, surprise her at work with flowers or lunch?
The answer was no. And for all the fun they had been having, and the fact that Alex was the one to get crazy to begin with, it hurt every time she thought about it. She wished she’d realized before that first rainy day that she was setting herself up for failure.
“What are you thinking so hard about over there?”
Startled out of her thoughts, Alex met Grant’s gaze from across the table and tried to smile. “I was thinking of the layers you mentioned.”
“Okay.” Grant frowned. He might not be the most astute person in the room at any given moment, but he understood that she wasn’t happy about something. Most likely something to do with him. “What did I do?”
Her smile fell. “It’s nothing. I agreed to this, so I’m not complaining. I just realized that I missed you and here we are talking about nothing in particular instead of having fun.”
“Oh, it’s fun you want?”
He stood and held out his hand. She took it and let him lead her to the pool tables near the back. There were several people playing, and they had to wait their turn. While they waited they each had another drink, ensuring that Alex at least was much more loose and less worried about things like the future. She was looking forward to playing with Grant, and she was surprised when the two men that finished asked if they wanted to play against them rather than just giving up the table.
“To make it interesting, we’ll even give you a handicap for the girl.”
Grant sneered at the blond-haired douche that insulted Alex. “Sounds great, but you’re going to regret saying that.”
Alex wondered why he was so confident when he’d never seen her play before. “Grant, are you sure you want to play for money?”
