by Taryn Quinn
I attacked her uniform with water, Tide pen, and the hand dryer in the room. But the time I was done, Laurie was laughing. I took her hand and brought her back into the main classroom.
Wes was peeking in from the hallway.
I patted Laurie’s shoulder and told her to go back to her desk.
“You may all take out your snacks.” Everyone lifted the little hinged tops to their desks and took out their one snack item that was allowed out of their lunch bags.
It was much easier to keep them focused when they had a quick break. And it cut my day into thirds. Also very helpful.
Wes finally reentered the classroom and I quickly ushered him back out into the hall. “Can you tell me what happened, Mr. Kramer?”
“No.”
I crouched down in front of him to look him in the eye. “Why not?”
“Because you won’t care anyway. It’s just stupid.”
“Of course I do.”
“No you don’t. Just what princess Laurie says.”
“You can tell me.”
“It don’t matter. Can I just go back inside?”
“Wes, you can tell me.”
Instead of answering, he just put an even more mutinous look on his face.
“I thought you and Laurie were friends.”
“Used to be. Not anymore. She likes Jeffrey better. Whatever.” He brushed by me and into the room.
“Weston.”
My warning tone didn’t seem to deter him. He just walked faster into the room.
Sighing, I stood up. Parent-teacher night was tonight. Just in time.
I touched the splatter on the doorjamb. “Dammit,” I muttered.
More yogurt. Perfect.
“Did you say a swears, Miss Kelsey?”
I slammed my molars together as Olivia stepped in front of me. Of course it had to be this one who overheard me. “Weren’t you supposed to be eating your snack?”
“I have to wash my hands first, Miss Kelsey. I don’t want a sick tummy like Jessica yesterday.”
“No, you’re right.” Three of the kids had been out with the stomach flu this week. I’d used it as a germ lesson and a lot of the kids were taking it to heart. “All right then. Off you go.”
It was going to be a very long afternoon. I followed Olivia to the sink to wash my own hands and glanced over at the room as a whole. My kids—because yes, even after only a few weeks they were my kids—were eating quietly. There were a few snickers as Weston took his seat.
He simply folded his arms and stared downward.
Laurie stood next to Jeffrey as she played with the tail of her braid. She kept tossing pissed looks at Wes. Not that he looked up at all. He kept frowning at his desk until his brows snapped down over his blue eyes.
I blinked.
I’d seen that look before. But where?
“Miss Kelsey?” I turned my attention to Olivia and assisted her with pulling off a clean paper towel.
The niggling faded into helping three of the kids with their juice boxes. Making sure they were all still eating, I glanced around the room one more time and moved to my desk to check the roster of parents.
Not only was I too tired to think, I also had my first parent-teacher night to contend with. I’d taken over the last kindergarten class, so I hadn’t had to worry about doing that before. It was a whole new experience in a Catholic school. The first half of them were coming in tonight, the other half on Monday.
I sat down and sucked in a grateful breath at the moment of quiet. I snuck my phone out of my desk and shot a quick text to Ally about bringing a change of clothes for Laurie. Helped to be friends with her mother. I also skimmed for more details on the baby shower for Sage.
A knock on my door had me shoving my phone away. Luckily, it was just Caleb, the teacher from across the hall, in the skinny window and not one of the sisters.
I quickly scanned the room and headed for the door.
“Ohhh.” Came from the back of the room as Laurie, Olivia, and Jemma noticed who it was.
I shot a look over my shoulder and the girls laughed and went back to their conversation.
“Hi, Caleb. What’s up?”
“Just checking in. I was in the boys room and noticed a little…waterfall.”
I blew out a breath. “Thanks for letting me know. Had a little GoGurt malfunction.”
“Happens all the time.” He leaned into the jamb and I had to take a step back. “Ready for tonight?”
I gave him a small smile. “As I’ll ever be.”
“Just remember the parents are usually freaking out before they come in. Massage the moms.”
