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“Like you would’ve cared in the past,Twister Tamer?”

My fists clench. I know my anger is dumb, but I can’t stop the annoyance I feel toward my young friend over his incessant flirting with Finley, even though he’s clearly abetter match for her than me. Not only are they age appropriate, he’s not her professor.

“We always rib each other,” I counter weakly.

“Ribbing and being a dick are two different things. I saw the way you glared at him in the diner—you know Joey flirts with everyone. You can’t act jealous after you told Finley you regret what happened between the two of you.”

I ignore that Hawk is somehow in my thoughts and rub the back of my neck in frustration. “She’s my student; I had to say it.”

“You’re only proving to me that you don’t regret it and that now, after it happened, you’re taking some bullshit moral high ground. Why is that?”

I clamp my eyes shut. “I almost got her killed yesterday.” The truth of it crushes around my heart, only making me feel worse about everything.

Hawk’s hand comes down on my shoulder, and he asks me to look at him again. When our eyes connect, I see his pity in them, and it makes me nauseous.

“But you didn’t—you both lived. And from what you told us, you put her life over yours and protected her the best you could. Take comfort in that.”

He squeezes my shoulder, but his words don’t lessen the heaviness in my chest. “Keeping her safe still doesn’t change the fact that what I did was wrong—and that she’s my student.”

“No, it doesn’t, and that’s something you’ve got to work out. But either way, get your head out of your ass and stop being such a dick. We need you at your best, and this is not your best.”

A stubborn part of me wants to debate him, to justify my behavior further, but I know he’s right. “I know,” I echo my thoughts as I turn my gaze back toward the diner. I can’t see Finley through the window, but I imagine her there with Joey, laughing, smiling—exactly how she was with me before yesterday.

“You really like her.”

I turn back to Hawk, who’s studying me like he observes radar. “It doesn’t matter.”

He shakes his head. “It does.”

“I should apologize to Joey and Ezra,” I say in an attempt to change the subject.

“Yes, but maybe talk to your girl, too.”

“She’s not my anything.”

Hawk chuckles. “Whatever you say, Ryker. You can deny it till you’re blue in the face, tell me you regret what happened, but I’ll never believe it.”

“Hawk—”

“I’m going to grab a coffee to go before another storm picks up speed. Figure your shit out. Do it before the others start to ask questions and things get more uncomfortable than they already are. I’ll support you in whatever you want to do—but please, stop being an idiot.”

My friend pats my back then walks off to the diner, leaving me to my thoughts. Which I’m not sure is a good thing.

Chapter fourteen

Finley

“You’ve got one yearleft of school then?” Joey asks as he adds an obscene amount of cream to his to-go coffee.

“Yeah. I thought about taking extra classes so I could graduate earlier, but I’ve been paying for everything out of pocket while helping my dad out at the farm.”

Joey nods. “College is expensive. I swear I’ll be paying undergrad loans off until the end of time. But since I’m a glutton for punishment, maybe I’ll go back and get my master’s now that I’m no longer at the station. Think Tornado Daddy would like having me in his classes?”

I snort. “Maybe. Unless you wore that shirt.”

Joey smirks and takes a sip of his nearly white coffee before placing a lid on it. “I would for sure wear this shirt and sit in the front row.”

“He’dlovethat.”