I keep my eyes on the road as my hands grip the wheel tighter. “I told you. A student from the school paper.”
She makes a humming sound. “She’s very pretty.”
You don’t need to tell me twice, lil’ sis. “Whatever you say.”
“Come on, Grayson.” I glance at her briefly to see she’s now facing me. “I saw the way you guys were looking at each other. Are you sleeping with her?”
My head starts to shake right away. “No! Of course not.”
“Good. I’d hate for you to lose your job.” She’s silent for a moment. “Could you lose your job over that?”
“Lainey, I am not sleeping with her.” My eyes meet hers, which look exactly like our mother’s, and she rolls them. “And no, I wouldn’t get fired since I’m not her professor. The rules state that I’d have to inform my boss or a dean of any involvement with a student. But from what I’ve heard, nobody on the faculty or board will ever take you seriously again. There are only two professors we know of who dated students in the last seven years. Both of them quit within a year and a half after that.”
She scoffs. “G, you liar! You may not be sleeping with her, but you’re thinking about it. What aren’t you telling me?”
We reach a stoplight, and I close my eyes. If she sees what I’mfeeling right now, she’ll know. And shit, Ineedsomeone to fucking know.
A small hand grabs my jaw and turns my head in her direction. My eyelids open as she examines my face.
Her hand falls at the same time as her jaw. “She’s masquerade girl. Jane Austen girl.”
My chin dips in confirmation, and the sound of honking cars grows louder behind us.
Putting my focus back on the road, I wait for her to take it in. My sister doesn’t know everything that happened that night, like the sexual things, for example, but she knows the gist of it. I kept most details between Emma and me to myself. How happy and carefree she looked when we danced together. The strange way she sometimes talked to herself, while also making silly jokes. And the book she carried around, and the sadness I saw behind those big blue eyes when she spoke about it. A mix of happiness, loneliness, and despair. I’d do anything to wipe that look away, and we only knew each other for a couple of hours.
And here I go again.
“What are you going to do?” Lainey whispers as we pull into the parking spot in front of the small dark blue house I’m renting, about a ten-minute drive from campus.
Twisting the key to turn off the engine, my head thunks against the headrest. “She told me that the article she had already written was being pulled, but she and her editor want to do an in-depth piece on me. An article that could take months of her following me and visiting my two workplaces. I was going to say no, then she told me, and I quote, ‘London never happened.’”
Lainey’s small gasp of surprise echoes loudly inside the warm car. “Ouch.”
“Yeah. So, now if I don’t do it, after she has already set professional boundaries…” My head tilts to the side where my little sister sits. “It seems like she really needs this, Lain.”
She smiles, her eyes slightly teary. My sister is a romantic,just like our mom was. She’ll cry over any romantic gesture, but this is not one.
I’m feeling nothing but stressed and conflicted.
“Sleep on it. You’ll know what to do tomorrow,” she repeats what our mother used to say to us whenever we were undecided about something.
Lainey might have been rebellious as a child and still has a small streak of craziness running through her veins, but she also knows when to set Wesley and me straight, just like Mom used to.
My little sister shoves my arm lightly. “Come on, big brother. Let’s go get drunk on margaritas in your nice house. I’m headed to Manhattan after lunch tomorrow, and then you’ll be rid of me until Thanksgiving.”
We step out, and I put an arm around Lainey’s shoulders. “I’m going to miss you, crazy.”
“I know.”
Chapter Twelve
EMMA
Kamila: We’re headed to Cam’s house now! I won’t be on my phone much, but call if anyone needs anything. See you guys on Tuesday <3
Levi: Have fun and don’t worry about us. Happy birthday, Kami.
Jake: Make sure to get fucked up!!!