I wasn’t going to turn down anything she offered me, be it cast-off tomato chunks or sex right here on this bench in front of everyone. This girl had me that fascinated.
So I took the tomatoes and plunked one into my mouth, because I really was hungry.
“Thanks,” I said, appreciating the gift. “Mmm. These are perfect. Nice and juicy. Do you have any salt?”
She looked dazed as she watched me eat. It took her a moment to blink herself back to reality, glance around, and say, “Uh… You’re in luck. I do.”
She tossed a miniature packet of salt at me, and I caught it with a smile. “Thanks. Again.”
Catching her watching me as I sprinkled my tomatoes, I said, “What? Don’t you put salt on your tomatoes?”
I swear, this was the strangest conversation I’d ever had with anyone. I was talking about tomatoes, for crying out loud. But it was also the most fun I’d had chatting with anyone in quite a while, so I didn’t even care what we were discussing. Just as long as she kept talking to me, I was ready to discuss freaking salted tomatoes.
Reese sent me a get-real glance. “Seeing as I don’t even eat tomatoes, no. I was just…sorry.” She blushed suddenly and glanced away. “I seem to have a slight staring problem today.”
My guts twisted with need when I realized she hadn’t been staring at me because she thought my salted tomatoes were strange; she’d just liked looking at me. I ordered myself to calm the fuck down, and I pretended to act as if I’d known this all along.
“I noticed,” I said before popping a tomato chunk into my mouth.
She wrinkled her nose as if annoyed by my answer, which strangely only made me happier.
“Not only do you eat rabbit food,” I said, pointing at her, “but I swear you must be one.”
“Huh?” She tipped her head to the side and frowned.
“That’s the second time you’ve wrinkled your nose at me,” I explained. “Total bunny move.”
She looked momentarily caught off guard, as if looking like a rabbit was something to be guilty about, but then something caught her eye over my shoulder and her expression brightened.
“Oh! Hey, Dr. Janison,” she called, waving. “Good morning. Those are some kick-ass shoes.”
I glanced over, my gaze down, since Reese had mentioned shoes. And wow, they were definitely some shoes.
Four-inch heels, easily a fancy name brand, I’m sure, and way too ostentatious for a mere community college setting.
I was mentally rolling my eyes at them when the woman Reese had just called Dr. Janison spoke. “Good morning,” she said in a voice that was way too familiar. “And thank you.”
I looked up, already knowing what I would see, and dreading it just as much.
Dr. Janison looked only vaguely the same as she had last night when she’d been naked on her bed, glaring at me for saying the name Reese while I’d been inside her. Now, she was decked out in a form-fitting dress, makeup on thick, and hair styled to the nines.
Reese might know her as Dr. Janison, and Patricia had called her Monica. But to me, she was 318 Willowbrook Terrace.
Fuck, I’d been hoping to God I would never see her again.
Then I realized I was not only seeing her again, but I was seeing her with Reese next to me.
Oh, shit. Reese.
“I’m Ree—” Reese was beginning to say, introducing herself and causing my heart to plummet as everything hit the fan.
But then Monica finally glanced my way, and the shock in her expression caused Reese to fall mute. The teacher physically jerked backward away from me before gasping a hoarse, “Mr. Lowe.”
Reese whipped her attention to me, but I’d already glanced away from Monica. “Dr. Janison,” I returned, since that’s what Reese had called her.
I wasn’t sure what to do. If she found out this was Reese, the very Reese I’d shouted about last night, she’d no doubt run and tell Patricia before I could stop her.
I had to protect Reese and keep her identity a secret.