We both turn to her at the same time. Hadleigh plasters yet another faux grin on her face. “Sweetie, would you mind putting them on our desks in the workroom? You can ask any of the teachers in there which desks are ours.”
Sadie’s head bobs. “I can do that.” She shoots a grin at me. “Mr. Rivers, guess what?”
“What?”
“Those mean girls are all kinds of nice when you have cookies that they want.” She giggles, shrugging her slim shoulders.
“I bet they are. Just make sure you remember that it doesn’t matter what other people think. Do or be whatever makes you happy.” I wink at her. “We’ve got to get to a meeting, but thanks for the cookies. We’ll see you tomorrow in class, okay?”
“Okay!” She whirls around, a bright grin on her face, and hurries away.
As we head down the hallway, Hadleigh peeks up at me. “You’re going to make such a great teacher.”
“Let’s hope I get that far.” I eye all the students racing into their classes just before the bell, wondering if I’ll get the chance at a job here or elsewhere. It’s entirely possible that everything is about to go sideways. Ed may talk. He may show off those private photos. He may not give two shits that we’ll take legal action against him. He’s off his rocker just enough that he might not even care. I grimace thinking about it, and unfortunately, Hadleigh sees it.
She shakes her head, looking a little worried. Under her breath she says, “I want to hold your hand so badly right now.”
“I appreciate that, but we’ll have to save it for home.” Using the word home with Hadleigh feels right. I wonder if she feels it, too.
With a deep breath, she nods at me as we push the office door open. Zoey is there speaking to one of the secretaries when we walk in, and I notice she gives Hadleigh a reassuring smile, which I appreciate. I’m glad her friends are on her side through this. I’d been a little worried about what they’d think of the whole situation, but it seems they are supportive. That’s confirmed when Zoey gives me the same smile as she points back toward the administrative offices. “Mr. Steele is waiting for you, Sawyer.”
I give her a quick nod. “Okay.” With measured steps, I make my way down the small hallway.
From behind me, Hadleigh says, “It’s that one on the left.”
I give a solid rap on it when I get there, look over my shoulder and give Hadleigh an encouraging smile. My knock is answered with a deep, “Come in.”
Opening the door, I enter the small office. I’ve only spoken with Mr. Steele a handful of times up until this point—once on the phone before my placement, the day I arrived, and another time in passing. He’d seemed like a nice enough guy when we met, but I think this must be his game face because he looks pretty serious.
Well, let’s get this done, then. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
I extend a hand across his desk. “Sir. Good to see you.”
He nods and shakes my hand, eyeing the cut on my lip. He gestures to a chair. “Okay. Let’s get started.” He clears his throat, picking up a pen and pulling out a notepad. “I heard some rumblings yesterday after the wrestling tournament that something may have happened between you and Mr. Haskin—a disagreement or argument of some sort. No one heard what was said, nor did anyone see how he broke his nose.” He stops to tap his pen on the notepad, eyes scanning my face, honing in again on my injury. “I’m making an assumption here, but it looks as though you’ve sustained some injuries over the weekend as well.”
I nod, working my jaw back and forth, hoping I can say the right thing without divulging too much.
“Want to tell me what happened?”
“Of course, sir.” I blow out a controlled breath. “Mr. Haskin said something unkind about Ms. Beckett. I couldn’t let it go and called him on it. I apologize.” I meet his eyes and nod, showing him how sincere I am.
Interestingly enough, I see a flash of anger in his eyes, but I don’t think it’s aimed at me. “Unkind, you said?”
“That’s putting it very mildly. The terms he used are not ones I’d choose to repeat if I don’t have to. Unfortunately, the situation escalated.”
“The argument became physical in nature?”
“It did. And, again, I apologize. I didn’t intend for that to happen.”
He nods and appears to be thinking things through. “Would you mind if I ask Ms. Beckett a few questions?”
“Not at all. She’s actually out in the office.”
He pushes a button on his desk phone and requests that the secretary send Hadleigh in. A few moments later, a light knock sounds on the door and Mr. Steele says, “Come in.”
