Page 32 of Old Flame

“Not until you tell me what shit you gotta handle. And what was that picture your mom sent you?”

I shook my head, stalking toward the inside of the repair shop from the garage. “Not your concern.”

“Was it that girl?!” she shouted. “I saw a hot-pink dress. I knew you liked her! But you swore that it was the other way around. You can’t keep from looking at her when we are at your mom’s. I see it, Rome!”

Stopping at the door, I knew I should feel guilty, but right now, I had so much fury and panic, thinking that I was too fucking late, churning inside me that there was no room for another emotion. “You’re right. I can’t. It’s best you go.”

“What?!” she shrieked. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Trying to find a shred of sympathy in my inner turmoil, I turned around. “You were a buffer. But I don’t need that anymore. We had a good time, yeah. Let’s leave it at that.”

Her face was a mix of disbelief and outrage. “Oh my God. Are you breaking up with me? She is sixteen. How many times did you tell me that when I mentioned her always staring longinglyat you?”

I sighed, then nodded. “Yeah, she is. But it seems I’m gonna wait for the day she’s legal, and until then, I’m gonna keep the pricks away. Because she belongs to me.”

The tears glistening in Shana’s eyes meant more drama, and I didn’t have time for that. I had to get to that fucking prom and make sure Salem didn’t end the night in a hotel room. If she’d already fucked him, I might kill him.

13

Salem

Present Day

Doing my best to smile and pretend as if I wasn’t exhausted, I sat in our morning staff meeting and listened to Marlana’s ideas for summer exhibitions.

When I had finally gotten to sleep last night, it had been after two in the morning. Replaying Rome’s words, the looks he’d given me, and crying over…what I couldn’t put my finger on exactly. There were too many different emotions warring for first place. But perhaps the top spot was the hollowness that had come with the knowledge that Rome no longer cared if he hurt me.

Deep down, I’d carried his memories with me—what we’d had, how he had made me feel wanted all those years. I had felt guilty for needing that as a source of comfort when Eamon should have been my only place to seek that. I dealt with the weight of it when I let it surface by telling myself that Rome was my first love. That it was normal. If it could have stayed that way. My belief that the devastation Rome had caused me eighteen years ago was due to his pain over losing his mom no longer held any rank. He continued to make it clear just how little he felt for me.

“Okay, wait,” Banner said with his cup of coffee halfway to his mouth. “Did you just say,We love with our hearts and not with our parts?”

I glanced from him to Marlana, who was grinning and nodding her head.

“It’s brilliant, isn’t it?”

For the first time since last night, I felt like laughing. Not because I didn’t agree with her, but because it was funny.

“We are putting that on shirts,” Banner said, then pointed at me. “Write that down. That’s going on shirts. We are going to be famous.”

“It is rather catchy,” Kendrix agreed.

I began to type it out as a giggle bubbled out of me. God, I had needed her quirkiness this morning.

“I’m glad we are all in agreement,” Marlana replied, then closed her MacBook with a flourish. “Now, who wants to talk about what we are going to eat for lunch?”

Banner glanced at his watch. “I have an eighth-grade class coming in twenty minutes for a tour. I need to get to my office and prepare.”

“By prepare, you mean pop an Adderall?” Marlana quipped.

He cocked his eyebrow. “Don’t judge.”

“Oh, I’m not. But if you care to share, you know where to find me.”

Those two were an excellent distraction.

“How was last night? Even if it is girl’s night I wish I’d been there instead. The kids have been giving my ex hell lately. She sent them to me for the week to deal with them,” Kendrix said with a sigh. “And I thought twins were hard as babies. Having a seventeen-year-old boy and girl makes me miss the days I was up all night, feeding or changing one of them.”

I’d seen photos of his twins. They were gorgeous kids. Hearing anyone talk about their kids in general always sent a wave of sorrow through me because I’d never have that. No late-night feedings, no diapers, no toddler tantrums, nothing. Only Eamon had known how badly I wanted a baby. But after losing my thirdone, I stopped trying. It had done a number on me emotionally, and I didn’t want to keep going through it.

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