Madison: That’s what I was about to ask.
Sophia: Me too. Weren’t you tutoring Olivia at their house today?
Me: Yes. And I stayed for dinner at her request.
Me: And things were going great. We knew we needed to tell her.
Zoey: But the rumor mill got to her first?
Piper: Oh man.
Me: Yep.
Me: When she came down to confront us, we were kissing in the kitchen.
Me: We thought she was in the shower.
Sophia: Oh, damn.
Hadleigh: Yikes.
Madison: So, she would have found out today, rumor mill or not.
Me: Correct.
A text notification from Liam flashes at the top of my screen.
Me: Hang on a sec, Liam just texted me.
Switching over to the thread of messages with Liam, my heart sinks.
Liam: She fell asleep after crying in my arms.
Me: I’m so sorry.
Liam: She hasn’t done that since she was a little girl.
Liam: I don’t know what to do.
I’m not sure what the right course of action is here. But I can’t figure any other way around this.
Me: This is tearing me up inside.
Me: It hurts me to say this, but I don’t think we should see each other until you’ve sorted things out.
Liam: I have to figure out how to get through to her.
My head bows and I close my eyes as tears fill them. I wait for him to say something else, anything else, but my phone never pings with another notification. My heart heavy, I decide to give my friends the short of what just transpired and then go to sleep so I can find sweet oblivion and not think of this anymore. When I open up our messages, I see a few more came through while I was talking to Liam.
Piper: I’m worried for her.
Madison: You can say that again. I can’t imagine.
Sophia: Turns out Heath also heard some rumblings of this in the hallway at the end of the day. Not good. I’m nervous for tomorrow.
Zoey: Oh my. The rumor mill is vicious some days.
Hadleigh: I think all we can do is try to put a stop to all the talk in our classes.
Hadleigh: And give Q the support she needs.
I smile as I read, my eyes watering hard. I have good friends, that’s for sure. I swipe my fingers across my cheeks, wiping the wetness away.
Me: Thanks, you guys. Apparently, Olivia is terribly upset.
Me: We’ve decided they need some space to figure this out.
Piper: Oh no. :(
Hadleigh: Ugh. This crushes my soul.
Zoey: If you think I could help, I’m happy to try to talk to Olivia.
Me: I’ll keep that in mind.
Me: The only good thing to come out of this is that O let it slip to Liam that it’s a boy issue that’s been distracting her this semester.
Zoey: Well, at least you don’t have to keep that from him any longer. And I’m happy to talk to her about what’s going on with that, too.
Me: Thanks. I think I’m going to have to gauge where she’s at tomorrow and let you know.
Me: Going to sleep off this awful day. Thanks, girls.
Chapter 25
Quinn
Olivia is still pissed at Liam. I feel awful about everything. If she’d been capable of it, she’d have shot laser beams out of her eyes at me today in class. And the thing is, I understand why. There’s a whole lot of untruth being spread around, and I don’t know how she’s supposed to know what to believe.
Midday, I’m glumly eating lunch at my desk. At least I don’t have to see anyone or put on a happy face right now. My phone vibrates on top of a pile of papers. Oh, shit. What now?
Liam: I’m trying not to panic but Olivia is completely unhinged.
Liam: She sent me a text saying that we were seen in a car together.
Me: Well, we were …
Liam: Actually, there’s more. It gets worse.
The acid in my stomach bubbles and bile hits the back of my throat. To top everything off, I’ve felt like absolute shit today, like I’ve been run over by a truck.
Me: Tell me.
Liam: Brace yourself.
Liam: Apparently, they said they saw us having sex in my RAV4 and are asking if she knows how their dads can screw you, too, to give them a better grade.
Me: Oh. My. God. I think I’d remember if that had happened.
Liam: No kidding. They’re just making stuff up now.
Me: I’m mortified.
Liam: I know. It’s bad.
I stand up, glancing around my desk, trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing.