The door opens and Hadleigh pokes her head in. “You wanted to see me?”
He beckons her inside with one hand. “Ms. Beckett, would you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
She shakes her head as she walks into the room, closes the door, and takes the chair next to me. “I don’t mind. I’d like to support Mr. Rivers, so yes, anything you need to ask is fine.”
Mr. Steele seems to think over things for a second. “And are you okay with Mr. Rivers staying?”
“Of course. I’m comfortable with him hearing anything you have to say or ask of me.” Hadleigh sits ramrod straight in her seat, but her knee is going a mile a minute again. It makes me want to smile, but I think better of it.
Mr. Steele focuses on her. “It seems you know more about whatever happened between Mr. Haskin and Mr. Rivers than I was previously aware of. Were you present during the argument?”
Her chest visibly rises and falls, her breath coming fast. She wets her lip, nervous. I want so badly to put my hand on her knee to still the bouncing motion, but I know I can’t, and it kills me. “I wasn’t.”
“So, you didn’t witness it?”
“No.”
“Were you aware of animosity between them?”
“To a certain extent, yes. And I’m pretty sure you’ll see on the footage from the surveillance camera outside the gymnasium doors that Ed hit Sawyer twice before he responded.” She takes a deep breath.
Mr. Steele looks back and forth between us, finally landing on me. “And that fight was due to something Mr. Haskin said about Ms. Beckett, is that right?”
I nod. “Yes, sir. Again, I apologize that it came to that.”
“Be that as it may, we could possibly need to terminate your placement here, depending on what Mr. Haskin says when I bring him in.”
“But—” Hadleigh makes a move to jump to my defense, but I stop her with a hand to her forearm. I don’t want her saying more than she has to.
“It’s okay, Hadleigh. Let’s wait and see what Mr. Haskin says first.” I look up at the assistant principal and lock eyes with him. “Yes, sir. I understand, and wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Hadleigh stands up from her seat, her face even more red now. “No. This isn’t happening.”
“Had. Don’t.” I close my eyes for a second and shake my head.
Mr. Steele’s brows go up at my use of a nickname, but he doesn’t say anything.
“No, Sawyer. He needs to know.” Her eyes flick to Mr. Steele’s, imploring him to listen. “What Ed isn’t going to tell you is that he and I were seeing each other and he hasn’t taken the breakup well. I can go into more details if you need me to. Sawyer just happened to be at the wrestling match yesterday, volunteering, and he got caught up in my mess. Please consider that before making any decisions.”
Surprisingly, Mr. Steele just nods with a smile. “Okay, Ms. Beckett. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll call you back in if I need to.”
Beautiful, brave woman. Everything inside of me twists and tightens, knowing it must have been difficult for her to say as much as she had.
And now … we wait.
Chapter 34
Hadleigh
“Did you know that when two lovers gaze into each other’s eyes, their hearts synchronize?” Sawyer looks at me expectantly. I try to smile, but I’m so nervous, I feel
like puking on my shoes.
“Hadleigh, it’s going to be fine. We’ll deal with whatever decisions are made. No matter what, everything is going to be okay. Promise.”
I breathe in deeply and hold it, nodding, before letting it out in one big whoosh. Sawyer has proven himself to be a man who will stand by me through thick and thin, not just when I’m the easy, convenient choice. “I’m glad you’re confident because I’m nervous as hell.”
“Baby, I’m confident because I know that no matter what happens, we’ll figure things out—together.” He samples the meat sauce he’s been cooking.
“You really mean that?” The wobble in my voice has him setting the spoon down and pulling me to him.
His hands rest on my hips as he looks into my eyes. “Of course I do.” His fingers press into my skin. “I kind of thought you felt the same.”
I scan his features and swallow. Oh. Oh, man. “Sawyer, I do. Um. I’m not really good with stuff like this.” Does he understand why this is so hard for me? I know he’s been waiting. He’s told me he loves me, and I haven’t been able to say it back. I’ve tried, but every time I open my mouth, it clamps shut again. It’s not because I don’t want to tell him. I do. I’m just terrified.
