Chapter 30
Elodie
Igaze out the window of my office, my thoughts caught in the patterns of rain trickling down the glass.
It’s early again. Getting to school before the chaos of students and teachers begins has become a good distraction for me.
It’s my way of keeping everything else at bay. Here, I can lose myself in lesson plans, reports, and marking my students’ assessments without letting my thoughts drift back to everything I’m trying to avoid.
It’s been three weeks since the wedding.
Three weeks since I last saw Dorian.
Next Saturday, we’ll have been married for a month, and through all that time, I haven’t seen or heard from him.
The morning after the wedding, after I finally woke from our incessant lovemaking, Dorian was already gone. He’d left for L.A.
When I checked my phone, I saw a text from him. One sentence:
I’ll see you when I get back.
I guess that was an upgrade from the usual nothingness. It was the first time he’d ever messaged me.
It didn’t tell me what he was thinking or anything like that, but it was something. No matter how small.
Dorian Vale is a man who doesn’t waste words. Still, it’s difficult to know what the message meant beyond what it said—that he’d see me when he got back.
As for what would happen then… it was anyone’s guess.
Would we be the same?
I didn’t know.
I rest my hand on the table and lean back against my chair, keeping my gaze fixed on the sheets of rain.
Maybe the time apart and the distance will set him back on his usual path to business is business. Hell, he could even be seeing someone else. I don’t know where that would leave me.
I seem to be stuck in this endless loop. One minute, I’m telling myself to be strong and remember the terms of our arrangement. The next, I’m obsessing over how he took me the night of the wedding, wondering if there was any meaning in it.
I’d never forget the way he touched me and claimed my body. No one has ever made me feel like that. I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, Dorian might have had a change of heart.
After he’d been gone for a week and I still hadn’t heard from him, I decided that preoccupying my every waking thought with that night was as unhealthy as drinking crude oil. There was no scenario where dreaming up possibilities did me any favors.
When week two hit, and I still hadn’t heard from him, I shut down. I became this version of myself that chose numbness and avoidance over thinking too much into the situation.
So far, nothing has helped.
And the new problem is that I don’t know one way or another what anything means.
I’m stuck.
I can’t be angry with him, nor can I be patient. I can’t be sad that our wedding night might have been a one-time thing, because I don’t know if it was. I can’t even treat the text as a placeholder, because it was exactly what it was—a message.
All I’m left with is waiting.
There’s no point in even calling or messaging him. He wouldn’t respond.
The only thing that could potentially get his attention is if I were pregnant.
And I’m not. I took a test.
So that’s that.
Footsteps pull me from my thoughts. The door is already open. I turn to see Mrs. Bennell, the school’s principal walking in.
I straighten instantly, trying to look composed.
She’s not usually in at this hour and she never ventures down here. Her office is all the way on the other side of the school on the top floor.
“Morning, Mrs. Bennell.” I sound like one of the students, trying to get on her good side.
A bright smile spreads across her face. “Morning Elodie. You have to be one of my most dedicated teachers.” She nods and the blunt edges of her stylish bob swish against her ears. “You’re here, early again.”
I smile, though a tug of guilt pulls on my insides. “I like the quiet.”
“I get it. I was like that too, way back when I was teaching.” She gives me a hearty chuckle and adjusts her glasses on the bridge of her nose. “The janitor told me you were here. I wanted a quick word.”
Oh Lord, please don’t let her think I’ve been mopping around the school. Although I’ve been trying to act like my usual self, it’s been hard.
Mrs. Bennell and I have never had a problem in all the years we’ve worked together. She handpicked me during my training because she liked my spark. I would hate to disappoint her in any way.
“Please don’t look so worried.” She holds up both hands and smiles.
My cheeks flush. “I’m sorry. It’s every day I see you, and this early.”
She chuckles again. “It’s all good news. And I’m in early today because of the new reporting system. It’s a pain in the ass.”
We both laugh.
“I can’t disagree.” I sigh, now eager to hear what good news she has to tell me. I could do with something to give a boost. Even a small one.
“So, the good news.” She pulls in a breath and a spark comes into her eyes.
“What is it?” I can’t hide the excitement in my voice.