I arched a brow. I just bet he massaged a few of the mothers. “Thanks for the tip.”
“I just like to be helpful.”
With getting women out of their panties. “I really appreciate it. First parent-teacher conference in a new school.” I stifled the urge to babble and engage with him. I was naturally friendly, but giving this guy an inch meant entering Flirt City, and I was trying desperately not to get on the Caleb Harem radar. I didn’t need any trouble with the principal, nor was I interested.
He rubbed a hand over his biceps. “We should go out after. Trade horror stories and meltdowns.”
My stomach twisted. I had to physically swallow down a wash of acid. “I think by the end of it, I’ll be ready for my couch and some wine and that’s about it.”
“I’m happy to help out there.”
I just bet he was. “Thanks for letting me know about the bathrooms.”
“Right.” Caleb grinned and winked. “Anytime.”
I moved to close the door and the acid bubbled up again. And it so wasn’t going down. This time, it wasn’t because of unwanted attention. “Caleb, can you…” I pushed past him into the hall and pointed toward the door to my classroom, then made a dash for the ladies’ room.
“Oh, crap.”
I heard Caleb’s voice and I so wished it was crap. Other end, alas.
I barely made it down the hall to the bathroom, and into the stall before I heaved over the bowl. The entire room fuzzed and I tried not to think too closely about being face to face with a public toilet—ugh—which only made me toss my cookies all the more.
Thankfully, I was blessedly alone in the bathroom. It was bad enough to be in this state, let alone for someone else to hear it. The wash of sweat on my neck faded and the room evened out.
I sagged against the cool metal wall of the stall. I so didn’t need to get this stupid stomach flu the kids were passing around. Sage’s baby shower was this weekend.
After staggering to my feet, I made a bee-line for the sink. I rinsed my mouth and washed up, then ran the cool water over my wrists until I stopped shaking. I flattened my hand over my middle, wondering if that was the last of it.
I really didn’t want to have to call down to the office for someone to cover for me. And I had half a dozen parents coming to see me tonight.
That was just lovely. Luckily, I kept a travel toothbrush and toothpaste in my huge bag. Being a teacher, I’d learned to be prepared for anything. I only had twenty-three little humans to take care of. No big thing.
I headed back down the hall. Caleb was passing back and forth between my classroom and his own. He spotted me and frowned. “You okay?”
“No amount of Purell was going to stop me from getting the stupid stomach thing going around evidently.”
“Nope. Not when they are always putting their grubby little hands on you.”
“Grubby?”
“You know what I mean.”
I did. Caleb was one of those guys who thought teaching was the in-between time between vacations. I’d figured that out a week into the school year. I’d had an inkling already from his reputation, but it was obvious considering how he treated his students.
I wasn’t entirely sure he knew all the names of the kids in his class without a name tag.
“Do you want me to call in the relief sub?”
&nbs
p; “No. I don’t need to bother Adrienne yet. I’ll just sip water and find some animal crackers in the cabinet.”
“You sure?”
“Definitely. I’ve had the real flu and this isn’t it. Could be by tomorrow, but for now, I’m good.”
“This place is one big petri dish, man. Well, holler if you need help.” He was already heading toward his room when he said it.
Obviously, he meant every word.
Not.
If he wasn’t getting his tongue down my throat, he wasn’t interested. And he sure as hell wasn’t interested in me right now. Maybe I needed to keep the stomach flu as a backup to make him steer clear of me. It was a thought.
I made it though the rest of the day by sheer force of will. The kids were happy to have a day of crafts. Even the pile of Play-Doh scraps I had to clean up afterward was worth the relatively low-stress afternoon.
We used molds of numbers and did some easy addition and subtraction so the day wasn’t a total loss. By the time the bell rang, I was ready to crawl under the desk, but at least I hadn’t had to run for the bathroom again.
As the kids filed out, I collapsed into one of the little chairs and put my head down on the desk. The nausea was gone, but I could literally have blinked out.
