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Melissa glanced over to Lena, who was packing up her things. “Oh, Lena? I’m not sure, actually. She put in her resume for a full-time position here, and we intend to extend a job offer to her.”
I nodded. “But isn’t she going to school or something?” I couldn’t fucking remember, but either she had told me, or Tyson had.
“Well…” Melissa’s voice trailed off and then picked up again, this time a few notches lower. “She was intending to, but the master’s program is really expensive. She received a handful of scholarships, but it still wasn’t enough. She doesn’t come from a wealthy family either. She doesn’t have anyone to foot the bill. It’s a shame, really. She’s incredibly talented.”
“I see,” I said, not knowing what else to even offer up about it. I felt bad for Lena, though. And that was something I wasn’t all that used to. “Well, thanks for letting me come barge into the classroom.” I nodded to her and headed off toward Lena, who was walking out of the classroom. “Hey, wait.”
Her shoulders visibly fell. “What?” Lena spun around outside in the hallway, now devoid of kids. “I’m really not in the mood, Jackson.”
“In the mood for what?”
“You.”
“Ouch,” I chuckled, giving her a grin. “You wanna get drinks or something?”
“Um…” Her facial expression shifted, and she glanced around us, like I was playing a trick on her or something. “I don’t know…”
“You just look like you could use a drink, that’s all.” I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but I had to admit that my stomach was full of nerves for some reason.
And it was annoying as fuck.
“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “But you’re buying.”
“Always.” I shot her a wink, and then gestured for her to lead the way to the parking lot. “I can have someone drop your car off at your house? You can ride with me.”
“You can drive?” Lena joked, though her eyes didn’t light up the way they usually did.
“Ha ha.” I led the way to my Lamborghini sitting in the parking lot. “Are you brave enough to trust me?”
She eyed me warily. “I’m not in the mood to die, but sure.”
I hit the button on my key fob and the suicide doors lifted. Lena rolled her eyes but slid into the passenger seat. I laughed to myself, amused by her reaction. There was just something about the way she loved to hate me that made my freaking day…
Besides, the offer I had for her might make her life a lot better.
“So, where are you taking me?” Her voice was flat as I started the car and backed out of the parking spot. “I don’t want some high society place today, please.”
“Uh…I am not high society,” I laughed, giving her a weird look.
“Yeah, okay.” She shook her head and leaned back against the black leather interior. “Whatever you say.”
“Just because I’m rich and famous doesn’t mean that I’m high society. Half the people in that upper-crust circle just piss me off.”
“Why’s that?” Lena looked over at me, raising a brow. “That’s how you grew up, right?”
I tilted my head at her as I made my way to my favorite bar. “I think you might be really surprised at what I thought about the way I was raised. It wasn’t exactly sunshine and butterflies.”
“Okay.”
Damn, she’s rigid today.
I drove the rest of the way in silence, hoping that maybe after a few drinks she might lighten up a little—or a lot. At this point, I was already starting to wonder if I’d made a mistake inviting her out. But I also thought we were friends after Tyson’s party. I mean, that’s what we said we were.
But who the fuck knew?
I killed the car as I parked in front of Lemony Cricket, a dive bar that was really just a hole in the wall. Not many people knew about the place—the band and I kept it in business most of the time.
“Where is this?” Lena asked as she looked around, wrapping her arms around herself. “Are you bringing me here to kill me or something?”