“Linda Barker just handed in her retirement notice. It’ll be for the end of next year.” Her smile brightens. “I wanted you to consider taking her place as the new assistant head of the English department.”
My heart jumps in my throat and does a somersault. I’m so stunned I stand and press a hand to my chest. “What? Me?”
“Oh don’t look so surprised, Elodie. Like I said you are one of the most dedicated teachers here. And if I might add way, way beyond your years. I wouldn’t normally consider someone so young, but your expertise in classical literature are second to none. I couldn’t think of anyone better than you.”
I release the breath I’ve been holding in a gasp and shake my hands. “Oh my God, this is the best news ever.”
“I’m so glad you think so. And I hope that’s a yes.”
“Yes, absolutely yes.” I give a little hop and she laughs.
The assistant head position was my next career goal. But I thought I’d reach it in a few years as I got more teaching experience. At twenty-five years old, this is a massive accomplishment.
“Wonderful. I’m more than happy. Linda will start training you from next month. There will be some adjustment to the schedule to accommodate that, but it shouldn’t be too different.”
“That’s perfectly fine. I’m okay with that.” It was the least.
“Even better.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much. Ands thanks for coming to see me.”
“Of course.” She dips her head. “That’s the kind of news you want to deliver personally. And confession, I was actually prepared to beg you to take the role.”
My eyes snap wide. “What? Why? It’s a no brainer.”
She shoots me a wistful smile. “You just got married. To a billionaire nonetheless. Nobody expected you to come back to work.”
My skin warms at the mention of my marriage. And I’m thinking of my husband again. “I love my job. I was definitely going to come back.”
A newfound respect enters her eyes. “That’s real admirable. I’m glad to hear we’ll still have you on board.”
“Thank you.”
“You are so welcome. Now do me a favor.”
“Anything.” I giggle.
“Please try to have life outside the walls of this school.” She gives me a pointed stare. The kind she reserves for committee meetings and parent’s evening. “I don’t want you to burn out by overworking—because you will.”
“I hear you.”
“Good. Things also change when people get married. I will always respect that. Please know you have a job here for as long as you want, which I hope will be forever.”
“Yes.” A soft laugh falls from my lips.
“And the moment babies start coming along, we will accommodate for that too.”
Babies… Oh God, I just can’t seem to get away from things that remind me of Dorian.
I hold the smile, keeping up appearances that I’m fine. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“No need. Anyway. I must run. See you later for the staff meeting. I’ll make the announcement then.”
I clap my hands, savoring the joy of the accomplishment. “See you later.”
She gives me one last smile then leaves.
Well… that was great news. At least something was going well more in my life. And that was a big something.
Maybe I should just take that as my something good. Can’t have it all, right?
I had the career.
Love might just be one of those things that’s not meant for me.
I have to be okay with that.
* * *
I finish the day with Skylar. She took me to dinner at our favorite pizzeria to celebrate my news. We both ate so much we could hardly walk out of the building without waddling.
It was fun. We haven’t gone out like that in a while, so we’re overdue some girl time.
Now I’m home.
I open the door and head inside. The peacefulness greets me, along with the aroma of pumpkin pie. Meaning Vanessa should still be here.
I head into the kitchen to see her but stop short in the doorway when I find Parker inside, leaning against the table talking to a very uncomfortable Vanessa.
She looks relieved to see me. And Parker… He reminds me of a shark in a tailored suit. The toothy smile he gives me certainly looks the part.
I’m not entirely sure about the situation, but know he and Dorian have their differences. From Dorian’s behavior around his cousin, and warnings, I highly, highly doubt he’d be happy to know Parker was in his home.
I’m guessing Vanessa would have known that, but I can’t imagine her throwing out a member of the Vale family.
“Elodie, darling,” Parker greets me in his rich English accent. Come to think of it, while I love an English accent, he doesn’t sound as great as I previously thought. There’s a… sly undertone to his voice that makes my nerves tingle with warning.
“Hi Parker.” I paste on a pleasant smile, then glance at Vanessa. “Hey Vanessa.”
“Hey there, I was just hanging around until you got home. There’s a pie in the oven.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll be of if you don’t need me to do anything else.” Her eyes tell me she wants to get the hell out of here. That makes me more concerned about Parker.
