With a conscious effort, she let her fists uncurl and lowered her hunched shoulders. Deep breath. Maybe one more deep breath.
As Krissa pulled open her classroom door, she briefly wondered if she was a terrible teacher. Her kids couldn’t spell and they still couldn’t dissect a sentence, let alone a mealworm.
The obedient silence in the room should have been her first clue. Her eyes flicked over to Eli Anderson, but he was studying his chapter diligently. Twenty minutes until lunch; maybe she’d let them play a few rounds of spelling bingo or something.
As she sat down, her knees bonked against the desk. She blinked and her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Things didn’t feel normal. She stared at the desk. Everything on the desktop looked fine—her water at the upper right, pens and notebook to the left. Krissa reached for the middle drawer to grab some colored marker. A muffled giggle. Her fingers clunked on metal. Her gaze flicked across the room and back down to the desk. It was backward.
While the principal had been chewing her out, these scheming sixth graders had carefully reversed her desk. Everyone broke out in laughter. Hot anger welled up in Krissa and images of lifelong detention for each student zipped through her mind.
“Anyone care to take responsibility for this?” she asked in a quiet but steely voice that carried like a razor sharp arrow to the back row.
The laughter subsided until one last gulp was replaced with nervous glances.
“No one?” Krissa asked again. A gentle smile on her face perfectly covered her displeasure. She pointed to the first child in each of the four columns of students. Krissa picked up her water and sipped.
“Please turn the desk around,” Krissa said.
The two boys and two girls popped up, and with much squeaking and scratching they turned the desk around. Pencils and pens rolled to the floor and several sheets of paper flew off.
How had she not heard that racket in the hallway while Angie chewed on her? Sneaky varmints.
“Please clear your desks, class, except for your pens,” Krissa said. Her smile was cheerful. “I think it is time for a quiz—double points.”
From there it was a whirlwind of learning—and it ended with an extra writing assignment and notification of another quiz first thing the next morning. No more summer school light.
* * * *
She felt flatter than a day-old flapjack when she finally slumped into her car. The windshield wipers furiously swished at a barrage of raindrops and the tires slopped through muddy puddles as an ominous flash of lightning lit up the sky. Only a few stragglers noted Miss Courtland, the newest teacher at Wescott Elementary, drive off with her flowered skirt hanging out the car door jamb and whipping furiously in the wind.
Krissa looked at the dark gray bank of clouds with a sinking heart. As she drove home with her wipers on turbo swipe, her mind swirled with images of shotgun Vegas weddings and desk-turning hoodlums.
Somehow, a new career in the food services industry or some quiet data entry firm sounded enticing. Somewhere with no rotten kids to pull pranks on her.
Flump. Flump. Flump. Krissa grabbed the steering wheel and tried to keep the car headed straight. It pulled hard to the right. Great. Flat tire. Krissa spotted a wide spot on the shoulder and pulled over. She eyeballed the steady downpour. With a shake of her head and a droop of her shoulders, she stepped out into the driving rain.
In less than a minute, her dress was plastered to her body as she surveyed her newest challenge. She glanced down at her low-heeled sandals and watched some mud and rocks congeal between her toes. Ugh. Why she didn’t have a pair of tennis shoes or boots in her vehicle? She did not like changing tires. Boy, wouldn’t a pounding rain make it more fun? Her lips thinned into a narrow line.
Day number one of being twenty-six was a bust.
* * * *
Soggy and mud-spattered, Krissa clumped into the house as Shasta ran circles around her—woof, woof, woof.
“Yes, yes, Shasta, I’m glad to see you too.”
She leaned down to scratch his head and received several quick licks.
“Thank you for the birthday kiss,” she said. At least someone remembered her birthday. She pulled out her phone and a tiny hope flared as the message icon blinked. She hit the voicemail speed dial and pushed a dripping lock of hair out of her eyes.
“Hey, it’s me,” her brother drawled. “I got Mom’s message—holy cow! Anyway, call me. I’ve got a problem…um, I, uh, lost my job…ya know.” David made a noise like a strangled laugh. “I need your help, Krissy.”
