The Fortunate Ones
Page 62

It’s the perfect arrangement for me. I have flexible hours, I still get to teach, and these women pay better than any of my previous gigs.
I stand and interrupt their conversations to let them know “class” has officially ended, though that usually doesn’t mean much. It’ll be another hour before everyone is out of the house, and I swear they do it on purpose in the hopes of catching James when he arrives home from work.
“Is that a car I hear in the driveway?” Mrs. Walters says, perking up in her chair.
“Oh! I bet James is home! It would be rude to leave now!” Mrs. Buchanan says with a wide smile.
I can’t help but laugh. “It should be Ellie coming over to help me make dinner.”
They all visibly sag in their chairs.
“But I’ll let James know you all missed him. Maybe he can make it home a little earlier on Friday.”
That gets me off the hook for the time being, and everyone stands and gathers their textbooks before heading to the front door. Ellie is already standing out front, holding the door open for them.
“Afternoon Ellie.” Mrs. Walters stops and pats her arm. “Are you sure I can’t set you up with my grandson?”
Ellie laughs. “He’s only 17, Mrs. Walters.”
“Only? Why, I was married at 17!”
They do this every time they see each other. Mrs. Walters thinks Ellie is the prettiest thing she’s ever seen, and she won’t rest until Ellie is dating her grandson—who, by the way, is currently in 11th grade.
“Tell him to send me a graduation announcement,” Ellie calls behind her before following me inside. “Maybe the life of a cougar will suit me.”
In the last few months, James and I have been slowly but surely settling into his house. His house—every time I say that, he insists I call it our house. I smile and shake my head at the thought that we’ve lived here together for three months. It’s still pretty empty because he insisted on hiring an interior designer. He wanted everything to be perfect for us, not just a hodgepodge of his old furniture mixed with some of my things, though my yellow bookshelf did make the cut. It’s sitting in one of the spare bedrooms, the room we’ve both agreed will make a good nursery one day.
“What’d you do today?” Ellie asks, whipping open the refrigerator and peeking inside for a snack.
“I went to SoulCycle this morning before I had to prep my lesson for French club. Oh, and Diego and Nicolás called.”
“How are they doing?” she asks, bending low to grab some string cheese.
“Good.” I sigh. “But Luciana still won’t talk to me.”
She frowns. “I can’t believe it. I really thought she’d forgive you by now.”
“Yeah, I thought so too.” I still think about her all the time. How could I not? For that year and a half I was in Spain, we spent most of our waking (and non-waking) hours together. I desperately want her to forgive me, but I can’t push it. “Anyway, part of why they called was because they’re still trying to find a good tutor. The girls haven’t been practicing their English as much, and they’re worried they’ll start to lose it.”
“Did you suggest they contact the agency?”
“No.” I nibble on my bottom lip. “Actually, I recommended you.”
She rears back in shock. “Me?”
I nod enthusiastically.
“But I don’t even speak Spanish.”
“You don’t have to! That’s the best part. The girls just need someone they can practice their English with. Seriously, Ellie, it’s the best job ever.”
It’s a brilliant idea if I’ve ever heard one. Ellie has been working at the country club for far too long, living with Dad and wasting time on guys who don’t deserve her. There’s nothing keeping her in Austin. She should take the opportunity to leave and try something new—not to mention, working for Diego and Nicolás is a dream.
“What’d they say when you suggested that?” she asks tentatively.
I beam. “They said if you want the position, it’s yours.”
Her brows shoot up in shock. “Seriously?”
“Yes!”
I can tell she’s not completely sold on the idea, and I’m nervous if I push too hard now, she’ll say no before she even gives it a real chance. “Just think about it for the next few days and get back to me.”
She nods slowly, seemingly already mulling it over.
I take out one last gun from my arsenal. “Oh, but be warned, if you do take the job, they’re definitely going to force Alejandro on you.”
She frowns. “Alejandro?”
Realization dawns on me: I never told her about him. At the time, it was a strategic move. If she knew there were so many eligible, cute men in Spain I was turning down, she would have jumped on the first flight out of Austin.
“Hold on a second,” I say, running to grab my cell phone. “I’ll show you!”
The last time I spoke to Luciana before telling her I wouldn’t be coming back to Spain was over text message. I show the conversation to Ellie.
Luciana: GUESS WHAT?! MY BF IS HERE.
Ellie reads her text and laughs. “Isn’t she like 12?”
I laugh. “Not even.”
“Who’s her boyfriend?”
I smirk and tell her to keep scrolling.
Brooke: BF?! I leave for two weeks and you get yourself a boyfriend? Who?
A few minutes later she sent back a photo and to this day, I can’t help but laugh. It’s slightly blurry, but there’s Alejandro standing at the kitchen counter chatting with Diego. He’s wearing his leather jacket, and his jet-black hair is all wavy and sexy. He looks completely unattainable, but what makes me laugh is the fact that Luciana posed the photo as a selfie so both she and Alejandro could be in the photo together without him knowing. Her smiling mug is in the foreground of the photo, taking up 75% of the shot.
“Who is that?!” Ellie demands, pointing at Alejandro.
“That’s Alejandro,” I say with a gloating smile.
“Holy…” She grabs my phone and zooms in until everyone but Alejandro has been pushed off screen. Then, she leans back and releases a heavy sigh right before she lobs me in the shoulder.
“You left THAT behind in Spain?”
“OW.” I snatch my phone back in anger and then lock the screen. No more Alejandro for her.
“No, seriously, Brooke—is he single?”
“I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask Diego when you accept the job.”
Her smile fades and her eyes narrow as she finally catches on to my little trick. “If I take the job, it’s not going to be because of him.”
I laugh. “Of course not. Think of Alejandro as a potential signing bonus.”
Just then a car pulls up into our driveway and a little bolt of excitement spirals through me. I love that sound because it means in a few seconds, James is going to walk through the back door of the house and find Ellie and me in the kitchen. He’ll smile in relief, hang his keys by the door, and loosen his tie as he approaches me to plant a kiss on my lips. He told me the other day that he still gets excited to walk in every night and find me here. I’ve assured him I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here every night from here on after, but it doesn’t matter. To him, it’s still a novelty to get to come home to someone he loves every night. He told me it’s the best moment of his day, and I agreed.
In the last few months, James has kept a busy work schedule. The BioShield is weeks away from releasing to the public, and that means there’s never been more work for him or his company. Still, he makes a point to be home every night at 6:00 PM and not a minute later. I glance at the clock and smile when I see that it’s 5:59.
The back door opens and James walks in. His keys get hung. His tie is loosened, and with no regard for Ellie’s presence in the kitchen, he heads straight for me.
“Welcome home,” I tease as he grips ahold of my waist and tugs me toward him. My hips meet his as I wrap my hands around his neck and he bends low, planting a passionate kiss on my lips.
“Yeah! Hi! Yoohoo. Could you please stop grabbing my sister’s ass cheeks while I’m standing right here?”