“Because your man is Adam’s best friend, and you should’ve told me he was the new superintendent.”
Vanessa shook her head, letting her shoulders relax while a smile began to curve her lips.
“Janae, contrary to what you might believe, Michael and I don’t spend our time together talking about our friends.”
When Janae scowled at her, Vanessa’s smile turned into a full-on grin.
“It’s true. Michael mentioned Adam was a teacher and principal in New York and was coming back home to work in Monroe Hills. I assumed it was in one of those two roles. I’m still getting used to small-town life, so it never occurred to me to get in Adam’s business beyond that.”
Janae huffed as some of the tension bled from her tight muscles. Vanessa was a transplant in town and hadn’t yet caught on to the flow of things in Monroe Hills.
“Fine, you’re forgiven, Vanessa.” Janae turned her attention to Cree, meeting a playful twinkle in her brown eyes. “What’s your excuse?”
The broad grin on Cree’s face foreshadowed the tomfoolery Janae was sure was about to come from Cree’s mouth. “Oh, I have none. Derrick mentioned it to me when I told him you were going up to the district to set shit on fire.”
“And you didn’t think to call me and let me know it was Adam?”
Cree shook her head. “Nope. You are never off your game, Janae. You always have everything planned out. That can be a good quality.” Her friend shrugged, softening her features as she leaned into Janae’s space at the table, placing a gentle hand on top of Janae’s. “But if you plan everything, you’ll lose the joy of surprise. I saw how running into Adam unexpectedly had you tongue-tied in Vanessa’s office. I thought it might be a welcome change for you to experience that again.”
Janae wanted to be mad at Cree. She was one of two people she trusted with everything. She should feel betrayed. Instead, the conviction in Cree’s words scraped down her insides like metal against wire.
“I know I’m not always as spontaneous as you, Cree. But I don’t really have the luxury of living life on the edge. I have a teenager I have to set an example for and provide for. That takes a bit of forward thinking.”
“I know it does.” The concern in Cree’s voice touched something deep in Janae, making her focus on her friend’s words instead of planning what to say in response. “And you’ve done a wonderful job of raising that boy and setting an example for him. But you’ve gotta live too, Janae. And I think Adam just might be a doorway into a little much-needed fun for you.”
Vanessa leaned in too, adding her hand on top of Cree’s, the combined pressure making Janae feel protected in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Cree’s right. You’re a phenomenal mother. But even moms gotta have some fun too.”
Vanessa winked at Janae and she instantly knew things were about to take a turn for the silly when Vanessa reached for the pitcher in the center of their table and topped off all of their glasses.
“Besides, it was obvious you had a thing for the man.” Vanessa took a sip from her glass before she continued. “I want to see you explore that. Getting mine did wonders for me. I want the same for my girls.”
“Unlike you and Michael, there’s nothing to explore between Adam and me.”
She was lying. And, judging by the identical lifted brows and twisted mouths of her friends, they knew she was lying too.
“That wasn’t the way it looked at the reunion,” Vanessa continued. “It looked like you two had a whole lot to catch up on.”
Either Vanessa was extremely perceptive, or Janae needed to work on her game face. Whichever was the case, the fact that Vanessa could read her so easily when it came to Adam was disconcerting, to say the least.
“Before that day in your office, Adam and I hadn’t really saidmore than hi and bye since high school. We were of two different worlds back then. He stayed in his corner and I stayed in mine.”
“That suffer-in-silence pining thing y’all had going on wasn’t cute then or now. Y’all are grown. If you’re interested, follow through.” Cree was making all kinds of sense, and Janae didn’t like it. She didn’t like it one bit.
“I was not pining for Adam in high school.” Janae crossed her arms and tried to present a confident façade. “We weren’t part of the same crowd. Adam was a jock. He was popular, into the stereotypical dim-witted skinny cheerleader. He and his crew were too pretentious for my taste. I’m sure me being able to string a thought together, and the fact that I was always fluffy and fabulous, meant I didn’t register for him. Aside from that one time the two of us had to tutor Michael in math senior year, Adam and I may as well have been on different planets.”
The sharp vee settling between Vanessa’s brows marred her smooth features. She was about to say something, when Cree interrupted.
“That’s not the way I remember it. Yeah, skinny cheerleaders chased him, and as a hormone-driven teenager, Adam let them catch him. But the only person he ever truly focused on was you, Janae. You just couldn’t see it. That boy would literally watch you from across the cafeteria.”
Janae couldn’t let herself believe Cree. High school was a lifetime ago and in the grand scheme of things, none of that mattered right now. She’d been so mesmerized by Adam’s return that Janae was caught slipping. That’s the only reason she could think of for not figuring out this superintendent thing earlier. If she hadn’t been so busy spending time with Adam, she would’ve had her nose to the ground trying to fight for her son’s future.
“Cree, let’s get back to the issue at hand. How do I make this work with Adam? He has the literal power to close this program my kid loves so much.”
“What do you mean?” Cree didn’t wait for Janae to reply to her question. She snapped her fingers, then sat back in her chair with a satisfied grin plastered onto her mouth. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”
Janae bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep her features impassive. No, she hadn’t slept with Adam. But she wasn’t sure her desire to do so wouldn’t be interpreted as a yes by Cree. She gathered enough dignity not to giggle like a schoolgirl when she said, “No, I haven’t.”
