“Zach, it’s so good to see you.” She smiled those glaringly white teeth, reaching out to touch his arm. His slight move, to be out of her reach, wasn’t lost on her, smile turning hard.
He quickly introduced Laney to Martha and Katherine and while his mother and Martha began chatting, Katherine turned to address Laney. She held out a hand to her in a way as if she expected Laney to kiss the top of it, like she were royalty. “Hello, Elaine. Nice to meet you.”
Laney’s eyes narrowed before she pasted on a bright smile, grasping Katherine’s hand in a traditional handshake. He noticed Katherine give the slightest wince, making him think that Laney must have added in an extra tight squeeze.
Good girl. Don’t let these assholes get to you
.
Laney’s voice was sugary sweet. “Such a pleasure to meet you, Kathy.”
He did his best to hold back a laugh as Katherine centered a wintery smile on Laney, eyes cold.
Oh, yes, the claws were officially out.
“And what is it that you do, Eleanor?”
“Like Zach, I’m also a teacher.”
“Oh, how adorable! You know what they say about teachers. Those who can’t learn, teach.” Katherine’s fake laughter washed over them, garnering the attention of Martha and his own mother. “No offense, of course.”
His mother chimed in, “Well, Katherine, you must admit, that explains a lot.” She paused, gesturing to Laney’s dress disapprovingly. “Our people would never even consider wearing something like that to an occasion such as this.”
Just as he opened his mouth to put his mother in her place, Laney spoke, eyes narrowed with a smile he could only classify as dangerous, menacing even.
“I completely understand,” she said, her tone full of condescension. “We wouldn’t want anyone to think that one who actually works hard for their money, food, and clothing would have any place amongst the pompous, entitled individuals who do nothing productive with themselves aside from cocktail hour and treating others disrespectfully.”
Zach let out a low laugh. Oh, his girl was something else, that’s for sure. God, he loved her.
He froze, felt his eyes grow wide. Sure, he knew he had strong feelings for her, knew she’d wiggled her way into his heart. But he’d never actually admitted it to himself. And, hell, it made it so much more real. He loved her.
He loved Laney Kavanaugh.
His mother’s mouth was agape for a moment before she recovered, eyes on Laney. “You, young lady, are ru—”
“Stop.” His firm command cut her off. He leaned in to speak quietly in her ear. “Dad would be embarrassed of your behavior tonight. Nearly as much as I am right now.” He was finished with her. She’d never been a mother to him; in title only. She was toxic, unkind, and he was no longer welcoming her into his life.
“Good-bye, Mother.” He watched her eyes widen, the dawning of understanding that those two words meant much more than a farewell greeting. They meant he was finished. With her.
Feeling as if a weight had lifted off his shoulders, he took Laney’s hand in his. “Let’s blow this pop stand, gorgeous.”
Without offering good-byes to Martha or Katherine, he and Laney walked out of the ostentatious home and made their way to his car. The entire walk, he couldn’t help but feel as though this was the end of a long, painful segment in his life. Looking over at the beautiful woman beside him, he hoped that she was going to be part of a new chapter; a better part of his life.
Because a life with Laney Kavanaugh was definitely one worth living.
C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY
-E
IGHT
S
HE FELT LIKE SHE WAS
in shock, as if she’d just experienced something traumatic back at Zach’s mother’s house. It was like the harshest wakeup call, evidence slapping her in the face. She and Zach came from two different worlds. He was a rich boy who had “people” and there she was, with a little beach house she rented, budgeting like a fiend each month because, well, she was a freaking teacher, for God’s sake.
She couldn’t afford Prada or Gucci or whatever designer his mother and others had been wearing at the party. And she sure as hell knew those diamonds dripping from his mother’s ears and fingers—seriously, how many diamond rings did a woman really need to wear?—were the real deal. The only way Laney was ever going to get anything with real diamonds were if someone gave her an engagement ring. And that sure as shit wasn’t going to happen because, well, she wasn’t going down that road. Ever.
