Phil frowned. “Uh…don’t you have a degree?”
I tensed instantly and tried to make eye contact with Brent to tell him to shut up, but he didn’t even glance at me before he spoke.
“Nah, Meg dropped out.”
I felt a black cloud of shame fall over me, and I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I was embarrassed enough about my decision, no matter how justified it might have been, and to be outed in front of this handsome stranger...it was too much. It made me feel small and stupid, and suddenly, I didn’t want to be here anymore.
“Excuse me,” I said, without looking at either Brent or Phil.
I grabbed my backpack on the table and retreated to Brent’s bedroom, shutting the door on the party. Sighing, I fell back onto his bed and shut my eyes. I was reading through one of my old textbooks when the door opened slightly. I realized with a start that it was Phil.
“Hi,” I said, surprised to see him.
“Hi,” he replied. “Can I come in?”
I was so surprised that I answered right away. “Sure.” I nodded.
He walked inside and shut the door behind him. “I don’t want to disturb you, but… I guess I just needed to get away. Apparently, you had the same idea.”
I smiled. Then I patted the space beside me on the bed. “I don’t mind a little company.”
Phil sat down next to me and leaned against the back wall. “I like your brother,” he said. “But he knows some weird people… I don’t know what that says about me.”
I laughed. “I have to admit, I’m kind of surprised that Brent has a friend like you. You seem too…grown up and stable to be hanging around with my brother.”
Phil laughed. “Let’s just say I knew him back when I wasn’t quite as stable.”
“Ah.”
“Listen, about earlier… I’m sorry if you got upset about the whole dropping out business.”
I felt my cheeks color instantly, but I forced myself to remain composed. “It wasn’t my finest decision,” I said. “And, I suppose I’m a little ashamed of it.”
“Don’t be,” Phil replied. “College isn’t for everyone. I never went.”
“By choice?”
“Well, no.” Phil smiled. “I suppose I never had the opportunity.”
“I did,” I said with disappointment.
“And if you feel strongly about it, you can always go back in the future,” he pointed out.
I glanced over at him. He really was a handsome man, and I appreciated how intuitive he was. It was almost flattering. “What do you do, Phil?”
“I’m a firefighter.” I could detect the note of pride in his tone when he told me his job, and I was instantly impressed.
“Wow…that’s quite a job.”
“It was a hard road, but I finally made it.”
I smiled. “Did you always want to be a firefighter?”
“I never dreamed that far,” he replied. “I guess I just wanted to survive—everything else came second.”
I found myself staring at him, wondering what it was about him that was drawing me in and making me feel both weeks in the knees and light headed.
“Megan?”