Me: I’ve got to go talk to someone about this. I don’t know what to do.
A wave of nausea has me stumbling toward the trashcan at the side of the room, and I literally lose the lunch I’d just consumed. My stomach continues to heave until there’s just nothing left.
When I’m finally able to stand, I take a slow, deep breath. I grab my phone and hurry as quickly as I can across the hall. I’ve got twenty minutes left in my lunch period, and all I can think to do is grab Sophia and go talk to Zoey. I feel like I should be heading this off somehow, explaining myself. I scoot into Sophia’s room and head straight for the workroom door, huffing out a breath as I give it a quick knock.
“Come in!” Sophia’s cheery voice encourages from the other side. I open the door and see her sitting next to her fiancé, then her smile falls, right along with Heath’s. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“I’m about to have a breakdown.” My breath hitches. “Can you come with me? I need you.”
Sophia glances at Heath, and he gestures that she should go. “It’s fine. We’ll talk later.”
My head drops into my hands. “I’m so sorry, guys.”
“No. Don’t. You’re more important than anything we were talking about.”
Heath calls out to us as we are leaving. “Hey.” He bites his lip. “Q, whatever is going on, it’s going to be okay.”
I wish he could guarantee that.
Sophia and I rush down the hallway arm in arm while I try to wipe the tears from my cheeks. When we get to the office, we make a beeline for Zoey’s door. Sophia waves at the secretary, her teeth clamped together. I barely notice.
Zoey bolts out of her chair when she sees us coming. “Oh no. What’s going on?” She rushes around her desk, waving me into the office and maneuvering me right into a seat.
My face crumples. “Everything is falling apart. You wouldn’t believe what’s being said.” With a sniff, I pull my phone out of my pocket. “Here.” I slide my finger to open my phone and hit the text message icon, pulling up Liam’s messages. “Look at the last few.” I slide it across the desk to Zoey. Sophia leans over the desk to read upside down.
“Here.” Zoey pushes a box of tissues in my direction as she scans the messages. “Oh, crap.”
Sophia clears her throat. “Well, that got out of hand really quickly.”
Zoey’s gaze connects with Sophia’s. “I think we need administrative help. Or something. Though, I’m not sure what they can do.”
“I’m beyond mortified. And I feel terrible for Olivia.” Between blowing my nose and wiping at my eyes and my ruined makeup, I’m going through about a billion tissues.
My heart tugs in my chest. All I want to do is curl up to Liam and feel his strong arms around me and have him make this all go away. But I can’t, because we’ve put a halt on our relationship in hopes this will all blow over. Right now, I feel like I’m drowning in this mess.
“Should I get Mi—Mr. Steele?” Zoey asks. She murmurs, “Oops,” when she almost uses his first name. Again.
I nod. “I think we have to.”
“Okay. And don’t worry, I’ll pull Olivia out of class to talk to her.” Zoey pats my shoulder. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you.”
Chapter 26
Quinn
I’ve done nothing for the last day but make m
yself sick over this entire affair. Mr. Steele had been understanding when I explained what has been happening. The honest truth is I’d wanted to provide my side of things to administration before getting yanked into a meeting where people would be looking down on me for what they think I did. What we’d done. I’d needed them to know that I had been seeing Liam before any of this mess started, before I even knew Olivia was his daughter. This whole thing is just a series of unfortunate coincidences. Coupled with teenage gossip, the whole situation has spiraled out of control.
After my first class ends, students scramble out of the room quickly. All except Olivia, that is. She slowly puts her notebook in her bag, eyes specifically avoiding mine, but she lingers for some reason.
With a sigh, I sit on the edge of my desk as she walks toward me up the aisle to the front of the classroom. The look on her face is so wounded, I wish there was something I could do to make this right with her. I’m not sure there is, as she’s living through this ridiculous gossip attack right alongside me.
