MONROE
My free period was supposed to be a time to catch up on grading math tests, not wallowing in pity over how my day had started or the fact that three days later I was still thinking about Jace the pilot. Lila hadn’t stopped talking about him either, which was one reason he was in the forefront of my mind.
Nevertheless, no sooner had I walked into school that morning than I found myself breaking up a fight in the hallway. Then I dropped my coffee, trying to juggle a stack of papers as I’d hurried to class. And finally, the kicker that had me holding in a scream of all screams was the text message from my ex-husband that had come in before the first bell rang.
As I sat in my empty classroom during my free period, rereading his message, I was fuming. He spoke to me as though he still could control my life.
I practically crushed the red marker in my hand.
Ryan:I’m flying in today. I’ve accepted a six-month assignment at Ridgeway Air Force Base. I would like to spend as much time with my son as possible. Also, we need to talk about Christmas. It’s my turn to spend the holidays with him, and I’m planning a trip to Hawaii during that time. I expectyou to be available to discuss this. And I assume you won’t make this difficult. Finally, I’ll pick up Ethan after school today.
“Fuck you,” I mumbled under my breath.
His tone felt like razors slicing my skin.Expectyou to.Assumeyou won’t make this difficult. Like hell I wouldn’t. The bastard.
He was a changed man, for sure. But not the boy I’d fallen for in high school.
Anger was a steady companion for me lately. I had to find a way to change my attitude before I started snapping at people. That wasn’t me. I was always kind and sincere, yet Ryan had a way of bringing out a side of me that wasn’t pleasant.
Regardless, I wasn’t about to fight fire with fire.
As difficult as it was not to tell Ryan to fuck off, I typed out a polite reply. My lawyer had advised me not to use Ethan as a go-between, and I would never do that anyway. My son deserved two parents who cared, showed the other respect, and agreed on things when it came to him.
Me:Ethan has JV football practice after school today until five thirty, and it’s a school night, so he needs to be home by nine.
A knock on the door window startled me.
Lila glided in, all smiles and bright eyes until she regarded me. “Whoa! Your lip is swollen.”
Placing my phone on the desk, I sighed. “It doesn’t hurt that bad. Brody got me with his elbow when I pulled him off Terrance.”
The boys were always at each other’s throats about something. Today was over a girl.
Lila slid into a desk in front of mine. “They’ll be dealt with. So, Evelyn and I decided that you need a night out. We’re taking you to the Rusty Spur on Friday. It’s karaoke night, and we’re not taking no for an answer.”
My two best friends always had my best interests at heart, but a bar with rowdy people—no thank you.
I opened my mouth to speak, but she held up her hand. “This is not up for discussion.”
If I protested, she would drag me by the hair, so to speak, much like she had on Saturday when we’d ventured out to Devil’s Hollow.
“Please tell me you’re not trying to set me up.” I finally placed the red marker on the desk.
She poked her finger against her chest. “Me? No. But we haven’t been to karaoke night in a long time, and Evelyn and I love your voice.”
I believed her last line, but she was up to something. I licked my dry lips, debating. If I stayed home, I would only drown myself in a bottle of wine. Not to mention, I was secretly hoping I would see Jace again. But I wasn’t telling her that. I’d enjoyed trading barbs with him. But more than that, during the short time we talked, he’d made me feel alive again.
“Fine.” I wasn’t in the mood to argue. I needed a distraction—any distraction—to keep me from seething about Ryan since he was about to disrupt my quiet existence.
“Well, that was easy.” She clasped her hands together. “What’s with the change? I seriously thought you would give me a list of excuses.”
I shrugged and smiled. “I still could.”
She waved me off. “Nope.” She glanced at the clock. “I need to get back. But I came in to ask if you could help with career day between one and two this afternoon. Mr. Neely needs to leave school early. I checked your schedule. Your junior class will be attending career day, so you’re free.”
“I’m happy to help.” A few of my juniors were interested in talking with the college recruiters anyway.
“Good. Maybe you’ll run into that hottie from Devil’s Hollow.”
