I pursed my lips as Aric barked out a laugh and took the seat to my right. “Why would I miss you?”
“Because your entire life revolves around me,” Sami replied, reaching for my coffee so she could sip it. “I’ll bet you cried because you were so sad without me.”
“She gets that from you,” Aric said, chuckling as he shifted his eyes to Roger. “So, you’re the head of the English Department, huh?”
Roger nodded. “I am.”
“You should talk to him about your books, Trouble,” Aric suggested. “You two probably have a lot in common.”
It was a weird statement, and I couldn’t quite figure out what Aric was after. He was usually the last person who encouraged me to spend time with other men – for obvious reasons – and yet that appeared to be exactly what he was doing.
“I … .”
“You write books?” Roger’s eyes lit up as he turned to me. “I’ll admit that I’d never heard so much as a whisper of your name until today. I’m stunned that Brittany never mentioned she had a friend who writes books.”
“I didn’t know,” Brittany said, furrowing her brow. “I assumed you were a homemaker.”
Of course she did. “I work from home,” I clarified. “I write romance novels under a pen name.”
“So … you’re not a homemaker?” Brittany almost looked disappointed.
Sami snorted, drawing attention from most of the table as she stared at the menu. “Dad and I do all of the cleaning. Mom says she doesn’t like to clean, so she gets out of it.”
“Yes, you’re clearly the family slave,” Kelsey teased, tweaking her nose. “You don’t want your mother cleaning anyway. She’s bad at it.”
I was fairly certain that was meant as an insult. “I’m not bad at it. I simply … feel my time is better spent doing other things.”
“Like writing?” Roger queried.
I nodded. “And yard work.”
Now it was Aric’s turn to snort. “What yard work do you do?” I shot fiery eye daggers in his direction, but he didn’t back down. “I seriously want to know. You refuse to plant flowers because you don’t like to weed.”
“No one likes to weed.”
“Yes, but I’m dying to hear what kind of yard work you do,” Aric pressed.
I ignored him and focused on Roger. “So, do you like being the head of the English Department?”
Roger’s smile was hard to read. “It has its merits. I don’t dislike it, that’s for sure. You’re an author, huh? Have I read any of your books?”
“Not unless you’re into ripping bodices, heaving bosoms and wandering hands,” I answered, causing Aric to smirk.
“She bases all of her heroes on me,” Aric offered. “They’re all strapping men with huge muscles and unbelievable stamina.”
“They’re also fictitious,” I pointed out.
“You have the real thing for inspiration.”
I narrowed my eyes. He was clearly feeling good about himself. “How was your visit to the fraternity house?”
Brittany snapped her head in our direction when she heard the question. “The fraternity house? Are you talking about the Alpha Chi house?”
I ignored the question, but didn’t miss Paris’ almost imperceptible nod out of the corner of my eye.
Aric stared at me a moment, his expression unreadable. “Yes, the Alpha Chi house,” he acknowledged. “Sami wanted to see where I spent my college years.”
“And here I thought you spent your college years under Zoe’s thumb.” Brittany said in a teasing manner, but Aric clearly wasn’t thrilled with the insinuation.
“I like to think Zoe and I have a balanced relationship,” Aric countered. “We listen to one another, love one another and respect one another.”
Brittany shifted on her chair. “Of course. I didn’t mean anything. I just … um … .”
“I think it’s hard for people to forget that things change,” Roger offered, smiling as he slipped a supportive arm around Brittany’s shoulders. “You guys haven’t seen each other in a long time. You were kids when you hung out together.
“People mature, of course, but if you’re not there to see it sometimes it’s as if it didn’t happen,” he continued. “You need to get to know one another as adults instead of children.”
“That’s very wise.” Brittany kissed Roger’s cheek. “Isn’t he wise?”
“Yes, he’s a regular Stephen Hawking,” Kelsey drawled, taking the menu from Sami. “We should order. I’m starving.”
“Me, too,” Sami agreed, bobbing her head. “I want a burger, fries and onion rings.”
Brittany widened her eyes. “That’s a lot of grease.”
Sami shrugged. “I like grease. Can we get ice cream after, too, Mom?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
“She shouldn’t eat all of those empty carbs, Zoe,” Brittany chastised. “You’re teaching her bad eating habits.”
I could take a lot and hold my tongue – actually, it was the exact opposite. I very rarely hold my tongue. Brittany’s audacity frayed my last fully-functioning nerve, though. “She can eat what she wants,” I said, lowering my voice. “If she wants a burger, fries, onion rings, ice cream, cake … whatever … she can have it.”
“I wasn’t trying to tell you how to do your job,” Brittany sniffed. “I have children, too. I know how hard it is to get them to eat well. It’s just … she’s still young. You can instill good eating habits in her now and they’ll be with her forever.”
Sami made a hysterical face. “I’d rather have the burger.”
“You’re getting the burger,” Aric interjected, his eyes warily bouncing between Brittany and me. He sensed trouble. “I’m getting a burger, too.”
“You didn’t tell me you had children,” Paris prodded, attempting to turn Brittany’s attention from me. “How old are they?”
