Page 61 of Touch of Class

Brooke forced a smile. “Parts of it were, but we’re moving on. You sure you don’t want to come over?”

Not after that reminder. “I’m good. See you tomorrow.”

She locked the door and released a heavy sigh as she watched Brooke climb into her car. Then, turning back toward the office, for the second time in about as many minutes, she jumped.

“Sorry,” Daphne said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I’m getting that a lot.”

“Because you’re twitchy?”

“I’m not sure I’d describe myself that way, but for the sake of moving forward, sure.”

“Is it because of whatever you and Brooke were talking about so gravely? I didn’t want to intrude.”

Gillian shook her head. “No, that’s old news.”

Daphne didn’t appear to buy it. “Old news has ways of coming back to bite us all in the ass, but I won’t push anymore tonight.”

“How very unlike you.”

Daphne grinned. “And yet, that response is very on-brand for you. Are we going back to our regularly scheduled program of taking swipes at each other? I think I preferred being avoided.”

“I’m not avoiding you.”

Daphne rolled her eyes.

“I’m not. I’ve been busy, the holiday, and—”

“And an emotionally wrought conversation to not unpack.”

“Just because I haven’t aired my laundry with you doesn’t mean I haven’t unpacked it,” Gillian snapped.

Daphne laughed. “Come to any conclusions worth sharing?”

“I think the conversation itself was a conclusion.”

“How so?”

“I was wrong. I based a great deal on a miscommunication, and I’ve lived with the consequences. That is, if what you said last week was true.”

“It was,” Daphne said softly. “I didn’t remember the night like you do. I never meant to make you feel mocked in that moment.”

“But you have in other moments.”

Daphne shrugged. “Sure, there are plenty of other options to choose from, but I’m serious about prom night. I was happy. I was present. You could’ve kissed me.”

“Thank you for saying so. You could’ve tortured me if you’d wanted to.”

“Sounds like you’d done enough torturing for both of us. Does it feel any better to know the truth?”

“It should,” Gillian said. “In some ways I guess it feels good to know the young and tender version of me wasn’t dismissed or found lacking, but now I’m wondering how I could’ve been so wrong about something so formative. And if I got this one wrong, what else have I built on unsteady foundations?”

“Oh Gillian, you’ve just found a new angle for the old torture. Honestly, if I’d known you were this good at tying yourself in knots, I might not have spent as much time trying to do it for you.”

“I think self-reflection is a worthy pursuit, and I take my responsibilities seriously—”

Daphne pressed her lips together, and Gillian’s mind wandered to them. She hadn’t really let herself notice how lovely they were, not with the way they were always curled in mocking or tight with annoyance. She remembered the first morning on the mattress, before she’d seen the full scope of the woman above her, how the sight of those lips overrode her frustration for a second … like they had now. She’d completely lost her train of thought in favor of fixating on Daphne’s lips.