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Aaron didn’t need to answer. His silence said everything.
Zara shoved her chair back abruptly. “Dinner was great, Gracie and Dean. The company?” She aimed a disgusted look at Aaron and Blake. “Can’t say the same.”
Jesse swallowed, a lump in his throat as he watched Zara storm out of the room. Dean followed, although he at least managed to look apologetic.
Gracie laughed nervously. “Who wants dessert?”
Raina jumped up. “Why don’t I help you clear the plates, Gracie?”
“I’ll help, too,” Theo volunteered, hurriedly pushing his chair away from the table.
Jesse was tempted to speak up, if only to have something to do. But the trio seemed to have everything covered, and Nicole was shooting him a pleading look, begging him not to leave her alone with Aaron and Blake.
“Going to take any good classes, Blake?” Jesse asked.
Blake shrugged. “People say Kingston’s a decent teacher.”
“He’s pretty good,” Jesse agreed. “One of my favorites.”
“Who wants cookies?” Gracie interrupted, setting a platter down on the table. Raina set an identical platter on the opposite end of the table before settling back into her seat. Theo never returned. “Feel free to take one,” Gracie added when no one made a move.
Jesse cleared his throat. “They look great, Gracie.”
“They’re not fresh, but should be good,” she informed the table. “Um, I’m going to go check on Dean and Zara.” She grabbed a handful of cookies and tucked them into a napkin.
“We’ll handle cleaning up,” Jesse offered, gesturing to the three friends that remained sitting around the table.
“Thank you,” Gracie said, a relieved look on her face. With a wave, she rushed out of the room.
“So Jesse, are you seeing anyone?” Aaron asked. He took a long sip of water, immediately reaching for a pitcher on the table and refilling his glass.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jesse noticed Raina twitch. “Not at the moment, no,” Jesse replied, trying his best to keep his voice even.
“Any girls you’re interested in?”
Jesse willed himself to keep his gaze focused on his uncle. “No offense, Uncle Aaron, but I would prefer to keep my private life to myself. You could ask Theo sometime; he might have an answer.”
Aaron looked like he would prefer to swallow a lemon than ask Theo about boys. “Ahh, it’s getting late. Blake and I must be going.”
Jesse stood and began to clear the table. “Of course,” he lied. “We should do this again sometime, it was fun.”
“I think next time we should go to that funeral home Zara suggested,” Nicole muttered as she stood to help.
Jesse snorted. “She was right. Itwouldhave been more fun.”
ChapterTwenty-Six
Jesse didn’t need to look up when someone sank down next to him on the couch. They’d only just finished cleaning up after their meal, spending nearly an hour carrying plates and silverware back to the kosher kitchen. He’d immediately returned to the dorm intending to collapse on his bed, but he hadn’t made it past the common room.
“Hey, Nicole.”
“Hey, Jes.”
Jesse glanced up from his phone, finding Nicole draped across the other half of the small couch. She rarely allowed herself to relax like this, eyes closed and resting on the couch like she hadn’t a care in the world. When Nicole relaxed, she let her guard down, no longer masking her feelings. He could spot the frustration and exhaustion on her face.
“Long day?” he asked.
Nicole groaned, dragging a hand over her face. “Just the usual parent bullshit.”
