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“Shut up!” Georgie shouts from across my back porch.
I invited her over for dinner and wine because I desperately needed to debrief.
“Yep. Penny is Aspen.” I take a long sip from my glass, still trying to process everything that happened yesterday.
“How was I supposed to connect that?” Georgie asks. “You never told me the names of your students, and Dean always calls her Penny.”
“I know. I just didn’t realize the world could be this fucking small.”
Georgie starts laughing. “The man you’ve been ogling since you arrived is the father of one of your students.”
“Stop.” I swat her arm. “We haven’t even done anything.”
“You want to, though, right?” She raises her eyebrows over the rim of her glass.
“Even if I did, I can’t now. Imagine how awkward it would be if something happened between us and it didn’t work out.” I shake my head. “I couldn’t do that to Aspen.”
“Babe.”
“What?”
“You haven’t even kissed him, and you’re already planning the hypothetical breakup.”
I open my mouth.
Then close it again.
“That’s not the point.”
“It feels a little like the point.” Georgie finishes her wine and sets the glass down. “Right. I’m officially declaring Friday a girls’ night. We’re going to The Breakwater as customers for once.”
“Aren’t we both supposed to work?”
“I’ll text Bill and see if he can find coverage.”
“And if he can’t?”
“He will.” She waves a hand dismissively. “Bill loves me.”
This girl is something else.
Still, a girls’ night sounds exactly like what I need.
And I definitely don’t wonder whether Dean will be there.
Much.
* * *
By the time Friday night arrives, I’m more than ready to visit The Breakwater as a customer instead of an employee.
I need a drink.
Pronto.
When I get home from school, I text Georgie that I’ll be ready in an hour, then start getting dressed.
I settle on a black miniskirt, sheer tights and a soft cream sweater that slips slightly off one shoulder. Knee-high boots, small gold hoops and loose waves finish it off. After adding some mascara and lip gloss, I step back from the mirror.