“Stuff like what?”
“Um. Oh.” I frown. “I—” I take another big breath. “I—”
A smile spreads across his face. “Hadleigh, did you know that falling in love produces several euphoria-inducing chemicals? It’s almost like being on certain drugs. Twelve areas of the brain are stimulated all at the same time.” His eyes twinkle.
“You definitely stimulate me, Sawyer.” In a lightning-quick move, I throw my body against his and hold on for all I’m worth.
He chuckles roughly into my hair, his strong arms wrapping tightly around me. “You stimulate me, too, Hadleigh.”
I look up at him and see my future before me. A single tear falls down my cheek, and he brushes his lips past it, kissing it away. “Sawyer, I never would have guessed when you showed up at school the first day that you’d be the one teaching me a lesson. But you have.”
“And what lesson would that be? Knowledge of assorted weird trivia aside.”
“That I’m worthy of love. That I can have what so many others do. That I’m not broken. I’m more alive and myself with you than I’ve ever been with anyone before.” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I’ve never said this to anyone before—I love you, Sawyer Rivers.”
He smiles down at me, and I swear there are tears in his eyes, too. “Had, I think I’ve been waiting for someone like you. You’re the one I want to create my history with—the history of us.”
Epilogue
Piper
That’s just about the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Hadleigh just told us how she finally told Sawyer she loves him. I’m so happy she’s found someone like him. He’s been good to her, and good for her, despite the stumbling blocks right at the beginning. I just hope everything works out with the Ed issue. That hasn’t been fully resolved yet, and I’m a little concerned.
“He asked if it would be okay to move in with me once he’s done with his placement. He says he doesn’t like being apart from me and it’s hard sleeping without me.” Hadleigh sighs, a completely giddy, lovesick smile on her face.
Quinn snorts beside me. “Oh, I bet it’s hard when you’re sleeping next to him, too.”
“It sounds like it’s hard all the time,” Madison laughs.
Hadleigh giggles. “Hey, those are my kind of lines.”
Sophia looks up from Hadleigh’s book choice—the erotic romance Sawyer discovered in Hadleigh’s bag a few weeks ago. We’d been discussing it before our conversation went off the rails again. “And everything went okay where you-know-who is concerned?”
You-know-who is Ed, but we’ve made a pact not to bring up his name again after all the trouble he’s caused Hadleigh.
Zoey shrugs. “I tried to ask Mi—Mr. Steele about it, but he said he wasn’t at liberty to discuss it.” She grins, her cheeks glowing pink. “But then he winked at me, so I figured everything was okay.”
“When Mr. Steele called Sawyer into his office again on Tuesday morning, I thought we were really in trouble.” Hadleigh raises her hands palms facing outward. “I guess after what Sawyer said to him, you-know-who wouldn’t discuss his broken nose, especially after he was informed that the surveillance footage outside the gym very clearly showed him punching Sawyer twice first. He refused to say anything else.”
“But did Mi—Mr. Steele say anything about you being together?” Zoey eyes Hadleigh curiously.
“He tiptoed around the subject. I’m pretty sure he knows. He urged us to have caution in how we relate to each other at school because it’s obvious that we’re ‘good friends.’”
Sophia snickers. “Friends. Right ...”
Hadleigh gives a wicked grin. “And then he requested to have Brian Schmidt sit in on a few of Sawyer’s classes and check over my reports that I turn in to his advisor. He said he’d make a note that it was because Sawyer is the first student teacher I’ve had, but I’m pretty sure it’s to cover all of our asses, just in case you-know-who decides to cause trouble.”
I cross my arms in front of me. That guy is an asshole. He’s lucky a broken nose is all Sawyer gave him. “Well, I’m just glad that he’s finally gotten a clue and has stopped texting you photos.”
“He kind of had to.” Quinn laughs and sneaks a glance at Sophia. “Should we tell them?”