“Are you kidding me?” Krissa shouted, and Shasta looked at her expectantly. She pushed the delete button in disgust.
She kicked off her muddy sandals and noticed how stuffy the house felt. Where the heck was the air conditioning in this place?
She marched over to the thermostat. Eighty-five degrees. Good grief. She pushed buttons, but nothing happened. A small curse erupted from between her lips. No air?
The doorbell rang. Krissa contemplated slinking up to her bedroom and hiding under the covers or maybe even under the bed itself. What else could go wrong?
She flung open the door. It was Nick standing on the porch in jeans and a deep green T-shirt looking all manly and hot. Shasta bounded forward and danced a waggy-tail polka around the visitor. Nick extended a round, plastic container that looked for all the world like a cake carrier.
“A cake for the birthday girl?” Nick said with a wide smile.
Krissa stared. Nick took in her wet clothes, mud stains, and various twigs and leaves stuck in her hair. His smile faltered.
Chapter 15
“GO away,” Krissa replied weakly.
“Surprise? It is your birthday…right?” Nick asked while still offering the dessert.
“Yes,” Krissa said and automatically reached for the cake.
She cheered up an inch. Someone had remembered her birthday. She felt a flutter in her stomach. He was very yummy-looking. No, he was a jerk. Did jerks bring birthday offerings? How did he know it was her birthday?
As if guessing her question, Nick said, “I cheated. I asked my office manager to divulge your birth date. I promise I didn’t ask what year.”
Krissa mumbled her thank yous and set the cake on the kitchen counter as Shasta frisked around Nick’s legs. It was German chocolate cake. Yuck, she hated coconut. She sniffed back a tear and tried to remember that it was the thought that counted.
“Are you saving on your electric bill?” Nick asked. “It’s cooking in here.”
“No.” Her voice quavered. “It is only eighty-five and the air conditioner isn’t working.”
Tears splashed down her cheeks. She didn’t care.
“Hey, don’t cry,” Nick said. “I can probably fix it.”
Her tears came more quickly and she started to shake. She watched Nick’s eyes get big. Her tears no doubt terrified him. That made her want to cry all the more, but she rubbed away the tears with the heels of her hands.
In a flash, Nick was by her side. He steered Krissa to the couch and pushed on her shoulders to make her sit. Nick sat next to her and put his arm around her.
“What’s wrong? You look drowned.”
Simple question. Really long answer. In five teary, hiccup-laden minutes, Nick heard all about her mother, her prankster students, her boss, her flat tire, her A/C, and her brother. She left out the part about being attracted to a stupid guy who seemed to be a lady chaser.
Nick patted her shoulder and made sympathetic noises at all the right moments. Krissa dabbed at her tears and snuffled.
“And…and you’re the only one who remembered my birthday,” she stuttered.
“Purely luck.” Nick laughed.
Krissa looked up at Nick through her wet eyelashes and whispered, “And I hate German chocolate cake. It’s the coconut.”
Nick burst out laughing.
“You have had a helluva day!” Nick said. “I don’t know what’s worse. The cake or the changing a tire
in a rain storm.”
As if on cue, a crack of thunder rumbled over the lake. Krissa tried to glare at Nick, but she started chuckling. She swiped at the dribbly tears on her cheeks.
“I never cry in front of anyone,” Krissa said.
She noticed Nick’s warm arm around her and resisted the urge to melt into it. Nick stood and Krissa perversely wished she had leaned into him.
“Now, birthday girl, let me take charge for a little,” Nick said. “You go change into dry clothes, and I’ll work on that pesky A/C and…”
“But I should—” Krissa interrupted.
“No way,” Nick said with his hand up in protest. “It is your birthday and we’ll salvage something of it for you.”
Nick pushed Krissa up the first few steps of the stairs to her bedroom loft. Krissa looked back and held back a laugh at the sight of Nick standing guard at the base of the stairs with arms crossed and mock-stern, growly-looking eyebrows.
