with him. We went to dinner and a movie, and when he took me back to my dorm room, he made it clear that by paying for the date, he thought he should get a whole lot more than my company. He forced a kiss, and I kicked him. That was the end of my dating, and the end of my tutoring him."
"What was your favorite subject in school?" Trey asked, wondering at her tutoring math. She didn't seem like a math person to him.
"Oh, English. I used up all my electives on literature courses. My major was management, though." She took a bite of pancake, thrilled they were having a normal conversation. She hadn't been certain they'd be able to do that again. "What about you? What was your favorite class?"
"Computer science. I toyed with engineering for a bit, but I just wasn't as interested as I should have been. Computers suck me right in and I never want to walk away." He paused for a moment. "I'm not the kind of man who would ever stray, but you might sometimes feel that I'm cheating on you with my computer. Between gaming and working, I spend twelve hours per day in front of it."
She reached out, taking his hand in hers across the table. When he didn't pull away, she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't much, but maybe they were getting somewhere. "As long as you understand that sometimes my hours are long as well."
He nodded briefly, wiping his mouth on a napkin before standing. "I'm going to go shower and get ready for my day. I'll see you later." He paused at the doorway. "Are you having lunch with Cissie?"
"No. Why don't I stay home and we can have lunch together today?" She had to make him understand he'd always come first in her life, even though she'd disappointed him so badly.
He shook his head. "No need. I'll make myself something. You have fun with your friend."
Cindy wanted to chase after him, but she knew she needed to have breakfast ready before the guests started to come down. She shook her head. She should have closed for a week as they worked through things like this. Maybe she should call Lachele.
*****
Shortly after lunch the doorbell rang, surprising Cindy. She didn't have any guests scheduled to arrive that day, and this wasn't the type of place people just dropped into. She hurried to the door, opening it to see two women who were both around her age. "May I help you?"
One of the girls brushed her long dark hair out of her eyes. "I'm here to see my brother."
Cindy shrugged. "I'm sorry, I don't know who your brother is."
"Are you Cindy?" the girl asked.
Cindy nodded warily. "Yes, I'm Cindy Lambert." She shook her head, blushing. "I mean Cindy Zayne. It's hard to get used to having a new name."
The girl held her hand out. "I'm Penny Zayne. I'm here to see Trey." She pointed to the girl beside her. "And this is Jean Stewart. I've hand-picked her to marry Trey. They're perfect for each other." Her eyes stayed steady on Cindy's, as if daring her to argue with her about it.
Cindy blinked a few times. "You realize that I'm married to Trey, right?"
Penny swept past her into the house. "I know you guys had a ceremony, but I'm sure you haven't let him in your bed yet. He can get an annulment." She looked around the room like she was the queen of the world, her lip curling a little as she examined Cindy's home. Cindy wanted more than anything to slap her, but she resisted the urge. "Where do you want us to stay?"
"I only have one empty room right now," Cindy said, unsure of how to respond to her new sister-in-law. Was she for real? Who announced that a married couple hadn't had a wedding night? She felt like telling her she'd had a wonderful wedding night, but she bit her lip.
Penny crossed her arms over her chest. "We can share."
Cindy didn't know what the protocol was. Did she ask them to pay? Did they get a free room? How was Trey going to feel about this? Cindy walked to the counter
"What was your favorite subject in school?" Trey asked, wondering at her tutoring math. She didn't seem like a math person to him.
"Oh, English. I used up all my electives on literature courses. My major was management, though." She took a bite of pancake, thrilled they were having a normal conversation. She hadn't been certain they'd be able to do that again. "What about you? What was your favorite class?"
"Computer science. I toyed with engineering for a bit, but I just wasn't as interested as I should have been. Computers suck me right in and I never want to walk away." He paused for a moment. "I'm not the kind of man who would ever stray, but you might sometimes feel that I'm cheating on you with my computer. Between gaming and working, I spend twelve hours per day in front of it."
She reached out, taking his hand in hers across the table. When he didn't pull away, she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't much, but maybe they were getting somewhere. "As long as you understand that sometimes my hours are long as well."
He nodded briefly, wiping his mouth on a napkin before standing. "I'm going to go shower and get ready for my day. I'll see you later." He paused at the doorway. "Are you having lunch with Cissie?"
"No. Why don't I stay home and we can have lunch together today?" She had to make him understand he'd always come first in her life, even though she'd disappointed him so badly.
He shook his head. "No need. I'll make myself something. You have fun with your friend."
Cindy wanted to chase after him, but she knew she needed to have breakfast ready before the guests started to come down. She shook her head. She should have closed for a week as they worked through things like this. Maybe she should call Lachele.
*****
Shortly after lunch the doorbell rang, surprising Cindy. She didn't have any guests scheduled to arrive that day, and this wasn't the type of place people just dropped into. She hurried to the door, opening it to see two women who were both around her age. "May I help you?"
One of the girls brushed her long dark hair out of her eyes. "I'm here to see my brother."
Cindy shrugged. "I'm sorry, I don't know who your brother is."
"Are you Cindy?" the girl asked.
Cindy nodded warily. "Yes, I'm Cindy Lambert." She shook her head, blushing. "I mean Cindy Zayne. It's hard to get used to having a new name."
The girl held her hand out. "I'm Penny Zayne. I'm here to see Trey." She pointed to the girl beside her. "And this is Jean Stewart. I've hand-picked her to marry Trey. They're perfect for each other." Her eyes stayed steady on Cindy's, as if daring her to argue with her about it.
Cindy blinked a few times. "You realize that I'm married to Trey, right?"
Penny swept past her into the house. "I know you guys had a ceremony, but I'm sure you haven't let him in your bed yet. He can get an annulment." She looked around the room like she was the queen of the world, her lip curling a little as she examined Cindy's home. Cindy wanted more than anything to slap her, but she resisted the urge. "Where do you want us to stay?"
"I only have one empty room right now," Cindy said, unsure of how to respond to her new sister-in-law. Was she for real? Who announced that a married couple hadn't had a wedding night? She felt like telling her she'd had a wonderful wedding night, but she bit her lip.
Penny crossed her arms over her chest. "We can share."
Cindy didn't know what the protocol was. Did she ask them to pay? Did they get a free room? How was Trey going to feel about this? Cindy walked to the counter
Similar Books
