Page 13 of Say You'll Stay

With him so close now, I see how much I’ve missed it. I long to have that connection back. I don’t think I would survive if it were ripped from me again. Even if I tell myself there isn’t going to be a Weston and me again, I still want him within reach. I feel less alone.

I tense when I catch sight of Roberta’s car coming down the road, recalling our encounter from this morning. She can be vindictive in her cruelty. Where Gideon does things to just be a dick, Roberta is more self-serving with hers. They have purpose; Gideon is chaos. I take a few quick steps back from West. He follows my gaze, tensing.

“It’s Roberta, not Ware,” I tell him. “His wife.” Where he came up with this idea that Ware and I were a thing, I have no freaking clue, but West was always territorial when it came to me.

“I know who she is.” That has me narrowing my eyes on him. Not because I think there is something going on between them, but I sense he knows her beyond passing names. He had mentioned he knew a lot of wealthy people because of the school.

“It was her,” West says, his entire body tensing up.

“What?” I look around, unsure of what the heck he is talking about.

“I can see it on you. It was her that fucking hit you.” Oh crap. I may not know this grown-up version of Weston too well, but I know without a doubt how protective he’s always been when itcomes to me. Believe me when I tell you, there is no good coming out of him knowing that Roberta is the one that left a mark on me.

“West, don’t, please,” I beg him, pretty much confirming his suspicions. “Not now, please.” He grits his jaw but nods.

Roberta’s car rolls to a stop. The back window rolls down. “And who do we have here?” Her eyes eat Weston up. I can tell she just came from the spa. She is all dolled up. How can someone so pretty be so vile?

“New neighbor,” I rush to say.

“Oh, my.” A come-hither smile spreads across her face. “You should come in. We’ll be having dinner soon.” I glare at West silently, telling him not to accept. He knows what I’m saying. He reads me like a damn book.

“I’d love to.” He smiles back at her. Roberta’s eyes light up, reading West all wrong. I know that smile. West has his sights locked on Roberta now.

And not in the way that she hopes.

Chapter Ten

WEST

“You don’t seem to be the type of man to buy a school or even run one.”

Ware does not like another man at his table. I get it. The home is the castle etcetera etcetera. I probably would be the same, so I keep my temper in check as he prods me. I turn my hand palm up, rubbing the calluses. “What kind of man do I seem like to you?”

“Not one that would buy a school. They’re not profitable.”

“Can’t a man love learning?” Roberta interrupts in a high-pitched, panicky voice. She’s in a rough place. Her man is glaring at me, the person that she is desperate to make happy.

“Is that what you are, Evers? A man who loves learning?”

“Yes, I’ve always wanted to know more.” I stare at Vasey, who is still a mystery despite all the years I’ve known her.

She presses her lips together and drops her gaze to her plate of lobster and steak.

“I hear the entrance requirements are quite high.” West scrapes his knife across the china.

“Which is good for Gideon. He’s really so perfect for your school,” Roberta trills.

“Is he?” Ware raises an eyebrow. “I haven’t seen an application to know.”

“He’s very bright. It doesn’t always show in tests, but aren’t academics moving away from that outdated form of measuring student abilities?” Roberta fixes a bright smile on her face. “If schools like yours aren’t profitable, they must rely on donations. We give generously to many good causes.”

“I leave all of that up to the administration. Like your husband said, I’m not the type of man to run a school. I bought it as a wedding gift. My bride-to-be was always interested in teaching and taking care of kids. I heard that The Academy was looking for a buyer, and that’s how I came to own it.”

“How…romantic.” Roberta is vaguely puzzled.

Ware eyes me thoughtfully. “When was it that you bought the Sampson place? I didn’t realize it was for sale.”

“Today.”