Page 66 of Happenstance
Nan’s eyes narrowed on Mason’s cocky grin. “This is Mason?”
I nodded.
Before any of us could blink, Nan was across the room, arm swinging through the air. I watched Mason’s expression morph from smug, to shocked, to confused, as her hand connected with his cheek.
“Ouch!” he cried out. “Why’d you hit me?”
“Because someone should,” Nan answered, and I couldn’t argue. If anyone in Ashworth needed a smack, it was Mason Kessler. “Picking on a sweet thing like Harper, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Mason grumbled under his breath and slumped back with his arms crossed. I think Mrs. Grier was a little jealous that Nan had managed to shut him up.
I’m not sure if Ashworth’s principal was trying to save Mason from Nan’s wrath, or if he wanted to avoid the spectators gathering in the hall, but either way, the three of us wound up in Mr. Sampson’s office. Once we were alone, Nan went off. Pacing around the room and swinging her finger through the air. Every argument Mr. Sampson made, Nan had a better one prepared. The debate kept going back and forth for so long, I was starting to get dizzy.
I tried to get a word in here or there. That wasn’t happening. Every time I opened my mouth, one of them would interrupt me. Apparently my opinion didn’t matter. It wasn’t like this was my future they were deciding or anything. Playing on my phone seemed like a better option than getting between those two.
I was halfway through level six hundred and thirty nine in my puzzle game when the door to the office flew open. Seeing Parker there wasn’t a big shocker. Honestly, I thought he’d have shown up earlier. It was Micha, Logan and Preston standing in the doorway with him that had my mouth dropping in shock.
Mr. Sampson’s eyes locked on Parker’s glare. “This is a private meeting.”
“Not anymore,” Parker responded.
A shiver ran up my spine at the cold glint in his eyes. Parker looked downright deadly. Like he was ready to kill someone. Way too much like his brother.
Preston tipped his chin at me. “You sure you want her here for this?”
The second Parker’s gaze fell on me, his face softened. “Angel, do me a favor and go sit with Mase.”
I scanned the faces of the men funneling into the room and promptly got up. Whatever they had planned, I definitely didn’t want any part of.
Chapter 22
Lana
Ihave no idea what Parker and his friends did, but when they came out, Mr. Sampson was suddenly kissing my ass. Asking if I needed anything to help accommodate my education through my pregnancy? And that wasn’t the scary part. That was the look Nan gave Preston while she thanked Parker. Whatever happened in that room, I highly doubted she’d be hitting him again for cussing. Was it wrong that a part of me found what they did sweet?
“He should be here soon.” Harper wrung her hands nervously.
I felt for her. We’d been sitting in her kitchen for twenty minutes, waiting for Silas to show up. As suspected, her teacher paired them up. Today was the first day he could get together with her outside of school to work on their project.
“It’ll be okay,” I reassured her.
No matter how many times I told Harper that Silas would just want to work, she was terrified that Mason might show up with him. She was so pent up about it that when the doorbell chimed loudly, she physically jumped.
I grabbed her hand and gazed into her big doe eyes, trying to let her feed off my strength. “You’ve done projects with Silas before. Just concentrate on doing the work.”
She sucked in a deep breath and gave me a small nod. I’d seen her do this before. It was the calm before the storm. Her body stopped trembling and she’d sit up straight, pretending she was okay. But inside, there was a cloud of fear and sadness just waiting to burst out. If Mason stepped through that door, then the fragile dam keeping Harper together, would shatter.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen. The only people Harper’s maid Becca led in were Silas, and a younger boy.
“Sorry,” Silas placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder, “I had to bring my cousin.”
I’d never met the infamous genius of the Creswell family, he spent most of his time at a special school, but the family resemblance was undeniable. They both had the same black hair and light eyes. My heart broke at the dark circles under Finn’s eyes. Everybody had heard about what happened to his parents. Their entire house had burnt down in an electrical fire, which Finn was home for.
The loss of my parents was a hole I could never fill, but I was so young when it happened. I couldn’t imagine the pain Finn was going through right now. His mom and dad weren’t faded images in the back of his mind. He had memories of them. He could remember how they smelled, and sounded. What they liked to do for Christmas. For him, their deaths weren’t a healed scar, they were a fresh cut wound. Still bleeding and raw.
I wanted to cry when Silas’s finger tightened on his cousin’s shoulder. Strictly by the books Silas had a reputation for being a grumpy, uncaring, jerk, but that single action had more emotion than any word, action, or expression. If he could, he’d take the pain for his cousin. Just like I would for Harper.
“He won’t be any trouble,” Silas promised when none of us answered.