Staring out the window as Zach drove back to Fernandina Beach, she was grateful for the silence. She had to break this off—whatever this actually was—because they just didn’t … fit. The fact of the matter was, he deserved someone like Katherine, the tall, willowy brunette who looked picture perfect. Hell, you put the current version of Zach sitting beside her and pair him with Katherine, the two could be models for a spread in
Town and Country
magazine. She certainly wasn’t the type to buy her clothing at a consignment shop. Or Target. God forbid. She probably knew which flatware was supposed to be used and certainly didn’t have to Google it beforehand.
She also couldn’t deny the parallels this had to what had happened back in high school with Rob McManus. An athletic, extremely good looking guy whose family had more money than God. He had chosen the cheerleader whose family had a similarly obscene amount of wealth. Laney hadn’t been enough for Rob back then. It was only a matter of time before Zach realized his mother was right. That he belonged with Katherine. That he belonged with his ‘people’.
Zach pulled the Chevelle into her driveway, parking, and turned off the ignition. They both unbuckled and got out quietly, walking up to her door in continued silence. When she unlocked and opened it, he followed her inside. She slid off her heels and watched as he toed off his loafers. Laney walked through the small house and went out onto the deck to slide into one of the chairs. Zach took the one beside her, both of them gazing out at the ocean.
He was the first to break the silence. “So. That’s the woman who birthed me. Pretty freaking awesome, right?” His attempt at humor fell flat and she turned to see a faraway look in his eyes as he watched the ocean.
“We can’t do this, Zach.” Her tone was hushed.
His head whipped around to stare at her. “What are you talking about?” There was noticeable caution in his tone.
She waved her hand between them. “This. You and me. It’s never going to work.”
He stood up from his chair quickly, tossing his hands in the air. “What the hell does that even mean, Laney?”
Inhaling deeply, she spoke, proud of the way her voice sounded detached. “It means that you and I come from different worlds. That became exceedingly apparent today. I’m just doing us a favor and recognizing it early. This way you can go and find someone else.” She hoped he wouldn’t notice how her voice cracked. “Someone like Katherine.” She forced her gaze to meet his and felt like someone had sucker punched her, the sight of unmistakable pain in his eyes.
“So that’s it? That’s all it takes, huh?” Zach choked out a mirthless laugh, his tone bitter. “One time for you to see how my mother lives and the world I grew up in? The world I want nothing to do with? You get bombarded by my mother and her archaic beliefs that I should be with someone she chooses and that’s it?” Eyes alit with intense anger, he yelled, “I don’t want Katherine, Laney! I want you!”
She stood from her chair, doing her best to maintain a calm quality to her voice. “Look, I’m sorry, but it’s just not going to work. I mean, you and I both know I don’t do relationships. I have fun and that’s it. We’ve had our fun and it’s over.” She shrugged casually. “It’s over,” she repeated quietly.
* * *
He couldn’t believe this was happening. He searched Laney’s features and found nothing, her expression flat, bored even. God, he was a fucking idiot for ever thinking he could manage to get Laney to feel anything for him, let alone love him. He forced out a laugh that sounded strangled, hands sliding into his pockets.
“Right. So that’s it, then?” His jaw was set, eyes flat, emotionless.
“It’s better this way.” She gave a nod as if to affirm it.
He shook his head at her with a weary smile. “You know, I was actually about to tell you I loved you.” A humorless laugh trickled out at the sound of her gasp. “What a fucking mistake that would have been, right?” It was impossible to overlook his caustic tone.
He stepped closer, his gaze canvassing the length of her, as if to memorize the view before him. “I never knew it could hurt so much to lose someone I never had.” His voice was low, heavy with regret. He bent to press a kiss to her forehead. “Good-bye, Laney.”
He had just gotten to the door when he heard her say, “We can go back to being friends.”
Whirling around on her, clearly startling her as he watched her take a step back, his voice was hard. “Really? Because back before we started anything, we were such good friends, right?” His mouth twisted with his sarcastic words. “No, Laney. I can’t go back.”
He stepped toward her, causing her to retreat, her back against the deck railing. “You’re afraid, Laney. Of what, I’m not sure. Maybe you’re afraid of love. But if you’re afraid of love because you’re scared the other person won’t love you in return, you just made a serious error.
“Life is all about risks and sometimes it requires you to jump. I don’t ever want to be the person who looks back and wonders what could have been.” He exhaled slowly before quietly adding, “I jumped, Laney. And now I have my answer.”
