Page 15 of Thinking It Over

I quirked my brow and said, amused, “Are you implying I’m old?”

His grin remained in place, and he shrugged one shoulder. “I wouldn’t dare.” But I also saw the curiosity in his eyes.

I sobered a little, more than aware of the age gap between us. “I turned forty in November last year.” I searched his eyes for a reaction, relieved when horror didn’t overtake his features. Not only that, but his next words also took me by pleasant surprise.

“Wow, you’ve achieved so much in such a short time. You must be so proud of yourself and all you’ve managed to do.” Admiration filled his gaze, causing a rush of heat to flush through me.

“Thank you,” I answered quietly. My ego wasn’t exactly lacking, but all things work-related was about playing the part and doing my best. Putting on my principal’s head and ensuring I worked my ass off for my staff and our students were part of that. But compliments when they mattered, received when out of the realm of work, tended to leave me flustered and embarrassed.

“Seriously, I heard that when you came into the school, it was failing and had a whole bunch of problems.” Wide-eyed wonder was directed my way. And this time, the heat lit my cheeks.

I lightly cleared my throat. “It was hard work, and I didn’t do it all by myself. The school had potential, and I invested my all in it.”

Jasper nodded. “That must have been exhausting.”

I relaxed my shoulders a little. “It really was,” I admitted. “Truth be told, I sacrificed a lot.”

“Is that what happened between you and your ex?” Pink swept over his cheeks. “Sorry, you don’t need to—”

“No, it’s okay.” I stopped him. A heavy sigh slipped past my lips. “There was a lot wrong in our relationship, and to be honest, we didn’t have that much in commonbeyond our initial attraction. But investing so much time and energy into work didn’t help.” Yeah, Rupert was a prize asshole, but I’d also had my part to play, and late nights and canceled plans had exacerbated our already waning relationship.

“Yesterday,” he started tentatively, maybe giving me the opportunity to stop him continuing. I didn’t. “He seemed really angry. I know you said there were Penny issues.” He cast a smile in Penny’s direction. “Any chance of resolving that? It must be hard with things so unsettled.”

I leaned forward and scratched behind Penny’s ear. She groaned happily in response. “The difficulty with Rupert is he’s full of self-entitlement.” I grimaced. “He’s finally moving next week, heading to New Jersey, and has backed down about his ridiculous pretense of wanting to battle it out for Penny. When we split, he did everything he could to make things awkward, and so deliberately wanted to keep a foot in the proverbial door.”

Confusion marred Jasper’s forehead. “Why? If he was cheating, why would he do that? What was he hoping to achieve?”

“Rupert hasn’t really settled on one profession, continuously changes his mind, and has new, ‘bright’ ideas.” The truth was, Rupert was a fifteen-year-old kidin the body of a thirty-seven-year-old. I had known wiser and more focused students than him. At first, I’d found his whimsy endearing. But that had quickly turned to frustration. “Us being together meant he didn’t have to worry about a roof over his head or paying bills,” I admitted. Jasper’s brows rose high at that. A humorless laugh escaped before I said, “I’ve been helping him pay his rent since our split, and with him moving away, he still thinks I should be doing that.”

“For real?” His tone was incredulous. “I’m assuming you said no, and that’s why he was so mad?”

“Yeah. As you saw, it didn’t go down well.” Mad didn’t come close to Rupert’s reaction. He was venomous in the spew he shot my way. And even though I’d been tempted to give in—just to get him away faster—I couldn’t continue letting him take me for a ride.

“You weren’t married? The house?”

I shook my head, certain my relief was obvious on my face. “I’d bought the house before we’d met, and honestly, marriage was never on the cards.” I was so relieved about both.

“And he’s definitely leaving next week?”

“Yes. Apparently, a friend of his has a spare room and has organized for him to take on an admin position or something. He wasn’t too pleased about having to take the job, but I think he’s realized he has no choice.”

“I can’t even imagine how stressful that’s all been.” A smile curved his lips. “What day does he leave?”

Curiosity colored my words when I answered, “Thursday.”

He bobbed his head, remaining quiet a moment before saying, “I’d like to take you out on a date on Thursday. We can celebrate.” His eyes were bright when he spoke, and the slightest hint of color rose in his cheeks.

My grin was immediate. “I’d really like that.” Excitement bubbled in my stomach, even more so that he’d been the one to do the asking.

“Great.” He mirrored my smile. “Is five thirty too early? I thought we could start with a walk with Penny, and then we’ll have dinner.”

I barely kept my happy sigh to myself that he was ensuring Penny wouldn’t be missing out. I racked my brain for any after school appointments but wasn’t a hundred percent sure. “Let me just check,” I said as I tugged out my phone and opened up my schedule. I scrolled ahead to Thursday, happy to see my afternoon was clear. “Five thirty is very doable.”

“Excellent.” He then stood. “I’d better be off. I have planning to do and homework to mark.”

Immediately, I stood, and we both turned toward the staircase of the porch. The last thing I wanted to happen was him to leave right now, but I certainly wouldn’t stophim. “I’ll see you Monday at work?” I asked, holding back my desire to see what his plans were tomorrow.

He paused at his car and faced me. “Absolutely.” The sweetest of eyes gazed at me, entrancing and drawing me in. “You can ask that question now before I leave if you want.” His words were soft, yet clear, reflecting the confidence in him I really liked.

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