“Oh, I’m not sure about that. At first I thought he might be trying to sweeten me up so I’d let him pass the class without putting the work in. Now . . . well, now I don’t know what to think.”

Alexis mulled it over. “No, I think he likes you. He’s got that look in his eye. Haven’t seen it in a while. Truth be told, he’s not been himself since he got out of prison. We’ve all been worried.”

I took another sip of my cocktail. Stu was right; he did make a mean Long Island Iced Tea. “How so?”

“He’s been quiet, introspective. If you knew him before, you’d know that wasn’t like him. Stu’s never been a deep thinker.”

I thought that was a little unfair, but I didn’t comment on it. “Well, I’m sure prison changes everyone,” I said finally.

“True.” Alexis nodded just as a redhead pulled up a stool next to her.

“Hi,” she said, introducing herself to me. “I’m Karla. Lee’s wife. He mentioned you’re a friend of Stu’s?”

I could tell by the way she didn’t even say hello to Alexis that she was on a mission for information. Lee must’ve put her up to it.

“That’s right,” I said, keeping my cards close to my chest. I didn’t know these women, didn’t know their intentions.

“And you’re his teacher?” Karla went on. I opened my mouth to say something but she interrupted me. “Don’t bother denying it. Trevor’s already filled us in. Little thing you should know about this family. Trev’s the one that can’t keep his mouth shut, so don’t go telling him anything you want to keep on the down-low. Anyway, is it okay for you to see your students? Isn’t that sort of thing frowned upon?”

Wow, she was certainly direct. I tensed and took a sip of my drink for courage before replying, “Yes, it’s heavily frowned upon. In fact, I’m not allowed to date my students at all because it’s a conflict of interest. But Stu and I aren’t together. I see a lot of untapped potential in him, and I want to help him cultivate it.”

“Seems like you’re going out of your way to do that,” said Karla, studying me in a detached, almost clinical way.

“Oh my God, would you leave the woman alone?” Alexis asked, giving me a look of apology. “I’m sorry about my friend. She’s a policewoman. Interrogations are a force of habit.”

“I just want what’s best for Stu. Lee’s worried he’s heading down a destructive path. He barely talks to him anymore, and when he does he’s grouchy. None of us want him put away again, and we certainly don’t want him getting into a relationship that could be bad for him.”

“You’re one to talk,” Alexis teased, but I was still hung up on the whole ‘destructive path’ thing. Were they really that worried he’d return to crime? “When you started seeing Lee you were a police constable and he was still stealing cars for a living.”

This caught my interest, my attention going to Karla, who shot Alexis an annoyed look. “Thanks, Lexie. Just go right ahead and air all my dirty laundry in public, why don’t you?”

“Don’t act like you don’t deserve it. You’re grilling poor Andie here like she’s a flipping murder suspect.”

Karla grimaced. “I am, aren’t I?” Then she looked to me. “I’m sorry, I’m being horrible. You seem lovely, really. I suppose I’m worried for you as much as Stu. You don’t want to put your job in jeopardy, believe me, I’ve been there.”

“Is Stu really acting that differently?” I asked in concern.

Karla chewed on her lip. “This is going to sound mean, but before he went away nothing really seemed to faze him, and I think it was because he never really thought about things too deeply. I mean, if something bad happened he’d get sad for a little while and then move on. But nowadays he’s been moping, snapping at everyone, basically acting like a depressive when before nothing could ever touch him.”

I frowned as I thought on it. He never seemed particularly depressed in class, but maybe I just wasn’t looking closely enough. Maybe I was too frazzled by his advances to notice.

“Can I get your number?” I asked Karla. “I’ll keep an eye on him, and if I see him acting strangely I’ll give you a call.”

She nodded eagerly, and we swapped phones to type in each other’s details. I was relieved that we’d just switched back a minute before Stu returned, his gaze moving between Alexis and Karla in suspicion before his eyes landed on me.

“You hungry?”

“Um, sure.”

He came and helped me down off my stool. “Come on, Lee’s serving up the food. I hope you like Mexican. It’s sort of his speciality.”

“I love it.” I smiled and he led me over to a long table where everybody was sitting down to eat. Stu introduced me to his youngest brother, Liam, who looked like a less hardened version of Lee. Apparently, he was following in his sister-in-law’s footsteps and joining the police. Stu informed me proudly that he’d just finished his training and passed all his exams with flying colours. We shook hands and exchanged hellos and then Stu ushered me into a seat. The food was delicious, tangy and spicy, and I wondered when I last sat amongst such boisterous chatter.

Stu’s arm rested against mine, and though I probably should have, I didn’t move. I enjoyed his touch, as much as it was bad for me. Because Karla was right. Putting my job in jeopardy wasn’t worth it, especially since I had a mountain of bills to pay.

If I lost my job due to any kind of scandal, I’d become unemployable, and then I’d have to file for bankruptcy. The very idea threw a cold bucket of water over my burgeoning feelings for Stu.

A little while after dinner, Lee emerged from the kitchen with a massive cream cake, twenty-five candles stuck on top, and we all sang Happy Birthday to Trevor, who clearly relished the attention. The man didn’t have a shy bone in his body.

Looking around the table, one thing was for certain: this was a family that loved each other dearly. It warmed my heart to know that Stu belonged to a group of people who cared about him a lot. How could he feel he wasn’t welcome?

“You ready to head?” Stu asked, his breath hitting my neck as he leaned into me.

“I think so. Alfie will be wondering where I am.” As soon as I said it I pulled out my phone, and sure enough there were several missed calls and messages from my cousin, asking me where I was. I suspected Jamie hadn’t had the chance to tell him I left with Stu yet, because if he had I’m sure his texts would’ve been far more panicked.