7
Arriving at Rae’s house, I drive onto the driveway, and park my car. I check my face in the rearview mirror. My best friend waves at me from the front porch. I’m sure when she takes one look at me, she’s going to ask what’s wrong. I’ll keep my sunglasses on for as long as I can.
“Hey, Blaire,” Rae says.
“Hi. How was your work today?” I ask as I approach her. Rae works as an office manager for one of the big dental chains in town.
“Busy. Lots of people need their teeth fixed these days. How was your day?”
“It was good. First days are always the longest.” I blow out a breath.
“Only one hundred and forty something to go.” I smile, then lower my head to avoid her noticing my tired eyes. I slide off my sunglasses and put them in my purse.
“Come on in and tell me all about your first day.” She holds the front door for me, and we walk into her house.
I walk past her and toward the back of her house to the kitchen. I slide onto one of the stools at her counter high table and place my purse on the stool beside me.
“Wine?” Rae asks as she walks toward the refrigerator.
“Yes, please.” I reach into my purse and check my phone for messages. Nothing.
“How many students do you have this year?”
“Um, I have eight. Four young women and four young men.”
With the two large goblets in hand and an extra-large bottle of a blush wine, she sits one in front of me and says with a cheeky grin, “You look like you’re going to need more than one glass.”
“Probably the entire bottle.” I let out a tired laugh and lift the goblet sitting near me, holding it for her to fill.
She fills my glass, then hers, and sits on the stool across from me.
Rae and I have been best friends since college. Even though we didn’t share classes, we met up at a frat party and hit it off. We’ve been inseparable since. She was my maid of honor, and I was her matron of honor. She’s Britney’s Godmother. Now we’re both divorced single moms. Her divorce was a lot messier; she caught Trevor cheating and kicked his ass out. No second chances given by Rae. She comes from a broken home and had warned him if he ever cheated on her, he’d be gone. She kept her word and filed for divorce immediately. She has primary custody of their ten-year-old daughter, Grace, my goddaughter. Trevor sees her every other weekend and every Wednesday night. Rae reluctantly agreed to share Grace every other week in the summer after she and I had a long heart to heart.
Trevor isn’t the doting kind of father that Preston is, but he is a good dad to Grace, and she deserves to spend time with him. That’s the reason I convinced Rae to allow him every other week in the summer. And let Grace know she can talk to her about anything. Be as open as she feels comfortable with her daughter. Trevor’s a cheater, and a dirtbag as a husband, but he is a good father.
Rae’s mom helps her when she needs someone to pick Grace up from school when she’s working extra hours to make ends meet.
“Hey.” Her hand touches mine as she brings my attention back to her.
“So, tell me about your new students. Are the young women nice? Too pretty to be chefs one day?” She sips on her wine, then her eyes widen, “Oh, wait. Tell me about the young men first. Any hotties? Like that barback from The Oasis?” Her foot bumps mine under the table.
I laugh, then gulp down my wine and shoot my arm with the goblet in hand toward Rae.
“Please?” I smile. I need more wine to tell this story.
She pours my glass three quarters full, and I bring it to my lips, taking a long sip before licking my lips clean of the refreshing beverage.
I clear my throat and say, “All of my students are so nice. Two of the young women are very pretty. Candace and Samantha. They could be models. I’m not sure why they’re taking culinary classes. Judy and Carrie are sweet. They’re much quieter than the other two.” I pour almost all the wine down my throat.
“Okay, so what about the young men?” Rae asks.
“Oh, they’re very nice, too. Three of them look older to be first year college students. I’ve not asked anyone their ages, just their goals for their future.” I empty my glass again and hold it out to Rae. I’m hoping she doesn’t ask about the fourth young man, Jaden.
“In a minute.” She takes my glass.
“Tell me about that last young man.” She sits both glasses to the side and props her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her palms.
Fuck.I drag my hand through my hair and sputter out a breath. Falling back against the wooden frame of the stool, I cross my arms over my body. She knows I was seeing someone, but she didn’t know that someone was Jaden.
