Free One Little Thing by Kimberly Lang Page B

in shock. It must have shown on her face, because a moment later, he was asking, “Is everything all right?”
    He has no idea who I am.
That one thought rattled around her head like dried seeds in a gourd. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
    Mr. Shipp began looking around a little desperately. “Are you here with someone? Should I—”
    His hand landed on her arm at that point, snapping her out of her shock, and a moment later, all that righteous indignation roared back, lighting up her veins like kerosene on fire. “Don’t touch me, you bigot,” she snapped, jerking her arm away.
    White eyebrows flew to his hairline. “Excuse me?”
    â€œYou heard me. You’re a hateful, homophobic bigot, and you should be deeply ashamed of yourself.”
    â€œMy dear, I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about. I don’t even know you.” The genuine look of confusion on his face only fed the flames of her ire.
    Flitting right outside that red haze of anger was the sure knowledge that her very proper mother was keeling over right now from a heart attack at her behavior, but that wasn’t enough to stop her words. “Wow. You’ve destroyed so many people’s lives that you can’t even remember them all. My name is Sophie. Sophie Cooper.”
    Recognition dawned on Mr. Shipp’s face. “Miss Cooper. Of course. I’d heard you’d come back to Magnolia Beach.”
    His coolness only fanned the flames. She felt as if she were vibrating in anger, but her voice, she was pleased to hear, stayed even. “Surprised?”
    â€œWhy would I be surprised?”
    â€œAfter the witch hunt you led against my father? You wanted us the hell
out
of this town. It wasn’t enough that you got David fired from a job he loved, or that you forced both of them out of the closet in a small town, or that you humiliated my mother and destroyed my life—”
    Quinn suddenly appeared by her side, taking hold of her arm. “Sophie,” he said quietly, his tone somewhere between placating and warning. A quick glance showed her that the party had come to a complete halt, and every eye in the place was on her. A rush of embarrassment hit her, but it was easily swamped by her anger.
    She shook off Quinn’s restraining hand. “What did any of us ever do to you to deserve that? Why did you have to go digging into people’s private lives? And why would you make such a big public fuss over something that was
none of your damn business
?” She shouted the last part of that sentence, nearly blowing Mr. Shipp’s white hair back from his forehead.
    His eyes flashed, letting her know she’d finally broken through. He lifted his chin. “I regret that you were harmed or embarrassed in any way, Miss Cooper. The sins of the parents should not revenged upon their children.” The sanctimonious tone completely belied his words. “I, however, had an ethical and moral obligation to report the
im
moral activities of a teacher at this school in order to protect the children and the community at large.”
    â€œThat’s ridiculous.” She was furious that this man had no shame, no regret, for what he did. She’d have been satisfied to see him show even the slightest remorse, or even a sign that he might have used the last decade to rethink his attitude and self-righteousness.
    Mr. Shipp took a breath. “As for your other question, you’ll have to ask Mr. Haslett.”
    She felt Quinn stiffen beside her, then heard him curse under his breath. That didn’t make any sense. She cut her eyes in his direction, just long enough to register that he looked miserable.
    Then Mr. Shipp continued. “Young Quinn was the one who ‘went digging,’ as you put it. He uncovered and complied all the evidence. I only ensured that the information made it into the appropriate people’s