Bad Girlfriend

by Kirsten DeMuzio

  “Who?”

  “Lindsay Ross. Senator Ross’ niece.”

  Graham whistled. “No, shit? What’s she doing there?”

  “She’s married to the owner of the local boat repair shop. This dude is badass, Graham. Long hair, tattoos, the whole nine yards. They’re complete opposites, but it seems to work for them.”

  “Well, it sounds likes you’ve made some friends. What about women? The pickings have got to be pretty slim.”

  “Actually, there’s a surprising amount of beautiful women in this town.” One, of course, stood out above all the rest for me.

  “Make sure you make the rounds for me,” Graham said. Graham never had a shortage of women in his life. He wasn’t unlike the guys I hated for taking advantage of Brooke. The difference was that the women he hooked up with knew the score going in. Graham was nothing if not brutally honest.

  I pulled into the parking lot of the school. “I’m at work, so I’ve got to go. But you’ll have to come out and visit soon.”

  I could hear the New York traffic in the background as Graham promised to get out here as soon as he could manage a couple of days off. With his rising career in corporate law, I wasn’t holding my breath that would be anytime in the near future.

  There were only a few other cars in the parking lot when I walked into the school, one of them being Louise’s. No matter how early I arrived she was always here before me.

  “Good morning, Louise,” I said pleasantly as I passed her desk on the way to my office. As always, she had opened my door and placed the newspaper on my desk.

  “Mr. Branigan,” she said, rising to follow me into my office. “Superintendant Cole will be coming by to meet with you at eleven. You are scheduled to observe Mrs. Rausch’s class at two o’clock and Mrs. Campbell’s class at two forty-five. And of course you have carnival set up immediately after school is dismissed.”

  All of this was already on my calendar, except for the Superintendant’s visit. “Do you know why the Superintendant wants to meet with me?”

  Louise pursed her lips. “No, sir. Will that be all for now?”

  She always requested to be dismissed like I was keeping her from more important tasks, even though I never actually asked for her to give me a rundown of the day’s schedule in the first place.

  “Uh, yes. Thank you, Louise.”

  When she left I set the newspaper aside and started going through my e-mails. Nothing out of the ordinary today, and paperwork and reviewing new policies kept me busy until Superintendant Cole arrived at exactly eleven o’clock.

  “Superintendant Cole is here to see you,” Louise announced from my doorway.

  “Send him in, please.”

  I stood up to shake hands with Thomas Cole when he walked into my office.

  “Thomas. It’s good to see you.”

  “How is Louise treating you?” Thomas asked, and I got the feeling he might be afraid of Louise too.

  “She’s very efficient,” I replied tactfully.

  Thomas laughed as he took a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of my desk. “This is just an informal meeting today, Adam. I just wanted to stop by and see how you like the job.”

  I relaxed back into my seat. Even if I was on friendly terms with Thomas and had known him for a long time, he was still my boss.

  “The job is great. Really. The teachers are all extremely capable, and the parents are involved. I have no complaints.”

  “That’s good to hear. I have to tell you my office has received good feedback about you from teachers and parents alike. All good feedback…except for one parent.”

  I leaned forward and placed my forearms on my desk. I knew from experience that not everyone would like me or the way that I ran the school, but I always took negative feedback seriously.

  “What’s the complaint?” I asked.

  Thomas laced his fingers over his expansive stomach. “Mrs. Morris filed a formal complaint earlier this week that you were dismissive of her concerns over her daughter’s well being and education.”

  Mrs. Morris. The mere mention of her name had me wanting to roll my eyes. But I kept it professional.

  “Listen, Thomas. I’ll be honest with you. I’m not surprised to hear that.”

  Thomas frowned at me. “Are you saying her concerns are valid?”

  “No. Not at all. Mrs. Morris did schedule a meeting with me to discuss her concerns about Caitlyn. I reviewed Caitlyn’s records and talked with her teachers before meeting with Mrs. Morris. Her grades are great, and her teachers had nothing but good things to say about her behavior and social development. I relayed this to Mrs. Morris and offered to point her in the right direction if she wanted to have Caitlyn evaluated further.”

