Changing the Rules (Richter Book 1)(46)

“I hope so.” He looked at his watch, still two minutes to go. “Maybe with Coach Bennett moving her to his algebra class, the girl will be able to graduate.”

“He will shape her up. And if she’s still struggling, Mr. Dunnan has several tutors he can recommend. I’m told they’re young and speak teenager.”

“I’ll make a note of that.” Cooper felt his pocket buzz. Looked like he didn’t need to flirt with the woman after all. “I won’t keep you. And thank you for giving her a chance.”

“I like the girl. I’d just like to see her be less of a . . .”

“Pain in the ass?” Cooper finished for her.

“Well, yes.”

He walked Louise back down the hall and opened the door.

Claire sat slouched behind a desk, cell phone in her hand. She really knew how to play her role.

“Well, Claire, it appears that Louise . . . Mrs. Wallace, is willing to help you out. Although after that book report, I’m surprised.”

Claire rolled her eyes, attempting not to grin.

“I’m excusing you from track today . . .”

“But Coach Bennett—”

“I will talk with Bennett. You go home, do your homework, and get a good night’s sleep. And when you come back to school tomorrow, we all need to see some improvements.” Cooper saw her trying so hard not to smile.

“Okay, Coach.”

“Good.” He redirected his attention. “Louise, thank you again.”



“I broke up with Lewis.”

Jax’s announcement met Claire the second she cleared the front door. “You what?”

“I was waiting for him at his apartment door when he came home, I handed him his box of crap he’d started leaving here, and I said goodbye.”

Claire dropped her backpack, dumped her purse on top of it, walked over to the couch, and pulled her friend in for a hug.

Jax sniffled and hugged her back.

When Claire leaned away, she looked hard in Jax’s eyes. “Is this an ice cream breakup, a tequila breakup, or a trip to Vegas breakup?”

Jax wiped a tear from her eye. “Vegas sounds perfect, but we both have school tomorrow.”

That was laughable.

“So, tequila?”

“Make it wine . . . no, champagne.”

“Bubbles?”

“Yeah.”

Claire pushed off the couch to fill her request. When she returned, Jax had curled back up on the couch with a blanket over her legs. Claire handed her a glass and joined her.

“Okay, tell me everything.”

Twenty minutes later the story was out, and Claire was refilling Jax’s glass.

“You know what really made me do it?” Jax asked.

“You had so many reasons.”

“The part about him saying I didn’t have to work. I mean, for God’s sake, has he listened to nothing I’ve told him in the last six months?”

“You know what he heard? ‘Blah, blah, blah . . . level up . . . blah, oh, sex . . . blah, blah, level up, connections . . . and more sex.’”

Jax released a long breath. “I know. I shouldn’t have ever told him about my family. Then it would have been ‘Blah, blah, blah . . . sex, sex, sex. Blah, blah.’”

Claire smiled when Jax did.

“He even started telling me he loved me.”

Claire almost spat out her bubbles. “He what?”

“It happened right after we started this assignment. I think he saw me getting excited about work and felt cockblocked.”

“He wouldn’t be wrong about the cockblocking. Do we even have groceries?”

Jax laughed until it dwindled to a chuckle. “Damn.”

Claire watched while reality settled.

“Am I going to be one of those people who has to hide their family?”

Claire bit her lip to keep her thoughts from becoming words. At least you have a family to hide. “I don’t know,” she said instead.

“I’m wallowing.”

Claire reached for the bottle. “You’re allowed. You just broke up with a guy. It’s a free pass for feeling sorry for yourself.”

Jax tilted the glass back. “You know what really bugged me about Lewis?”

All Claire had to do was be silent to get the answer.

“My parents would have loved if I brought Lewis home. It wouldn’t matter if he was a decent guy. Wouldn’t matter if he really loved me. He has the right pedigree.”

“And that makes you a mare.”

Jax lifted her head from the couch, sat up. “All I’ve ever been to my family is a burden. If I marry well and bring them something, I am something. Bringing Lewis is exactly what they want.”

They both took a heavy pull from their glasses. Some of that wallowing dissipated. In all the things Claire had to think and worry about, disappointing a mother or a father wasn’t one of them. Wanting their love . . . yeah, she wanted that. Her mere existence disappointed them enough to leave her the moment she took her first breath.

“Good thing we’re not living our lives for someone else’s approval.”

“Amen!” Jax grabbed the bottle, refilled glasses.



Claire tucked Jax into bed, reminded her she was her own woman, and left her snoring friend.