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When he opened the door, Jill came in and sat beside Sam on the floor, crossing her legs. “Sweetie, sit up. It’s okay.”
“I’m gonna take a walk,” Aero said, pointing over his shoulder. “I’ll be right back, Sammy.”
When he had exited the room, Jill patted Sam’s hair and said, “Well, he’s easy on the eyes. Is that your boyfriend?”
Sam huffed a laugh and sat up, leaning against the bean bags. “Yeah. That’s Aero.”
Jill waggled her eyebrows suggestively, making Sam laugh harder.
“Okay. Do you wanna tell me what happened out there?”
Sam’s laughter fizzled out, and she sighed. “I caught Mike and Rachel in the teacher’s lounge closet, didn’t tell Kelly, and she found out on her own. Then, when I confirmed it, she… Well, you saw what happened.”
Jill frowned, sympathy etched into her lightly lined face. “Sam, I’m not surprised you saw that. Mike and Rachel, they’ve been seeing each other for a long time.”
“What?” Sam squeaked, dismayed.
Jill nodded slowly. “Mike’s a skirt-chaser. He’s slept with everyone, from the former softball coach to the lady who comes every year to set up for the book fair.”
Sam’s eyes grew big, taking in this information. “How do you know?”
“Everyone knows, sweetie. We all assumed Kelly knew, too, and was just putting up with it. I guess that wasn’t the case.”
“Does Peggy know? Mr. Barnes?” Sam asked, both curious and horrified.
Jill shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s kind of an unspoken truth, you know? We all know, but we pretend we don’t know, and no one talks about it.”
“That’s awful,” Sam said. “If someone had said something years ago, Kelly might not have married him, or might’ve left him before they had their kids, or—”
Jill held up a hand, stopping her. “The what-ifs will kill you, sweetie. You can’t let this derail your life or affect your career. Sam, this has nothing to do with you. You were just the unfortunate middleman. It was bound to boil over eventually, and you happened to get tangled up in it.”
“Thank God Peggy wasn’t here to see that. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Well, she’s got pneumonia, so she’s got bigger problems. That’s why she’s been out.”
“So I’m not getting fired?” Sam asked, bracing for Jill’s response.
Jill laughed. “Of course not, dear. Now, those other two, they’ll have to go through an investigation, and there will probably be some kind of consequence.”
Sam frowned. “Okay. I think… I’m gonna have Aero take me home. Let someone else clean up for once.”
Jill grinned, patting her cheek lovingly. “Sounds good. Enjoy your evening.”
The two women stood from the floor, rearranged the pillows and bean bags, and headed toward the door. Out in the hall, Aero was leaning against the wall, patiently waiting for them.
“Sammy?”
“I’m fine,” she said, lacing their fingers together. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter 15
“I’m so excited for you!” Gemma said, seated at Sam’s vanity. “Did you pack your toothbrush? Lingerie? Condoms?”
“Gemma!” Sam gasped, her cheeks immediately flushing scarlet.
“Hey, it’s the beach. Sun, booze, a fancy hotel room—you know you’re gonna do it. Why else would you be packing a week in advance?”
“So I can be ready to go?” Sam said, feigning calm when really she had been ready to climb out of her skin and get to the beach ever since the last week of school started.
