“I did agree to keep it quiet, but this is not the same. These are your friends.”
“Ourfriends.”
He rolled his eyes. “Okay, our friend and her parasite.”
“You’re the worst.”
“But you love me, anyway.”
He caught sight of them as they came through the front door. Hudson was tall and slender with auburn hair and a full beard, whereas Reagan was short and curvy with long blonde hair. They made for an interesting couple. He lifted his hand to catch their attention.
“They’re here,” he said, but Luna was already sliding off her stool.
They wound their way back to the front of the restaurant and greeted their friends. The hostess led them to a table and left them with their menus.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together,” Reagan said.
Luna smiled at her. “It has.”
Nobody else said anything for a few moments, and then the waitress arrived and they all had a few minutes to not make eye contact. It really was awkward. Davis was less enthusiastic over this than he had been, and that was saying a lot. He didn’t have anything in common with Hudson.
“Ray, how has work been?” Might as well break the ice with the half of the couple he did like.
“Oh, it’s been amazing. I got my own little three-year-olds now. I have so much fun at work it’s almost not right to get paid for it.”
“That’s good to hear.” He was genuinely happy for her. She looked buoyant as she talked about it. “And when do you get an internship?”
“Not until next year. I hope to be as lucky as Luna in that department.”
Luna nodded. “I did get lucky. We were a perfect fit, and they offered me a spot long before I graduated.”
“How’s it going there, Luna?” Hudson asked.
Luna shifted in her chair. “It’s mostly very good. There’s just this one other middle-grade teacher that I don’t care for, but that’s my fault.”
“It’s not your fault,” Davis hissed.
Hudson suddenly looked more interested. “What’s going on?”
“Luna thought she’d dip her toe in the dating pool and picked up a psycho instead,” Reagan interjected.
“Reagan!”
“No, Luna, she’s basically right.” Davis leaned toward Hudson. “Luna wanted to prove to me and everyone else that she wassoover me”—he shot a look at Luna—“but it backfired.”
Reagan picked up the story. “This teacher asked her out and she agreed.”
“First, they went to a coffee shop, and she didn’t pick up any serial killer vibes,” Davis continued.
“But then they went on a real date after a field trip, and she realized halfway through how much she really does love Davis.” Reagan batted her eyelashes at Luna.
Davis said, “And then this week he started following her around and watching her like a hawk. He even said a few things that were completely inappropriate for any workplace, much less one full of children.”
“What are you doing about it, Luna? That can’t stand.”
Luna shot a frustrated glare at Hudson before she answered him. “I had a meeting with the principal two days ago. She’s promised to keep an eye on him, and now there’s a paperwork trail started.”
“We all knew how happy the two of you would be,” Reagan practically chirped. Davis caught Hudson’s eye twitch and almost sighed.
