Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Eric

I stared at the text that read Brunch?

I hadn’t seen Julie since the other night, when the guys and I met up at M’s Place. The night I first met Riley.

Even though it was almost a week ago now, it felt like ages.

To be honest, I hadn’t thought about much else except Riley, and the fact that I could feel myself falling into his quicksand.

It was hard not to like him, once you got past his Sunday School attire and his blushing cheeks.

And he does play a good game of air hockey.

I decided that maybe a good brunch was what I needed to get my head right, to get myself back on track.

I needed to come clean to Riley about my job, about who I really was, if only because I knew it would come back to bite me in the ass if I didn’t. I hated lying, and I wasn’t ashamed of what I did.

But I worried that coming clean would be a deal breaker for Sunday’s Best Professor, and I didn’t want to think about the reality that my truth might push him away. Like it pushed others away.

So, instead of thinking about derailed fairytales, I answered Julie with a sure.

When I arrived at Rose & Evelyn’s , Jasper Springs’s “upscale” spot—which was about as upscale as a Red Lobster , Julie was already waiting, mimosa in hand.

“Good morning,” she said with a grin, twirling her flute.

“Afternoon,” I said, flashing her with a grin of my own. “It is eleven am, you’re already drinking, and this is brunch, so I think we’re well past morning.”

Julie smiled as the waitress came by, and I put my coffee order in.

I barely had a look at the menu before Julie was off.

“It’s five o clock somewhere, darling,” she said with a kissy face that made me roll my eyes.

“So, how did it go the other night?” she asked sweetly.

I peered up at her from my menu. “What?” I asked, feeling self conscious all of a sudden. I hadn’t mentioned to anyone other than Chris about my date-not-date with Eric, but that didn’t mean Julie couldn’t have known. The woman had an uncanny knack for gossip and was often in the places you least expected her. It would be just like her to spot me in a compromising position, only to bring it up later.

“I mean, it’s not every day someone beats you at a game of pool,” she said, sipping her drink again.

Oh, of course... M’s Place... the other night.

“Uh, yeah, I know. It’s crazy, right?” I asked, breathing a sigh of relief. “It was fine. I guess. Riley gave me a ride home. Got all embarrassed when his smutty audiobook came on over the speakers. Was kind of funny actually.” I chuckled at the memory.

“Shut up! He did not!” Julie exclaimed, her eyes wide, faced filled with excitement.

I shook my head, my own grin spreading across my face. It felt good to laugh, to just let out the things that had been rolling around in my head.

“We, uh, actually hung out the other night too. Had a good time.”

Julie’s face was practically glowing. “I knew it,” she said, beaming with pride.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, and took a sip of my coffee.

“I knew you two would hit it off,” she said as the waitress came by to take our orders.

After putting in for a tower of cinnamon spice pancakes, I did not relent.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Jules?”

Julie shrugged, smirking at me over her mimosa. “Oh nothing, just saying that’s why I arranged the blind date in the first place. I had a feeling you two would get along,” she shrugged.

What?

Is she saying...

“Riley... he was the guy you tried to set me up with? The one who blew me?—”

“Well, not even fate could keep you two apart, it seemed. I mean, you did still both show up at M’s Place—completely of your own accord, might I add?—”

“I don’t fucking believe this,” I said, feeling a fresh wave of panic.

He was the guy who stood me up!

Julie dismissed my shock with a wave.

“Why didn’t you say something the other night?—”

Julie shrugged. “Maybe I just wanted to see how you two played out on your own.”

“Un fucking believable,” I said, downing my coffee.

“What?”

“You didn’t think...” I said as I looked around, keeping my voice low. “You didn’t think my job would be an issue?” I asked, raising my eyebrow at her.

“Why would it be?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “I told him you worked in social media, that’s not a lie.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Jules, maybe because I fucking get naked for a living and he melds the minds of today’s youth,” I growled.

Julie’s eyebrows furrowed. “Since when has taking off your pants for a living bothered you? You’re the one who’s always saying?—”

“It doesn’t, but?—”

“But what? Clearly something has your briefs all in a twist.”

I sighed, just as the waitress dropped our food off. I stabbed my pancake much harder than I’d intended, the metal of the silverware chiming loudly off the plate.

“You of all people know how many people have had an issue with what I do. And none of them were teachers. ”

“So, no nude modeling then for the art class, got it,” she teased.

I grunted in response as I stuffed some pancake in my mouth, the sickeningly sweet syrup thick on my tongue.

Julie’s gaze softened. “I do know what you mean, you know. But I also know that Riley is one of the most accepting people on the planet. He’s a good guy, Eric. I promise.”

“Yeah, that’s the fucking problem, Julie. He’s good. And I’m...”

I couldn’t finish my sentence, because I knew the truth that awaited. Riley was good, and I was a sin that would forever stain him, and the last thing I wanted was to ruin someone as perfect as him.

So I buried my heartache in my syrup and butter, because it was turning out to be quite a shitty morning.