He couldn’t deny it. Happy didn’t begin to describe how he felt upon seeing her. But then he saw the tension in her face and body, and he knew she’d seen the familiar moment between him and Jess.
Damn. The conversation had been winding to an end, and he was just about to walk away from the parents when Elyxandre walked up with Lieutenant Axton. He could read the tension in her face, and he tried to reassure her, but it was clear he’d failed by the coldness in her voice. Granted, she hadn’t said much. They’d agreed to keep things separate at work, and he hadn’t done anything wrong. But knowing her past, he also knew howthe scene might look to her. He needed to talk to her tonight, no matter how late it got.
“It’s okay,” he assured Jess.
“No, it’s not. She looked like she’d been slapped across the face.”
“She knows we’re just friends.”
“That did not look like a woman who believed we are ‘just friends.’”
Jess wasn’t wrong in her observations, but he also wasn’t going to share Elyxandre’s history. That was private, and he knew she wouldn’t appreciate it if he shared it with other people. Even his best friend.
He smiled down at her, doing his best to project a certainty he wasn’t feeling. “I promise, it will be okay.”
She punched him in the arm. “Lucas Vaughn, you cannot lie to save your life. Do you like her?”
Like her? It seemed like such a middle school question, but he knew what she meant at the heart of it.
He nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I really do. She’s everything I didn’t know I wanted, inside and out. When I first met her, I had no clue she was going to be working at the school. When I found out, I was disappointed because I thought that was the end of it. I mean, all I really knew about her was what she looked like and that she was a Good Samaritan who stopped to help the kids the night of the car accident.
“But as we worked together? We have so many things in common about how we look at our jobs, the kids at school. She’s crazy good with them, even when they’re at their worst moments. And everything is about giving them tools to succeed. Always building them up, never tearing them down, even when they’re being total punkzillas.”
“Is she a good kisser?”
“She’s out of this—Jess!” Good grief. He was totally caught up in thinking about Elyxandre and almost gave away personal details from Wednesday night.
“Can’t blame a girl for trying to get the gossip on her best friend.”
“Do you have no shame, woman?”
“Nope. None.”
Jess whispered, “She makes you happy, Lucas. I’m so glad. You deserve that after everything with Tonja. And if Elyxandre makes you happy, then in the long run, that’s all that matters.”
He paused. There was a wistfulness in her tone, and though she smiled, it was soft and a little sad. Something was wrong.
“Jess? Is everything okay?”
Her smile brightened, but it was too bright, as if she were hiding something. “Of course it is. So, how’s Ezra feeling about the game tonight? Is he nervous? I bet he’s in the locker room throwing up right now.”
“Jess.” His voice held a warning note. “What’s wrong?”
She gave his arm a pat. “Nothing is ‘wrong.’ Everything is as it should be.”
How he knew what she meant, he’d never know, but the flash of understanding came in an instant, like a cloud passing over the sun and allowing the brightness of its rays to shine down. “Jess,” he said softly. “Oh my god. I-I didn’t know. I thought?—”
“Stop it. You were honest with me when you told me that you thought we were better off as friends. Yes, I hoped with time you might change your mind, so I didn’t push. Patience isn’t always a virtue, it seems. However, it was too important to me to keep you in my life, even if we were only besties.”
This was not the place to have this conversation. He wanted to hug her and tell her how much he loved her as a friend, but he couldn’t do that either. This was so fucked up. Was he really that blind?
Then he remembered that August night after the dinner party he went to with her—the night of Ezra’s accident. He’d been thinking about this very thing, wondering if maybe she still harbored some sort of attachment to him. But then the call came telling him to come pick up his son at the hospital, and it completely went out of his head. How could he not have seen this?
He opened his mouth to apologize. Pointing a finger at him, she scowled. “So help me, if the words about to come out of your mouth are an apology, I will pinch and twist your nipple right here and now in front of everyone.”
The mock-threat got its intended result of a laugh. “You know I believe you’d do it, right?” he asked.
“Of course I would.” She gave him a little shove. “Go find her. Talk to her. Don’t wait. She must take a break at some point. Drag her under the stands and kiss her stupid if she won’t listen.”
