Chapter 16

Lucy

Thank goodness I was able to vent to Chase on Tuesday night because I wouldn't have made it until I could talk to Tiffany and Janelle again. It's Saturday morning before we're able to get together. But now, the sun filters through the café windows, casting a warm glow over the small table where we cradle our coffee cups. My head throbs with the memory of last week's disaster.

"Okay, spill it," Tiffany urges. "I've been waiting until we're not at school."

I take a deep breath. "So, I went out with Jamie on Tuesday," I begin, the words leaving a bitter taste not even my caramel latte can mask.

"Right. The one from the district learning event," Janelle confirms.

"Yep, the very same," I reply. "We hit this Indian restaurant he picked. Decent place, but he proceeded to order half the menu. And I mean just for himself. It was like watching a nature documentary on feeding frenzies."

"Are you serious?" Tiffany's eyes widen.

"Dead serious. He barely came up for air between bites. It was like dinner theater, minus the entertainment." I pause to sip my coffee, which does little to wash down the embarrassment. "And then, as if his culinary performance wasn't enough, he had the audacity to split the bill. Fifty-fifty, as though he was doing me a favor by having me pay for food I barely touched."

"Ugh, that's the worst," Janelle says, shaking her head.

"Wait, it gets better," I add. "During the meal, we talked about some of the issues we face in our classrooms. You both know a lot of mine are about the economic challenges my kids face. He works in West Van, and all his school does is ask for money and it comes pouring in. So he spent all this time talking about how we're not asking our parents for money the right way , and then he segued to how I could be a better teacher. You know, because apparently my years of experience amount to nothing compared to his infinite wisdom."

"Did you remind him you teach different grades in different cities?" Tiffany asks, seeming puzzled.

"Of course. But according to him, teaching is teaching." I roll my eyes, feeling the frustration bubble up again. "I swear, I would've paid for his entire gluttonous feast if it meant I could have escaped earlier."

"Sounds like Jamie needs a lesson in manners more than anything else," Janelle comments.

My friends' sympathetic looks are a comfort, but they do little to erase the sting of humiliation. Why do I do this to myself? I take another gulp of my latte, wishing it were strong enough to erase the memory.

"Anyway, onward and upward. I've got other things to do. I'm meeting Chance later today and taking him over to see Sam. He's ready to store the motorcycle and buy a car. He's looking at an Explorer. "

Tiffany nods. "Sam will take good care of him. Chance is lucky you're doing that for him."

Janelle hesitates and then meets my eyes with a sheepish tilt of her head. "Lucy, I need to confess something. I…told Chance about your experiences with Jamie before your date."

I shake my head. "He showed up at my place that night. I'd told him I had a date. He said you both had been worried, so he was checking to make sure I got home okay."

"I know that man is dealing with his ex, but he is into you," Janelle counters. "I can see it with my own eyes."

I look pointedly at her. "What did you tell him about Jamie?"

She shrugs. "Just that he sent you a dick pic and I was sure you were going to land in bed together."

My eyes grow wide. "Janelle! I can't believe you! You knew there was no way I would sleep with him, especially after that picture."

Janelle narrows her eyes. "I knew nothing of the sort. I didn't know he'd mansplain teaching to you. But regardless, telling Chance about it had exactly the effect I thought it would. He went straight to you."

My thoughts swirl, and Janelle gives Tiffany an I-told-you-so look before she turns back to me.

"Chance wouldn't let anyone bulldoze you," Tiffany says.

"Exactly," I reply, feeling a reluctant smile tugging at my lips. "With him, it's easy. No expectations, no mansplaining, just…fun."

"Sounds like someone prefers the company of our dear Dr. Friend Zone," Janelle teases, nudging my arm.

I feel my cheeks heat, and I press my lips together, trying to steer my runaway thoughts back on track. "I don't— It's not like that," I stammer, though the flutter in my stomach tells a different story. After Chance left my place that night, I lay awake, restless and wound tight with unwanted yearning. And then I managed the issue, my mind shamelessly painting vivid images of him instead of Jamie.

"Lucy," Tiffany says softly, her eyes gentle, "it's okay to feel things. We're human."

I nod, sucking in a breath. "I know," I murmur, "but feelings just complicate everything." I focus on the rich, dark swirls of coffee in my mug. Just friends , I remind myself fiercely. That's all we are. That's all we'll ever be .

I look up at Tiffany and Janelle. "Chance is just… He's uncomplicated," I say, forcing a laugh. "You know? He never oversteps, never assumes too much."

Janelle sips her latte, eyebrow quirked. "Sounds perfect to me."

"Too perfect," I admit, the admission pricking at my pride. "We go out, we have a blast, and then nothing. He drops me off, gives me this brotherly hug, and that's it." My fingers tighten around my mug. "He has this way of making me feel so…safe and yet so off-limits."

Tiffany rests her chin on her hand. "And that's what's making you crazy, isn't it?"

"Yes," I confess. "Because I'm angry at myself for having these feelings. For wanting more than what we have." I shake my head. "It's like he's drawn this line, and I'm the one who keeps looking over it, wondering what if?"

"Lucy, honey, frustration is love's annoying cousin," Tiffany says, her eyes sympathetic.

"Annoying is right," I mutter, taking another sip of my coffee. "And the worst part? I think the reason he felt the need to friend-zone me in the first place is because our chemistry is obvious. We get along great, and I suspect both of us feel things, but we may never actually act on them."