Page 64 of Homecoming for Beginners

Peggy caught eyes with Ty and justbarelyrolled them before returning to the subject at hand. “So anyway, what, Chiu’s trying to pin Mrs. Sanford’s heart attack on you or something?”

“That’s my guess.” If not legally, then at least in the court of public opinion.

“What does this guy have against you?” Henry wondered. “Did you seduce his wife or something?”

“I haven’t even been in town in over a decade,” Ty protested. Then, just to be sure, “Wait, who’s his wife?”

Peggy rolled her eyes. “Let’s take it as unlikely that you randomly ran into this woman in Chicago and slept with her and he somehow found out about it. And since I’m assuming sixteen-year-old Ty wasn’t in the habit of sleeping with people old enough to be his parents—”

Ty recoiled. “Ew.”

Even Henry looked a little green. “Let’s forget I suggested it.”

If only it were so easy.

“The point is,” Peggy said, “why’s he hateyou so much?”

“I don’t know. I’d understand it if I benched his kid or something, but Peter’s the best player on the team. It’s not like we’re going to hamstring ourselves worse than we already are.” The closest game this season had been a 6–3 loss. “Maybe he’s mad I have more money than he does. Well, the estate. It’s technically not mine yet.”

Henry and Peggy exchanged looks again. “It’s not the craziest theory I’ve ever heard,” Peggy allowed.

“No,” Henry agreed, narrowing his eyes. “What’s weirder is that it’s getting to you.”

Ty squirmed under the scrutiny. “It’s not weird to hate it when people try to run you out of town.”

“Ty, believe me, we’re all aware of how, uh….” Henry faltered.

“How desperate you are for people to love you,” Peggy supplied, and reached for Ty’s hand across the table when he tried to put it over his face.

Henry opened his mouth like he might amend the statement, then carried on instead. “But that never bothered you when the people who didn’t like you were assholes.”

Peggy picked up a potato chip and used it to punctuate her sentence. “Youlovedpissing off assholes. Actually, I know for a fact you still love pissing off assholes, because I’ve seen you book it for the copy machine whenever you see Jenny coming”—Jenny Darel had despised him as a teacher and made sure he never forgot it—“and I’ve heard you whistling afterward.” She crunched the chip, licked salt from her thumb, and then seemed to think for a moment. “Something’s changed, though, and I don’t blame you if it’s different with Alan Chiu…. What’s Ollie think?”

And just like that, the innocent topic had circled back around to the place Ty’s brain always ended up lately. WhatdidOllie think? Did Ollie think he’d made a horrible mistake last night and want to let Ty down gently? Did Ollie think it was a problem that people in this town hated Ty for no discernible reason?

It definitelywasa problem. Currently it was a problem because it was making Ty’s life annoying and running up his legal fees, but it could become a problem that made Ollie think twice about wanting to be the constant Ty built his life around. A problem that made Ollie not want to kiss him again.

Ty deflated. “Ollie doesn’t know yet.”

“Oh.” The way Henry said it had the hair on the back of Ty’s neck standing up. Just… knowing. And smug. Dare Ty even say patronizing.

“Oh,” Peggy repeated in the same tone, meeting Henry’s eyes. “I thought it was a weirdly political agenda that had you looking at that apple tree like it could unravel the mysteries of the universe, but—”

“It’s Ollie,” she and Henry chorused.

Ty needed better friends. Friends who wouldn’t do this to him. “Shut up,” he hissed. He didn’t need the whole faculty knowing what a disaster he was. Aside from Ollie and his students, they were the only people in town who actually liked him.

“Oh please,” Peggy said. “Sweetie. Everyone knows already. You moved the man in with you after meeting him one time. You’re a walking lesbian joke.”

That didn’t seem fair. There hadn’t even been a U-Haul involved. “It’s not like that,” Ty protested, his face flaming because it was exactly like that and he hadn’t even known it until a few days ago. “And it was twice.”

Henry snorted. “Whatever you say, Ty. So why haven’t you told Ollie about the thing with Chiu? The latest thing, I mean.”

Because I would rather talk to him about kissing me some more.“Because he and Theo had a long day yesterday. They were asleep by the time I kicked Jake and Sergeant Rosewater off the back porch. Still out cold when I left this morning.”

Peggy and Henry did that look-exchange thing again. Peggy leaned forward. “Asleep where?”

“In bed!” Off their smirks, Ty huffed and added, “His own bed, guys. Or actually Theo’s bed, because they fell asleep on top of the covers while I fended off Chiu’s dogs. Metaphorically speaking. If I’d woken up with my arms full of that beautiful man this morning I would not be at this stupid party.”

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