Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 41725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 209(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 209(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Grant blew out a harried breath. “Yeah. Let me know. And please, tell Jacey I love her.”
“I will.” Jacey peeked out of the ladies’ room as if determining whether she was clear to come out. I lifted my eyebrows at her. “Later,” I murmured into the phone before ending the call. “Jacey, come talk to me for a minute?”
She looked ready to argue.
“Please, sweetheart?” I begged. “Let me explain.”
She emerged cautiously and took a seat in the upholstered chair I indicated in a small alcove. She looked equal parts angry and hurt.
“Okay, first… I’m so sorry you overheard that conversation. I didn’t want you to find out that way.”
“It sounds like you didn’t want me to find out at all,” she shot back. “How could you get married without telling us? Oh, my god. Like, who even does that? Was this Dad’s idea?”
“We didn’t…” The denial stuck in my throat, and I broke off, rubbing a hand over my head in frustration. “It’s complicated.”
“Then explain it! I’m not a little kid, Brody. I’m fourteen. God! Is it that Dad thinks I don’t know he’s gay? Because I do, and I don’t give a shit! Half my friends are queer or questioning. So he’s gay. Who cares?”
“Language,” I said sharply. Her expression turned mutinous. “I’m serious, Jace. I’m about to explain a very confidential situation to you. Please show me that you’re mature enough to know when and how you can use your words, okay?”
She nodded once and sat up straighter in her seat, trying so hard to project adult that my heart squeezed with affection. There was really nothing I wouldn’t do for this girl or her sisters.
“Okay. When your dad met with the dean of admissions at Mountbatten, she explained that the school had an unofficial two-parent policy.”
“A… what?” she demanded. “That’s ridiculous! So, like, people can’t be divorced? What is this, the 1900s?”
I winced. “Please remember some of us were born way back in the 1900s, m’kay? But I don’t disagree with you. It’s a ridiculous policy. It’s not that people can’t be divorced, exactly, but they do require families to devote a certain amount of time to the school or whatever. It’s part of their school culture. And I agree that it’s a good idea in theory, but—”
“But there are single parents who don’t have time to do that stuff. Single parents who are working three jobs or whatever—”
“Exactly.” I nodded. “Or in your case, a single parent who’s working one very demanding job.” She rolled her eyes, but I pressed her on it. “Your dad makes a lot of money, Jacey, but he works just as hard as any other single parent who’s trying to support a household. He’s just fortunate enough to have the money to pay someone to help out.”
“I guess,” she allowed.
“Your dad loves you girls more than anything. And that’s why, when the dean made the assumption that I was your dad’s husband instead of his employee, your dad went along with it. Because he knows how badly you want to attend Mountbatten.”
“Oh my god. Really? He did that for us?” She blinked. “Wait, but he didn’t even talk to you about it first?”
I shook my head. “He couldn’t. Not in the moment. He talked to me about it the other night. After pizza. And I… I agreed that we should get married on paper. It’s not a real marriage, with… dating o-or feelings. It’s more like a business arrangement. A temporary thing. And in the meantime, I get to be on his health insurance at work, and I’ll stay here for a while after I graduate in December so I can save up to start my own business.”
Jacey nodded, though she still looked troubled. “The app that you’re making.”
“Right. This way, I don’t have to get a full-time job and pay for rent somewhere else. I’ll get to be with you guys while I’m saving up.” I shrugged. “It’s not something we ever would have considered if it weren’t for the school’s policy, but it seemed like a decent plan. We planned to keep it all private. Not a lie, just… not sharing that things had changed behind the scenes.” I grimaced. The rationalization sounded lame coming out of my own mouth, and Jacey was way too smart not to call me on it. I hurried to add, “But it looks like that’s not going to be possible. A lot of the parents figured it out. People love gossip.”
She tilted her head to one side. “More like people love you. And Dad, obviously. But, like, they want to know because they care.”
Huh. “I guess that’s true,” I allowed.
She stared down at her fingernails, where last week’s bright nail colors were chipped and mangled. “So… now what are you going to do?”
“Well… part of that depends on you, I guess. It was one thing for us not to tell people about the marriage, but it’s another thing for people to know we’re married and for us to have to pretend to be a couple when we’re in public. That would be lying. And now that you know, you’ll have to keep that secret, too, which isn’t a position your dad or I wanted you to be in. The alternative, though, is to come clean and find a new school. What do you think?”