Class Act: A Coach/Student Romance

“ABE.”

“Hmm?”

I glanced up from the sauce I was making. Emery walked into the kitchen, dressed in black slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt. I knew he hated the uniform—he said it was boring—but he was committed to his job and contributing to our relationship.

“Do you need help with anything?” he asked. “I have half an hour to kill before I leave.”

“Just sit here and talk to me.”

He came up to me and hugged me from behind. “Why are you so nervous about this? It’s just Mandy. She said she would come to dinner.”

Yesterday, I’d called Mandy, even though she’d blocked me, but I kept hoping. To my utter surprise, she’d answered. When I got home, I’d found out why. She’d talked to Emery, who’d convinced her to cut me some slack. It’d been Emery’s idea to invite her over for dinner.

“I just want everything to be perfect. The way it was before everything that happened.”

He kissed the back of my neck. “You worry too much. Everything is falling into place. Your divorce will be settled by next month. The college has an interest in you as a coach. Priest is out of the picture. My dad seems to have washed his hands of me, Mandy has come around, and we have each other.”

“Regret any part of it yet?” I asked.

“Nope. You?”

“No. Never. How are things at work?”

“Good. I haven’t made any grave errors, and the tips are great.”

“I bet they are. Do men flirt with you?” When he fell silent, I peered over my shoulder. “You can tell me.”

“Women too. But I never encourage it, I swear.”

“Relax. Receiving tips comes with the job. I don’t expect you to treat the patrons poorly because I may get a little jealous about the phone numbers I find in your pockets when I do the laundry.”

Emery groaned. “I forgot to throw those away. Abe. You know I’d never cheat on you, don’t you? I have everything I need right here. I know me doing that camboy stuff might seem like I’m into different men—”

“Hey, I’m just joking.” I turned off the flame under the pan and tugged a worried-looking Emery to me. I brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. He needed a trim, but the strands obscuring his eyes were cute. “Listen, I trust you wholeheartedly, and unless you did something to break that trust, I’m going to believe in you and us.”

“Please.” He circled my neck with his arms. “I’d be too afraid to hurt and lose you to do anything stupid with anyone.”

I lowered my head and kissed him. Sweet Emery. He shoved his tongue into my mouth, and I rubbed my hands down his back and down to his full ass. We hadn’t been together long, but we’d had sex too many times to count. Emery matched my sexual needs in every way. He was a little tiger in bed and a pussycat in the aftermath.

The doorbell rang, and Emery pulled back. “That must be Mandy. I’ll go get the door.”

Damn, why hadn’t I done this when Emery was off work? Then things wouldn’t be so awkward with the three of us. Emery could be our buffer. Someone to keep the conversation flowing. Some of the things Mandy had said to me had hurt. Did she really believe the painful words? That I would manipulate and use Emery?

The two came into the kitchen, Emery following Mandy.

“Sweetheart, you’re here.”

I took a few steps toward her and stopped. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“I promised Emery I’d make an effort.” She shrugged out of her coat, and Emery took it from her.

“Let me put this in the closet.”

Left alone with Mandy, I floundered. What to say to her? I’d apologized enough, hadn’t I?

“I’m glad you’re here, Mandy. Emery helped me to make dinner, but he’s not staying. He has a night shift.”

“I thought you were taking care of him. Why does he have to work so hard when he has school?”

“He doesn’t have to, but he wants to. You know Emery.”

“I thought I did.” She ran her fingers over the back of a chair. “But maybe not so well, given where he ended up.”

“It’s not his fault.”

“I’m not blaming anyone. Maybe we don’t have to talk about this? Can we just move past it?”

“Of course. I’m almost finished with dinner. Do you want to eat here or in the dining room?”

“Here’s fine. It’s a cute little kitchen.”

“Emery fixed the place for us. He has a knack for decorating and did an excellent job.” I chuckled. “If he ever leaves me, it’s because I don’t put things back where they’re supposed to go.”

“Silly. Why would I leave you for that?” Emery swooped back in. “I have other ways of making you suffer.”

