“And what if I don’t help?”
“She’s good enough to get in. I just want her to have perspective.”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“She’s so focused on being perfect. I can’t explain it, but my gut says you will help.” Cath was so focused on technical perfection that I wasn’t sure she even enjoyed playing anymore. Hopefully, Leo would keep her in touch with the joy of drumming as only another drummer could.
I didn’t want him to feel pressure and risk him scurrying back into hiding. Whatever he wanted to show me was related to Cath. I thought Leo was a shallow, easy-to-read guy, but the man had depth, and I wished I could hear his thoughts.
Leo was silent until we pulled up to his driveway. Rain crashed in unrelenting waves against the windshield. “You can just park in front of the garage. We might have to move your car before my mom gets back.”
I nodded and did as directed. I shot a glare at Pin Dick’s house as I put the car into park. I couldn’t even let myself think about that interaction because of how angry it made me. But guys like him only ever wanted a reaction, and he wouldn’t get that from me. A towering pine shared the property line next to the driveway and caused a pause in the relentless splatter of rain. Only the occasional drop plopped loudly onto the windshield now.
“Should we make a run for it?” I asked.
He hadn’t yet unbuckled, still seeming distracted and bothered.
“Is he always like that?” Leo asked.
I assumed he meant the principal. “Pretty much.”
“How do you handle it? How does he get away with it?”
“Guys like that manage to always come up on top.” I glared at his house, an average ranch style that looked perfectly normal from the outside, with no sign that an absolute jerk lived inside. “I believe the only thing I can do is prosper despite them. When Cath plays Carnegie Hall or whatever makes herhappy, I will be more than happy to rub that in his face. So maybe I am a little spiteful.”
He looked at me closely, swallowing as his gaze roamed over my features. Did my eye makeup smear? Or was that look something else...
“I hate bullies,” he said.
“Me too.”
He nodded once. “Okay. Let’s go in. We can run to the side door and into the kitchen.”
He counted to three, and we sprinted to the side of the house. We were breathless and laughing by the time we slid to a stop to close the door behind us. Leo shook his curls out like a dog, and I held up my hands to block the spray.
When he looked up, his gaze moved behind me. His eyes widened in happy surprise. “Oh, hey, Janice.”
Leo’s mom blinked in surprise from where she’d been filling a cup of water at the sink.
“Hi, Mari. Leo,” she said and covered her shock with a friendly smile. “I thought you were gonna call when you wanted to get picked up?” She wore a silk robe, which she tugged closed, hiding a flushed chest.
“Change of plans. You weren’t kidding. That new principal is a real piece of work.”
“I’ve heard.” Janice frowned. “I’m glad I never had to work with him. Though his predecessor wasn’t any better.”
“Weren’t you going out?” Leo asked.
I looked at Leo as the tension in the room grew. Did he not see her flushed cheeks? Or the way she kept glancing to the stairs that led to the second floor?
He tilted his head. “Why are you wearing a robe?”
Captain Oblivious.
“I love a rainstorm bath,” I said quickly. “Nothing better than hearing the rain fall as you soak.”
Janice nodded gratefully at me. “Yes, dear. I suddenly didn’t feel well and thought I’d come home and take a bath.”
“Oh no,” he said, genuinely buying the excuse. “Can I make you anything? Soup? Tea?”
