Her cheeks flush. “Oh.” She wipes her palms on the leggings covering her thighs.
“Quinn kept your business confidential even though she probably should have told me.” I wet my lips. “But here’s the thing, baby girl. I trust Quinn. So when she told me she knew what was going on, but you’d asked her not to say anything, I allowed it.”
Olivia sniffles. Then quietly, she murmurs, “But don’t you understand? I can’t show my face at school. Everyone will be talking about me.”
“It’ll blow over. We’re adults. This isn’t some huge scandal.” When her mouth immediately drops open to protest, I hold up a hand. “I know it seems big to you right now, but there’s nothing wrong with two adults dating. It’s normal.”
“But she’s my teacher …”
“I know. But I didn’t know that when this started. We had no idea until that day at the parent-teacher conference.”
She blinks. Once. Twice. “You mean if I hadn’t been so distracted by people talking about the note I may or may not have slipped into a boy’s locker and had kept my grades up, I never would have known about the two of you?”
“Well, I’m sure we’d have figured things out eventually, and I would have told you.”
“Dad? Be honest. Am I just getting better grades now because of what’s going on with you and Ms. Lockmore?” She gives a wet chuckle.
I close my eyes, shaking my head. Dammit. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, it’s logical right? You like each other. She’s tutoring me. She wants to keep things going well, so she boosts my grade.”
“What? You’re being ridiculous. Quinn wouldn’t do that.”
“But, Dad, this is what people are saying.”
“Again, she wouldn’t do that, and you know it.”
“Well, I also didn’t think she’d be banging my dad, but that’s happening.”
I blink a few times at the words that just came out of my child’s mouth. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
She presses her lips together, and I take a second to try to get a read on her and figure out how to respond to the last outburst when tears start sliding down her face in a torrent. “Dad, I just can’t handle this right now.” She covers her face and flops over onto her pillow.
I’m off the chair immediately, and scoop her into my arms. She sobs against my chest like her life is damaged beyond repair. “Baby girl.” I sigh. “I’m sorry you’re so upset.”
/> I hold her until she falls asleep, just like I did when she was a toddler. Looking at the dried tears on her cheeks, my heart cracks wide open.
I hate that she’s hurting like this.
Chapter 24
Quinn
When I get home, I head straight for my bedroom, shucking off my work clothes and pulling on a T-shirt and sleep shorts. In the bathroom, I stop for a second to look at myself in the mirror. My eyes look hollow, all carved out and void of feeling. I’m sick about what happened at Liam’s and can only hope he was able to work things out with Olivia.
Phone in hand, I crawl into my bed and pull open the group text. I need to know just how far this has gone—if my friends have caught wind of it.
Me: Have you all heard anything at school about me and Liam?
Sophia: Jumped right into that, didn’t you? Um, no.
Sophia: Should I ask Heath?
Me: Sure.
Madison: I’ve heard nothing, but I’m always out of the loop.
Piper: Nope. What’s going on?