“Well, they’re stepsons,” Brittany clarified. “They’re Roger’s sons from his first marriage. They’re fifteen and thirteen … so just about Sami’s age. You guys should meet, hang out.”
Sami cast a dubious look in Roger’s direction. “I’m good,” she said after a moment’s contemplation. “I’m not into geeks.”
I pressed the tip of my tongue against my teeth to keep from laughing. It was a rude comment – which I shouldn’t encourage – but she delivered it masterfully.
“You don’t know they’re geeks,” Aric chided, reaching around my back so he could flick Sami’s ear. “Don’t be obnoxious.”
“Oh, now you want me to hang out with boys my own age?” Sami was annoyed. “You didn’t like it when I did it at the wolf retreat.”
My heart rolled at her words and I snapped my eyes to Roger. His expression was hard to read. I had no idea what Brittany had told him about us, about Aric, about Covenant College as a whole. If Roger was confused by Sami’s inadvertent slip he didn’t show it.
“You mean our vacation up north with Grandma and Grandpa?” Aric deliberately stressed, causing Sami’s cheeks to flush.
“Yeah, I meant our vacation,” Sami offered lamely. “I’m … sorry. I … .”
I grabbed her hand to quiet her. “It’s fine.” I forced a smile. “It’s totally fine. Why don’t you go with Kelsey and place orders for everyone’s lunch? That way you’ll be assured of getting your burger.”
Sami was reticent, but slowly nodded as Kelsey grabbed her hand and dragged her from the table.
“I’ll make choices for everyone,” Kelsey called out, seemingly eager to escape from the table, where twenty years of anger and dislike threatened to erupt. “We won’t be gone long.”
Aric grabbed my hand to keep me calm, sliding his chair a bit closer as he forced a smile. “I think Roger is right. I think everyone is remembering how things used to be. They’re different now.”
They weren’t all that different. He was putting on an act to cover for Sami’s “wolf” slip.
“I think we should all agree to start fresh and move forw
ard,” Aric suggested. “There’s no reason to dwell on the past.”
“That’s a good idea,” Brittany said, swallowing hard as she met my gaze. “Don’t you?”
I thought it was a terrible idea and I was momentarily overwhelmed by the urge to kick Brittany in the face. Somehow, against all of the odds, I mustered a wan smile. “Sure. I think we should start over.”
“Great.”
“Good.”
Roger, either oblivious or purposely obtuse, rubbed his hands together to get my attention. “I think that sounds marvelous. I have the perfect idea how to do it, too.”
“Oh, yeah? How?”
“I think you should come to one of my classes and discuss your career as a romance author.”
Oh, well, he did have a sense of humor after all. I was totally wrong. “Over my dead body.”
Aric cleared his throat and shook his head, causing my stomach to flip. “She was just kidding. She’ll need to think about it, but I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”
Huh. Speaking of senses of humor, apparently my husband switched his when no one was looking. We would have a long talk about that the moment we were alone. Heck, maybe even before.
Fourteen
It took forever to finish the uncomfortable lunch, Brittany waxing poetic about her wonderful life while Roger continuously attempted to pressure me into visiting his class. Finally I had no choice but to say I would give it serious thought and contact him if my schedule allowed. There was no way my schedule would allow, but I kept that to myself.
Once it was just the five of us, I unleashed my bad mood.
“This has been the suckiest day ever,” I announced. “First that kid at the athletic center called me ‘ma’am.’ Then we run into Brittany again, and she’s even more insufferable than when we lived with her freshman year.”
Paris was decidedly blasé about the entire thing. “You’re overreacting. I thought she was fine considering the circumstances. It wasn’t as if you were openly nice to her.”
“Excuse me?”
“Calm down,” Aric warned, gripping my hand. “There’s no reason to get worked up.”
I could think of two reasons … and their chairs were barely cold. “Are you telling me you think it’s okay that she commented on Sami’s eating habits?”
“She does eat poorly,” Aric hedged. “She gets that from you.”
“Me?”
“The woman who taught her to make a Pop Tart sandwich for lunch because she doesn’t like tuna? Yeah.”
“That is a healthy and delicious meal.”
“You use marshmallow fluff for the center of the sandwich.”
He said that like it was a bad thing. “Oh, whatever.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “She’s our kid. She can eat what she wants.”
“I agree with Mom,” Sami offered. “I think that woman should shut her hole and mind her own business.”
I cringed when Aric shot me a dirty look. Sami took her attitude cues from me. When it became obvious that I wasn’t going to correct her, Aric shook his head.
“Nice,” he said. “You’re just going to let that slide?”
“Brittany does need to shut her hole,” I replied, cracking my neck when Aric heaved out a sigh. “However … .” I shifted my eyes to Sami. “Brittany is an adult and you need to respect adults. You can’t say whatever you want to just because … um … I do.”
Aric lifted an eyebrow. “Good girl.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t push it.”
“I won’t.”
Sami didn’t look happy. “You said she was mean to you … and betrayed you. I don’t understand why we have to be nice to her. I definitely don’t understand why she’s still alive if she betrayed you.”
