“Dr. Tate, then.” He beamed. “That’s very impressive, Janae.”
She shook her head. “It’s kind of frowned upon in the medical profession for anyone other than MDs or DOs to be called doctor. I’m only referred to as ‘doctor’ when I’m adjuncting at Monroe Hills University. And then it’s Dr. Sanders and not Tate. I was married when I earned my degree, so I still use my ex-husband’s name professionally.”
He had a strange look in his eye that made heat slowly spread throughout her insides. If this didn’t stop, she was certain she was going to break out in an embarrassing case of the sweats even though it was a comfortably cool autumn day.
“You earned that title. No matter whether it’s medical, practical,or academic, don’t feel you have to deal with other people’s bullshit courtesy standards.DoctorSanders.”
A shiver of something unrecognizable slipped down her spine, and she had to fight to keep from reacting to it. Her ex-husband, Marq, had never had that kind of reaction to her professional accomplishments.
“So,” she said a little too enthusiastically as she tried to change both the subject and her line of thinking. There was no world where highlighting the ways in which Adam was much more pleasing to her than her ex-husband wouldn’t end in frustration for her. He was off-limits.
“I’m sure you’ve got a busy day ahead,” she said. “I’ll get on out of your way.”
He held his hand out, and she stopped, looking up at him.
“I’ve actually got a few minutes. I’m still getting a feel for things, so I thought coming in early would help me get better acclimated. A lot’s changed in the twenty-five years since we were on this campus.”
He pushed his hand into his pants pocket, looking every bit the debonair playboy she remembered from childhood. He always had a pretty smile for all the girls… except her.
Remember that before you get caught up, Janae. You were practically invisible to him.
That was mostly true, except for when they were competing in their classes. Then, he let her have it as good as she gave it to him. It annoyed her to high heaven. He was so damn arrogant. Arrogant or not, he was good, and she had to give him his respect as a worthy opponent on the academic front.
“You think the school has changed that much?” She shook her head. “Take away the renovations, upgrades, and the new wing, and it’s still the same old Monroe Hills High.”
“Agreed, the school itself may feel the same, but look how big this campus is now. The elementary, middle, and junior high schools have been added to the campus, as well as the administrative building.It wasn’t that way when we attended here. This district has spent a pretty penny on upgrades in the last twenty-five years.”
Adam glanced down quickly at his watch, before returning those dreamy, yes, dreamy, eyes to hers. That was the only word to describe their rich, hazel color. If you stared at them long enough, you found yourself in a trance.
“Listen, it was great getting to see you again, I feel like we haven’t talked in ages.”
“That’s because we haven’t. We barely crossed paths in school, Mr. Popular.”
His laughter lit up his face, making him even more unbelievably handsome than before. His mouth especially.
“You know, Janae, sometimes the popular kids are too nervous to make friends too.”
She stared up at him, trying to read him, to see if this was just Adam being charming. A contemplative look settled across his face, and she got the distinct impression that Adam was being sincere.
“I hope now that I’m home for good, maybe we could get to know each other. It seems I’ve missed out on a whole lot since I’ve been gone.”
Before she could respond, he stepped to the side of her, preparing to walk past her, but he stopped, closing any distance between them, allowing their arms to touch.
“I gotta get inside. Hopefully I’ll see you at the reunion. It would be a perfect time to introduce you to the new and improved Adam Henderson. Maybe if you like him, you’ll even give him your phone number.”
She was about to say no but between him winking at her, and the cool scent of his cologne, or shower gel, or whatever the hell that intoxicating scent was wafting up from his skin, she was having real difficulty coming up with an excuse to turn him down. If she even wanted to turn him down.
Adam allowed one finger to ghost over hers. It was a simpleaction. Something that could’ve been construed as accidental, even. But the way his eyes lit up like gold fire, it was obvious to her the caress was intentional.
“Enjoy the rest of your day, Janae.”
She didn’t respond, not verbally anyway. All she could do was watch his tall frame walk away with the confident swagger of a man in control of everything around him, including her. That’s the only explanation she had for pulling out her phone, finding Michael’s text where he’d sent Adam’s number, and sending Adam a winking emoji followed by an “It’s Janae,” before her good sense could intervene.
Chapter 3
“How’s your first week on the new job been?”
Adam looked up from his phone as he was walking from his reserved parking spot to the main entrance of the district’s administration building. After running into Janae at the high school, and now that Michael was standing to the side of the doors, it almost felt like they were back in school again.
