Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
“Here, here,” she said, and Laila shoved the pieces of Jeremy’s phone as deep as she could. Cat dumped the rest of the bag in for good measure and patted the mound down. She started to put it on the island before glancing at Jeremy and thinking twice. He watched her carry it over to the counter because it was easier than facing Laila as she approached him. She pressed a lingering kiss to his temple, and Jeremy wound her long brown curls around his fingers in return.
“Think that’ll work?” Jeremy asked.
“I hope it doesn’t.”
Jeremy sighed as he let go of her. “I had to know.”
She said nothing, and the silence that settled in the kitchen was tense. Cat could only stand it for so long before she drummed her fingernails on the counter in an agitated beat. “I didn’t get to finish lunch, and I’m starving. I’m going to make us something to eat.”
Jeremy wasn’t at all hungry, but he said, “Sounds good.”
Jean held his hand out toward Cat in silent demand. She looked poised to refuse his help, then set him up to dice some peppers while she got to work on an onion. When she left to dig a frying pan out of the cabinets, Laila straightened and gave Jeremy’s shoulder a push. He obediently took Cat’s abandoned middle stool, and Laila settled at his side. Jeremy folded his hands together on the island and willed his heartrate down from its frenetic pace. For a few minutes no one spoke, and the kitchen slowly filled with the smell of peppers and grease.
“Sorry,” he said. “Can someone text Coach and tell him I’ll be out of a phone for a bit?”
“William and the floozies, too,” Laila suggested as she set her phone in front of her. She tapped out a couple rapid-fire messages, then leaned forward to look past Jeremy at Jean. “Are we adding you to the group chat, or are you not ready to be that sociable yet?”
“I would also destroy my phone if it went off as incessantly as yours do,” Jean said.
Laila rolled her eyes and got back to work. “Sometimes a simple ‘no’ is enough.”
“A single word is seldom rude enough to make a point.”
“I’m giving your number to Cody,” Laila decided.
Jean said nothing, and Jeremy idly wondered if he sensed a losing argument or honestly saw no reason to protest. The two had spent a good part of dinner chatting last weekend, and Cody had swung past Jean as often as they could during practices without stepping on Xavier’s toes. Fondness was a gentle heat against the icy pit in his chest, and finally Jeremy could breathe without feeling like he’d tear his lungs.
He looked toward Jean. “Do you want to talk about Neil?”
Jean curled his lip. “Do you want to talk about Joshua?”
“French, then,” Jeremy said. Jean frowned at him, not following the abrupt jump in topics. Jeremy smiled like Jean’s easy challenge hadn’t kicked him in the chest and said, “The first time we met, you hit me when I asked if you would teach me. But you didn’t seem to care that Neil could speak it last night.”
“I was not allowed to speak French at the Nest,” Jean said, in a tone that said Jeremy was being unforgivably obtuse on purpose. “When they found out I taught Kevin anyway, they were—furious.” By the way Jean’s gaze flicked away from Jeremy at that, Jeremy sensed it was a massive understatement. Equally intriguing was the news Kevin could speak it, but Jeremy set that insight aside for later since Jean was still speaking. “They would capitalize on it later when it suited their needs, but they never forgave me for that disobedience.”
Jeremy ticked through his options and Jean’s possible reaction before asking, “So it’s not the knowing, but the teaching. Meaning I could learn it somewhere else and that’s fine, right? I don’t think I can squeeze another class in my schedule this semester without cutting something else out, but I bet I can find a course on CD or something. I’m going to be doing a lot of driving back and forth this fall from campus to home.”
“Too much driving,” Laila muttered under her breath, but Jeremy feigned not to hear.
Jean drummed his fingernails on the side of his mug. “There is no reason to learn. My English is passable.”
“Your English is fantastic,” Jeremy said. “It’s not about that. It’s your native language, and none of us here can share it with you. That’s reason enough for me to learn.” Jeremy allowed him a few moments to think it over before pressing on with, “If you don’t want me to study it, I won’t. Just tell me now if it would bother you.”
Jean studied him, maybe waiting for a better reason or judging Jeremy’s sincerity, and finally said, “Do as you like.”