Page 34 of Love Me Not

Trey shook his head. “No, that’s a different question. I mean if you decided you’d been here long enough and wanted to try teaching in a new place, where would you go?”

Again, why would I leave when everyone I cared about was right here? “I wouldn’t go anywhere. There are places I’d like to visit, but I don’t want to live anywhere else.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Is that weird to you?”

He leaned back in his seat. “You seem more adventurous than that.”

First I was cute and now adventurous. The assumptions this man was making.

“Never take up fortune telling because you seriously stink at reading people.”

“Becca says you thought about moving to New York City after college.”

Becca needed to stop sharing my immature flights of fancy with near strangers. “I considered it, but then I came to my senses.”

Trey draped his arm across the back of the seats. “Sensible is overrated.”

“To you maybe.” What did a guy who taught young men to run into each other know about being sensible? “I prefer it.”

He was not convinced. “You need more adventure in your life.”

I should have waited in the cold. “You don’t know anything about my life.”

“I know you refuse to date.”

Giving him my most droll look, I said, “How silly of me, when I could be having more conversations just like this one.” There was only one way to stop this deep dive into my life. Turn the tables. “I assume you like adventure?”

Taking the bait, he gave a half shrug. “I’m no adrenaline junky, but I’m not boring either.”

Meaning, he thought I was boring, but if I defended myself we’d be back to analyzing my life, and that was not happening. Not dating didn’t mean I’d forgotten how willing men were to talk about themselves.

“Where did you grow up?” I asked.

“Outside Philly, though I don’t mention that too much around here.”

“Why?”

His expression changed, as if this was a stupid question. “Because we’re big sports rival towns. Pittsburghers don’t like Philadelphians and vice versa.”

Best to play along. “Right. Of course. I knew that.”

A smile split his face and for a split second he was actually cute. Good grief, now we were both delusional.

“No, you didn’t,” he said.

Back to the questions. “What did your parents do?”

Eyes twinkling, he went along. “Mom built a house cleaning business while raising the three of us by herself. Dad never held a job for long, and then he was gone before I was four.”

This news was delivered so matter-of-factly that you’d think we were talking about the weather.

“Gone?” I repeated. “As in he passed away?”

“No, just gone. He left for cigarettes one day and never came back. Pretty cliché, I know.”

I may have been cynical, but I wasn’t entirely heartless. That must have been devastating for a little boy. “I’m really sorry.”

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