Chapter 36
36
T he past week has gone by in a blur.
I’ve been living on autopilot.
Eat, sleep, work.
“I can’t wait to eat here,” Lainey says as we settle at our four-top table at Callie’s Bake Shop. “My friend told me to try the carrot cake. Another suggested I go with the red velvet. I’ll probably order both … oh, and a double chocolate.”
We're having lunch to celebrate Lainey finishing her first week of training. I’m also using it to distract myself from constantly thinking about Adrian.
After ordering a peach lemonade, I take a restroom break.
As I’m washing my hands, another stall door opens. A cold dread washes over me when Jenna, a girl I went to high school with, walks out. Our eyes meet in the mirror, and she shrinks back a step.
“Oh, hi, Essie,” she says, startled.
I turn off the faucet. “Hi.”
Jenna and Ethan were close friends. Rumor had it they hooked up at a party once. When I asked Ethan about it, he told me he didn’t kiss and tell.
Jenna, her boyfriend, and their friends blamed me for Ethan’s death. I’d gone through hell and suffered in the hospital for almost a month, only to return to school and have them taunt me almost daily.
They spread rumors that I had been in the car with Ethan because we were secretly hooking up. The guy I’d been dating dumped me because he believed what they’d said.
They claimed Ethan wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t had to drive me home. Ethan liked to study at his house, and since I hated driving at night, he would take me back and forth.
It wasn’t only them either. The entire football team held me responsible for his death. Half the kids at school wouldn’t even talk to me.
“How have you been?” she asks, staring into the mirror. She fixes her blonde hair and then starts washing her hands.
“All right.” I dry mine on a soft white towel with the bake shop’s logo embroidered on it.
“I heard they’re reopening Earl’s case. Is that true?”
I edge back when she grabs a towel. “It seems so.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs. “Are you going to fight it?”
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” I quickly say, wanting to get out of here.
I’ve seen Jenna around town a few times, but we always do our best to avoid each other. Years might have passed, and we might have grown up, but she’s had so many opportunities to apologize for how they treated me.
Mia told her to leave me alone. My parents even reached out to the principal, which only resulted in them bullying me more. River punched Jenna’s boyfriend in the face for it once, resulting in him getting in trouble with the school and my parents.
I start to leave, but she calls my name, stopping me.
“I’m really sorry for the way we treated you,” she says, averting her eyes.
“You had to blame someone.” I shrug, staring at her blankly, pretending their bullying didn’t make me want to die sometimes. “You chose me instead of the man who actually did it. ”
“Everyone knew it was Earl.” She raises her head to look me in the eyes, then lowers her voice when someone joins us in the restroom. She waits until they’re in their stall before continuing. “You can’t let them release Earl from prison. It wouldn’t be fair to Ethan.”
“I have no say in what the PEP does.”
“But aren’t you an attorney?” She raises her brows. “You were also a victim in the accident. That’s reason enough for you to fight to keep him there, right?”
“I’m not sure.”
From the research I’ve done, the PEP has a history of winning cases. Their website reports a ninety percent success rate. For that, I’m bracing myself for Earl’s possible release. I just pray he doesn’t return to Blue Beech.
Jenna picks at her nails. “If Earl is free, does that mean he didn’t do it?”
“Not necessarily. They could’ve found a weak spot in the case.”
She holds up her hand, intersecting two fingers. “Fingers crossed he stays where he belongs.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, “fingers crossed.”
I don’t match her gesture.
I simply turn around and leave the restroom.
Lainey stops shimmying her shoulders to a Sabrina Carpenter song and sets down her lemonade when she sees me.
“Are you okay, Essie?” she asks in concern.
“I’m fine.” I sit and nervously wipe my sweaty palms down my dress.
Her blue eyes meet mine from across the table. “You don’t look fine.”
I gulp. “I’m just feeling a little under the weather, I guess. ”
“Let’s go, then.” She tosses her wallet and phone in her bag that’s hanging on her chair and starts to stand.
I catch her hand to stop her. “I don’t want to ruin your lunch.”
“We can come another day. Plus, I probably don’t need the carrot cake. The lemonade and three strawberry Pop-Tarts I had earlier already have my sugar levels soaring.”
I sigh and spread my napkin across my lap. “Carrot cake and mimosas are just what I need right now.”
She gives me a sly look. “I’m willing to make that sacrifice with you, if it helps.”
When the server returns, we order two mimosas.
