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“Nice meeting you,” she said, in a voice that was so sweet it melted me.
I felt my heart pounding in my chest. It was so strange to see Robert. I had halfway thought that I never would again. I had started to feel like that one night was all we would ever get.
I was about to walk out when I glanced out the large windows of the library and saw that it wasn’t just Tyler in the car. Jeremy and Tyler were sitting inside together, chatting like old friends. Jeremy got out of the car with a big smile stretched across his pale face.
My stomach twisted.
I looked back at Robert just in time to see that he had noticed.
twenty-four
Robert
I watched through the window as Jeremy approached the building.He had told me he was with family today. Bastard!
I glanced at Delia, who stood stiffly beside me. She was pretending to focus on something across the room, but the way her shoulders were drawn tight gave her away.
She’d seen him, too. My best friend.
And her ex.
“Is he here for you?” I asked quietly, stepping closer to her and farther away from my daughter, trying to keep my voice steady and low.
She didn’t answer right away, her eyes still fixed on nothing. Finally, she shook her head. “No. He must’ve come with my brother.”
I watched as Jeremy entered the auditorium. He knew just how to get here since I’d started letting him teach his own classes here. And now every step he took felt like a challenge, even though I knew he didn’t see it that way. He couldn’t see it that way. He had no idea what was going on between Delia and me.
“Robert!” Jeremy’s voice was warm, his hand raising to wave at me.
I forced a smile, my jaw tightening as I reached out to shake his hand.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, as his gaze flicked briefly to Delia.
“Same,” I replied. “I thought you said you were with family?”
“Well, sure, Delia’s family is like mine,” came Jeremy’s easy answer. I caught the way his eyes lingered on Delia, the faint smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Delia was still avoiding eye contact, her arms crossed over her chest like she was trying to shrink into herself.
“Delia,” Jeremy said, his voice softening, “are you ready to go?”
She nodded, barely glancing at him. “Yep.”
“Okay, I’ll be out in the car.”
The tension was unbearable. I knew I should play it cool, keep things civil, but the way he looked at her—like he still had some kind of claim—made my blood boil. Such strong feelings… or responses, were new to me.
Keep it cool, Robert!
“Have a good one,” I said, my tone clipped.
Jeremy gave Delia one last glance before heading toward the exit. She started to follow without looking at me, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to me. “What the hell was that?” I hissed at her.
She blinked, startled. “What was what?”
“You couldn’t even look at him,” my voice was low but sharp. “Why? Feeling guilty?”
Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t respond right away.