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“I’m great,” my sister was saying. “I have had some interest from an art consultant who may recommend my ceramics to one of his clients. It would be a great move for me, and I could pay for my own fancy glazes instead of waiting for my big brother to hand out gift cards.” She nudged me and I gave a queasy smile without meeting her eyes. “Although the other day I got a sampler of five new glaze finishes from my favorite brand, in two-pound tubs. Any idea who might’ve sent me those?”
“No. Maybe it’s your new admirer, the art consultant,” I suggested.
“Yeah, right. The guy knows me four seconds. You think he’s going to identify my favorite brand of glaze and order me some to play with as a treat? I don’t know what kind of guys you date, but the ones I’ve met are not thoughtful at all.”
Drake was trying to include Hailey in the conversation while I was concentrating on picking dismally at my congealing nachos. Sure enough, she came out with how excited she is to be an intern at REM.
“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for me. I was already learning a lot from the marketing course, and to be chosen for an internship is like a dream come true. You all know how brilliant Rick is,” she said, and I groaned inwardly.
“Yeah, he’s so brilliant,” Aaron crooned while Hamilton said, “The guy’s an asshole. If he gives you any crap, we’ll take care of it. Just let me know.”
“She doesn’t need you all,” Maria said. “She’s got me. And any crap that he tries to pull with her, he’ll answer to me. Not that she’d ever complain. She’s a damn fan girl. Trust me. She tried to make me watch his TED talk. It was traumatizing,” Maria said.
I risked a glance their way and saw Hailey turn red and then the unmistakable jolt of a kick delivered sharply under the table, and my sister saying, ‘hey!’ in an offended tone. The fact that her friend embarrassed her as well made me feel slightly better, but I was still uncomfortable as hell and wanted them to leave. I couldn’t figure out a way that I could suddenly have to bolt from the bar and hurry home. I didn’t even have a goddamn goldfish to take care of that I could use as a flimsy excuse to leave.
“So you work in his office now, and you’re in his class,” Hamilton observed with a knowing look.
“That sounds familiar,” Kyle remarked.
“Maybe he’s mentioned it to you,” Hailey said, missing the undercurrent of judgmental, gotcha bullshit going on beneath their words.
“Maybe you’re projecting,” I said to Hamilton, my voice neutral even though I was seething at his implication.
“Good to see you,hermano,” Maria said, standing up, and everyone said goodbye to them as they left to go to their own table at last.
“Your little sister’s best friend?” Hamilton crowed. “Your student. Your intern.Andyour sister’s best friend. It’s a trifecta that beats anything we’ve done in the past. There is a God!”
Drake high-fived him. I groaned. “There is nothing going on at all between myself and any of my students or employees or any acquaintances of my sister.” I insisted, but it fell on deaf ears as they basically gloated to each other.
“We have eyes,” Kyle said. “And you were ready to knock Ham’s teeth out about five minutes ago. Do you remember when I came across this table at you when you talked shit about Mindy? I saw red, and all I knew was I wanted to destroy you, that you had crossed a line and I had to protect her. Never mind that it was an overreaction to some evolutionary response to a perceived threat toward my mate.”
“When you say, ‘evolutionary response’ I want to shotgun an entire bottle of Jack,” Drake said. “No offense.” We snickered at that, but I knew it for what it was. Drake’s kind attempt to break the tension when I was under fire. Because they saw right through me exactly the way friends do.
Aaron gave my shoulder a shove. “Your little sister’s best friend? Way to go, man.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” I argued. “You have a vivid imagination. Maybe watch less porn and you won’t imagine illicit affairs every time you see a beautiful woman whose name I happen to know.”
“Say what you will about porn,” Aaron joked. “It’s better than wanking to pictures of my sister’s friends.”
“Your sister doesn’t have friends,” I said. “She has like eleven kids.”
“Three. She has three, for your information. Not that I’d let you get within ten miles of her even if she is married,” he said.
“Whatever. I’m not into anybody’s sister or their friends. I’m a lone wolf, just like you Aaron. So get used to it. I mean I understand feeling a sense of impending doom every time we get together because one of the group will probably have to fight back tears and admit he’s boning a student and then we all sing Stand By Me by the campfire.”
“It’s obvious you’re into her,” Hamilton said. “And you’re full of shit.”
“We’ve known he was full of shit for years,” Drake pointed out. “That isn’t news.”
“I second that,” Kyle said, raising his glass. “To our friend who is full of shit and living in denial. May his journey to happiness be as miserable as ours, and may he regret every dumbass thing he’s ever said to us about it.”
“Here, here,” Hamilton said, and Drake joined the toast. Aaron, the little shit, turned traitor and drank the toast with them. I sat there, glaring at them, knowing I was full of shit and refusing to admit it. I wouldn’t even let my eyes stray in Hailey’s direction. I could feel the awareness, a tingle on my skin from her nearness. She was in the same room. I could have looked my fill, watched her every gesture and laugh and been greedy for them. But then everyone would’ve seen confirmation of what they already suspected. That I was falling for my student, and nothing I did seemed to make it stop.
CHAPTER17
HAILEY
When people called something the week from hell, I always rolled my eyes at them. I watched my mom go through chemo when I was eighteen years old and thought she might die. Nothing, not one damn other thing on this earth, compared to that when it came to a living hell in my opinion. I was terrified and helpless and sad beyond words.