I wasn’t entirely sure I hadn’t when I heard Ally’s voice from the doorway. “Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah, just one of those days.” I got to my feet a little unsteadily. I braced myself on the back of the little chair and cursed my height. The kid-sized proportions made it feel like I had to lean down to the floor.
Ally rushed forward. “Hey.”
“Don’t get too close. Afraid I may be next on the hit parade for that stomach flu.”
Ally took three huge steps back.
I laughed. “Yeah, no need to have that go around your house again.”
“No, thank you.”
“I’m glad you’re here anyway.”
“Yeah, what happened with Laurie?”
“Not sure what’s up. As far as I was aware, she and Weston Kramer were good friends.”
“Ahh.” Ally winced. “Don’t tell Seth, but Laurie is a bit of a femme fatale.”
I laughed. “Is that so?”
“Yeah. She’s been talking about—”
“Jeffrey?”
“Yes.” Ally sighed. “We aren’t even in high school yet. How am I going to survive this?”
“Well, I’m not entirely convinced it was on purpose, but Wes got one of those tubes of GoGurt all over the back of her uniform and her hair. And that pretty bow.” I moved to my desk. “I managed to get it clean, but you might want to swish it in some watered down detergent and hang it up to dry.”
“Look at you.” Ally took the ribbons. “She found one on Pinterest and it was like thirty dollars. We made this one for five.”
“Impressive mama.”
She shrugged. “Hello, Michaels’ coupons.”
I laughed. “Don’t I know it. Now we need those same coupons on Etsy.”
We both laughed. We shared the planner obsession that was rocking the internet. We’d even had a few planner nights when we could squeeze it in until school had gotten into full-swing and my life had suddenly become a series of tests to prep for and programs for the kids.
Not to mention the never-ending meetings the academy seemed to have. I should be happy the principal was so hands-on, but it was exhausting.
“Well, I’ll save you a trip for parent-teacher night if you want. Unless Seth wants a face-to-face.”
“No, he’s good. And I don’t really want to burst his ‘my daughter isn’t dating until she’s thirty’ bubble.”
“Well, she certainly has a lot of friends. But she’s bright and she’s done very well on the handful of tests we’ve had so far. Her reading comprehension is already above-average. So just keep doing what you’re doing. It’s obviously working.”
Ally made a little gesture with her hand as if she was wicking away moisture. “That’s good to hear.”
“You knew she was doing well. She’s in a happy home and can’t stop talking about you and Seth. Well, in between being Queen Bee in here.”
Ally rolled her eyes. “Not shocking. She’s Queen Bee at home too.”
“These are the meetings I love. Unfortunately, I have a few bad news ones to give tonight. Most of the kids here are amazing though. I can’t complain in the least. Even if I’m used to kindergarteners.”
“I know. I hope everything’s okay there. About ten of the kids in Laurie’s kindergarten class went to the public school.”
I certainly hoped everything was okay. I didn’t want to go anywhere. I liked my apartment, and had even bought a cactus. And I hadn’t killed it. Then again, it had only been a month.
Just give me time.
“So far, so good. It’s been an adjustment, but I love my kids.”
“Well, Laurie loves you too. All she talks about is school and boys.” Ally sighed. “Boys. God, save me.”
“We’ve got a few nuns here that can help there.”
“If Seth had his way, she’d be in the convent already.”
We both laughed and Ally checked her phone. “Well, that’s Ruth in the car, making sure I’m not dead.”
“Go ahead. Unless you have any questions, Laurie’s a joy as far as I’m concerned. I’ll talk to Weston’s dad and we’ll get it sorted.”
“What about Wes?” The deep baritone made a shiver race right up my spine and explode in my brain. I knew that voice.
Far too well.
Eight
I jammed my hands into the pockets of my freshly pressed dark jeans. I never freaking ironed. It felt like my whole body was starched right now. But the worst part was hearing the woman I couldn’t get out of my head say my kid’s name.