I squeak out, “Tell us what?” Madison, Zoey, and Hadleigh’s eyes go as wide as my own.
Sophia looks around before lowering her voice. “We had Heath go in and ask him some bizarre wrestling match scoring question. While you-know-who was busy explaining it all, Quinn and I snuck into his office and found his phone just sitting out in plain sight on his desk. We were ready to steal it if we had to, but the idiot doesn’t have a lock code set on it. So, we literally just went into his camera roll and deleted all the photos of Hadleigh, then deleted the text message thread where he’d sent them to her.” She can’t stop the wicked laughter that erupts as all of our mouths drop open.
Quinn shakes her head with a sly smile. “I doubt he had them anywhere else. And if he’s not smart enough to put a lock code on his phone, he definitely won’t be able to figure out a way to get the photos back. That should be that.” She snickers behind her hand.
Hadleigh’s expression is priceless. “Oh my God, you are the best. Really.”
The relief in the group is palpable, and the girls keep talking, but I’m distracted. I hadn’t wanted to mention it to anyone just yet, but I signed up for a new dating app last week called Tryst. I’m a smidge embarrassed that it’s come to this, but I can’t seem to find the right guy. I wonder if maybe I’m missing out on someone in the next town over who might be so close, but so far that we haven’t met. I’d even thought maybe there is someone right here in Newberry I’m overlooking.
So, I’d set up my profile with a username that has nothing to do with my real name—Sherlock4Love—because, duh, I love Sherlock. I hadn’t even put up a photo of myself because I don’t want someone clicking on me for my face … or not. My plan has been to connect with someone based on mutual interests and then see where it goes from there.
Well, lo and behold, this past week, I found someone. I’m scared shitless wondering who he is, but he’s sweet and funny and a tiny bit naughty, and he makes me feel special. Best of all, he is a huge Sherlock fan, too. In fact, that’s why I reached out to him in the first place. His username is Prof.M., just like Professor Moriarity. I just hope he will be a friend and not a foe …
The game is afoot.
SNEAK PEEK
* * *
BURN FOR YOU
CHAPTER 1: Piper
* * *
I’m distracted. Again. Very hot, and very bothered. I’m unable to concentrate fully on the conversation flowing around me, and it’s all because of a man I’ve never m
et. Not in person, anyway. We’ve been talking on this silly dating app I signed up for a few weeks ago.
The app is called Tryst, which sounds a little flirty—and a whole lot dirty—to me, but I’m desperate. In fact, I’ve been single for so long, I’m beginning to think there just isn’t a guy out there for me. I haven’t met anyone in the last five years who I’d actually like to date. Day in and day out, I work with my students, go home, grade papers, go to bed. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. That’s why I decided to give the app a try.
The other reason why I’d said goodbye to my dignity and gone for it was this: in the last couple of months, I’d watched two of my friends fall hard for the sweetest guys, and it really got me thinking. Maybe he’s out there. Maybe I’m overlooking him. Or maybe he’s just one town over—waiting for me, just like I’m waiting for him.
I’d created a profile on Tryst to test the waters and see who I could find. I want to make a real connection, so I’d hesitated to attach a photo to my profile because I don’t want to rely on photos alone. Let’s face it, people use old photos from ten years or ten pounds ago, they apply filters, or they use someone else’s photo entirely. Anything to make themselves look good.
The kind of person who would stoop to doing that is not for me anyway, so I’d just put a cute little avatar of myself on there and crossed my fingers that my sparkling personality would attract someone—the right someone. There’s got to be a guy out there who wants to get to know me based on the information I’d left in my profile, right?
A hint into who I am and what I’m looking for is in my username—Sherlock4Love. I’m just a girl, who obsesses over all things Sherlock with a passion, looking for love.
At first, I’d received a lot of questions from curious individuals, especially about the username—was I male or female? They couldn’t tell, even though it was right there in my profile. Seriously, people. Just read. Take thirty seconds to actually look at my profile before you ask me something that’s right in front of your nose.
Fight for You (Flirting with Forever Book 2) Page 18