“It’s fine, Mom. They aren’t expecting a full dinner service.” We follow my mom and Harper into the kitchen, and the smell in here is even better. In the center of the table is a glass dish of lasagna, brimming with cheese and tomato sauce.
“This smells fantastic, Mrs. Lee.” Caden sits, and his eyes go to Harper.
But Mom has plans apparently. “You’ll sit next to me, darling, and Nico can sit on your other side.”
Mom releases Harper. I take Harper’s hand and give it a squeeze to reassure her. We all sit down as Mom adds garlic bread to the table.
“Do you mind serving, Nico?” Mom grabs her napkin and puts it in her lap.
“No problem.” I make sure everyone has a slice of lasagna as they pass around the garlic bread. Harper puts a few pieces of bread on my plate before passing it on.
We settle into our seats, and for a few minutes, it’s quiet as everyone begins to eat.
“This is amazing,” Jack says with his mouth full.
“Thank you.” Mom blushes. “So how is everyone’s school year going? What classes do you have?”
Everyone shares a few of their classes. When Harper mentions art, Mom smiles indulgently.
“At dinner yesterday, Nico told me about his first assignment in art class.”
I need to stop her before she accidentally calls Harper out about her partner. “The guys don’t want to hear about art, Mom.”
“Nico, you don’t have to be modest. He received awards in New York for his pieces. I find it interesting your art teacher divided up the class the way she did. Everyone with a partner, but you didn’t get to choose.” Mom smiles as she looks around the table. “It’s a good idea to pair up people outside of their friend groups.”
Harper’s worried eyes flash up to mine. Hopefully Mom will let it drop. I didn’t tell the guys about Tanner because Harper didn’t want to make it a thing. But given their reaction to him the other day and Caden’s story, it’s a big deal.
“Weren’t you saying no one was put with their friends?” Mom looks at the breadbasket and sees it’s empty. “Oh, let me get more garlic bread.”
“What’s your mom talking about?” Luke asks quietly as soon as she’s on the other side of the kitchen. His eyes don’t leave Harper.
“Art class partners for a project. I’m paired with Angela Harris.” I lean back in my chair, and Harper takes my hand under the table and squeezes it. “Penny got stuck with William Frank.”
“Will’s a good guy.” Caden points his fork at me. “He’s been in my art classes for years.”
“Penny doesn’t seem to think so,” Harper comments.
She probably would have been fine if she hadn’t said anything.
Mom brings the bread back to the table and sits. “Anyway, I think what the teacher did is a good thing. You don’t get to pick who you work with in the real world.”
“Who’s your partner, Harper?” Luke’s gaze never falters from her, even though she doesn’t meet his eyes.
She blows out a breath and looks to me for reinforcements. Fuck, I wish I could help her with this, but she’s the one who wanted to deal with it and keep the guys out of it. Besides, it’s only been two classes. It won’t be that big of a deal if we tell them now.
“Tanner Lewis.” I lift my gaze to Caden.
He freezes for a moment. His gaze meets Harper’s, and she flinches.
“It’s a project that’s completed during class time,” she rushes out. “There was no changing partners, so I figured there was no point mentioning it.”
Mom catches on to the tension. “Do we not like Tanner Lewis?”
“He’s not a nice guy.” Harper pushes her lasagna around her plate.
“That’s a shame. Nico says Angela is okay.”
Thanks, Mom.Harper arches her eyebrow when she lifts her gaze to mine.