She kicks my foot again and I sit forward.
“Okay. But first, I have to tell you the guy…” I pause and draw in a breath. I know I can tell Rae anything and she’ll have my back. I close my eyes, then let out the breath I’ve held for a few seconds.
“Blaire… you were saying?” Rae pats my arms.
“That guy I’ve been seeing is…” I pause again, then blurt out, “The hottie barback from The Oasis has been my fuck buddy the past two weeks?—”
“High five, girl!” Rae exclaims and holds her hand high above us.
I shake my head slowly and look down at the table. I scrunch my nose, then raise my eyes and catch Rae staring at me. I reach for her hand without high-fiving her. Laying our hands on the table, I sigh.
“He is now my student.” I cover my face with my hands, then peek between my fingers at her.
“Wait. What? Oh fuck. No way. Blaire.” Rae pulls my hands from my face and moves her head to look into my eyes. She leans toward me and asks, “What the fuck are you going to do?”
“I ended it,” I state firmly and point to my goblet.
“I need that filled, please.”
“Of course you do. My god. I can’t…” She carefully pours my glass full and slides it toward me. She physically closes her mouth with her hand as she stares at me.
“But just like that? It’s over? Really?”
I gulp down half of my wine again and cough to clear my throat. Nodding, I say, “Yes. I have no choice, Rae. I won’t risk my career no matter what. It was two weeks of fun.” I bring the wineglass to my lips again, finishing it. I stare past Rae, tipping the goblet from side to side. I remember how just how much fun those two weeks with Jaden were; the best fucking fun of my life, and now I have to let go, let him go, and move on whether I want to or not. It is what it is.
Rae pats my hand, bringing me out of my thoughts. I set the glass in the middle of the table, then fold my hands together.
“Besides, Britney comes first. You know that. I can’t and won’t lose my job because I want to fuck my student. I didn’t work all these years to ruin it now.” I hold my breath and wait for Rae to respond.
She hops off her stool and steps toward me. She reaches for and grabs my hands. Turing me to face her, she says, “I know damn well you’re heartbroken. You can let it out to me.”
I pull my hands free and stand next to her.
“No. I can’t be. There’s no place in my life right now for a fuck up. Jaden knows this. I’ve told him we cannot be together and that’s it. Final. No negotiations.” I’m sucking in as much air as I can to keep my composure.
“Sure… it hurts like hell, but it doesn’t matter. I’m a mother first. My child needs me, and I have to be there for her, always.”
I look at my best friend as she caresses my arm.
“It’s only two years. If he’s still interested in me when he graduates, great. Maybe we can pick up where we left off. For now. It’s over.” I swipe my hand in the air and shake my head.
“If you say so.” Rae hops back onto her stool. When she glances at me, I see that look she always gives me when she doesn’t believe a word I’ve said to her.
“I do say so, thanks.” Glaring at her, I purse my lips. I pick up the wineglass and drag my finger around the rim of it, thinking I could use another, but decide not to. I huff out a breath and shrug.
She asks, “What do you want to do for dinner? Isn’t this Britney’s week with her dad?”
“Yes, she is. I don’t know what I want to eat. Let’s ask Grace what she wants.” I look around the kitchen.
“Where is Grace?”
“Oh, I asked Mom to get her. She’s spending the night over there. I’m yours for the evening. Where are we going?”
“Let’s order Chinese. I don’t want to go out. And neither of us should drive after two glasses of wine.” I smile.
“Two? I think that’s your third, or fourth, Blaire.” Rae walks toward a tall hutch and brings out a basket of takeout menus.
“Which one?” She tosses three Chinese menus on the table.
“This one.” I slide my favorite one to her.
“And thanks for listening. I’m okay, promise.”
She grins and throws me that look again.
“If you say so,” she repeats and shakes her head slowly as she walks toward the counter to retrieve her cell phone.