“Yes, Miss Bradshaw.”
“Can you have a seat, please?” I point to the desk in front of me. “I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”
He glances at his watch before taking the seat across from me. “Yeah, but I can’t stay long. I have practice.”
“No problem. I just…I wanted to see how you’re doing? How are you handling everything about Jamal?”
Pain flashes in his eyes but he shrugs and attempts to act indifferent. “It sucks, but what’re you gonna do?”
“I noticed there was some distance between you two over the last few months.”
His eyes dart to the floor, focused on the sole of his shoe. “People go their separate ways sometimes.”
I have a feeling it’s more than that. They had been friends since they were small boys, but I nod and accept his excuse, not wanting to push. “Do you know who he was hanging out with?”
“No, and to be honest I didn’t care. He stopped returning my calls and hanging out with me. He even stopped showing up for track. So I didn’t bother anymore, but I guess I should’ve.”
His hands ball into fists and my heart clenches in my chest. I know he’s hurting far more than he wants to let on.
I reach over to grab his hand, trying to offer comfort, but he jumps up from his seat before I can make contact with him. “Listen, I have to go or I’m gonna be late. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Before I can return his goodbye he’s gone.
“Bye,” I say quietly to the empty room.
With a heavy sigh I start packing up, ready to get out of here for the day, when the sound of a throat being cleared interrupts me.
“Knock, knock.”
My gaze swings to the door and a genuine smile finally graces my face when I see my best friend, Tania. “Hey.”
She strolls in, looking like her perfect, manicured self, and wraps me in a hug. “How was your first day back?”
I groan. “Don’t ask.”
“That bad?”
I take a step back and resume the task of packing up my things. “Yeah, worse than I thought. They all hate me.”
Tania puts her hand on my shoulder. “They don’t hate you. They love you. Well most of them, the ones that matter. There’s just a lot of animosity right now, especially after the allegations surrounding Daryl Baker and now… Jamal.”
I shake my head, frustrated by it all. “It’s not even remotely the same thing, Tania, and you know it. Pap wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t felt threatened. It’s breaking my heart that people are accusing him of being racist.”
“Honey, if Pap were racist we wouldn’t have been friends since kindergarten.”
“Exactly, but no one else sees that.”
“Because people are angry and they want to blame someone so they’re blaming Pap, but anyone who knows y’all knows neither of you have a hateful bone in ya. What happened to Jamal is awful, and my heart goes out to his family, but he should not have been there in the first place. This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with right and wrong. I’m certain people will see that over time.”
“You’re right,” I agree quietly.
“Heard about you going to the cemetery.”
My eyes snap to hers in surprise. “How do you know?” I haven’t had a chance to talk to her about what happened yet.
“Grayson Taylor told Terrell.”
I perk up at the sound of Grayson’s name and my tummy dips with excitement. Terrell is Tania’s older brother, and well, mine too—in every way that matters. He also works for the sheriff’s department. Actually, when Sheriff Dixon told me he was going to assign an officer to go with me I had expected him to choose Terrell. However, I’m glad it was Grayson he chose. I loved getting to know more about the town’s golden boy that I’ve always watched from afar. He’s as kind and strong as I imagined him to be, at least from what I’ve seen. He can also be pretty intimidating when he wants to be.
A swarm of butterflies take root inside of me when I think about our date this Friday. I still can’t believe he asked me, especially when I was such a stammering idiot, but he didn’t seem to notice. At least it didn’t seem like it by the way he was looking at me, like he wanted to kiss me…devour me. A flash of heat invades my body when I think about the growl that fled from his mouth.
“It seems you are holding out on me, Olivia Bradshaw,” Tania says with a knowing smile. “Spill it, sister.”
Crap! Pull it together, Liv.
I roll my eyes at her inquisition. “There’s nothing to tell. Sheriff Dixon wanted me escorted to the cemetery and he assigned Grayson the job.”
She quirks a disbelieving brow at me, knowing I’m full of it. “That’s what has you blushing like a schoolgirl?”
I shrug. “He also may have come by the market yesterday, and…asked me out,” I tell her, trying to act cool, but inside I’m bursting at the seams with excitement.
“No way! Are you kidding me, Liv?” I nod, a huge smile taking over my face. Her shriek of excitement has me throwing my cool façade out the window and sharing in her squeals. “Oh my God, I am so happy for you!” She pulls me in for a tight hug. “Finally, my girl’s goin’ on a date!”
I roll my eyes. “You say that like I’ve never been on one.”
“It’s been a while.”
“It hasn’t been that long,” I say defensively. She quirks another disbelieving brow at me. “All right, so it’s been a while. But I was collecting my pride after what a fool Clint made of me, and I’ve been keeping busy with my jewelry and other things. I’ve been content.”
“Well, now you can get busy with Deputy Taylor.”
“Oh Lord, will you stop.” I laugh and give her a playful shove.
Before we can say any more, my intercom beeps and the principal’s voice booms through my classroom. “Olivia, can you please come to my office before you head home?”
Tania’s face scrunches at the screechy sound of our boss’s voice and she drags her nails down the air, pretending it’s a chalkboard.
I bite back a chuckle and try to steady my voice. “Sure thing, Veronica, I’m on my way now.”
“The Queen Bee has summoned.” Tania mocks.
I quickly gather up all of my things. “She probably wants to talk about the note I received on my desk earlier this morning.” The thought has my good mood souring fast.
“What note?”
I shake my head. “Don’t ask.”
Tania’s earlier amusement vanishes and concern quickly takes its place. “You okay, Liv? It wasn’t a threat, was it?”
I wave away her worry. “No, no. Just name-calling. Nothing that hasn’t been spray-painted on our barn over the last week.”
Anger sparks in her dark eyes. “If you need me to give someone a beat down, you know I got yo back,” she says, getting back to her sassy self.
I chuckle. “Yes, I always know you have my back, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
She smiles and slings an arm around my neck. “Come on, I’ll walk you there on my way out.”
We walk arm in arm down the hallway, laughing about the horrible blind date she had the other night. “I’m tellin’ ya, girl, the man had no class. Not only did his beady eyes never stray from my chest but he made me pay for my portion of dinner.”
“Are you serious?”
“Hell yes, I am. I mean, who does that?”
I shake my head. “Not someone you go on a second date with, that’s for sure.”
“Girl, that man better never dial my phone number, or I’ll sic T on his cheap ass.” I giggle, knowing how protective Terrell is of his little sister. “I’ll bet Grayson Taylor pays for a girl’s meal, and also gives her a little something to remember him by.”
My step falters and my face flames at the thought. I elbow her lightly when she laughs at my reaction.
“All right, I’m done messin’ with ya. C’mere, girl.” She pulls me in for a hug as we reach the office. “Take care and call me later. Let’s hit up a movie or something this weekend.”
“I’d like that.”
“See ya, babe,” she says, laying a smacking kiss on my cheek.
“Bye, Tania.”
She gives me a feisty wave over her shoulder as she strolls out the front doors. I walk into the office and knock on Veronica Robinson’s closed door, aka ‘the Queen Bee’, as Tania likes to call her.