When she reaches where I’m sitting, she stops, her eyes flicking up to mine. “Is there a way to switch out of this class?” She licks her lips. “I think I’d be better off with another teacher right now.” Her face flames red.
My lips part. “Olivia, it’s never been my intention to hurt you.” I search her eyes, and all I see there is hurt. “I’m so sorry, but there isn’t another biology class taught at the same time.”
She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, then nods and heads for the door. Right before she walks out, she whispers under her breath, “Just leave me alone.”
Later that afternoon, I wait until the halls have cleared before I head down to the library for lunch with my girls. When I arrive, Madison, Hadleigh, Piper, and Zoey are huddled around the table eating sandwiches that they had delivered. I wrinkle my nose as I approach. The last time we’d ordered from that place, it’d tasted funky. Hopefully, it was a one-time deal.
I sit down in the chair Madison pulls out for me and glance around the table. “Where’s Sophia?”
Zoey raises her brows. “She and Heath have a conference call with their wedding planner.” She pauses a second, eyeing me. “She mentioned this morning she wouldn’t be joining for lunch. Remember?”
I shake my head, closing my eyes. “Right. Sorry, I’m out of it.”
Hadleigh presses her lips together. “It’s been two days. You’d think the rumor mill would be grinding to a halt by now on this particular topic. It could literally pick up on anything else, and it would be a welcome change.”
“I can’t believe the way stuff is just getting made up now and passed around. Just awful.” Piper winces. “How are your classes going?”
“Pretty quiet, actually. I think it’s just something titillating for their teenage minds to focus on.”
Madison leans in and gives me a side-hug.
“Thanks. And I’ve got other stuff on my mind, too. We finally scheduled Mom’s surgery for next week, so I’ve been anxious about that on top of everything else. Especially now that it appears I won’t be tutoring Olivia anymore. It’s going to make this so much more difficult because I was counting on that money to help pay for whatever Mom’s insurance doesn’t cover. I feel physically sick at the drop of a hat these days thinking about everything.”
Piper puts a potato chip in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. She juts her chin toward my lunch. “You haven’t touched your sandwich.”
“I just have no appetite at all.” I glance around our circle at my friends’ faces seeing nothing but concern in them.
“I really hate all of this for you. It seemed like you and Liam were getting along so well, and then …” Zoey makes a sound like everything is blowing up, complete with hand gestures.
I sneak a chip from Piper’s open bag. It’s the only thing that seems remotely appetizing to me right now. As I chew, a few different things hit me all at once. I’ve been exhausted. Not feeling like myself. I mentally do some lady math in my head.
Another chip halfway to my mouth, I pause. Oh boy. Could I be …?
Chapter 27
Liam
This is what our life has become, silent meals side by side. Both sad. Both hurting. I sneak a peek at Olivia as she pokes at the dinner of baked chicken with a side of mac and cheese. When I angle my head toward her, she looks away. When I try to speak to her, she shoves food into her mouth and chews, giving me a cold stare. It’s like she’s daring me to say something just so she can lash out.
I can’t fucking believe what a mess everything has become. I’d gone from thinking maybe, just maybe I’d talk to Olivia and she’d be okay with welcoming Quinn into our lives somehow. That whole evening, right up until Olivia walked in on us in a lip-lock, had been everything I’d dreamed about. It’d felt like the life I’d been hoping for—but never thought would be mine—was finally within my grasp.
And then, it’d all slipped away. My daughter is embarrassed and upset. Angry, even. The woman I have some strong, almost terrifying feelings for has stayed away because we thought it would help. But it hasn’t. Not one bit.
I check my text messages for about the tenth time since we’ve sat down to dinner. I hoped for a response, but there’s nothing new, only the last one she’d sent and my response.
Quinn: I think I just need to be your daughter’s teacher right now.
Me: I love my daughter, but the growing connection with you is one I don’t take lightly. I don’t want to give up on us. I hope we can eventually figure this out.
