“I might not like it, but I wouldn’t toss out a man I loved over it.”
Karen’s words made me stop mid-drink.
“If I had a man I loved and he loved me, let ‘em talk. I’m not going to let this town decide what’s okay for me. I mean what’s next? Are they going to tell me how to wear my hair? Do my nails? What books to read? If I won’t let them dictate that, I sure as hell am not going to let them mess up a good relationship.”
I swallowed hard as her words hit me hard in the gut. Was I really letting society dictate my relationship?
“What about how I’ll look old before he does. Or he might find someone else later,” I said, feeling defensive.
“He might hurt you. But Rick did and he was your age. Age has nothing to do with it,” Karen, who was pretty drunk by now, was saying such sobering things. “So maybe all that does happen. That would suck. But as far as I can tell, you’re feeling pretty sucky now anyway. If you can have some fun in the meantime…why not do it?”
Becky reached over and put her arm around me. “The other side of that is, what if he sticks? We can’t predict the future. A meteor can slam through your room and kill us right now.”
“Oh jeez.” Karen ducked, spilling her drink.
“You have the same odds that something could go wrong as there are that it could go right.”
“What does he say? Because I’ve really wanted to console him but haven’t out of respect for you and thinking he still likes you,” Karen said.
I glared at her and wanted to tell her to stay away from Tucker.
“What did he say?” Becky asked.
I bit my lip. “He said he loved me.”
“Oh God. I’d swoon if he said that to me. Then I’d marry his ass and make sure he never wanted to look elsewhere.” Karen tipped her glass to drink, but since it was empty she didn’t get anything. “I need another.”
“Do you love him?” Becky asked.
I nodded. “Yes. More than Rick even. Way more.”
“So, let’s call him and tell him that you love him.” Karen reached for her phone.
“And ruin this party?” Becky reached out to stop Karen. “No. Besides we haven’t gotten all the nitty gritty details yet. Like…length and girth.”
Karen’s eyes lit up. “Oh yea. Do spill the tea. Give us visuals.”
I was able to eventually move the conversation away from the size of Tucker’s dick to other gossip. We fell asleep on my floor, and early the next morning, somehow, we were able to have coffee, with water and pain reliever, and then I sent them on their way. I did feel good having them there. It didn’t change my circumstances, but it felt good to know they had my back.
Once they left, I went back to bed for another hour and then woke, showered, and decided to work on lesson plans. Thanksgiving break was coming soon, and then there was just a few weeks after that before the winter break.
I’d just plotted a Thanksgiving lesson that integrated geography, history, and science, when there was a knock on my door.
When I opened it, I was surprised to see Simon Stark standing there. I felt like death warmed over after last night and the last thing I needed was to try and spar with this man.
“Please don’t slam the door in my face, Ms. St. James. I come in peace.”
I wasn’t sure that was something he knew how to do. “What do you want?”
“I was hoping to talk to you about the library. I know it’s a project close to your heart and I want to help.”
I was torn. I really wanted to bring an updated library to the children of Salvation, but I couldn’t trust Simon Stark.
“I just want to talk.”
I opened the door to let him in. “I thought when you exposed me, you’d gotten what you wanted. An end to the library project.”
I didn’t want to offer him a seat, but I had allowed him. I motioned to a chair, but didn’t offer him something t