“Fine! I’ll change.”
Krissa stomped up the last few steps. As she grabbed dry clothing, she could hear Nick scrounging through a junk drawer in the kitchen.
“Hey! Where do you keep batteries?” Nick shouted.
“Hall closet, third shelf up, on the left in a clear plastic tub with a blue lid,” Krissa replied as her hands imitated the dimensions of the bin. “What do you need them for?”
“I always start with the simple solutions,” he said. “I’m betting the batteries are old in the thermostat.”
“Oh.”
A few minutes later, Nick snapped the plastic cover back into place and punched a few buttons. An electrical hum erupted from the condenser unit and seemed promising. A few moments later, deliciously cool air flowed into the room.
“You’re a genius,” Krissa said and squeezed his arm gratefully. “Can I make you some dinner?”
She gazed at her toes and willed away her nerves. Why couldn’t she just leave well enough alone?
“No,” Nick replied.
Krissa’s eyes widened and she looked up.
“I’m going to make supper for you,” Nick grinned. “At my house.”
Krissa’s heart started beating again as she took in Nick’s laughing eyes, and she sputtered a protest.
“I won’t poison you with my cooking,” he said, “and it’s your day. It looks like the rain stopped, so go play with Shasta. It’s a clinically proven fact that playing with a Husky will improve your attitude by sixty-seven point three percent.”
Nick led her out of the guesthouse, along the pathway to his back deck. Shasta bounded off to the lake; Krissa laughed and inhaled the woodsy tang of rain on the forest floor. She looked up at the hesitant sun peeping from behind some dark clouds. At least the rain was taking a breather.
“Don’t even peek at what I’m cooking up for us,” he said, wagging a finger at her. Krissa smiled.
She watched Nick stroll through the large French doors into his house. It was just dinner, right? There was no law against breaking bread with a friend. Nick was just a friend. Her brain put a heavy emphasis on the word “friend.” She twitched back a strand of hair tousled by a breeze.
Nick was a really sexy friend. But just another dude. He was playing the nice neighbor and it would be rude to decline his kind offer to make her a birthday meal. She lifted her chin. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to have any male friends. Nick was her landlord and he was being nice. It was just two neighbors hanging out. He could date as many women as he wanted and it meant nothing to her.
She was fine. Absolutely.
* * * *
“That was scrumptious,” Krissa declared as she nibbled on the grilled chicken salad and debated grabbing the last piece of toasted garlic cheese bread. She sipped on her wine and decided to nab the lone, undefended slice after all.
“More wine?”
“Please.”
Krissa wished she knew why she couldn’t seem to resist Nick’s stormy blue eyes. They were merely friends, she reminded herself. He really did seem like a charming guy, but what was he doing making dinner for her if he really was seeing Angie?
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Krissa said.
“Sure,” Nick said as he pushed away his empty plate and swirled the wine in his glass.
“I’m here having dinner with you right now, but I’ve gotten the impression, that, um, well…you might be seeing someone.”
Nick look startled and Krissa didn’t know what to make of that.
“No, I haven’t been on a date in several months and definitely with no one from town in several years,” Nick said firmly.
Krissa watched his eyes and tried to read his body language.
“Who or what gave you the impression that I’m interested in anyone other than you?”
Krissa blinked and tried to ignore the tiny knot that had formed in her midsection.
“You’re not engaged?”
“No,” Nick said with a vigorous shake of his head. “Now stop beating around the bush. What is it that you think? I sure as hell wouldn’t be chasing after you while I was engaged or even dating someone else. Give me a little credit, please.”
Krissa lifted her eyebrow at the irritation in his voice. What else was she supposed to think when Angie had said they were an item?
“If what you’re saying is true, I think you’ve got a problem,” Krissa said. “Angie Jarrett has been working overtime to convince me that you two are seeing each other and pretty much engaged, again.” She put a heavy emphasis on the last word and waited for Nick to spill the details.
Nick muffled a curse under his breath with a groan. “I thought she was done with that.”
