The other woman grimaced and slid her glasses up her nose. “I’ve been at this for fifteen years now, so yeah, occasionally. Though none recently.”
“This was my first.” Hannah shook her head. But then she’d only been teaching for five years. “Hopefully, my last.”
“Don’t count on it. My next parent should be here any minute, but do you want to grab lunch after the conferences?”
“Absolutely.”
She needed to erase the memory of that weirdo with some tacos or something.
Sam was the other second-grade teacher. She’d become a good friend and was always down for tacos and margaritas. And hallelujah for that.
“See you in a bit.” Hannah turned to leave.
“Hey.”
Hannah turned back and arched a brow.
“Don’t let the parents get in your head. Just focus on the kids.”
“Will do.”
But she knew it’d be a while before the image of Harrison’s father left her mind.
*
“Hey, man, canyou bring the garbage and recycling bins to the curb tonight?”
Eric, who’d just arrived home and was passing the living room, paused to glance over at James. His friend sat at the kitchen table, with papers and books sprawled out.
“Sure, no problem. I’ll take them out in a few.”
It wasn’t just their friendship that had Eric saying yes. It was the guilt over seeing Hannah.
Maybe he should’ve mentioned to James that he’d seen Hannah at the bar the other night, and it gnawed at him.
Why hadn’t he said something, damn it? Why did he feel like he had to hide it?
Maybe because Eric had felt that familiar zing of attraction to Hannah again. The one that he hated to acknowledge, because damn, it was just so wrong.
But it’d always been there, from the very first day James had brought her to a frat party and introduced her when they were eighteen.
“Thanks, I’m up to my eyeballs studying.” James gave a tight smile.
Eric’s stomach clenched. There it was, the reminder that his friend had been so upset and distracted over losing Hannah last spring that he’d failed the bar exam in July.
That second chance to take the exam wouldn’t come around for several months, but clearly his friend was keeping focused when not working.
Eric cleared his throat, trying to find the bright side. “Hey even if you failed the bar the first time, you’re still a lawyer, right? Working at your cousin’s firm and all.”
“Not exactly, since I didn’t pass the bar.”
“So you’re an intern?”
James winced. “I’m an intern on probation, I guess?”
Eric nodded. “But the point is you’re still getting paid.”
“Yes, I’m still getting paid.”