Did I know Kelsey was a freaking teacher?
I’d been so busy working doubles to pay for the central air and heating unit I’d had to buy for my house that I hadn’t really had time to ask Wes more than a passing question about school. Not that my kid did much more than grunt at me about the subject. He was more interested in playing football with his cousins and an unrelenting obsession with Voltron. How that came back, I had no idea.
All I knew was that it was on a constant loop in my house. In fact, Netflix stopped asking if I was still watching. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but even I knew the dialogue at this point.
And now this crazy redhead who had invaded my brain with her outrageous mouth and stupidly perfect body was responsible for molding my kid. That sounded about as wrong as something that might’ve come out of Kelsey’s mouth, but holy fuck.
I stepped into the room and resisted the urge to tuck in the white button down shirt I’d put on instead of the dingy uniform I lived in at the shop. Parent-teacher night always put me in a mood. The nuns were forever looking at me as if I was less than because there was no wife at home.
I mean, there was my mom to help out, but Wes’s mom had been out of the picture for almost half his life. And for the nuns, a single dad practically equated with “do we need to call social services on you?”
I took care of my kid, for fuck’s sake.
I cleared my throat. “Is there a problem?”
“Dare.” Her huge golden eyes were more than a little startled. She gave me a quick once over and I was glad for the shirttails hiding the bulge in my fucking jeans. It didn’t matter that I was pissed at her, my dick was ready to play.
“Ohhh.” Ally looked between us then she pressed her lips together and stifled a laugh. She hid it well enough behind a cough, but she definitely knew we’d hooked up. Women loved to fucking talk.
It wasn’t like I was hiding the fact that I’d spent time with Kelsey on more than one occasion, but it wasn’t anyone’s business if we’d hooked up. At all.
“Laurie’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Ally patted my arm as she passed me. “They’re just in a little fight.”
“Over wha
t?” I didn’t want to ask. I didn’t want to discuss any of this, but I knew I had to.
Kelsey licked her lips as she twisted her fingers together. “I tried to talk to Weston about—”
“Wes.”
Her brow furrowed. “Yes, Wes.”
I wasn’t going to let her put him in a troublemaker box. He was a good kid with a shit ton of energy. I tried not to think about his teacher last year who tried to convince him to put him on Ritalin or some shit because he didn’t pay attention. He didn’t pay attention because he was bored, and that was it.
I bunched my fists in my pockets and stared her down.
Ally glanced at the door. “Do you want me to stay or—”
Kelsey sighed. “It’s okay, Ally. I have this.”
“No, I want her here to figure it out between us,” I said, well-aware my voice sounded defensive. But if there was an issue, I wanted it settled now.
Kelsey smoothed her palm over the side of her leg. “It was a silly little misunderstanding. I tried to talk to Wes about it, but he wouldn’t talk to me. I’m not exactly sure on the particulars other than the fact that yogurt ended up down the back of Laurie’s hair and uniform.”
“Yogurt?” I was dumbfounded. I’d figured he’d thrown Play-Doh at Laurie or something. “He loves that shit—stuff. He’d never waste it. I can’t get him to stop eating it, for God’s sake.”
“I have a feeling it was an accident, but he was very embarrassed and angry. I can’t help him if he won’t tell me what’s wrong. And if it was an accident, we could have fixed it much easier.”
“Yeah, well, he’s prideful.”
“Shocking,” Kelsey muttered.
Ally let out a bawdy laugh. “Sounds about right. And Laurie overreacted, I’m sure. It got in her hair and that girl loves her hair.” She waved it off. “Again, it’s no big deal. She’ll forget all about it by tomorrow.”
Kelsey nodded at Ally. “Thanks for understanding. And coming in.”
“Feel better. I’ll see you Sunday unless you’re not feeling up to it.”
Kelsey twisted her long hair into a tumbling mass of silk over her shoulder. “I feel much better.”