Revenge is best served cold (Jane and Jeremiah novel Chapter 1924

Alec and I sat there, trying to act cool, but you could feel the tension in the air. When the door finally creaked open, I saw my mom standing there. Sophie had on this neat pair of jeans and a crisp white blouse, her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. She looked like she had it all together.

"You, come with me," she said, motioning for me to follow her.

I pointed to myself, a bit surprised. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

With that, Sophie turned and left the room. I glanced over at Alec. He gave me a reassuring nod, signaling that he didn't think Sophie was out to get us.

I trailed behind Sophie as she led me into an empty room nearby. My stomach did a little flip of nerves.

"Mrs. Costello, what's up? Why did you call me out here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I did some checking. There aren't any students named you or Alec at Eastwood College."

Her fingers drummed a steady beat on the table, filling the silence with a rhythmic tension. I held my breath without even realizing it.

She studied me closely. "You're not from Eastwood College, are you? Why the fib?"

"We are students there, we didn't lie, it's just..." I hesitated.

"Just that you're from the future?" she interjected.

Her words stopped me cold. I stared at her, trying to process what she'd just said. My mind was racing with a mix of disbelief and surprise.

"I had a hunch," she said with a knowing smile. "The moment I saw you, something clicked. You felt like my own kid."

"Mom..."

"Hold on, let's stick with Mrs. Costello for now," she interrupted with a slight chuckle. It seemed she was still wrapping her head around the idea of being a college student's mom at this point in her life.