by Payton Reed
Isis his eyes widened. “Aren’t you all related?”
She shook her head. “Only by marriage, and it’s been a short marriage at that. They hate me, and the feeling’s mutual.” A treacherous part of her recalled how turned on she’d been when Dalton touched her in the greenhouse, but she forced that voice to the very back of her mind, not wanting the reminder that she was attracted to her tormentor.
“Give me a few minutes, and I’ll help you start cleaning up.”
She gave Isis a look of surprise, having guessed Isis had never cleaned up anything in her life. It was a nice offer though, and she managed to smile and silence before she said something rude and insensitive. In her current mood, she wasn’t as in control of her mouth as she’d like to be.
True to her word, Isis changed out of her school uniform, and they started cleaning up together a few minutes later. They were partway through scooping up the remnants of her possessions scattered on the floor when she heard a gasp from the doorway. Willow looked up, immediately feeling guilty, though she’d done nothing wrong, when she saw Edna’s look of horror.
Her voice dripped disapproval. “My goodness, what have you done? Did you read the rules in the handbook about keeping an orderly room? I’m going to have to give you a demerit. Perhaps two,” she said with a high-pitched squeak as she entered the room, getting her first look at the destroyed bed.
“Ms. Grimley, we didn’t do this,” said Isis.
Willow nodded. “I came back to the room, and it was like this. It’s someone’s trying to tell me to leave the academy.”
Edna looked awkward for a moment, and then her shoulders firmed. “I certainly hope you won’t let them tell you what to do, dear. You girls clean up, and I’ll see about getting a new bed delivered for you. I’ll return in a short time with a report. You can list everything that’s been damaged or stolen, and we’ll start moving on from there.” With a bracing nod before her departure, Edna left them.
Willow turned to Isis. “Thank you. I don’t know if I would have been able to convince her by myself that I didn’t do this.”
Isis shrugged a shoulder. “Only an idiot would think someone would do this to their own room.”
She looked up again when there was a timid knock on the open door. A slightly chubby red-haired girl with hazel eyes stood there. She seemed to be hovering in the doorway indecisively. “I was walking by and saw what happened. Do you want some help to clean up?”
Since Isis didn’t show any sign of answering, Willow responded. “Thank you. I’d really appreciate that.”
The girl grinned, and there was a new confidence in her step when she walked into the room. She still wore her school uniform, along with an oversized sweater. It looked like it could have belonged to an older brother, though it had her surname’s beginning, an H, embroidered on the left breast, just like the rest of them. She knelt and began scooping trash into another bag that she took from the box on Willow’s wrecked bed. “What happened?”
“I have no idea. Somebody doesn’t like me.” Willow tried to sound blasé, as though it really didn’t bother her. She could certainly live with people not liking her, but this level of destruction had definitely shaken her. Someone truly hated her if they could do this. “I’m Willow, by the way. I don’t think we’ve met yet.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Octavia Hastings. I’m in room fifteen down the hall.”
“Are you a senior?” Willow’s mind wasn’t really on the conversation, but it was better to focus on that than to dwell on the mess surrounding her, including her destroyed possessions.
“Just a sophomore.” She held up the broken box. “Where do you want this?”
Willow took it with a shaking hand. It was a delicate jewelry box left to her by her grandmother. Dolores had died when she was eight, but she still remembered her grandmother and treasured the memories, since she’d practically grown up with Dolores her first eight years while her mom had been working hard to support them.
The box was damaged, possibly beyond repair, and a tear trickled from the corner of her eye. She swiped at it angrily as she opened the box. None of the jewelry inside remained. She didn’t really care about any of it except for the silver locket, also a gift from Dolores. It had pictures of Grandma Dolores and Grandpa George in it, and though she’d never met him, she treasured the locket. Perhaps because she’d never met him, it meant even more.
The locket housed her only pictures of Grandma and Grandpa, and her hands shook as she put the ruined box on the bed. “Please look for a silver chain with an oval pendant. It means so much to me.”
“We’ll keep an eye out for it,” said Isis.
Somehow, as the next half-hour passed with cleaning, she managed to calm down a bit. She was still upset, and she was dismayed to see no sign of the necklace when they cleared the mess, but she was no longer on the verge of tears.
Right now, she was just flirting with rage. If she found out for sure who’d done this—not that she had many doubts about it being Malone and/or Dalton—she couldn’t be responsible for her behavior. She’d rip off Malone’s head, and there was no way she could ever let herself respond to Dalton again if he could do something so cruel and nasty.
After the cleanup was done, Octavia lingered for a few minutes longer, and then she just sort of faded out of the room.
When she was gone, Isis shook her head. “Poor kid.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Octavia’s totally awkward. She’s not good the social things, and she’s chubby. She’s also the headmaster’s niece. Some wonder the poor girl has no friends.”
“You seemed to be nice to her. I thought you were friends?”
Isis chuckled. “She’s way younger than me, so we won’t be hanging out. I feel sorry for her, but that’s all.”
That was a harsh thing to say, but Willow was in no mood to argue or try to persuade Isis to change her mind. She was too emotionally drained. She had every intention of befriending Octavia, but she couldn’t force Isis to reevaluate her opinion, and there was no point wasting energy she didn’t have in trying to do so.
