by Heidi Lowe
"Don't give me that crap. You've been making little comments about her all week."
"Just taking an interest in our son's education."
"Whatever, Dominic. Step aside, I'm already late." I practically had to shove him aside as I left the room, because he seemed unwilling to let me pass without a struggle.
"You wouldn't be so insecure if you were putting out yourself. Just saying."
What an asshole! I should have left it alone, but he riled me up so much that I had to have the final word.
"Put out? To you? No thanks. I'd rather not play the STI lottery again!"
My impatient son was all but tapping his foot at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm definitely going to get detention now."
"I'll square it with Miss Petal," I promised, and my stomach did a leap at the thought.
As we approached the classroom, I could already hear her voice addressing the class. Thud, thud went my heart.
"What if she doesn't let me in?" Chester said. "Some of the other teachers do that when their pupils are late."
I didn't answer him. Even though I had no idea what type of person Miss Petal was beneath that smile and those warm, beckoning eyes, I wanted to believe that she was kindhearted. Someone with the face of an angel couldn't possibly be a tyrant who punished kids for their parents' lateness, surely?
I peered through the glass screen on the door, saw her at the front of the room. I watched for a few seconds before tapping lightly. She stopped talking, and the whole class turned to the door.
"Come in," she called in the sweetest voice. We entered tentatively. "Good morning." She smiled at us, at me. God, that smile. How many hearts had she melted with it? How many more had she yet to melt? I felt my own dissolve as I stared at her.
"Hi. I'm so sorry we're late. It's my fault. My alarm didn't go off. I'm sorry," I said, flustered.
"Hmm, I thought there was someone missing this morning."
"This won't happen again, I promise." I nudged my son into the room.
"I'll take your word for it. We like punctuality in this class, don't we, guys?"
As one, the class said yes.
"I give out detentions to parents too, Mrs. Thomas." The class laughed, and she winked at me.
It was all too overwhelming. Not only had she remembered my name, she'd made a joke and...winked at me! Who was this woman and why did I suddenly feel light-headed when I looked at her?
"Uh, right. Like I said, it won't happen again. I'll be on my way now."
"Bye." She did a little wave, and I got a glimpse of my son's face in the crowd: red with embarrassment. I was obviously cramping his style.
I left hurriedly, though leaving was the last thing I wanted to do. Oh to have been seven years old again, to be in the second grade with a teacher like that. But where were these thoughts coming from? Was it just admiration for an attractive woman doing an amazing job? Yes, it had to be that.
I hung outside the room, catching my breath, getting my heartbeat down to a normal speed.
"Okay, so where were we? My name begins with a P – Petal. P is also for paper. Now we'll go around the room saying our name, saying the first letter of it, and then choosing something that also begins with that letter. Does everyone understand?"
I could play that game. D for desire – the desire to trade places with your seven-year-old son. Or D for deranged – what you are for wanting to trade places with your seven-year-old-son!
I stood outside that room peering inside, listening as the students answered enthusiastically, jokes and laughter ensuing. For a couple of minutes this went on, and I forgot all about the chores I had to do, about the jewelry orders I needed to fulfill. Nothing else seemed more important than being here, watching her work.
I thought I was well hidden, that because of the way the glass was made it would be difficult for anyone to see out at me. But when she started towards the door, I turned and tried to sneak away.
"Mrs. Thomas, you're still here?" Too late. She'd opened the door and caught me.
I looked at her guiltily. "Hi, uh...I...uh..."
"Were you spying on me?" she asked, eyes and voice full of amusement.
I felt my cheeks burn. "No, of course not, I–"
She laughed. "I'm kidding." She touched my arm lightly as a way to relax me. It did exactly the opposite. "I get it, you're a concerned mother who wants to see how well I perform. I would be curious too. Please, come in. There's a seat at the back if you want to watch for a little while."
My legs were carrying me without my permission. I avoided eye contact with Chester, who I imagined wanted to kill me by then.
I stayed for fifteen minutes, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. I watched and listened with fascination. Observed how at ease she was at the front of the room, and how mesmerized they all were. She was the complete package: funny, confident, learned and beautiful.
They loved her, and my God, it was easy to see why.
GET HER LESSON IN LOVE
BOOKS BY HEIDI LOWE
Series:
My Mother's Best Friend
Justified Affair
The Neighbor
Set Dreams
Le Coeur Island
Novellas:
Crave: Nikki's Story
Crave: Faye's Story
At Her Service (Service Girl Chronicles, Book 1)
Back in Service (Service Girl Chronicles, Book 2)
Novels:
My Beautiful Sin (Beautiful Sin Saga, Book 1)
Sinning Again (Beautiful Sin Saga, Book 2)
Sinning Forever (Beautiful Sin Saga, Book 3)
The Queen of Miami
Strummed
Her Lesson in Love
A Scarlet Kiss
Before You Were Mine
Mega Bundles:
Girl Love: 11-Book Lesbian Romance Mega Bundle
BLURB
Now that her first year of drama school is over, Erica returns home for the holidays, with empty pockets and a keen appetite to see her favorite clients again. One in particular.
But there's a spanner in the works. Having been out of action for almost a year, she returns to find that a new girl has taken her place. Not only will this affect her ability to earn, she's concerned that her special place in Dana's heart could be under threat.
As she continues to juggle love, family and her risque career, it's only a matter of time before everything around her begins to unravel.
Back in Service is the second book in the Service Girl Chronicles.