Page 104 of Secret Shifters Next Door

He laughed. “It’s my free period. I get one a day for lesson plans and lunch and stuff, around an hour. I’m having the kids do a project, and I came out to pick up some things.”

He had a handbasket with several items in it.

I frowned. “Are you buying all that with your own money? Or does the school pay for it?”

His eyes bulged and he laughed again. “You… don’t know a lot about the public school system, do you?”

“I guess that means your own money,” I said, feeling a slight blush rise into my cheeks. “Let me buy it. Grab what you need and I’ll take care of it.”

“Wait, what? No, you don’t need to do that. I’ve budgeted classroom supplies for my students.”

“Ugh, that’s such horseshit. You’re doing the world a service. You shouldn’t have to pay out of your pocket. I’m an alumnus of the high school. Let me buy this stuff. We’ll call it a donation. I’llprobably be able to write it off and get it back anyway. No harm, no foul.”

Ryland looked totally surprised and at a loss for words. Finally, he shrugged. “Well, if you insist.”

We chatted for a few minutes while I picked out my headphones, then we slowly walked to the front of the store. Ryland swept a hand around the store. “How does it feel to be back here? You said the other night you’d been gone a while.”

I grimaced. “It’s been fine. Hanging with my brothers and nephew has been amazing. It had been too long since I visited. Other than that, it’s still strange.”

We started to put all the items we’d picked up on the self-checkout counter. Ryland cleared his throat nervously. “So, April, would you be opposed to having dinner with a geeky high-school math teacher? On Friday? Not a date or anything. It would be two people having dinner and seeing if they can be friends. Like a friend tryout?”

I chewed at my lip. “I don’t know.”

Ryland held up a hand. “You don’t have to answer now. You’ve got my number. Think about it and get back to me.”

Smiling in relief, I said, “Thanks, Ryland. I’ll do that. I’ll let you know.”

We scanned all the stuff he’d purchased. It wasn’t a ton of stuff, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what project he had the kids working on, but his total was only a little over a hundred bucks. It wasn’t a lot, but I knew I could afford more than a teacher could, so I happily swiped my Black Amex. While I paid, Ryland bagged up his stuff.

He glanced at his watch and whistled. “Damn, time flies when you’re having fun. I’ve got to get back soon. Next class starts in twenty minutes.” He began walking toward the exit, but held his thumb and pinky finger up in an imitation of a phone, “Call me about dinner. Either way, you won’t hurt my feelings.”

Grinning, I waved at him, then swiped my card. In my head, I was contemplating his invitation. Why the hell couldn’t I have dinner with a guy? Ryland seemed like a really nice guy. Even if there didn’t end up being any romance or whatever, it would be nice to have a friend.

Since Luca’s story plastered my face all over the tabloids, none of my industry friends had returned my calls or texts. Some of them had been myfriendssince I’d made it in the industry, but once the story broke, they’d ghosted me. I didn’t have anyone. Well, that wasn’t totally true. I had Larry, but, ugh, he was not someone I could be open and honest with. Then there were my brothers, but they already had too much going on. Kellan was a single father, and Kris had to focus on his wife. I would have been uncomfortable trying to unload all my issues on them. If I had a friend, it would really help my mental health. I wouldn’t spill all my secrets, but having a sounding board or a confidant would be nice.

I stewed on the idea of having dinner with Ryland the whole way home, weighing the pros and cons until Steff’s house was in view. I glared at it. New, angrier thoughts filled my mind. Nothing about the way he was acting reminded me of the old Steff. What had caused him to become so cold and callous?

For a time after he got drafted and before his injury, he’d been on his way to being a celebrity. I’d followed his career and watched some of his games in the pros. He’d been in the public eye. Why did it seem like he had so much disdain for my career, then? Out of everyone in town, he was one of the few who could even begin to imagine what I was going through. But after all this time, he still didn’t seem to want anything to do with me. The loneliness weighed heavily on me as I pulled into my driveway.

Another day hanging around the house sounded like a sure way to go stir crazy. It wouldn’t be good for my burgeoning depression, either. My brothers were working, but hangingout at the bar didn’t sound appealing. Aiden was in school, obviously. I racked my mind for something to do, when I remembered Kris’s wife, Chelsea. I’d only met her twice since being home, but she seemed really nice, and she worked at one of the two nail salons in town. Maybe a manicure and some conversation would pull me out of my funk.

The salon looked like it had once been a small cottage house. I’d breathed a sigh of relief when I found out after an online search that her salon wasn’t the salon next to Steff’s security firm. That would have been a hard pass.

It was the middle of the day, and when I walked in the place, it was pretty much deserted. Chelsea spotted me as soon as I came through the door. “April? Oh my gosh. Come on in.”

I flashed a smile as I closed the door. “Hey, I was bored and I thought I’d stop by.”

“I’m glad you did. I should have invited you down sooner. What can I do for you? Facial? Mani-pedi? I’ll get you the family discount.”

“The discount isn’t necessary. I thought a manicure would be nice. I haven’t had one in a few weeks.”

“Say no more. Come over here.” Chelsea led me over to the table and chair closest to the door.

I sat and relaxed almost as soon as Chelsea started working. We caught up on family stuff, but soon the conversation got a little deeper.

“Have you met anyone since you’ve been back? A hot guy? Cute girl? Anyone nice to pass the time with?”

I laughed. “I haven’t had a lot of chances to get out much. I did meet a guy the other night at the bar. He’s a teacher at the high school. He invited me out to dinner on Friday. For some reason I’m hesitant, but I’m not sure why. Do you think I should go? Maybe you know him? His name’s Ryland.”

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