Page 71 of 10 Signs You Need to Grovel

“There you are,” Sadie says loudly from somewhere behind me, her voice overly cheerful.

I flinch at her proximity, unsure if she witnessed Justin Jaws of Life Bernardini driving his ego all over my dignity.

She joins my circle of hell. “Great to see you, Justin.”

He grins a toothpaste-ad grin. “You haven’t aged a day.”

She puts her hand on my tense arm, gives me a squeeze. The sweet move doesn’t make a dent in my agitation.

“Actually.” She focuses on Justin, still sounding like an amplified version of herself. “Didn’t you go to Duke? Des is heading back in August. Doing law. You could give him some tips on the best places to hang out.”

“Oh, uh. No.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets. “Didn’t get in there.”

“Really? I was sure you did.”

He shrugs.

She gives him a condescending smile, letting Justin linger in his discomfort.

I know what she’s doing. Purposely shoving that failure in his face, attempting to prove to him I’m more than my decrepit car and aggressive facade. Except there’s nothing impressive about starting law school again at thirty-four, and the fact that she feels she needs to defend me proves what I’ve worried about: Sadie’s embarrassed of who I’ve become.

“Anyway.” She gives my arm another pat and heads for the house. “See you inside soon?”

“I’m coming now,” I force out. An eject button would be helpful.

“Justin Berrrrrr-nardini!” Lennon saunters up before I can take off, bellowing Justin’s name like he’s an announcer at a boxing match. He punches Justin’s shoulder. “You’re the guy who puked at the Spring Fair, right? I think you peed yourself that night too.”

Justin gives a stilted laugh and rubs his shoulder.

“Good times, my friend.” Lennon loops his arm around my rigid back. “Gotta steal Des away for a sec—secret witness protection meeting with the government. President’s on the line for us.” He salutes the prick.

I’m verging on furious with a side of humiliation. Lennon’s the second person in two minutes who’s felt a need to save me. Like I’m a child who can’t defend himself.

“Great to see you, Des!” Justin calls. “Wait until I tell Kyle I ran into you.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” I grumble as I strut away from him, pissed that the gossip hounds have been unleashed. Townsfolk might start staking out Sadie’s home, desperate for a glimpse of how far I’ve fallen.

“Guy was always a douche,” Lennon says.

“Bet he still can’t parallel park.”

We walk up the steps to Sadie’s house, but Lennon blocks my way in. “It seems you aren’t ruining my business.”

I cross my arms and don’t speak. I need to cool down, and Lennon attempting an apology should be amusing enough to leach my frustration.

“I’ve had calls,” he goes on.

I raise a silent eyebrow.

“They’ve been surprisingly good.”

I study my nails, uselessly analyzing my cuticles, making him work for this.

“A few were actually glowing. Said their kids have never enjoyed a program so much.” When I continue stonewalling him, he heaves out a sigh. “What I’m trying to say is you’re surprisingly good at running outdoor programs, and I maybe shouldn’t have judged so harshly.”

As entertaining as watching Lennon flounder is, there’s no denying my chuff of pride at his compliment. “Guess I’m a natural at nature.”

“You’re also a natural at bad dad jokes. And FYI, I prefer gift certificates to small independent stores, not big box. I particularly like hat stores.”