  Thomas nodded. “That sounds reasonable and appropriate.”

  “The thing is, Thomas, Mrs. Morris was clearly requesting my services for something other than Caitlyn’s education, if you understand what I’m saying.”

  He didn’t look surprised and his mouth drew into a thin line. “I can’t say I’m surprised to hear that, having known Mrs. Morris for a long time. Thank you for clearing that up for me, Adam.”

  Thank God he believed me.

  “After the situation with Principal Edwards, this district can’t afford to have any doubts about its new principal. I trust you will do whatever it takes to keep your reputation sparkling clean, Adam.”

  “Uh…of course, Thomas,” I said, somewhat confused by the direction this conversation was going. It was the same kind of warning message that Mrs. Larkin had relayed at the PTO meeting.

  He clapped his hands together and stood up. “Great! Now I have some good news. Angela is in town for a short visit.”

  It took me a minute to process the change of topic. Angela was in town? And this was good news, because…?

  “Come on, son. I’ll take you two out to lunch. I know Angela is anxious to catch up with you.”

  Thomas was standing by the door, clearly waiting for me to join him. Since when was Angela anxious to see me? If I remembered correctly, she couldn’t get away from me fast enough once she found out I wasn’t ready to get married.

  “Don’t make the girl wait, Adam.”

  This day was getting stranger by the minute. I grabbed my keys and walked to the door.

  Thomas wasn’t kidding about Angela being anxious to see me. She was standing in the front office chatting with Louise. It had been several years since I had seen Angela, and my first impression was that she had changed a lot. Not necessarily physically. Her dark hair was cut in the same sleek bob, and her clothes and makeup were impeccable and classy as always. Her face was still classically pretty, though she looked every bit of the thirty years old she was now. It was the sharpness in her eyes and the hard set of her mouth, even when she was smiling, that made her look so different.

  I couldn’t help comparing her to Brooke - her blatant sexuality, expressively honest eyes, and sweet mouth in stark contrast to Angela. Never before had I been more attracted to Brooke and less attracted to Angela.

  “Adam!” Angela exclaimed when she saw me.

  “Angela. It’s good to see you.” I started to offer my hand for a cordial handshake, but she stepped right up to me and hugged me tight. My hands hung loosely by my sides for a moment before I lightly patted her on the back. The fact that I had at one time been intimate with this woman made this moment all the more uncomfortable.

  “I’ve been wondering where you ended up, and when I heard from Uncle Thomas that you were here, I had to come see you.”

  “Yeah, I decided it was time for a change. I like everything about the job and the town so far.”

  Thomas started toward the door and Angela looped her arm through mine and began to pull me along. Louise loudly cleared her throat behind us.

  “Mr. Branigan? Before you go I have a message for you,” Louise said in her no nonsense way.

  “You two go ahead. I’ll catch up,” I said to Thomas and Angela.
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  When they were out of earshot, Louise leaned toward me and harshly whispered, “Watch out for that one. I don’t like her.”

  That was not at all what I was expecting to hear from Louise. It didn’t surprise me that she didn’t trust Angela, because I doubted there was anyone she did like. But the fact that she was warning me, like she was protecting me, like she actually gave two craps about me? That shocked the hell out of me.

  “Thanks, Louise. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  She nodded her head once and sat back at her desk. Still baffled by the events of the last half hour and slightly apprehensive about having lunch with Angela, I walked out of the school. Thomas’ car was pulled up in front of the school and I slid into the backseat.

  Angela and Thomas kept up the conversation on the short drive to the middle of town. When Thomas parked his car in front of The Last Call, I silently cursed him. Brooke’s salon was just one block down and Ford was probably working today. Not that I was doing anything wrong, but I knew having lunch with an ex-girlfriend would throw up all sorts of red flags if Brooke found out before I had a chance to explain.

