My relief at hearing him say that is so immense, I’m bowled over by it. “Really? I’ve been feeling that way, too. Not about the popularity stuff—obviously, I’m never going to be popular—but I’m so over high school at this point.”
Hunter nods. “That’s probably my fault. No part of the high school experience has been good for you. I’m sorry about that.”
I shrug. “College will be better.”
“Yes,” he agrees vehemently. “College and beyond will be infinitely better than high school.”
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. Daydreaming is probably more accurate terminology,” I admit, smiling faintly as I peel back the foil lid on my applesauce.
Hunter smiles at me. “Yeah?”
I nod. “I’m excited. I love to learn, and I feel like when I get to college, there will be more focus on that, less on the cliquey bullshit.”
“I’m sure there will still be cliquey bullshit, but you can stay out of it. We’ll be living on our own, embracing adulthood. Things will be different.”
“Yes.” I grin. “The only thing that could ruin next year would be if Valerie went to an in-state school and we still had to cross her path on occasion.”
Hunter shakes his head. “She wants to go to the west coast.”
I sigh happily. “Music to my ears.”
“And Sherlock has his sights set on Columbia,” he says, glancing up at me.
“Everything you’re saying right now is good.”
He smiles. “Boston’s all ours.”
I smile back, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to ask something I’ve been thinking about since all of this came up. “Do you really want to go to school in Boston, or are you just looking there because it’s where I want to go?”
“I don’t care where I go to school, Riley. You know stuff like that doesn’t matter to me.”
“I do. I also know your life is charmed,” I say, dunking the spoon into my applesauce. “You’ll probably casually make a friend at the gym and it will be some big deal at Harvard who rolls out the red carpet and literally begs you to attend their school.”
Hunter smirks. “You never know.”
I roll my eyes. “If I didn’t love you so much, it would be so easy to hate you.”
His smirk grows more devilish. “I’d just tell you ‘no’ and you’d have to stop.”
I take a bite of my applesauce, then narrow my eyes as I deliberately entice him with my lips and tongue as I pull the spoon out of my mouth—just to remind him what I’m capable of. “Don’t mock me, Hunter,” I say sweetly.
His heated gaze meets mine. “Don’t tempt me, Riley.” Patting his thigh threateningly beneath the table, he says, “I’ll tell your pretty little ass to come sit on my lap while you finish your lunch.”
I open my mouth to tell him I’d never do it, but then I remember I’m not allowed to tell him no.
He looks so smug as the realization hits me, but I have no choice but to simmer down and shoot him a look. “You don’t play fair, Maxwell.”
Looking not one bit ashamed, he says, “Correct. I play to win.”
___
Around midweek, Mom and I start shopping for cars.
It ends up being pretty easy. The blue Lexus Hunter sent me the link for is still available, and the price dropped by a few hundred dollars. It’s still way outside of my budget, but since Hunter said it was within his, we go to look at it.
The inside is so pretty and it drives so smoothly. I’m still hesitant to let him buy me such an expensive gift, but since I’m technically not allowed to refuse it, I say yes.
On the way home, Mom teases me about having a nicer car than her, but I can tell that whatever reservations she has about Hunter, she can’t deny that he must be pretty serious about me if he actually bought me a car.
I’m glad she’s feeling a little friendlier toward him, because I have to follow that up with the news that I’ve quit my job.
Her expression freezes. “You… quit your job? I thought you liked your job.”
“I did,” I say cautiously.
“Hunter didn’t?” she guesses.
“He suggested maybe I could work reception at the gym once it’s open,” I tell her.
Her facial expression doesn’t change.
“If I want to,” I add with less certainty. “I don’t have to work at all while I’m still in school. He said if I want to, I can just enjoy this last year at home with you.”
Mom sighs, looking like she knows what she’s about to say won’t be received well and she doesn’t want to say it, but she has to. “That’s really controlling behavior, Riley.”
“It’s not like that,” I tell her.
“If it looks like that and sounds like that…”
Conflict keeps my lips sealed shut for a moment longer than it should. I want to run to Hunter’s defense, but the only way to do that is to cast Sherlock in a villainous light once more.
I guess it doesn’t matter. Mom will never meet him. Hunter is the one I need her to like.
I’m still reluctant, but I chase the words out of my mouth. “He’s not without his reasons. Remember Sherlock?”
Her brow furrows slightly and she nods.
“Well, before everything happened with him, Hunter brought Sherlock up to the diner one night when I was working. I don’t think it’s a big deal, he’s probably being overprotective about it, but Hunter doesn’t like the idea of Sherlock knowing where I work. Where I close late at night sometimes. Where… he could maybe show up and get me alone.”
Mom’s frown deepens. “Should we be worried about this guy? Is he dangerous?”
“No. I don’t think so. I don’t even think it was necessary to stop working at the diner, it’s just something Hunter insisted on out of an abundance of caution.”
Mom is still frowning, so I keep talking.
“It’s not a jealousy thing,” I rush to assure her. “It is a safety thing, but Sherlock’s not dangerous. I mean, not really. It’s hard to explain. He’s slippery. I don’t know what it is about him, but he’ll have you doing things you’d never ordinarily do before you even realize it’s happening. He’s just… he’s tricky, and persuasive, and… when you’re with him, everything seems fine until it isn’t—then all of a sudden you’re in trouble, but you don’t even really know how you got there...”
Since I’m struggling with how to explain Sherlock, Mom interrupts. “I think I get it.” Her smile is a little pained, but she tries. “Hunter might be onto something. And you know what? I need to learn to butt out a little bit. You’re growing up, it’s up to you what you want your relationship with Hunter to look like. As long as you’re comfortable with it, you have my full support.”
Her words fill me with relief. “Thanks, Mom.”
This time when she smiles, it’s a little bittersweet, but no longer pained. “Anytime, kiddo.”
Chapter Fifty Nine