Chapter Fourteen
Lex
The sight of her so upset was still with Lex when he tracked down Dalton in the main floor rec room. He still didn’t know exactly what Dalton had done to upset Willow, but it made him angry. He felt protective of her, and he liked her. More than that, he could see really liking her completely differently, so there was no way he could stand by while Dalton made her miserable.
Dalton was bent over the billiard table, clearly lining up a difficult shot, when Lex walked by. He snatched the eight-ball out of the way of the cue ball just seconds before it would’ve collided with it and likely knocked the ball into the hole he was aiming for.
Dalton stood up, angry. “What the hell, man?”
Lex dropped the ball into the corner pocket before moving closer to Dalton. “What the hell is right? What did you do to your stepsister? I ran into her a while ago, and she was so upset.”
Dalton’s cheeks turned a ruddy hue, and there was something akin to guilt in his gaze for just a brief a second. It was gone so quickly that Lex thought it must have been his imagination. He doubted Dalton was capable of feeling guilt. “You need to back off her.”
“Why are you here fighting her battles? She’s mine, Lex.”
Lex’s eyes widened, and he started picking up a different vibe from Dalton. Was his torture campaign just to get a rise out of Willow and make her miserable, or was there more to his tormenting? Did Dalton want Willow? Was he punishing her for his own desires? He glared up at Dalton, who was a couple of inches taller than him. “That’s a strange thing to say about your stepsister.”
Dalton shoved him in the chest. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Our father dragged her into our lives, so she’s mine and Malone’s to play with and torture. Like a mouse caught between two cats. I won’t have you protecting her.
That trash needs to know where she belongs, and it certainly isn’t here.”
“Don’t talk about her like that.” Lex pushed back, making Dalton take a couple of steps back. “And I don’t believe you. There’s more to this than just resenting her being here. You want her, don’t you?” He grimaced. “Isn’t that pretty sick?”
“She’s not my real sister.” Dalton looked around for a moment after the outburst, and though they had an audience gathering, there were only a few people close enough who might overhear. “Keep that filthy shit to yourself. I would never be with someone like her. Stay out of my way, Sperry.”
“I suggest you do the same with Willow, Westerly. Just leave her alone. She hasn’t done anything to you.” Lex shoved him again, and Dalton lunged toward him.
Lex prepared himself for Dalton to plow into him, bracing his feet shoulder-width apart and bending at the knee slightly. He recalled his promise that he wouldn’t fight with Dalton, but it was a promise he couldn’t keep. With what he now suspected; he wasn’t just feeling protective. He was downright territorial.
“Knock it off,” said Seth as he started to drag on Dalton’s arms. Lex was aware of hands on his shoulder a moment later as Wills tugged him back. He glared at his friend. “Let me go.”
“I don’t think so. Neither one of you needs to get your asses kicked or get suspended this early in the term. Whatever’s bothering you, just let it go, Lex.”
Seth looked over at them. “I hate to agree with Wills, but he has a point. Just walk it off, Dalton. You don’t need to be in a fight.”
Lex was still angry, but the longer he stood separated from Dalton, without the other boy in his face, the more he was able to calm down. “Just remember what I said. If you do, we won’t have any more problems.”
“We have problems, and this sure isn’t over, Sperry.”
“For once, I agree with you, Westerly. This shit definitely isn’t over, but it will be settled if you don’t leave Willow alone.” Satisfied to have the last word, he turned and walked out of the rec room.
The adrenaline was still pumping through him, and he made a detour to the gym instead of his room, deciding he needed to work off some extra anger flowing through his veins.
As he started running on the treadmill, soon going full tilt, he wondered if he should mention his theory to Willow that Dalton wanted to do more than punish her or push her to leave. As he mentally rehearsed trying to tell her that, he cringed at how awkward even the imaginary conversation was.
He decided it was a subject he wouldn’t broach if Dalton respected his warning and stayed away from her. Otherwise, Dalton was correct in his assessment that their altercation wasn’t over. It had only begun.
Chapter Fifteen
Willow
Willow’s necklace did not turn up, and she was sad about it, but she had to keep going. There were classes to attend, along with study sessions with Lex. They involved actual studying but also more than a little kissing.
She was also preoccupied with trying to stay out of Dalton’s way. Whatever the thing was between them, she figured it was wiser not to feed it. If they both desired each other, it was destined to be a destructive force in their lives. No good could come from it when they both hated each other as much as they wanted each other.
It was easy enough to distract herself Friday, since she had no classes. It was a study day, and all the teachers maintained open hours, so she dressed with care as she prepared herself to go to Kip’s office.
She wasn’t required to wear her school uniform today, so she picked shorts and a nice blouse along with sandals. They were all compliant with the dress code, including the shorts being no more than three inches higher than her knee. Still, she felt positively glamorous compared to the school uniforms as she walked across campus to find his office.
She found it a short time later, and the door was open. She was pleased to see On The Wings Of A Dove folded over the armchair he sat in, and he was clearly waiting for her. There was a tray with tea, including two cups. “Would you like some?” he asked.
