“No, he’s been radio silent,” I said, placing my napkin on my lap. “Which hopefully means he’s actually paying attention in class.”
“Or he got caught with his phone,” Isa said quietly.
Under the table, I nudged Ev’s hand off my knee. My brain was going to short-circuit from all our signals today.
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“Nothing.” She took a quick sip of water. “Just that he was so persistent earlier…” She trailed off as another server delivered our bread basket.
“Oh, wow,” Ev said once we’d buttered warm rolls and taken our first bites. He moaned. “These aregood.”
“Trysogood,” I said, my eyelids fluttering shut. “I wish I had room in my purse to hide some.”
The people at the next table turned and stared at us, but we didn’t care. Fancy bread at a fancy restaurant?
Come on. Live a little.
It wasn’t until Ev and I had eaten two rolls each that I realized Isa hadn’t even eaten one. She’d angled herself away to admire the view again, but had now gone completely still. “Hey, Isa,” I said. “What’s up?”
My pulse plummeted when she turned back and looked at me. All the color had drained from her face; it was as white as our napkins and frozen.
“Isa,” Ev said firmly. “Isa, say something.”
Her lips barely moved. “Look over there.”
Look over there.
I started scanning the restaurant and Ev stretched to do the same. What was Isa…?
“By the windows,” she said.
“Every wall is a window,” I responded just as my eyes landed on a table in the far corner. I blinked once, twice, three times. A couple sat together clinking champagne.
And even though I could only make out the man’s profile, Iknew.
“My father,” Isa whispered a heartbeat later. “My father ishere.”
Chapter 19
James
I was going to be late, so I drove a not-so-respectable ten miles over the speed limit back to school and parked in a spot far away from Grace’s presidential one. My parole officer would’ve already noticed that the Subaru was missing.
Right now I was supposed to be in calculus, which, admittedly, was perfect. Ms.Olsen faced the whiteboard writing out elaborate equations more than she addressed her confused class.
Her classroom was also on the first floor.
I crawled around the side of the building, through the bushes, until I spotted Caleb’s girlfriend in one window.Keep your chill,Alayna,I prayed.Keep your chill.
Then I rose from my skulk and gave her a subtle wave (I had no pebbles to toss). Alayna didn’t look over, scribblingsomething in her notes, so after a few seconds, I switched to lightly tapping on the glass.
Man, did that get her attention. Her spine straightened, her eyes widened. I would’ve preferred Isarollinghers with a matching smirk, but we can’t have everything, can we?
James?Alayna mouthed.
No, the tattooed guy from that boy band you love,I thought drily, but only because I was keyed up.
I mimed what I needed her to do, and she carefully nodded. The desk next to her was empty, the ultimate gift. Alayna snuck a few glances at Ms.Olsen before pretending to stretch, but really leaning over to unlatch one of the classroom’s windows.