As soon as I take my first sip, I hear someone yell my name.
I lift my gaze to find Valeria walking toward us.
“I thought that was you!”
Adrian is right on her heels.
I want to sink into my chair and disappear.
“My apologies for the other night,” Valeria says, joining us. “To make it up to you, lunch is my treat.” She quickly pulls out a chair and sits between Lainey and me without waiting for an answer.
Adrian rudely does the same.
I smile at Valeria and then glare at Adrian.
Lainey extends her hand to Valeria. “I’m Lainey.” Her eyes drift to Adrian, a smile gracing her lips. “It’s nice seeing you again.” Her tone isn’t flirtatious. It’s more friendly.
I motion between them. “You two know each other?”
“Adrian posted a paralegal ad,” Lainey explains. “I interviewed with him before I did you. He didn’t hire me, but said I’d make a better fit working for you. I thought he was blowing me off because he wasn’t interested in hiring me. As it so happens, you and I were a better match.”
My gaze travels to Adrian. “You did that?”
He scratches his cheek and nods. “Terrance put out the ad, thinking maybe we’d need another paralegal with me joining the firm. We already had one, so you needed her more than we did.”
Valeria clasps her hands together. “Aw, how sweet.”
“Definitely sweet,” Lainey agrees. She motions between Adrian and me like I did with them moments ago. “I didn’t know you two had a little thing going on.”
A little thing?
Adrian chuckles at her comment.
“We most definitely do not have a thing ,” I argue.
“We most definitely do have a thing,” Adrian corrects, leaning back in his chair and smiling innocently. “She’s keeping it from you to stay professional, her being your boss and all.”
I’m going to kill him .
Though I’m not too proud to admit internally that it was nice of him to send Lainey to me. But as a certified grudge holder, I’d appreciate it if he continued behaving badly, not doing good deeds like that.
Tell me my favorite reality show is trash.
Hide my Oreos .
Don’t be sweet.
“A rival romance,” Lainey says, perking up in her chair. “I’ve seen so many rom-coms about this. Let me tell you, they always end in a happily ever after.”
My mimosa threatens its way up.
Valeria grins from ear to ear.
When the server comes to take their drink order, I ask for another mimosa. Valeria does the same, and Adrian sticks with a water.
I sit there, awkward and quiet, while Lainey and Valeria discuss the menu. Every so often, I do offer my input on my favorites.
“Essie,” Valeria cheerfully says, “did my Adrian ever tell you he stole a car?”
“No, he didn’t,” I say, drawing my response out in curiosity.
Adrian grabs his water and stares at Valeria in confusion .
“When he was twelve, he stole my car while visiting me during his winter break. I had come down with the flu. While I was napping, he took my keys and drove to the pharmacy to get me medicine and a stuffed animal. He was just a block away from getting back when an officer pulled him over.”
Covering his face, Adrian shakes his head. “Really?” he asks, his hand slightly muffling his word.
“What?” Valeria shrugs and then raises her glass toward him. “The judge sentenced him to twenty hours of community service. He volunteered at the nursing home, but after he finished his hours, he kept going there.” The smile on her face builds. “I’d find him playing Monopoly, knitting, and even taking tango lessons with them there.”
I trace the rim of my glass, fighting the urge to look at him. “That’s nice.”
“Oh, he was the sweetest boy,” Valeria goes on. “He always tried mowing my yard in the summers. He was too short to see over the mower and not great, but he really wanted to help. He’d even pause to flex his muscles.” Her sincere gaze flits to Adrian. “His heart is so big, but sometimes, it bites him in the butt. My grandson sometimes holds back the truth to spare people’s feelings.”
I finally turn in my chair to look at Adrian.
Apology is on his face as he leans toward me to whisper, “Sorry.”
What is he apologizing for?
Hiding that he was working with PEP?
Crashing lunch?
Breaking my heart again?
“We love us a man who does chores,” Lainey comments.
Dear God .
From the way they’re bragging about him, you’d think they were starting a fan club.
Adrian either paid them or has blackmail against them.
Valeria spends the rest of lunch telling us stories about Adrian’ s generosity. He started an after-school study program and bought pizzas with his allowance to motivate kids to come. He made his mother breakfast every weekend and walked dogs at the local animal shelter.
Lainey adds her approval to the stories.
They praise him as if he single-handedly united iPhone and Android users.
Adrian rests his elbow on the table, eyes fixed on me, clearly enjoying this moment.