It was easier, she decided, to pretend she hadn’t just mauled a man in front of them.
“Why don’t you head around to the back, and I’ll join you in a moment? Shane was just leaving.”
“Superb idea.” Darren took Katherine by the shoulder, prompting her to move. The three of them headed around the corner of the building.
Faith rested her head on Shane’s chest and groaned. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s no problem at all.” He wasn’t touching her, but his breath was coming quickly, and regardless of his motivation for kissing her, it was clear it had affected him too. “That’s what I’m here for, right?”
With that, he doused her ardor more effectively than if he’d pushed her off the pier. She was just another of his obligations, and he’d never truly want her. Why would a man who’d been with actress Diana Monroe ever want Faith from the ice cream parlor?
“Yeah, I guess so,” she said, hoping he couldn’t see her disappointment. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
Then she walked away from him and forced herself not to look back.
A coupleof hours after kissing Faith, the ground still felt unsteady beneath Shane’s feet. Their encounter had rocked him, and it had nothing to do with his long dry spell and everything to do with how compelling and addictive she tasted. He’d told himself it was okay to kiss her because he was playing a role, but in hindsight, he could admit to himself that the kiss had been more about staking his claim in front of the competition than keeping up the charade. Mr. Boy-Band Hair needed to know that Faith wasn’t available for any shenanigans.
A shrill bell pierced the air and signaled the end of the school day. Shane’s students started stuffing their things in backpacks and glancing at the clock, waiting for him to release them.
“Don’t forget your homework,” he said, standing to erase the notes from the whiteboard. “Now, be off with you.”
They didn’t need any more prompting. Thirty seconds later, his classroom was empty. He shrugged into his high-vis vest for traffic warden duty and was about to head to the gate when his phone rang. Fishing it out of his pocket, he saw his ex’s name flash across the screen. Damn. He could have ignored nearly anyone else, but he and Diana rarely spoke, so if she was contacting him, it must be important. Knowing her, she’d waited until this exact time to call because she’d been stewing and wanted to talk the instant he was free.
He answered. “Hello, Diana.”
“Shane.” She sniffed, the sound disdainful enough to get on his nerves. Diana had a way of doing that, when it normally took a lot to bother him. Perhaps he was predisposed against her because of the fact she’d abandoned their marriage and sons to pursue fame and fortune in Los Angeles when she’d had no guarantee of success, and then had hidden from them so well it had taken him a year to track her down.
Yeah, that might have something to do with it.
“I’m at work. What do you want?”
“Haven’t you finished?”
He sighed and willed himself to stay calm. “Just because class gets out at three doesn’t mean I’m done for the day.”
“Well, it ought to.” She spoke with a slight American accent—something she’d picked up since leaving the bay. “I called to remind you that you shouldn’t expose our sons to other women. Especially ones who aren’t serious relationship material. If you want to fool around with some girl, kindly do it away from Dylan and Hunter.”
Shane’s jaw dropped. The nerve of her. As if she had any right to dictate what he could and couldn’t do in his private life. She was in the magazines with a new man every other month. And besides, what was she talking about? He could only assume she was referring to Faith, and the boys hadn’t been around when he’d kissed her earlier. They hadn’t seen anything inappropriate.
“I have no idea what you mean,” he said bluntly.
Diana tutted. “Dylan told me about your new girlfriend. Faith, is it? I remember her. Chubby redhead. She must be, what? Five years younger than you?”
He’d have to talk to Dylan about the situation with Faith. Clearly, his son had read everything wrong. Or perhaps he was a little closer to seeing the truth than Shane would like him to be. Regardless, he wasn’t coming clean to Diana. For starters, it wasn’t any of her business if he was dating. After the way she’d left, he had the right to see anyone he wanted. It had been three years since the divorce, for crying out loud. She’d shacked up with a famous director while they’d still technically been married.
“Diana, you don’t have any say in who I date.”
She scoffed. “I do if it affects our sons.”
“The boys haven’t stopped you from dating other men. Do you know how often Dylan sees photos of you with some strange guy and asks who he is?”
A beat of silence passed, and he thought he’d gotten through to her, but then she said, “They haven’t had to face any of the men I’ve been with. Your girlfriend will become part of their daily lives. It’s entirely different.”
He resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room. “They haven’t had to face any of the men you date because you made the choice to fly halfway around the world and leave them behind!”
She gasped, and he could picture her expression—equal parts hurt and shock. But as far as he was concerned, she deserved it. People couldn’t make decisions like that and expect not to be called out on them.
“I needed to spread my wings.” Her tone was defensive. “Explore my options and see whether my career could go anywhere. A few soap episodes in New Zealand are one thing, but I wanted to make it big. Besides, my relationships are different because I’m expected to flirt and be seen with high profile men as part of my job. I don’t see you complaining when I send birthday presents you couldn’t afford.”
“Then you haven’t been listening.” He checked the clock. “Look, I need to go. You’re being a hypocrite, and I can make my own choices about who I do and don’t see in my spare time. If you wanted to have more say, you shouldn’t have run away. Goodbye.”
Hanging up, he gave in to the impulse to stamp his foot just once, then headed out for duty.