Page 25 of An Unexpected Chance

The next day, I was busy in the classroom when Holly showed up. She carried coffee, smiling and looking at ease.

“Hey,” she greeted me. “I thought I’d find you here.”

She gave me a hug and handed me a latte. “To help restore the energy,” she said with a smile.

She didn’t fool me for a second. But I accepted the beverage and sipped it.

“Delicious.”

“I brought cookies too.”

“Great.”

“I thought I could help.”

“Perfect.” I would never refuse an extra pair of hands. Holly often helped me—we worked well together, and she volunteered during the school year on occasion.

I showed her what I was doing, and for a while, we worked in companionable silence. I sipped my latte and munched the cookies she had baked. I never refused anything Holly made. I wasn’t crazy.

Finally, I met her eyes, seeing the understanding and care in them.

I groaned. “Go ahead. Ask.”

“I don’t have to,” she murmured. “I can see you’re already upset. And you have every reason to be. Simon was an ass.”

I gaped at her. I had expected her to defend him for some reason. Or tell me she warned me not to expect much from him at the start. Her next words shocked me more.

“He knows he was an asshole. He’s upset with himself as well.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. “He should be.”

“He is.” She laughed dryly. “Trust me on that one.”

The words were out before I could stop them. “Is he okay?”

She smiled and came closer, rubbing my arm. “Would you care if he wasn’t?”

“Yes,” I admitted.

“I thought so.” She drew in a deep breath. “He is a bit mixed up in the head right now, but he regrets how he acted. I know he wants to talk to you.” She held up her hand before I could speak. “I am not here on his behalf or to beg you to listen to him. I’m here because you’re my friend and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine.”

“Liar,” she accused affectionately.

I sat on the edge of my desk. “It was so…amazing, Holly. He was so amazing. Funny and sexy. Sweet and passionate. Our night—” I paused and swallowed. “I have never experienced anything like it. It felt like a beginning.”

“And then he acted like a jerk,” she finished for me.

“Yes.”

“Can you forgive him? Try again if he asked?”

I blew out a breath. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to…”

“The girlie parts, you mean?” she asked while waggling her eyebrows, looking totally ridiculous.

I laughed. “Well, those parts are willing, but I can’t risk him doing this again and getting hurt.”