Page 58 of Ward

We eat breakfast together and then pile into the back of the Porsche for the hour-long drive to the city. Aidan has work to do at the Manhattan office, which is why he’s offered to ride in with me. There’s some morning traffic, but we reach the Jost Academy campus with plenty of time to spare before the morning events.

Benjamin parks the SUV and gets out to remove my bag from the trunk. Aidan unbuckles my seatbelt, then cradles my cheek in his hand. I’m still reeling from this morning’s bait and switch, and he knows it.

“I love you, little one,” he says.

My heart aches as I meet his troubled gaze. “I love you, too, Sir.”

He kisses me softly on the lips. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

I hop out of the SUV and accept my bag from Benjamin, then follow the signs to the registration area at the center of campus. I spot Jasmine waving to me from a set of marble steps. She’s rocking long braids and sunglasses with blue frames. I hurry through the crowd toward her, and she throws her arms around me as soon as I’m within reach.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she says. “I know we’ve been talking every week, but it still feels like we have so much to catch up on.”

After attending some formal and informal sessions about school policies and clubs, we split up to meet with our advisers to sign up for classes. Jasmine’s meeting still hasn’t started by the time mine’s over, so I figure I’ll check out the dining options while I wait for her to finish.

I’m on my way into one of the student centers when I hear someone say my name. I turn in a circle until I meet the deep-set gaze belonging to a face I never thought I’d see again.

“Sam?” I say.

“Holy shit.” He takes a drag off his cigarette. His hair’s a little longer than it was when he waltzed into Aidan’s backyard, and he’s dressed in what looks like a food-service uniform. “You go to school here?”

“I do—or, I will, in the fall. What are you doing here?”

“I work in the dining hall. Small world, huh?”

“Borderline microscopic,” I say.

It does seem like an odd coincidence that the stranger who wandered into Aidan’s backyard a month ago would now be working at Jost, but stranger things have happened.

“Did you ever find the Fletcher estate?” I ask.

“No, actually. Which is probably why I’m not currently working in landscaping.” He stubs out his cigarette on the side of the building. “You grabbing lunch?”

“Yeah, I figured I’d check out the offerings.”

“I’m sorry to say, it’s probably not what you’d expect, considering how much they charge for the meal plan. But hey, I know this great little coffee place about a block from here that serves sandwiches. Way better than the swill they’ve got inside. I could show you, if you want. It’s just a few minutes away.”

I glance down at my phone just as a text from Jasmine lights up the screen. Her adviser is still running behind.

“Aren’t you working?” I ask.

“I’m on break for at least another half hour.”

My stomach clenches. It would be nice to familiarize myself with the local gems before I move in this fall, but it’s not like I really know Sam. And I certainly don’t want him to get the wrong idea about my availability.

“I promise not to assume it’s a date, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he says with a smile.

I force a small laugh. “My boyfriend would definitely prefer that.”

He doesn’t seem phased by the boyfriend comment, which I take as a sign that he means what he says. Anyway, it is broad daylight. If he tried anything funny, there’d be people around to see it.

“Okay,” I say. “But if my friend texts me, I’ll have to come back.”

Sam leads me away from campus. It’s a gorgeous day, a bit muggy, but not stifling. Just warm enough that I’m grateful I opted for shorts. We cross an intersection, then turn down the next block.

“Are you from Connecticut originally?” he asks.

“No, I just went to boarding school there. I grew up in Massachusetts.” I check the time on my phone. We’ve been walking for almost five minutes. “How much further?”

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