Page 39 of Tell Me Again
“I wasn’t offering to have sex with him.”
“Did Josh know that? He was staring at you like that was the only thing on his mind.”
Again the flash of pain in her eyes, this one quickly replaced with anger. “Go to hell.”
He schooled his features so he and Sam wouldn’t draw attention from the families standing nearby. Sam didn’t bother. If looks could kill, he’d be on the ground with his guts spilled around him. Might as well get everything out in the open. “Are you going to sell Bryce Hollow?” he asked quietly.
Her eyes narrowed. “That rumor has been circulating since the day I bought the land. It’s as much bullshit as the idea that I have any interest in the junior high band teacher.”
“Damn it,” he muttered. “I knew it wasn’t true when people told me. But I had to ask. If you got close to Grace and then—”
“I’d like to punch you in the face right now,” she whispered. “Just like you punched Mike Wall. Because you’re no different than him. You may hide it better but at the end of the day, your opinion of me is crystal clear.”
“I don’t think—”
She shook her head. “You’re done talking, Trevor. At least I’m done listening. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life, and I own every one of them. But I can tell you I don’t deserve to be treated like this.”
She stalked away, pushing through the crowd until he lost sight of her. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he glanced up to see the PTO posse watching him. The ringleader gave him a small nod and at that moment, Trevor wanted to punch himself in the face.
He followed Sam, expecting to chase her into the parking lot. Instead, she was standing with Grace and several other girls near the trophy case.
“Are you going to help get Grace on a magazine cover?” Monica, Grace’s best friend and partner in deceiving him, asked.
There was a collective round of cheers and clapping and his daughter dipped her head as if embarrassed by the attention.
He waited for Sam to punish him for his outrageously rude behavior. Not only had his words been disrespectful, they were the perfect excuse for her to turn his daughter against him. The worst part was he wouldn’t blame her.
He could see her body was still rigid with tension, but she took a visible breath and tugged on Grace’s long braid. “My niece is beautiful enough to be on any cover, as far as I’m concerned. But she... and all of you... have a more important job right now. That is taking care of yourselves and each other, paying attention in school, and growing into the best versions of women you can become.”
“School isn’t as fun as modeling,” one of the other girls whined. “School sucks.”
Sam laughed softly. “Modeling isn’t always as fun as the finished product makes it look. What’s fun is living to your full potential and doing something great in the world. None of you...” He saw her give a pointed look to both Grace and Monica. “...should do anything without your parents’ approval.”
She gave Grace a tight hug and whispered something Trevor couldn’t hear from where he stood. Based on the eye roll Sam received in response, she hadn’t thrown him under the proverbial bus the way he would have expected.
It wasn’t until she turned that her gaze shifted into something fierce and slammed into his. Her mouth thinned and when he reached for her arm, she shrugged away. “Thank you for the invitation tonight,” she whispered and took off without another word.