Loyalty was a big deal in our house. I refused to admonish Sami for demanding it from others. Still, no matter how much I disliked her, Brittany didn’t ask for everything that happened to her.
“Sami, it’s difficult when you’re dealing with people of a certain age,” I explained, searching for the right words to make her understand something I wasn’t entirely sure I grasped myself. “When we came to college none of us knew each other. We were tossed into a room and expected to get along.
“People have different personalities and everyone isn’t raised the same,” I continued. “People have different interests … and goals … and belief systems. We’ve always raised you to have an open mind when it comes to things like that.”
Sami refused to back down. “Even though she betrayed you?”
“She didn’t betray us,” I clarified. “Well, not exactly. She kind of betrayed us at a certain point, but things were so far gone I honestly can’t decide if she thought we were the evil ones. From her perspective, we might very well have been the bad element on campus.”
“Sami, Brittany and your mother hated each other on sight,” Aric interjected. “They were very different people and they were never going to like one another. Paris was in that room with them, and because she has a different personality she managed to get along with both of them.”
“You like Brittany?” Sami appeared somehow disappointed when she shifted to Paris. “Really?”
“I understand Brittany,” Paris corrected. “She came to Covenant College knowing exactly what she wanted. She yearned for an education and to fall in love with a man who would give her status. That’s not what I wanted – it’s definitely not what your mother wanted – and yet there’s nothing wrong with her desires.
“Brittany was always jealous of your mother,” she continued. “Zoe made things look effortless even though she struggled heavily under the weight of things she didn’t understand. Brittany never grasped that. In her mind people flocked to Zoe because she was magical.”
Sami ran her thumb over her bottom lip, tilting her head as she considered Paris’ words. “Did she have a thing for Dad?”
“Everyone had a thing for me,” Aric replied, his eyes twinkling. “I was a god amongst men on this campus. You saw the way the guys at the frat house revered me.”
Sami ignored him. “Did she have a thing for Dad?” she repeated.
Paris nodded. “She had a crush on your father. It killed her that Aric only had eyes for your mother. It was as if the second he saw her, the moment they met at the bookstore, he was done looking at anyone else. That didn’t sit well with Brittany, because she had trouble connecting with people, especially boys.”
“But she dated that loser Mom went out with before Dad,” Sami pointed out. “She went after him to upset Mom.”
“She did, but she also went after him because she was convinced she would find some sort of happiness there,” Paris explained. “She thought she could find happiness with the people attracted to Zoe.That backfired badly.”
“Because the loser died?”
I glanced at Aric. He taught Sami to refer to Will as a “loser” despite my wishes to the contrary. “Why can she call Will a loser and not mention that Brittany should shut her hole?”
Aric shrugged. “Will was a loser.”
“And Brittany should shut her hole.”
“Brittany should definitely shut her hole,” Kelsey agreed.
“Don’t listen to either of your parents right now,” Paris ordered, grabbing Sami’s hand and forcing her to look away from us. “They’re good people, but they’re opinionated. Your mother will never like Brittany … and that’s okay. You should still respect adults.”
“I’m getting a lot of conflicting advice here,” Sami said. “I need to give it some thought.”
Paris smiled. “I think that’s wise.”
“Me, too.” Aric patted Sami’s shoulder. “Will was definitely a loser, though.”
I didn’t bother to hide my grin. “We’re quite the family, aren’t we?”
“We are indeed, Trouble.” Aric linked his fingers with mine and sighed. “So, who wants to hear about our visit to the frat house?”
“I do,” I admitted. �
�I didn’t think Brittany would ever shut her hole and leave so we could get down to business.”
“I’m sorry about that, by the way.” Sami was sheepish. “I didn’t mean to talk about the wolf retreat like that. It kind of slipped out.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Aric said. “I’m not sure Roger even heard what you said. He was too enamored with your mother.”
“He wasn’t enamored with me!”
“He was,” Aric argued. “He wouldn’t stop staring at you. Brittany noticed, too. The only reason I didn’t pound my fist into his face is because we were in public … and we might eventually need him.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. You’re so full of crap.”
“Believe what you want, but he was interested in you. It was obvious.”
“I hate to admit it, mostly because it will add fuel to the frenemy fire where Brittany is concerned, but Aric is right,” Paris offered. “Roger was very interested in you.”
Somehow I’d missed it. I didn’t know what to make of it. “Do you think he was interested in me because I’m a woman and Brittany is most likely bad in bed, or do you think it’s for another reason?” What I really wanted to know was if he was interested because he knew I was magical.
“I think it was the woman thing,” Paris answered. “He had no idea who you were. I think Brittany purposely avoided talking about you because she’s still jealous.”
“Well, I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse,” I mused. “I don’t care what anyone says, though, I’m not speaking to his class.”
“You will if we need to trade favors,” Aric countered. “We’re not there yet, but I’m not ruling anything out. Back to the Alpha Chis. They invited me to a party tonight, if you can believe that.”
I stilled, invisible weight pressing down on my shoulders. “What? Why?”
“I have no idea.” Aric played with the crumpled straw wrapper on the table. “It was kind of weird. We arrived and I let myself in the house without knocking because I wanted them to believe that I thought I belonged there.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 65