  Just my luck, Ford was behind the bar when we walked in. The place was crowded, but there was an open booth near the bar. I sat down on one side and Thomas on the other. Angela slid in next to me.

  Since we were so close to the bar, Ford came over with ice waters and menus.

  “Hey Adam, Mr. Cole,” Ford said.

  “That game last week was a great one, Ford. Coach Wallace is lucky to have you on his team this year. But I heard a rumor you won’t be sticking around after this season?”

  “That’s right, sir. My girlfriend is going to medical school…somewhere. And we’re kind of a package deal. I go where she goes.”

  Thomas shook his head. “It’s a shame to lose you. But I can’t compete with that pretty lady of yours.”

  Ford chuckled. “You got that right.”

  Angela stuck out her hand to Ford. “Hi. I’m Angela Cole, Thomas’ niece.” She looked at me slyly out of the corner of her eye as Ford shook her hand.

  “Angela and I went to college together,” I quickly interjected. “I knew Thomas from then, and that’s how I heard about the job opening here.”

  Angela leaned over to bump her shoulder playfully into mine and winked at Ford. “We did more than just go to college together. For goodness’ sake, Adam, we were practically engaged.”

  I instinctively reached for my collar, which was suddenly feeling two sizes too small. Ford raised an eyebrow.

  “Well, Angela, who used to be practically engaged to Adam, what can I get you to drink?” Ford said, the amusement at my obvious discomfort evident in his tone.

  I slumped back against the booth, scrunching into the corner and as far away from Angela as I could get. I didn’t like the predatory look in her eyes or the way she kept casually touching my arm or my leg. We hadn’t seen each other or spoken in more than five years, and suddenly she appeared out of nowhere acting like we were just going to pick up where we left off.

  When our food arrived, Angela finally stopped talking about what she’d been doing since graduation, namely working on her Masters and now PhD in English, and asked me about my job.

  “I hear there’s a carnival at the school tonight, Adam. Do you need help setting up? Or we could meet up later?”

  Ah ha. Here was my chance.

  “Most of the teachers are staying after school, so I think we have all the help we need lined up. And later…well, my girlfriend will be at the carnival, so we will probably grab a bite to eat after the carnival. If we run into each other, I’ll introduce you.”

  Angela’s pleasant smile stayed in place but a layer of frost descended over her hazel eyes. “You’ve only been here a few weeks and already you have a girlfriend?”

  “Yeah, well I rent the apartment over her garage, so we see each other a lot,” I said.

  “You’re seeing the Mills girl?” Thomas asked around a mouthful of bacon cheeseburger.

  “Mmm hmm,” I mumbled, having just taken a bite of my own burger.

  Thomas seemed displeased at my choice of women. “I don’t know her grandmother well, but I do remember the girl was something of a troublemaker in high school. A bit advanced for her age, if you know what I mean.”

  I was immediately on the defensive hearing anyone say anything negative about Brooke, especially someone who didn’t know anything about her.

  “People can change, Thomas. And who hasn’t done things they regret?” I said curtly, my appetite quickly diminishing.

  “Now, now, son. I didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers. Just watch yourself with that one. Remember what I said about upholding your professional reputation. This is a small town, and parents might not like finding out their child’s principal is cavorting with the town floozy.”

  I glanced toward the bar and saw Ford intently watching our table. He could probably see the steam coming out of my ears and was ready to stop me from wrapping my hands around Thomas’ meaty throat. Tossing my napkin on the table, I motioned for Angela to let me out.

  “Thank you for lunch, Thomas. Angela, it was good to see you again. I just remembered I have a 12:30 appointment. You two finish your lunch. I’ll walk back to school.”

  I left before I would say something I would regret or that would cost me my job, because I would never regret defending Brooke. Throwing open the door hard enough that it slammed against the outside wall; I stormed out onto the street. Looking to the right, I considered walking to the salon just so I could see Brooke. But decided against it. She would wonder why I was all worked up, and the conversation I just had would be one she would never hear about.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Brooke

  Poppy had texted me ten minutes ago that they would be here soon to pick me up. That meant I needed to choose an outfit pronto. Since I hadn’t been to the elementary school carnival since I was in elementary school, I wasn’t sure what the appropriate attire was. It was early September and still warm in the evenings, so I settled on a pair of white shorts and an asymmetrical off the shoulder floral print top. I knew Adam liked my hair down, so I styled it in loose beachy waves.