Although I would love Vanessa to stay until he leaves, it wouldn’t be fair. Her shift is over and I don’t know how long she’s had to entertain him.
He looks like the kind of person who knows he’s not welcome somewhere and insist on staying even if his presence makes everyone feel awkward. Like now.
“Go home. It’s been a long day,” I tell her.
She smiles, her relief almost palpable. “See you in the morning.”
“See you.”
She practically hurries past me. I turn back to Parker to find him watching me with the interest of a fox.
He’s been really nice to me. I have nothing to complain about him, but I do sense an undertone of something in him that’s not quite right. It feels menacing and manipulative.
But, what do I know?
Look at Dorian. He’s king of not quite right. And as for menace and manipulation? Yup, he’s right up that ally.
“Sorry to drop by unexpected. I thought I’d come and check on you,” he speaks first.
“That’s sweet of you.”
“Oh good. I didn’t know if anyone else had, with Dorian being away. And so busy.” He let the last two words stretch. The emphasis and implication was not missed on me.
“I spoke with Isla and Louise the other day. They’ve been checking on me.” They had, and their calls meant a lot. We were all going to dinner in two weeks too.
“That’s even better. Well, what’s one more person?” He pushes off the table and comes closer, stopping a few paces away. “There’s a quaint little English restaurant of Main street. I was wondering if you’d like to join me at some point if you’re ever bored.”
Okay. This is new. And a little… weird?
I gaze up at him, unable to hide my surprise. “Just me and you?”
“Yes.”
I think for a moment. This is nothing. It’s just a dinner invite. Not a date. Right?
Mentally, I kick myself. If I can’t recognize a date when I see one, no wonder my taste in men is so poor.
“I’m not sure I should do that. I don’t think… Dorian would be okay with that.” God, I feel so stupid saying that. Separate lives. The words flash in my mind like the red and blue lights of a siren.
To my surprise, Parker smiles. No one would guess I’d just turned him down. “He probably wouldn’t. But he’d have nothing to worry about. An evening between two literary scholars is exactly that.”
“Literary scholar. I didn’t know you studied literature.” Against my better judgement, my interest piques.
“Well now you do. I’m planning an event at the Jane Austin Society. I thought I might brainstorm ideas with a fellow enthusiast.” He raises his shoulders into a shrug, seeming genuine.
And now I almost feel bad for being a little too blunt. “That sounds wonderful.”
“I knew you’d say that.” He perks up. “How about I check back to see when you’re free. I can call here.”
Okay, this definitely seemed harmless. “Sure. That would be okay.”
“By the way,” he says, his voice dropping a notch. “If I may overstep, you do know, Dorian sees women all the time whether he’s at home or away.”
My skin goes cold, as cold as if I were standing in a wintry breeze. “Oh. Um…” What do I say to that?
“I’m sorry. I can see I overstepped.” He presses his lips and I can’t quite tell if he’s feigning innocence or if he’s being sincere. “I just thought you should know. You seem like a nice girl.”
I compose myself. I don’t want anyone seeing that kind of disappointment on me. “Thank you for telling me.”
“I just thought you’d feel less bad about dinner with me. Though I assure you my intentions are pure.” He presses a hand to his heart.
I already doubted the purity in his intentions, but his hand on his heart makes me disbelieve even more.
A man like Parker has reasons for dropping information. But I guess it doesn’t matter. That’s the least of my worries.
“Hey, he’s in and out of the office this week. You should go see him.” Parker adds.
Great. While I knew Dorian would be traveling back and forth, Parker seems to know his schedule.
“Sure.”
Parker nods. “Give me a call when you’re ready. I’ll make the evening fun.”
“Thanks.”
With that he gives me a curt nod and leaves.
I listen to his footsteps until I hear the front door open and close.
My gaze snaps to the wall across from me and I feel like screaming.
Damn that man.
Dorian, you’re such a fucking asshole.
And I’m so stupid. Fuck.
The night we shared meant nothing to him.
While I’m here pinning over him, he’s out with his women.
I will not become my mother and I will not be a fool.
It was time for me to pull my head out of the clouds again and get serious. That meant going back to business.
He wouldn’t do this to me again.