"You're not your parents. They chose to sleep around on each other. Which means they never should've gotten married in the first place. Getting pregnant is not a reason to get married, and it's certainly not a good reason to stay in a loveless marriage just to keep face."
"You mean how Parker and I accidentally got married while drunk? Already I'm following down a similar path."
"Uh no." Elle choked out a laugh. "You already admitted to liking him. That's a step above your parents, and I know for a fact that if dating him doesn't work out, you would file for divorce in a heartbeat. You're better than your parents."
I dropped my head to the table and rolled it side to side. "Are you sure I'm better?" It wasn't like me to have a pity party, but just the thought of being anything like my parents made me break out in hives.
"I promise, and I would tell you if I thought you were following the same path. Ride or die, remember? That includes giving you brutal honesty even if it makes me a bitch."
I turned my head to the side and looked up at my friend with a smile on my face. "You're the best. How would I ever survive without you?"
"You wouldn't, now pick your head up high and act like the bad bitch I know you to be."
I did as she suggested and straightened my spine. There was no time like the present to fix my posture.
I managed to take one bite of my salad when Ben––the gym teacher––strolled over to our table. "There are my two favorite third-grade teachers."
"I bet you say that to all the ladies," I teased.
"Nope, just you two." His smile was just a little too bright.
"So what brings you to our side of the building?" Elle asked. "Usually you hang out with the rest of the related arts over on the east wing."
Yes, our school was actually big enough that we needed to have wings. That's what happened when you combine several smaller elementary schools into one large one in hopes of saving money.
"Our soda machine is broke, so I needed to come use yours." Ben glanced over to the corner where the discussed machine sat.
"Ah. And we all know it's going to take time before they fix it," I joked. Getting anything fixed in the district took an act of Congress.
"Yup, which means you'll be seeing me every day for the foreseeable future." For some reason, Ben sounded a little too happy about that prospect. "Well, I guess I better get my soda and head on back. Our lunches are too damn short."
He waved awkwardly before moving across the room. It wasn't until he grabbed his drink and left that Elle spoke, "You know he has the hots for you, right?"
I snapped my head to look at my friend. "No he doesn't. He's just being nice."
"Ummm, no." Elle shook her head. "I've seen the way he looks at you when you're not paying attention. That man eye-fucks the crap out of you."
I thought about the gym teacher who just moments before was talking to us. He was good looking, I guess, in a kind of preppy way. His literal job was to wear sweatpants every day to work, but they were more high end, and his sneakers probably cost more than he made in a day. It always made me wonder how he could afford such nice things on our salary.
"Maybe he does, but I can tell you for a fact I'm not interested. Even before my marriage and certainly not after." Ihadn't known it before now, but there was something about a rugged man that got my juices flowing like no other before him.
"You should wear your ring to work. That should put him in his place."
I scoffed at the idea. "Or I could just tell him I'm not interested if he ever asks me out. Something I'm pretty certain he's not going to do since we've worked together for a few years now, and he hasn't yet."
Elle glared at me. "The keyword there is yet."
I shook my head. "You're making a big deal out of nothing."
"I'm just saying. You're a married woman now, and if I know one thing about these men, it's that they take overprotective to a whole new level."
Why the hell did her comment ignite a slow burn in the pit of my stomach?
An even better question was, why did I like it so damn much?
CHAPTER NINE
PARKER
