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“It has to,” Elia confirmed, and Kamryn watched as she steeled herself. Those little microcosms of change in her body language, the intensity in her gaze and determination filtering through to the rest of her. “This is the only way.”

“For once, Elia, I don’t believe you.” Kamryn took a step forward and halted.

“Is she in?” Simone’s voice rang through to Kamryn’s inner office from the outer one.

“She’s with someone at the moment,” Mrs. Caldera answered. “I’m not sure how much longer it’ll be.”

“I should let you go,” Elia murmured, taking a step away.

Kamryn reached out quickly, snapping her fingers around Elia’s free wrist and stopping her forward momentum. “You don’t get to resign and then just leave, Elia. We need to talk about this.”

“No, we don’t.” Elia had that same hard look as before. “It’s done. I’m done. I’m not fighting this.”

“You’re not fighting alone.”

“I know I’m not.” Elia dropped her gaze from Kamryn’s eyes to her lips. “I never was.” Elia broke Kamryn’s grip and stepped back. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”

“Elia.”

“I’ll start packing up my office first.”

“Elia,” Kamryn tried again, but it didn’t work. Elia was already walking away. She was already disappearing into the outer office and nodding to Simone and Mrs. Caldera.

Kamryn didn’t even have a second before Simone popped her head into the doorway. “I couldn’t help but overhear some of that.”

Great. That was the last thing that Kamryn needed.

“Which was what I wanted to talk to you about anyway.” Simone stepped inside and shut the door with a resounding click. “The wedding.”

Kamryn sighed heavily and plopped herself down into one of the two chairs facing her desk. She wasn’t going to be ready for this talk either, was she?

“Is there more going on between you and Elia than merely friendship?” Simone carefully slid into the seat next to Kamryn. “Because if there is, you should know just how dangerous that can be.”

Kamryn knew. She wasn’t just risking her job and Elia’s by pursuing a relationship there, but she was risking her future career. She could so easily end up with a black mark like Elia had. She’d never be hirable anywhere else.

“Just make sure that you’re making decisions for the right reasons,” Simone continued. “When I married Howie, I thought it was for the right reasons.”

Kamryn flicked her gaze up to meet Simone’s eyes. “I’m not in a relationship with Elia.”

“I thought since you two came to the wedding…” Simone’s eyes widened in surprise.

Shaking her head, Kamryn doubled down on the lie that she’d started because that was where the truth was now. “She came to support me because my ex-girlfriend is also still friends with Andra. And it was a contentious breakup. Hence why I’m living in the dormitories as a house parent.” Kamryn put her hands out to her sides. “Elia was an outside person who could help me through that and who knows the players. Lauren was also a student here twenty years ago.”

“Oh.” Simone frowned. “I just thought with the way you two were acting…”

“Nothing more than friendship.” Why did that hurt so much to say? Because that was the only lie she’d told so far. They’dhad so much more than just mere friendship. And Kamryn still wanted more. She should have known better than to let herself get tangled up in this. “Was there something else you needed, Simone? I’ve got a lot of work to get done today.”

Simone eyed her over carefully. “You seem upset.”

“I am, but it’s not by anything you said. I promise.” Kamryn plastered on as much false bravado as she could muster. She clapped her hands onto arms of the chair and started to push herself to stand. “I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t spread this conversation around. Rumors can be fierce amongst teachers.”

“They can be. That’s why I came to talk to you and no one else.” Simone furrowed her brow. “Because Susy Butkis was asking questions. I didn’t tell her anything, because she’s known for spreading gossip and I didn’t want that to happen. I like you here, Kamryn. You’re good for this school in ways that no other Head of School has been. You get stuff done.”

Kamryn hummed as she sauntered back toward her desk and picked up the envelope that she’d thrown down on it earlier. She needed a way around this one. And she was going to have to force her hand on it. Elia wasn’t going to be happy about it either, and it would push them further down the rabbit hole of separating their relationship, but it was the only way to keep Elia at the school until Kamryn could sort everything else out.

“Elia’s not exactly the most popular teacher here at Windermere,” Simone said. “The most recent board has been out to get her for a while, and I never truly understood why. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But she did,” Kamryn said, using Elia’s own words to justify her point. “She left enough questionable space to allow the possibility. And that’s all that’s needed, isn’t it? The mere question of possibilities.”