  I heard the horn on Ford’s truck honking out in my driveway, so I slipped on my sparkly sandals and grabbed my purse. Ford’s football team was taking turns in the dunk tank, so he was going to support them and probably throw a few balls. This way I could ride home with Adam after the carnival was over. Ever since waking up in his bed this morning, I was counting down the minutes until we were alone again tonight.

  “Hi guys,” I said when I slid in the front seat next to Poppy, who scooted over to the middle of the seat to make room for me.

  “You look so cute, Brooke. I always feel way underdressed next to you,” Poppy said, looking down at her denim cutoffs and gray t-shirt.

  “You’re perfect, baby,” Ford said, squeezing her knee. He glanced over at me and said, “You talk to Adam today, Brooke?”

  “Not since this morning. Why?”

  Ford didn’t get a chance to answer, because Poppy slapped my arm and said, “This morning? What were you doing with him this morning?”

  “Probably the same thing we were doing this morning,” Ford said, half under his breath. He got a slap on the arm from Poppy too for that comment.

  Fortunately we were already at the school, and I didn’t have to explain what we had been or not been doing this morning. Ford and Poppy headed in the direction of the games in search of the dunk tank, while I wandered around the food carts keeping an eye out for Adam.

  “Yo, Brooke.”

  I recognized the voice, but it took me a second to comprehend because Chet didn’t usually call me by my name.

  Turning around I saw Chet behind the funnel cake cart. Looks like he had taken on a second job as a carny. Seemed fitting.

  I tossed my hair and started to walk away, but he reached out and caught my wrist. When I looked at his hand on me, he relea
sed it immediately.

  “You want a funnel cake? It’s on the house.”

  “What do you want, Chet? I’m with someone else now.”

  He sighed and flipped a fresh hot funnel cake out of the fryer and onto a plate. “You’re really into that guy?”

  I watched as he doused the funnel cake with powdered sugar. “His name is Adam. And, yes, I’m really into him. He’s…nice. He treats me well.”

  Chet frowned at something over my shoulder. “He looks like Mr. Rogers’ grandson in that fucking sweater vest,” he grumbled.

  I looked over my shoulder and saw Adam across the lawn, talking to a woman with dark hair. Probably one of the teachers. Just seeing him made me smile. His sleeves were unbuttoned and rolled up to his elbows. He still wore his glasses and his hair was disheveled.

  “Jesus, Brooke. You really do have it bad,” Chet said. Whatever he saw in my expression when I looked at Adam must have convinced him I was serious.

  “If that’s really what you want, I’ll back off.”

  “Thanks, Chet.” I took the plate from him and tore off a piece of funnel cake and popped it in my mouth.

  “But it looks like you’re not the only one who’s turned on by a pansy in a sweater vest.”

  I looked back again and narrowed my eyes at the woman, who now had her hand on his upper arm. She was leaning into his body and laughing. Adam wasn’t sharing in her humor and had a tight smile on his face, and when his eyes swept my way and saw me, he stepped back so her hand fell off his arm.

  He said something to the woman and they both started walking toward me. Adam looked nervous, but the woman wore a smile that immediately made my claws come out.

  Behind me Chet whistled. “Cat fight.”

  “Shut up, Chet.”

  “My money’s on you, babe.”

  I rolled my eyes at him and set the funnel cake on the counter, so I could shake this woman’s hand or claw her eyes out, whichever the situation called for.

  “Brooke,” Adam called out when they were close enough for me to hear.

  He was walking faster than her, so he reached me first. “Hi,” he breathed with what sounded like relief. Then he framed my face with both his hands and kissed me. Pulling back he snaked his arm around my waist and rested his hand on my hip.