“Please, Dad. I want to be supportive of Mom, but youhaveto meet this guy. He’s so different…”
“You also said that about her last one,” I reason, putting the truck in park.
“That’s because he was a long-haired accountant, and not her usual, military man type. That’s not the same as this.”
“So what makes this one different?”
“Dad… He’s…creepy.”
My internal siren sounds. “Then I’ll be there.”
Chapter 6
Jenna
I stareat the stack of essays onRomeo and Juliet, knowing good and well it’s been a long freaking time since I worked my way through the play.
This is going to be a long night.
But at least I miraculously passed that stupid background check.
Rolling the red pen in my hand, I pluck the first essay off the pile. I’m not sure why Dr. Shannon chose to do hard copies, when the rest of the world has moved to digital. But…
Whatever.
I just have to get through grading these, and then I can start scoping out the town. I start reading through the opening paragraph, discussing a striking label of codependency and obsession right off the bat.
Well, this is a modern take,I laugh to myself, just as there’s a knock on the doorframe. I peer up to see one of the staff member’s faces.
“How’s your first day?” Ian, a tall, redheaded composition professor meets my gaze. “I heard you were the sole applicant. I have to know, what made you choose this shithole town?”
I chew the inside of my cheek as he steps into the office. “I guess a job is a job, when you need one.”
His brows raise. “I suppose. I figure you had ties here. Most of us do.”
I start to deny it, but then stop. “My brother used to live around here.”
“Yeah?” Ian plops down in the chair across from me. “What’s his name? I probably know him. Well, or maybe not. I don’t know. Hard to say.”
“Yeah… I actually haven’t heard from him in a long time.”
Ian’s face softens behind his glasses. “Oh. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say, and then casually pull up a picture of him on my phone—not in his uniform or with his hair cut short in a fade. “I lost his phone number when he changed it.” It’s a lie… And probably not even a good one.
Ian stares at the picture, and I pray to goodness that he hasn’t kept up with the Texas or California news, my heart pounding in the side of my head.
“Oh hey,” Ian seems to miss what I said as he stares at the picture. “I’ve seen that guy! He works at the Bradford Tree Farm. We saw him there this past Christmas with my sister and her kids.”
“Really?” I try to swallow the emotions tightening my throat. “I guess it is a small world after all.” I put the picture away and then lock my phone screen, careful not to give any more exposure than necessary.
“Sure is,” Ian grins at me. “You a fan of Romeo and Juliet?” He points at the papers in front of me. “I never knew why Shelby always focused on it. Seems overdone in my opinion.”
I tilt my head, my eyes dropping down to the words for a minute. “It’s not my favorite, no. But I think some people like the tragic love story.”
Ian chuckles, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Yeah, I could see that. I guess I just prefer my love stories not to end in tragedy."
I set the essay back down on the desk and push my chair back. “I guess for me, they’ve always ended in the worst way. So, maybe I’m jaded.”
