“Henley.” She stands from her desk, removing her glasses from her face. “Is everything okay?”
I want to say no. I want to tell her that her son and his friends are blackmailing me and forcing me to do sexual things. But that would be a lie because there is no force. Not anymore. I’ve willingly become Scout’s and Law’s personal slut. Their doll to play with when they please. “Yeah,” I answer with a fake smile. “Just wanted to come and tell you that I’m sorry. For the other night.”
“Don’t be.” She gestures to one of the chairs across from her desk while she sits back down in hers. “I understand it’s a lot to take in.”
“Yeah.” I give a little laugh. Especially when others are dictating it all. Her son being one of them.
“Shouldn’t you be in school?” She looks at the clock on her desk.
“Playing hooky,” I say truthfully. I wanted to avoid the guys during lunch, so I called an Uber and left since Law had driven me to school. After his public display of dragging me through the halls, I wasn’t in the mood to sit in the cafeteria while everyone stared and gossiped about me.
She smiles, leaning back in her chair. “Well, we’ve all done that before.”
“I like your office,” I say, looking around it. She has pictures of her and my dad sitting on a small table over by the far window. It’s from his birthday that I missed over the summer. There are two balloons behind them. One is a number four, and the other a two. The one beside it is of Law, her, and my dad. He just finished playing a football game earlier this year. His dark hair is sweaty and hangs in his eyes. He still wears his uniform but holds his helmet in his left hand while they stand in the end zone. My father holds up what I’m guessing is the winning football. He looks so proud, and it makes me feel sick.
“Thank you.” She smiles proudly.
“He seems happy,” I say, looking back at the photo and an awkward silence falls over the glass fishbowl we sit in.
“Henley?” I look at her. “Why are you really here?”
I run a hand through my hair. “I just …”
“Miss Holdings, James is on line two.” Her assistant comes through the intercom of her office phone.
“Thank you,” she tells her and looks at me. “Don’t say anything.”
I nod.
“Hello, dear.” She greets him cheerfully.
“The school just called me. I guess Henley has left,” he snaps. “She’s also not answering her cell. I’m headed home now to check—”
“She’s here at my office,” she interrupts him.
I sink farther into the chair as if he can see me.
“Where?” he demands.
“At my office.”
“Why the hell is she up there, Lisa?” He grunts, obviously still pissed at how I behaved the other night when I didn’t give Lisa the welcoming he expected and argued not to ride with Law this morning
“I forgot to tell you that I invited her to have lunch with me today,” she says, and my brows rise at her lie.
“Lunch?” He sounds skeptical.
“Yes, James. The girl needs to eat. You just missed her. She went to use the ladies’ room before we leave. I asked her last night if she would have lunch with me today. You know… a girls’ day sort of thing. I’ll drop her back off at school afterward.”
He lets out a huff. “I guess that’s okay.”
“I’m sorry, I should have told you and had you call the school,” she adds.
“No worries,” he says, sounding more at ease. “I …” He pauses. “I’m just worried about her. After everything that happened with her and Monroe … the school said she just went missing. And her cell …” He lowers his voice. “I thought she had disappeared.”
My chest tightens at the sorrow in his voice at that thought. That maybe something similar happened to me that happened to Brenda. I wish Brenda had someone who cared that much about her as well.
“I assure you she’s fine and will be in class shortly.”
“Thank you. I love you,” he tells her softly, and she smiles. A big, head over heels in love smile. She’s smitten with my father, and I can tell he feels the same.
“Love you too, dear.” Then she hangs up and looks at me. “Well, so I’m not a complete liar, are you hungry?”
I give a soft laugh. “Starving.”
“Come on.” She stands, picking up her cell and purse. “Does Benvenuti’s sound good?”
I look over my jeans and T-shirt and frown. “I’m not really dressed for a place that fancy.”
“Nonsense.” She waves me off. “You look gorgeous.”
_______________
We’re in the middle of eating our salads when I can’t take it anymore. “Can I ask you a personal question?” Mainly out of curiosity and a little bit of testing my boundaries with her. See how much she is willing to tell me.