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“Jeremy, I would never hurt her,” Nathan assured him.
“Dude, that’s between you two. But when Rose gets that upset it's best not to let her drive, man,” Jeremy answered. I closed the truck door and we drove off. My phone chimed a few minutes later.
Nathan: I will see you tonight at the party butterfly.
Seriously? Did he really think I was still going to the Red, White, and Boobs party? I didn’t know what to do anymore. My life had seriously just blown up before my eyes. I was sure that Cristina had already texted the entire mom tree to let them know the new teacher moonlights as a stripper. I guess, I would no longer be moonlighting and this might become my full-time job. Where the hell did my life go some damn wrong?
I could see Rose pacing in the driveway as soon as Jeremy and I pulled up. “I’m sorry to ruin your plans today,” I apologized to her as I jumped out of the truck.
Making our way up the stairs, Rose said, “Honey, you didn’t ruin anything. C’mon to my room. Let’s talk. Looks like you need me.”
“So I’m busted,” I told her.
“What the hell does that even mean?” Rose asked.
I explained to her that I met Nathan’s sister and nephew and that they just happened to know me as Ms. McKennan, kindergarten teacher extraordinaire, and that Nathan had already told his sister we met at the club. I also mentioned that Cristina is sweet as hell but has been known to be the PTA gossip mom.
“So pretty much my career is over when this gets out. And secrets always have a way of getting out,” I reminded her.
“Maybe Nathan could ask her not to say anything?” Rose said trying to sympathize with my situation.
“Really? Gossip always happens. Trust me. And the moms around school are hella bad gossipers. You should know that.”
“So, now what?” Rose asked.
“I have no idea. Nathan sent me a text as soon as I left telling me he’d see me tonight at the party, but I'm going to skip it.”
“Ryann, tonight would be big money for you.”
“Yeah, I know but I think I may disappear for a few days. Can you take me home please?”
Without any argument, Rose took me home. I told her I wouldn’t be answering any calls or texts, but she had my permission to track my phone to make sure I was okay. Rose was always the mom in our group of friends. She offered to explain to Damon why I wasn’t there so that I didn’t have to. She was definitely that one person who was always looking out for me.
Not long after I got home, Roxy and I got in my Challenger and just drove. I headed east and figured I would find someplace along the river for my dog and I to crash for the next couple days. I had no idea what was going to happen next in my life. Was I going to lose my job? Would I have to become a full-time stripper? What was going to happen between Nathan and me? Fuck, it honestly was all just too much to handle.
I wasn't normally a heavy drinker, but when shit gets too messed up I have a tendency to down a few bottles of wine. Slightly drunk and definitely lonely, I grabbed my phone and started to scroll through my social media sites. Seeing nothing exciting in Facebook land, I decided to check the Vaughn Haley Instagram for anything new. Not that I expected there to be. Oh, one new follower and a couple of direct messages. Curious. Who the hell is RG87NEP? Oh holy hell, it was G.
RG87NEP- Hi baby girl. Sorry I had to leave. Family thing.
RG87NEP- Don’t think I have forgotten about that dinner invitation. I still have every intention of taking you out.
Shit, I didn’t know how this whole Instagram thing worked. Did he know that I'd seen the messages? Did that mean I was obligated to respond? Did I want to respond? What about Nathan? My best answer to everything was to finish the bottle of wine and pass out until the next day. And then call Rose.
The next morning, I woke up with a headache the size of Montana. Now I remembered why I don’t drink wine. As much as I wanted to run, being by myself was not the best of ideas. I needed to go home and figure this mess out. I sent Rose a quick text telling her to meet me at the pool in a couple of hours. I took a few aspirin, grabbed a quick shower, and hoped like hell that yesterday was just a bad dream. Even though I knew it wasn’t.
A few hours later, Rose and I were basking in the mid-day heat of the Las Vegas summer. “Has Nathan tried to contact you since you left yesterday?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, a couple texts and voicemails telling me he’s worried about me and to please call him,” I told her.
“And have you?”
“No, Rose, I haven’t.” My real bitch attitude was coming out. “What am I supposed to say? Sorry I didn’t trust you enough to tell you about my real job? It doesn’t matter either way because we’re done. I do need to call and tell him that.”
“Excuse me, but why?” Rose was practically yelling at me.
“Really? I can’t show my face around his sister or his family. I was fricken mortified. Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Sims. Why yes, I was Jackson’s kindergarten teacher and now I'm Nathan’s stripper girlfriend. C’mon! Give me a break, Rose! And plus dating my boss was never a good idea in the first place,” I explained, getting upset.
“Boss? What in the hell are talking about? Are you still on a wine drunk?”
