You’re Mine by Penny Brooks novel Chapter 91

Easton

The dinner with my parents started out like a total shit show, but at least ended on a positive note.

Once we moved past the local news reporting on me and Leigh—like what the actual fuck—-Mom called us into the dining room where she had a huge spread of food laid out in dishes like she made it.

I know for a fact she’s too damn busy to cook and ordered everything from her favorite Italian restaurant, but I never said a word.

Neither did Mom.

In fact, she basked in Harper's lavish praise about the delicious meal and pretended to be modest.

Like her "making"

dinner was no big deal.

Whatever.

If Mom wants Harper to think she’s an expert on Italian cuisine, I don't care.

We hung out for a while after dinner at the table, making small talk, my parents asking Harper an endless string of questions.

She answered every one of them like a champ, never letting her poise slip in front of them.

Damn, she made me proud.

I walked her out to Ryan's car and I climb inside with her, kissing her for a solid thirty minutes before she finally, reluctantly left.

I went to bed with a smile on my face.

Still was wearing that smile when I walked into school this morning.

And then during first period, I got called into the principal's office.

The moment I walked inside, the serious expressions on everyone's face—and there are at least five people crammed into the office, two of them I don't recognize—sends a spiral of dread through me.

"Easton.

Sit down."

Principal Jenkins indicates the empty chair in front of his desk.

I settle in, glancing around.

"What's this about?"

"These detectives here would like to speak to you."

Jenkins waves his hand toward the man and woman I don't recognize.

"About the—incident between you and Mrs.

Scott."

I keep my face completely neutral.

"What incident?"

"The allegations that have been made in regards to you being...

involved with Mrs.

Scott."

Principal Jenkins actually squirms in his seat.

"I know this won't be easy to talk about, and of course we'll leave you alone with the detectives so you can speak freely "There's nothing to talk about."

Panic races through me, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

I send a quick glance in the detectives' direction and I can tell they're not liking what I'm saying.

Well tough shit.

No way do I want to talk to them and turn this into a big deal by getting the police involved.

I'm going to deny anything even happened.

Jenkins frowns.

"What do you mean, young man?"

"I mean what I say.

Nothing happened between Mrs.

Scott and I.” I sit up straighter, rendering my expression into stone.

“Yeah, she helped me out by having me work on a couple of rough drafts for my college essay.

Had me over at her house one night so we could look at college websites together, but that's it.” Jenkins openly sneers, like he just sniffed someone's stinky ass.

"You were at Mrs.

Scott's house?"

“Yeah.

Her husband was there too.” He was that one night, upstairs asleep in their bed while I banged Leigh on the kitchen counter.

"It was all on the up and up.

I know it's not standard for a student to be at a counselor's house in the evening, but that’s about as inappropriate as it gets between Mrs.

Scott and I."

"Really."

The female detective's flat tone tells me she thinks I'm full of shit.