The Wright Brother(67)

I ground my teeth as I turned over the ignition. “I really, really don’t want to talk about my love life. Thanks, but no thanks.”

“Why do you have to be like this? I thought we were bonding.”

“I can’t bond with you over who you’re having sex with. It grosses me out,” I told her as I pulled out of her driveway.

“Well, you refuse to come by and see me. You aren’t getting married. You aren’t getting your degree anymore. You hate shopping and pedicures and makeovers. What exactly am I supposed to bond with you over?”

“Hey, I like pedicures!” I said. “But just because I’m not…Kimber doesn’t mean that I don’t have my own qualities or whatever.”

“I only needle you because I love you. I just want to make sure you’re happy. I don’t want to see you waste your life away at the Buddy Holly Center again.”

“You set me up to work there!” I accused.

“Temporarily. I thought you’d be going back to school.”

“Well, I’m not,” I said. My mind was still locked on Jensen, and here was my mother, trying to plan my career. As if I wanted to add to the list of things that I had to deal with right now.

“You used to be so full of love for things. Things I hated but you loved them. Soccer and that horrendous skateboard and coaching and tutoring after school and honors society and—”

“Yes, I get it. But, now, I’m adrift, and I need something of my own.”

“Exactly.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll figure it out.”

My mother put her hand on my arm and sighed. “Maybe you should consider working at the high school. You have the degrees. You’d need to be certified, but I know you could do it.”

“High school students?” I shuddered.

“You’d make a difference.”

I brushed her hand off my arm.

I didn’t want to admit that she was right. I probably could get a job teaching history at the local high school, and maybe I’d even get to help coach the soccer team. I’d played on the intramural team at Oklahoma and at an adult rec league for two years at UT. I just didn’t know if that was it.

I’d loved teaching when I was in graduate school. That was the best part. The least stressful part honestly. It was the research and papers and endless criticism that had done me in. Some people were made for that and loved it but not me. I could take some critiques, but eventually, my head had exploded, and I’d felt like it was doing more harm than good.

“Just think about it,” my mom said as we pulled into the church parking lot.

“Okay,” I said, “I’ll think about it.”

“Good, or else I’d have to start talking about Jensen Wright again.”

I groaned and parked in a spot. “You kill me.”

“I love you, too,” she said. Then, she hurried toward a cluster of her friends standing at the entrance.

I scanned the parking lot for Jensen, but it was impossible. The church was huge, and I would never find him out here like that. I killed the ignition and then checked inside the church to see if the Wrights had arrived yet. No luck.

Then, I planted myself at the front of the church with my arms crossed. I felt like I was staking the place out as I waited, but if Jensen was here, then I needed to talk to him. I needed to figure out what the fuck was happening…or end it. Because I was not going to be toyed with.

Just when I had that thought, a bleach-blonde bob appeared before me.

“Ugh! Are you literally following me everywhere?” Miranda asked.

She was in a skintight blue dress that barely hit her at mid thigh and had a low-cut neckline. She looked good in it, but it wouldn’t have been my first choice for a relatively conservative church service.

“I go to church here,” I responded with a sigh.

“Uh-huh. Oh, I’m sure.”

“Miranda,” Landon said, hurrying to catch up, “let’s just go inside.”

“You knew she was going to be here.”

“We’ve gone to the same church since we were kids, Miranda. I can’t help that.”

“And I get no warning?” she asked.

“You don’t need a warning,” I said, “because there’s nothing going on here, and you’re worrying for nothing.”

“Don’t tell me how I feel. Just stay away from us.”

Then, she sauntered inside, as if she owned the place, and Landon gave me a sympathetic look before following her. I shook my head at her ridiculousness and then looked to see if the rest of the Wrights were following. I wasn’t disappointed.

Little Sutton Wright and her new husband, Maverick, had finally come back from their honeymoon in Cabo. She was a deep olive tan, and his nose was a bit red, but they both looked happy. After them, I saw Morgan and Austin enter. She looked to be scolding him, pointing at his pocket. I narrowed my eyes to try to figure out what she was saying. Then, I noticed the top of a flask peeking out of his pocket.