"Watch your mouth, or the boss is going to fire you." Green Hair smacked Barnard on the back of the head.
Barnard just grinned and didn't take it to heart. "And did you see that guy? He's got to be at least six-foot-one. So tall. I'm jealous."
Barnard was barely five-seven, and Green Hair wasn't much taller. They both fell into the short-guy category.
It took Green Hair a second to catch on. "Wait, I get it now. I know where the boss messed up."
"Where?" Barnard's eyes lit up with curiosity.
Green Hair looked smug. "The boss isn't six feet either. Maybe Claire just likes tall guys with long legs?"
Claire and Dane walked out together, one after the other.
Dane couldn't help asking, "Do you go to that gaming café a lot?" He noticed how well she knew the staff, and from their reactions, she seemed even closer to the owner.
Claire shot him a look. “I own the place. Of course I go there."
Dane blinked in surprise. "So the 'boss' they were talking about?"
“He's my friend,” Claire explained. “We're business partners.”
"They all seem to think there's something going on between you and the boss." His words hung in the air, halfway between a warning and a question.
Claire just shrugged it off. "Let them think whatever they want. Doesn't bother me.” Dane watched her, still frowning. "They also got the wrong idea about what we were doing in that private room..." He trailed off, but the meaning was clear.
Claire didn't care at all. "Who cares? I've played games with my business partner in that room before, with the door closed. Besides, we were just dealing with a situation. No big deal."
Dane didn't seem okay with the idea of her being alone in a room with another guy. "You're a girl. If anything happens, it's you who gets hurt. Just... be more careful, okay?"
Claire actually agreed on that one. "Yeah, you're right. I should be more careful around you too." If she'd
beermore cautious she wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble today, even checking the cafe's security cameras.
"I'm being serious," Dane said, thinking she was brushing him off.
"I know. But you're right. You really can't just blindly trust any guy." Dane clearly
included himself in that warning.
Claire didn't give a straight answer.
Once they left the café, Claire headed straight to school. Dane disappeared somewhere, who knows where. Claire figured he. probably could have handled things on his own anyway, but since theirs families had some history, she didn't mind lending a hand. What made her a little uneasy was showing off a skill she usually kept hidden. Then again, Dane still didn't know the full story about her.
At the school gate, the security guard stopped her. Claire explained she'd missed
school because she'd been in a car accident.
The guard looked genuinely worried. "Are you okay?"
She was one of the school's best students, a top prospect, so his concern made sense. He also knew about the whole "switched at birth" thing between Claire and Cindy but since Claire looked fine, he didn't bring it up No need to make things awkward.
Claire assured him she wasn't hurt and he let her in.
Back in class, all eyes were on her. The whole room was buzzing with gossip.
“Claire, I heard you got in a car crash. Was it last night on Redwood Forest Byway?" someone asked.
Everyone was practically holding their breath, waiting for her answer.
Claire hadn't expected them to be so nosy. Cindy looked at her nervously, clearly anxious to hear what she'd say.
"Yeah, there was a car accident, but I'm fine," Claire said, keeping it simple.
"If you're fine, why did you miss school?" someone else pressed, not buying it. “I heard you got arrested. My cousin was there and said you tried to stop a mom with a sick kid from getting to the hospital."