Page 56 of Promises We Meant to Keep

“Okay.” Kamryn still had that cloud over her, and Elia really wished she didn’t.

Elia had her hand on the doorknob and was about ready to turn it when she stopped. Making Kamryn wait for this was just going to torture them both. There was no reason they couldn’t have the conversation now, and here, and then it’d probably be safer anyway. No one might potentially overhear them.

“If we’re going to be in a relationship together, then we need to tell the board,” Elia blurted out.

Kamryn stood frozen on the spot, her eyes wide, her face drawn. “Relationship?”

“Yes. Well, I think we should probably tell them what happened the other night too, kind of. Because it’s a conflict of interest, and I don’t want either of us to end up in trouble because of it.” Elia dropped her hand off the doorknob. “So if we just tell them, then everything is out in the open, and we don’t have to worry about it.”

“Wait.” Kamryn waved her hands in front of her. “Slow down. We’re not even dating, Elia. Why would we tell—”

“Because it’s the ethical thing to do.”

“Now you want to talk about ethics?” Kamryn’s eyebrows raised so high up that they very nearly disappeared into her hairline. “But you’re not the ethical one, right?”

“I…” Elia stopped talking. She was walking into a trap, that was for sure.

Kamryn blew out a breath and stepped away again, shucking her jacket and tossing it over the back of the couch. “Let’s talk about this, Elia, because that was my goal for tonight too. I’m glad we’re on the same page with that. I want more from this.”

“From what?” Elia’s stomach twisted hard into knots.

“From whatever is between you and me, and yes, that will involve talking to the school board about our relationship, but I want a little bit more definition before I walk into that firing squad.”

Elia cringed at that metaphor. If only Kamryn knew just how bad it could be. She wouldn’t want to come near Elia any time soon. “We could both lose our jobs if they want us to.”

“We could, but considering they’re already short-staffed, considering Miller—well Maria—finally told the board this week that he won’t be returning, and considering that you’re my former teacher, the power dynamics and authority issues aren’t as complicated as they might be.”

But they were.

And Kamryn was so wrong to think that they weren’t going to be an issue. “They’ll wonder about us, you know.”

“About us?” Kamryn furrowed her brow, leaning over the back of the couch, her fingers clenching tightly.

Elia needed to explain better, and she knew she was doing a bad job at it. She hadn’t thought they’d talk here. She hadn’t figured out a way that this conversation was going to go, and it was throwing her for a loop. She dropped her purse onto the floor next to the door and took off her own jacket. If they were really going to sit down and do this, then they needed the time to do it.

“About whether or not we were in a relationship when you were a student here.”

“Why would they wonder about that?” Kamryn pulled a face—one that was akin to disgust and also horror. “Nothing happened then.”

“No, nothing happened then. But they will question it.”

“Then I’ll tell them nothing happened then.”

“It’s not that simple, Kam.” Elia sat down on the couch and crossed one leg over the other. “It’s the board’s job to protect the interests of Windermere, and if neither one of us is seen as doing that, the repercussions are going to be strong.”

“Elia…” Kamryn slid onto the couch next to her, taking Elia’s hands in her own. “It’ll be fine. We just need to disclose to them because I’m your boss, and I can’t be doing certain things while in this position. But when I’m gone—and remember, this job is just temporary—it’ll be fine.”

Elia wanted to believe that. She really, really did. But her gut told her that it wouldn’t be, that everything she feared was going to come up would blow up, in a massive way, and the only ones that were going to be hurt were her and now Kamryn.

Could they hide everything until the end of the semester?

“But if Miller’s officially not returning, won’t the board ask you to stay on?” Elia wanted to hope that the answer was yes as much as she wanted to hope it was no. To spend more time with Kamryn, to continue to work with her in the capacity that they had been would be amazing. She enjoyed so much of their time together. But if Kamryn left, then they could be together without the hindrance of creating ethical issues at the same time.

“I don’t know,” Kamryn replied, shrugging a little. “And I’m not sure I’d tell them yes at this point either.”

“You wouldn’t?” Elia leaned into the hope that flared up. “Why not? I thought you enjoyed being here again.”

“I am,” Kamryn answered, staring down at her hands in her lap. “I really am enjoying my job and being back at Windermere. But I’m also really struggling with the board right now. I don’tknow if they would ask me to stay on or if I’ve even ruined my chances at potentially having another position here.”

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