I inhale deeply, not sure what to say or do to make things better for Quinn or Olivia, but my daughter is the one here with me now, so I focus on her. Releasing a breath, I do the only thing that comes to mind. “I’m sorry you found out that way, baby girl.” My voice comes out gritty and low.
Her eyes cut to mine, and she sets down her fork with a clatter on the plate. I can tell she’s working out how she wants to respond before she opens her mouth. She’s always been like that—very cautious in everything she does. The only break in that pattern had been when she found Quinn and me together and spewed whatever came into her head.
She sighs, her mouth pulling into a frown. “I know you are.” She wets her lips and huffs, “I’m still mad. And so embarrassed.”
“I know. And I’m sorry for all of that. I—we didn’t set out to hurt you.”
“Does Mom know?”
I shake my head, taking in the wetness of unshed tears in her eyes. “No. But she’s not my wife anymore, sweetheart. When people divorce, the best thing is to try to move on. It’s been a year. Your mother and I are happier apart. I know that’s not what you want to hear. I do plan to talk to your mother, though.”
“May I be excused, please?”
My heavy sigh is full of pain and regret. “Sure.”
My eyes follow as she gets up, rinses off her dishes and puts them into the dishwasher. Without another word, she exits the room and climbs the stairs to her room.
When I finish my dinner, I grab a cider out of the fridge and drink it as I do the rest of the dishes. Then I have another while sitting at the island with my head in my hands.
Fucking hell. I have to contact Becky. I’m not making this mistake again. I want everything out in the open. No need to screw this up even worse than I already have.
I tap the screen of my phone a few times and put the call through.
“Hey. We don’t usually talk on Fridays. I’ve got a boatload of work to do tonight.”
“Hello to you, too.” I grit my teeth. “I’m sorry to interrupt your night.”
“What’s wrong?”
I roll my eyes, more at myself than at her. Everything. Everything is wrong. “Did I say something was wrong?”
“Liam. We were married for sixteen years. I know how your voice sounds when you’re upset or worried.”
I bow my head. “Right. Um. I want to tell you about something.” I pause, not quite knowing how to say this.
“Go a
head. Lay it on me.”
I roughly clear my throat. “I’ve been seeing someone.”
“Well that’s great, Liam. Why do you sound so depressed about it?” She pauses and sucks in her breath. “Wait, does Olivia not like her or something?” She’s sifting through papers in the background, multitasking as she’s known to do.
My teeth grind together a second before answering. “Well, no. She actually likes her a lot. Or she did, anyway.” I put my hand over my eyes as I tell her, “It’s Quinn Lockmore.”
“Quinn Loc—oh, the biology teacher?” She hesitates for a few seconds. “I’m not sure how I feel about that. What’d you do, ask her out after the parent-teacher conference?”
“No. I’d been seeing her before that. I had no idea she was Olivia’s teacher.”
A definite snort sounds from the other side of the phone. Then an all-out laugh. “Oh my God, stop. Are you kidding? You must have wet yourself when you walked into that meeting.”
I grimace, but her laughter is getting to me, and I chuckle a bit. “Yeah, it was a pretty big surprise. Anyway, I was finally going to tell Olivia when all hell broke loose. Some kids saw us on a date at a coffee shop and it all got worse from there … including Olivia walking in on us kissing. You can imagine in the world of social media how quickly news of me with her teacher spread.”
She clucks her tongue. “Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t have laughed. Olivia is upset?”
“You could say that. And the rumors flying around are affecting both Olivia and Quinn at school. It’s a huge mess.”
“So, what do you want from me, Liam?”
“Nothing really. Except your support with Olivia.”
Becky is quiet for a moment, and I know she’s got her mind’s wheels turning. “Okay. I’ve got to say, Liam. I’m not really happy about her continuing to tutor Olivia under these circumstances.”
Fall for You (Flirting with Forever Book 4) Page 13