She nodded as she sat down, wishing the armchair across from him was much closer. It was far enough away to help her resist the temptation of touching him, but that meant it was also too far away for her to touch him. Since she doubted, he would welcome her touching him anyway, it was probably for the best that she was across the room. It was a small room though, and when they both sat with their feet outward, the tips of their shoes touched. Even that contact gave her a little thrill. How pathetic was she?
“Did you finish the book?”
She nodded, and they plunged into a discussion about the novel. She was still no fan of Merton, but at least he’d tried to do the right thing, or some weak semblance of it.
“Do you think Kate chose him or the money at the end?” asked Kip.
“The money, of course. The girl was obsessed with social standing and having money to live the right life. She herself said things would never be the same between them again. I’m sure she took the money.”
He nodded, though he looked regretful. “I fear I agree with you. I prefer to think Kate came to her senses and had an epiphany of how wrong she’d been, and how much she loved Merton. It would be nice if she’d been willing to accept him just as he was, but I think she took the money as well.”
“You seem disappointed in her.” As she spoke, Willow leaned forward to retrieve her cup of tea from the small side table. “What did you expect her to do? She told you what she was from the start, so you should believe her.”
He arched a brow. “I suppose that’s true, but one can hope for redemption and character growth. Kate could certainly have learned to be less materialistic, and she would have been happier.”
Willow couldn’t help grinning. “You’re a romantic, aren’t you?” She said it almost like an accusation, with a strong thread of amusement.
Kip reached for his tea, looking completely relaxed. “You make it sound like a bad thing.”
She shrugged. “Romance is fine, I guess, as long as you know it’s fleeting and won’t last. Especially the kind you see in books. That stuff never lasts.”
He frowned. “I don’t believe that. My parents were married for thirty-nine years before my dad died in a car accident. They were deeply in love.”
She wasn’t going to argue with him about his parents’ marriage, since she had never witnessed it. Instead, Willow inclined her head. “I believe you, but I’m not sure I believe that most people are designed to love just one person their whole life.”
He shrugged. “I don’t suppose there’s any reason you must love just one person, as long as you love.”
She frowned, sipping her tea again. “What do you mean?”
For a moment, he looked uncomfortable, and his gaze darted toward the door. “Polyandry… polygamy… open relationships? I’m sure you’ve heard of those?”
She nodded. “So, you think a group of people can love each other better than a man and a woman can, or two men or two women?”
He shook his head. “No, not at all. I’m just saying that in a situation like that, by definition, someone loves more than one person.”
She shook her head. “I can guarantee you I wouldn’t be secure enough for that. I might be fine with having several boyfriends but letting them have any girlfriend besides me would be out of the question. I can’t imagine any guy who would agree to that.” She chuckled.
Surprisingly, he didn’t laugh along with her. Instead, he gave her a ghost of a smile. “Perhaps you could. I’m sure you’d have no trouble finding fellows who want to be with you badly enough to accept that dynamic.”
Her face heated, and their gazes locked for a long moment. Awareness stretched between them, and she could feel tension mounting in the room. The talk had suddenly become far more personal, though was still just a discussion of love and monogamy on the surface.
After a moment, he frowned. “I probably shouldn’t be discussing this with one of my s
tudents though.”
She wasn’t certain what gave her the courage, except rabid curiosity, but she leaned forward to whisper softly, “Have you ever been in a relationship like that, Professor Stuart?”
He flushed, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he lifted another book from the stack near him, arranged on the side table by his tea. “Next, I’d like you to tackle War and Peace please. If you read enough by next week, we’ll have another discussion.” He frowned for a moment. “Though maybe we shouldn’t.”
She leaned forward to put her cup of tea on the tray which afforded her the opportunity to very briefly rest her hand on his knee. She looked at him intently when she asked, “Is that really what you want, Professor Stuart?”
“It should be.” He sighed heavily after a moment. “So, next Friday, Miss Munroe?”
She leaned back, trailing her fingers across his knee for as long as she could before she was forced to break contact by moving out of reach. “I’m looking forward to it, Kip,” she said softly, with a hint of daring.
His eyes flashed with a warning, but the way he shifted in his seat suggested he didn’t mind the use of his first name. “Don’t be so brave. The walls have ears.”
“And the door is open,” she whispered softly, nodding toward it. Of course, the door was open. It would raise far too many eyebrows if he closed it while they had their quiet chat over tea.
A few moments later, she gathered her things and stood up. “Thank you for the tea and conversation, Professor.” She was about to smile and wink at him when she heard the clip of heels outside. She stood up straight and made sure there was plenty of distance between them before Suzanne entered the room.
The professor shot an ugly look at her, and then a disapproving one at Kip. She didn’t say anything, and neither did Willow, at least not to her. “Bye, Professor Stuart.”
With those words, she darted around Suzanne, aware of the woman’s icy glare following her, and out into the hallway. She walked as fast as she could to get away, not wanting to risk a confrontation with Suzanne. She still wasn’t entirely certain why Suzanne automatically disliked her, but she was starting to guess it had something to do with Kip, and Suzanne’s own interest in him.
