Page 43 of Fundamentals of Chemistry

My head snapped up, and I met his gaze. I must not have heard that right. That didn’t sound like bitterness. It sounded like longing. But that couldn’t be right. Maybe Phyllis’s whiskey was stronger than I realized.

I tried to recover, giving him the benefit of the doubt and changing the subject. “I wasn’t expecting you either. Usually, when you’re offered a job, you don’t have to fight for it anymore.”

He looked down and shook his head, chuckling softly, before looking back up and finding my face again. “No, you don’t,” he said. “But that’s not what I meant.”

I knew it wasn’t, but at that moment, I didn’t have the nerve to dig into a sore subject.

“Do you want to walk a loop around the party with me,” I asked, “and make sure the students are behaving? Or do you need to rescue your friend from the hens.”

Cooper and I glanced over at Alan standing between Ashley and Phyllis. His full attention was on Ashley who was gesturing with sharp jabs of her finger as she spoke.

“He’s fine,” Cooper said before beckoning to the beach with his cup. “After you.”

I walked slowly, taking careful steps in the uneven sand. Cooper followed at my shoulder as I made my way. The sun had set, and the only light on the beach was from the bonfire. Shadows danced and waved around us as we walked through the small groups of chatting students. A larger number clustered around the fire roasting marshmallows and hot dogs.

Miriam stood in a small circle with some of the other October Lovers, but I noticed her stealing glances at David who perched on a seat near the fire.

“Come here,” I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her with me. She didn’t have time to protest before we were standing in front of her crush.

“David,” I said, drawing his attention to us. “Can you please roast a marshmallow for Miriam?”

“Um, sure,” he replied and stood, wiping his hands on his jeans.

Miriam’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates. “Oh no, you don’t have to—”

“He said sure,” I repeated, cutting off her protests, and gave her a little shove in his direction. “Smile and let him,” I whispered so only she could hear. I squeezed her arm and released it.

I felt like a proud mama bear as I watched them amble toward the food tables. David picked up a roasting stick and held it while Miriam pressed two fluffy marshmallows onto the sharp end. They were both grinning.

“I’ll be damned,” Cooper said. “That was too easy.”

I glanced over to him next to me and found him grinning too. I nudged him with my elbow and winked. “Sometimes it is easy,” I said. Then, I set back off to finish checking on the party.

The students, for their part, were surprisingly well-behaved. There didn’t seem to be any drinking or shenanigans happening tonight—unless you counted the teachers. A peace settled over the beach, anchored by the calming presence of the fire.

“Do you… want to make s’mores?” Cooper asked when we completed our circuit.

A warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the fire.

“I’d like that,” I said.

We helped ourselves to a couple of sticks and marshmallows from the food table, then found an empty place next to the bonfire. Cooper carefully held his marshmallow over the blaze, letting it turn a golden brown. Mine, on the other hand, immediately became engulfed in flames.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I cursed while I tried to blow it out.

“Here. You can have mine.” Cooper extended his perfectly roasted marshmallow to me with a small smile.

“Oh, I couldn’t—”

“I insist,” he said. “I’ll just make another one.”

He pulled my stick from my hands and replaced it with his own. I returned a shy smile and let him.

We sat next to each other on the sand in companionable silence eating our s’mores and watching the party swirl around us. My gaze kept drifting to him. I all but groaned when he slipped his fingers between his lips, sucking off the sticky marshmallow.

Alan came by and discreetly tipped some whiskey into our cups before sauntering away. By now, I was feeling more relaxed, and I took a sip, grateful for the liquid courage.

“You did a great job here,” Cooper said.