“Oh?” Krissa said with a hint of disbelief in her voice.
Nick leaned back in the chair with a distant look in his eyes.
“I’m not going to bore you with all the details, but Angie and I were engaged once way back right after high school. We broke up that first semester of college.” Nick hesitated. “Now every couple of years she tries to get back together. I think it’s when she’s in between other boyfriends. It never lasts very long.” He slapped his hand on the table. “She’s got me building a new playground for the school, so we met up in the park the other day.”
“That would be a good way to spend more time with you,” Krissa said. She took another swallow of wine and decided that Nick’s story rang true. Had she been misjudging him?
Nick leaned forward and extended his hand to Krissa. She slowly placed her hand in his and felt his warm palm slide against hers. Every nerve along her spine snapped to attention.
“Believe me, Krissa,” Nick said. “I’m a nice guy. I would never cheat on a woman. Never. I respect myself too much for that and I can’t imagine inflicting that kind of hurt on someone else.”
Krissa felt tears well up as he squeezed her fingers in reassurance. She pushed back her emotions. He sounded like he might have had a two-timing girl in his life. Had it been Angie? She didn’t want to ask.
“I’m a good guy, Krissa,” Nick said as he moved around the table and pulled her up to her feet. “You are the only woman I am interested in.”
He slowly gathered her closer and gave her every chance to pull back.
Krissa couldn’t remember the last time she felt so at ease. She studied Nick’s face and smiled at the hint of a cleft in his chin. Her eyes drifted over his mouth, his straight nose and angular cheekbones, and then his dark blue eyes. She wondered why she was supposed to avoid Nick, but she couldn’t quite remember. For a moment, his deep, azure eyes were her whole world.
Nick stroked her cheek. Without a thought, she leaned into his hand and closed her eyes. A purring sound almost escaped her lips.
Nick cradled her face with both hands and then his lips brushed hers. Sensation rippled through her body. The kiss deepened and Krissa found her arms winding around Nick. She felt aglow. He pressed her closer. Her senses blazed at every point where their bodies met.
Nick pulled back and
traced her lips with his thumb. “So kissable and luscious.”
“Kiss them again,” Krissa demanded as she slid in closer. Her mind reveled in the sensations. There was no space for rational thought.
The room seemed to ignite in flames and their mouths clung to each other, their tongues danced and their hands caressed. Krissa melted into his body and felt Nick respond. His hand slid down her back in small, massaging circles, and a low moan escaped between her lips.
Shasta barked and shoved his nose between them. He shook his white ruff and barked a second time, demanding attention. Krissa looked down at Shasta in confusion.
“Don’t want to share, huh?” Nick said as he ran his fingers through the pup’s dense fur. Nick let out a low rumbling laugh and slowly released Krissa.
Her flesh hummed as if alight with music. What happened to friendly neighbors? It was time to retreat and regroup. Krissa noticed the sun was dipping low and brushing the treetops at the far side of the lake.
“I’d better get going,” she said. “I still have class in the morning.”
Nick’s eyes scanned her face briefly.
“I can’t even bribe you to stay longer,” Nick said with a teasing smile, “since all I have is that German chocolate cake.”
Krissa pretended to ward it off with her hands. “No way.”
They walked hand in hand back to Krissa’s cottage with Shasta racing ahead. They paused on the patio and Nick turned to Krissa.
“Will you come have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
“No. I can’t. I have online office hours tomorrow night.”
“What about before that? Maybe a hike after summer school? You get off at lunch, right?”
Krissa hesitated, but before she knew it, she had agreed. “I should be ready by one,” Krissa said and then called out to Shasta. As the dog bounded toward them, Nick swiftly pulled Krissa back into his arms.
Before she could protest, he gently pressed his mouth against her lips. As the heat grew, his lips and tongue whispered and danced against her flesh. Her breath came in short little gasps.
Nick pulled back and stroked her long, red-gold hair and placed one last kiss on her mouth.
Last Resort Love Page 13