Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
And I realized Amanda would never have dated a boy we both liked.
Hell.
I couldn’t lose my friend, but the thought of losing Callan hurt too.
I hurried to text back.
A, I love u & wld never intentionally hurt u. Can I call u when we all get back frm parents’ evening?
A few seconds later she replied:
Ok.
Damn. I hated that I hurt her. It hurt that I hurt her.
I was preoccupied as my parents drove us to the school. There was only a time or two when Dad had been out of town on a work meeting and couldn’t make parents’ evening. Otherwise, they both always tried to be there. Aunt Ellie and Uncle Adam had brought my cousins Will and Bray over to ours so they could keep an eye on Luke and Elle.
If I wasn’t so proud of my parents, I might not be able to handle the embarrassment of watching male and female teachers either act like awkward school children around my dad, or have the entire English department fawn over Mum. The fangirling hadn’t been so bad before. But one of Mum’s book series got adapted into a TV show on a major streaming service, and she’d been plastered all over national news these past six months. Her book sales had soared internationally, and my mum had gone from a successful novelist to a household name.
Usually I could handle it, but I was in a foul mood because of what was happening between me and Amanda.
“We’re hiring actors to play you at the next parents’ evening,” I snarked as they walked out of the English class to greet me. “If not for my sake, then for my teachers’ sakes so they can all stop acting like fools around you.”
“Insult your teachers at parents’ evening, Beth.” Mum nudged me playfully. “That’ll get you far.”
“So, what did Mrs. Carr say? Or did she even talk about me while in the midst of the great J. B. Carmichael?”
Mum rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. Once she got over me, she couldn’t stop staring at your father. It’s obnoxious. We should definitely hire an actor to play your dad.”
Dad shook his head. “Rubbish. She was enamored with your mum and couldn’t look her in the eyes because of it.”
Mum considered this. “Really?”
“Aye, really.”
“Well, now I feel bad.”
I chuckled and nudged her back. “Definitely hiring actors next year.”
“As always, she gave you a great report,” Dad told me. “Straight A’s, polite, respectful, involved in class discussions. You know you’re so perfect, kid. These parents’ evenings are starting to get bori—” Dad abruptly cut off as he drew to a halt.
“Braden?” Mum frowned up at him.
Dad’s features had drawn tight.
Both Mum and I followed his gaze.
Discomfort shot through me as I found his attention was on Callan.
Callan leaned against the wall, and standing next to him was a good-looking but very bored-looking older blond man. It had to be Callan’s dad.
“Is that …?” Mum gaped.
“What?” My heart suddenly thundered in my chest.
It seemed to take forever for Dad to drag his gaze from Callan and his father. They still hadn’t noticed us. Dad’s face was etched in unyielding granite as he asked, “We’re done here?”
I nodded, confused. “Mrs. Carr was our last teacher.”
“Let’s leave this way.” Dad abruptly turned and marched in the opposite direction.
Mum’s expression was grim. “Let’s go.”
As she hurried to catch up with Dad, I glanced back at Callan and found him staring at me. I gave him a small wave, and he frowned in confusion as he realized I wasn’t coming over.
I understood his confusion because I had no idea why Dad had acted so strangely at the sight of Callan and his father.
I tried to ask in the car ride home, but Dad was stewing and the atmosphere between him and Mum crackled with tension. As soon as we got home, I studied them as they attempted to act normally around Aunt Ellie, Uncle Adam, Will, and Bray. Callan had texted to ask if I was all right, but between my parents’ weirdness and Amanda’s text, I didn’t know what to say just yet. Instead, I waited patiently for my aunt and uncle and cousins to leave, and for my siblings to go to bed. Then I’d crept downstairs.
“It was definitely him.” I heard my dad say from the kitchen.
Sneaking along the hall, I stopped before the doorway.
“He has a kid Beth’s age?”
“Aye, I’d heard that through the grapevine. I didn’t know his son attended Drimwhinnie. I don’t even know how he can afford it. Last I heard, Gavin lost his job as a trainer and was mooching off his second wife.”
Gavin. Callan said his dad’s name was Gavin. How did my dad know Callan’s dad?
“You have been keeping tabs.”
“Edinburgh is smaller than people think. You hear things.”
“Or you’ve been keeping tabs.” Mum sounded annoyed for some reason.