Zach walked back to the door to the house, opening it and stepping over the threshold. He couldn’t contain his wince at the sound of the door closing behind him. The sound of finality. The sound of his heart officially breaking. And, with it, the undeniable indication that he needed to move on. Because he was finished fighting for something that was clearly unattainable.
He was finished fighting to win the heart of Laney Kavanaugh.
C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY
-N
INE
J
UST OVER TWO WEEKS AFTER
that fateful Sunday with Laney, Zach knew what he had to do. That Monday at school entailed making a phone call and cashing in on a favor owed to him. Zach had a tightness in his chest at the weight of the decision he was going to make, but knew that it had to be done. Maybe it was juvenile to some, but it was the only way he was going to be able to even remotely move on.
Move on. That was laughable. There was no fucking way that was happening anytime soon. More like sometime in the next century. Maybe.
It was his lunch break and he had lowered the blind to cover the small window of his classroom door, even going so far as to lock the door itself. He didn’t need anyone to come barging in on his call and spilling the details.
Shortly after he had dialed, he heard the familiar, boisterous voice on the other end. “Zachariah Mayson! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call, my boy? You still enjoying teaching?”
“Hello, Mr. Ainsworth. Yes, sir, I’m definitely enjoying teaching.” He paused, unsure of how to continue. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something … to ask for a possible favor, actually.” He winced at his own awkwardness.
There was silence on the other end. “You must not be enjoying it that much if you’re calling me for a favor,” came the leading statement. Mr. Ainsworth had been a friend of his father’s and had always been a straight shooter. The man had made it no secret that he hadn’t cared for Zach’s mother but had always made time to visit with Zach over the years.
Drawing in a fortifying breath, he forced out the words. “I realize that it’s past the deadline to put in a transfer request, but I wanted to see if it were possible to push one through. To push mine through.”
This time, the silence on the other end lasted far more than a beat before Mr. Ainsworth cautiously asked, “Is there a problem with Pratt?”
Zach needed to immediately shut that idea down. There was definitely not a problem with his principal. “No, sir. Mr. Pratt has been amazing to work for. It has absolutely nothing to do with him. This is purely for personal reasons.”
More silence. Then, “I’ve gotta say this, boy. When you call in to collect on a favor, you make it worthwhile, quite a challenge. Luckily, I’ve got some connections down at a few of the schools near Ponte Vedra Beach and Neptune Beach. Submit your paperwork and write attention Ainsworth on it. I’ll take care of it.”
Letting out a relieved sigh, Zach thanked the man profusely. The older man merely responded with, “No need to thank me. I always told your father I’d look out for you.” He lowered his voice. “He was a good man and I believe you’re very much like him, Zachariah.”
“Thank you, sir. For everything. I appreciate it.”
“Now, remember. If it turns out that you decide this isn’t what you want, I have to know by August first, at the latest.”
“I won’t change my mind, sir.” Zach’s tone was firm.
“All right, then. I’ll be waiting for your paperwork to come across my desk. It was good talking to you. Don’t be a stranger, now, you hear? It’s been too long since we’ve last seen you. My Abigail would love to have you for dinner one night.”
A small smile came across Zach’s face. “Yes, sir. I’d love that.”
“We’ll be in touch.” They ended the call and Zach laid down the phone with a long sigh.
He’d done it. Everything else was just procedure. Mr. Ainsworth was one of the former superintendents and still held a position on the Board of Education. He was one of the few Board members who had teachers’ and students’ interests at heart. Still had his finger on the pulse.
Now, all Zach had to do was fill out the necessary paperwork and submit it through the downtown office. He was going to transfer schools. That was step one in moving on. Next was letting his landlord know he wouldn’t be renewing his lease. Then, once he got word of which school he would be transferred to, he had to find another place to live.
He was getting ready to leave this part of his life behind. Yes, it was going to suck not having all his friends nearby, but he’d make new ones. After some time passed, he’d be able to come up on Saturdays to join them for karaoke. Right now, though, he had to think of himself. He couldn’t take being across the hall from the one woman who had his heart and didn’t want anything to do with it, didn’t want anything to do with him.