He threw his arms around me. We’d never talked about how to act in front of Mandy, but his affection shouldn’t have taken me by surprise. If not for hiding our relationship when we were in public, he would touch me all the time. It was one of the things I loved about our relationship—how easy it was to be together.

“Are you leaving now?” I asked.

“Yes. Though I wish I could stay. Maybe some other time when I’m off.”

I stroked his cheek. “Take care of yourself.”

I dropped a kiss on his lips. Not a full tongue-waging war one, but long enough for Mandy to get the idea. This was real. Our love for each other was genuine, and as soon as Emery had graduated and I’d gotten a new job, we wouldn’t hide it anymore.

“See you later.” Emery released me. “You two have fun.”

Emery left, leaving us in silence. Mandy shifted on her chair, but at least she wasn’t making that barf face she had when she had confronted me about being with her best friend.

“Help me set the table?”

She nodded, and we worked quietly together. I’d made her favorite dish. Lemon butterfish with roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables.

“Emery cooked the fish. What do you think?”

She took a bite and nodded. “It’s good. Didn’t know he could cook.”

“Things have been different. We cook together, and he always wants to learn, so I don’t have to cook all the time.” Yesterday I’d come home not only to the news that Mandy and Emery had reconciled but also to a delicious dinner. And after, well, he’d made quite a dessert in the bedroom.

“You seem to get along great.”

“We do. It’s just easy with him, simpler. I can be myself, and seeing him so happy makes everything worth it.”

“It’s good that you’re both happy.”

“I hope you can be too.”

“It’s hard being home alone with Mom.”

“We have a guest room if you ever want to sleep over. I’m sure Emery would be okay with that.”

“Maybe sometime in the future. Mom wouldn’t like that right now.”

I bit back my disappointment. “I understand. Just know the offer is there.” I stirred the vegetables on my plate. “How’s your mother doing? I really hope we can be cordial to each other again.”

“I don’t know. She’s hardly ever home. She spends a lot of time at the office. I think she’s looking to start her own practice, since they screwed her over and didn’t make her partner.”

“They should have. She’s the best damn lawyer they have, and she’s given so much to that firm. Good for her if she’s really striking out on her own. Her clients will follow her for sure.”

“I wish we weren’t going to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving next week. What are you and Emery doing?”

“We haven’t decided yet, but more than likely, it’ll just be the two of us. Or I’ll invite Lynn so Emery doesn’t tire of seeing just my face. Sometimes I worry he’s settling down at such a young age when boys should be exploring, finding themselves. I wish he would quit his job and stop thinking so much about contributing. He should go out with you and have fun. Will you still invite him to parties?”

“Sure, but he seems happier now than I’ve ever seen him since he started school. I was wrong for accusing you of preying on him.”

“I admit it hurt you thought I could be that cruel to use someone,” I said.

“I didn’t know what else to think. Emery showed no signs that he was into you, and suddenly you’re together. I know he had problems at home, so I-I’m sorry. You’ve never been a bad person, and I thought the worst of you.”

“It’s okay. It’s behind us now. Just promise me in the future to talk to me about what’s bothering you. I won’t hide anything from you now that everything is out.”

“Okay. But aren’t you afraid for your job? What if someone finds out? People will think the same thing I did or that Emery’s using you for your money.”

I chuckled. “What money? We make do. We’re not living an extravagant life. And yes, I worry about my job, but I have an interview the day after tomorrow, so I might resign soon. When I do, I won’t have to worry so much anymore.”

“You do?”

“Yes. We just need to make it through the year, and everything will be fine.”

“Well, I’m glad he’s happy. No one deserves to be happy like Em, and… and I know you’ll take care of him. And since he’s in love with you…” She shrugged. “You’ve got each other.”

“Exactly. Are you keeping up with your classes?” We’d talked enough about Emery and me. I didn’t want her to think all I could talk about was my relationship with her friend.

“Yeah, I thought I’d flunked a test, but I didn’t.” She grinned sheepishly. “I’ll study harder, I promise.”

“And if you need help—”

“I know I can count on you.”

There were no sweeter words that a father could hear than those. Finally, I had my Mandy back.