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Rubbing the back of my neck, I say, “In that case, I’ll be there.”
“Sweet. It’s going to be epic,” he says with a grin. Looking at Allie, he says, “Oh, your tour arrived already. They’re in the lobby so you guys better get down there.”
She nods and strides past me. “Okay, thanks, Chad.”
“I’m going to get back to playing with Frank,” he tells her. “So far, he’s smarter than I thought he’d be.”
“Awesome.”
As soon as she walks out of the room, he squints. “Is it me, or is she in a bad mood?”
“I should go.”
“She’s probably got her period or something.”
I shake my head at him. “You’re better than this Chad. Seriously. Do better.”
Hurrying down the hall, I realize I should be taking my own advice.
32
I Should Have Listened to My Father…
Allie
I’m a professional. I can do this. I can get through a two-hour tour with the man who tricked me into falling in love with him. I’ll do it for the kids. I’ll keep it fun, light, and educational, even though my heart shattered the moment he admitted he was just hitting on me to avoid having to admit he struggles with reading. Today, I’ll be the one giving the Oscar-winning performance because I’m going to smile and laugh and pretend everything’s fine when what I really want to do is go outside and key the word LIAR into the hood of his fancy schmancy SUV.
I feel a lump in my throat as I hurry down the hall to the lobby. No. Do not cry. Do not. You can do that when you get home. Or when you get into the car to go home, but not until you’ve left the parking lot. Just get through this with your dignity intact.
As soon as I get to the lobby, it’s clear that the students are already restless—shuffling around and elbowing each other. Two of them are playing keep away with one poor kid’s beanie. Normally, I’d be concerned because I’d have to find a way to rein them in, but today, it’s not my problem. In fact, I’ll have the pleasure of watching Mr. Smooth-Talking-Lies-Out-of-His-Ass try to wrangle them and fail miserably because no one can effectively deal with nine-year-olds.
I hurry over to their teacher, Mrs. Brutain, a no-nonsense woman in her forties who I’ve met numerous times before. “Welcome back.”
She lowers her voice. “Is it true that Hudson Finch is here?”
I suddenly realize she’s not dressed in her usual teacher style of khaki pants, a button-down shirt, and a long cardigan. Today she’s in a sleek black skirt and a slightly-sheer button-up shirt that has one too many buttons open. Et tu, Mrs. Brutain? Et tu? Is no one immune to his charms? I give her a tight smile. “Yes, in fact he’s going to be giving the tour today.”
Her face turns bright red and she reaches up and touches her hair. “Really? He is?”
“Yup,” I say. Turning to the class, I say, “Hi, kids! I’m Allie. I’m so glad you’re here. Who’s excited to learn about the world of SETI?”
A few of the children smile at me, and one little girl nods enthusiastically. She’s my people. She totally reminds me of me when I was that age. Well, other than her straight teeth, the well-behaved blonde hair, and the obvious sense of style and self-confidence.
Hudson comes to stand beside me. “Hi, everyone, I’m Hudson. I’ll be helping Dr. Cammareri here give you a tour.”
The kids gasp, their eyes growing wide as they all start to whisper. One of them shouts, “Hey! You’re the beach cop!”
Hudson gives them his stupid leading-man smile. “I sure am. Who’s seen Beach Cops?”
All their hands shoot straight up in the air. “I’ve seen it eight times,” one boy says.
“Wow, that’s a lot of times,” Hudson answers. “I think you’ve spent more time on that movie than I have.”
“It shows,” I mutter.
Hudson turns to me. “Excuse me?”
Setting my jaw, I say, “We should show them around.” I turn to the class. “Hudson is going to be your tour guide today and I’m tagging along to see if he’s learned anything in the six weeks he’s been here. He’s been studying how to be a radio astronomer, which is what I do for work. Does anyone know what an astronomer is?”
