Page 47 of My Turn
“It’s your whole…” I gestured nonsensically at him.
Crossing his arms, he looked me up and down. “Is your friend threatened by me? I wasn’t aware that the two of you had something more.”
“We don’t.” I unlocked the door, then gasped when he pushed me the rest of the way in and closed it behind us. He turned me around and leveled me with a serious look.
“You’ve been pulling away from me, which means there’s something going on with you. Tell me.”
“I’m just stressed out.”
“Try again.” When I set my jaw, he tipped his head back and groaned. “You don’t want to talk about the estate, that’s fine. I’m out of my mind with worry, though. Has that guy been back?”
“No,” I lied, although I wasn’t sure why.
“Thank god. Hopefully it was just some Halloween freak wanting to mess with you that weekend. You’ll tell me if anything weird happens, right?”
“Of course. And, uh, on the off chance that I do decide to get cameras, do you have any in mind?”
He grimaced. “Will you be mad if I tell you I already bought them?”
“Jayce,” I scolded. “You need to stop trying to do everything for me.”
“If I was doing that, I would’ve had them installed already while you were at work. The cameras are non-negotiable.Whenyou decide you want them is up to you. As you can see, I’m all about autonomy.”
“I don’t think you know how autonomy works.”
With a grin, he strode further into the room. He stood by the window and stared toward the football field. I wondered if he was thinking the same things I was last week in that position.
Dropping my lunch bag beside my desk, I was about to collapse into my chair but paused. I looked over at Jayce quickly, then stared at the ring that sat on top of my desk. In the middle, there was a Hershey’s kiss.
Impossible.
I picked up the ring and turned my back to Jayce just in case he came over here. There were a lot of gold rings in the world. It would be ridiculous to assume that this was Jake’s. When I traced the delicate pattern etched around the circle, I felt less certain. It wasn’t custom made, but it couldn’t be a coincidence that this was the same style.
It had to be one that he bought at the store. Jake was buried wearing this ring. That meant Erebus knew exactly which one Jake had. Both options were unsettling. One was downright sickening.
Slipping the ring into my pocket, I joined Jayce at the window. “That door was locked, right?”
“Yeah, you unlocked it when we got here.”
“Oh, good. I’ve been forgetting lately and I don’t want my purse to get stolen because my head is in the clouds.”
“Can’t trust none of these kids.”
“I think I’m more worried about the teachers. You should see our paychecks.”
He smiled down at me as he brought a piece of gum to his mouth. “Look, I’m not really a foot guy, but if you really need the money, I’ll buy some pics.”
I snatched the gum before it reached his lips. “You’re annoying.”
The minty flavor was refreshing. There was something about chewing gum in autumn that felt right to me. Sensing his stare, I turned and gave him a questioning look.
“That was my last piece,” he said, narrowing his eyes.
“Want it back?” I joked, holding it between my teeth.
A wicked smirk curved his lips. Grabbing the back of my head, he held me in place while he leaned forward. My heart leapt into my throat when his lips touched mine. He took the gum and pulled back, facing the window again as if that was completely normal.
Sharing gum had always disgusted me. The only thing I could think was that it was someone else’s spit sponge, but I watched his jaw move as he chewed it and by god, if that didn’t somehow make me feel warm.