Regan eyed the cookbook section Ky had steered her to. “Making Pizza for Dummies?”
“You’re not a dummy. You’re just…um…culinarily challenged. But I found the perfect cookbook for a scientist like you.” Ky located it and slid it from the shelf. “Chemistry in Your Kitchen.”
“Ooh, nice. But actually, I’d be more interested in the sequel.”
Ky checked the shelf but couldn’t find one. “There’s a sequel?”
“There should be.” Regan lowered her voice to a husky whisper. “Chemistry in Your Bedroom.”
Ky’s mouth went dry, and she was suddenly tempted to cut their book shopping short. “If there isn’t a sequel, maybe we should—”
“Hi, Ms. Romano,” a teenager’s voice said from just a few steps away.
Ky turned her head. Oh, great. Of all the students they could run into, it had to be the freshman with the dairy allergy. And what was worse, he wasn’t alone. His father, who had accused Ky of contaminating the non-dairy area during lunch prep, loomed behind him. Even after Ky had caught his son with a bag of cheddar chips on his tray, she had never received an apology—and from the way the dad’s brows bunched together as he stared at her, she figured she wouldn’t get one now either.
“Hi, Brayden.” Regan beamed as if she had run into her favorite student. “Hi, Mr. Gaines.”
It took Mr. Gaines several seconds to direct his gaze from their linked arms to Regan’s face. “Hi,” he said without even a hint of a smile.
Oh shit. Ky stiffened. Was he one of those homophobic assholes who didn’t want his son being taught by a queer teacher? Or was it her he didn’t like?
Regan’s smile didn’t waver, nor did she pull her arm free of Ky’s. “Looks like this is a great day for book shopping.”
“I don’t know about that,” Mr. Gaines answered. “I’d rather watch the Blazers beat the Nuggets, but my better half sent me out for a gluten-free, dairy-free cookbook.”
“You mean taste-free,” Brayden muttered.
Without missing a beat, Regan involved both of them in a discussion of the Trail Blazers’ stats and scores.
Ky struggled not to stare slack-jawed. In the twenty-five years they’d been best friends, Regan had never shown the slightest interest in basketball.
By the time Mr. Gaines said goodbye, he seemed a lot less grumpy, and his lips had even twitched into a smile for a moment.
“And here I thought I knew everything about you,” Ky whispered as they strolled toward the LGBT+ book section. “Since when are you a basketball fan?”
Regan sent her an impish grin. “I’m not. I just keep up with it because I have a couple of kids in my general chemistry class who never miss a game, and it gives us something to talk about.”
“Aww.” Ky squeezed Regan’s arm. “You’re such a good teacher.”
“Let’s hope Mr. Gaines thinks so too. Did you see the way he looked at us? I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to pull Brayden out of my class because he doesn’t agree with my ‘lifestyle.’”
Ky let out a protective growl. “He wouldn’t dare…would he? I mean, our principal would have your back, right?”
Regan nibbled her full bottom lip. “Yeah.”
“Then what’s got you so worried?”
“Mrs. Kallmaker still doesn’t know about us, and neither do the assistant principals or most of my colleagues.”
“And you’d like to change that,” Ky said.
Regan shrugged. “You know how things are at school. The kids pick up on so much, and the teachers’ lounge is a bastion of gossip. Mrs. Kallmaker has always been incredibly supportive, so I don’t want her to be the last to know. Maybe we should give her a heads-up.” She searched Ky’s face. “What do you think?”
There wasn’t much Ky wouldn’t do if Regan asked her to, so she nodded. “Sure, we can do that. When?”
“Monday?”
“That’s Memorial Day.”
“Tuesday, then,” Regan said. “No time like the present, right? Especially since the school year is nearly over.”
Ky gulped as a familiar feeling of dread settled over her. When it fully registered, laughter burst free from her chest, easing her tension. “Okay,” she gasped out between chuckles.
Regan gave her a puzzled smile. “Um, what’s so funny about that?”
“I thought the times when I had to go to the principal’s office because you got me in trouble were long over. But apparently not.”
Regan freed her arm from Ky’s to put both hands on her own hips—which might have looked intimidating if she hadn’t been five-foot-two in shoes. “Excuse me? I got you in trouble?”
“Well, you were the one who came up with that whole ‘let’s go on a date to prove there’s no chemistry between us’ idea, which completely backfired and led us here.” Ky waved her hand in a gesture that included her, Regan, and—appropriately enough—the entire sapphic romance bookshelf.
“Are you complaining?”
Ky fiercely shook her head. “Never!”
Regan slid her arm through Ky’s again. “So we’re telling Mrs. Kallmaker?”
“Yes.” What was one more trip to the principal’s office? Unlike previous visits, they were both adults and not in trouble, so what could go wrong?
