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Until The Summer
Elle Jefferson
Other books by Elle Jefferson
Wishful Thinking
At Death It Begins (ADIB 1)
In Death’s Touch (ADIB 2)
After Death (ADIB 3)
What’s Coming To You
Novellas
With This Ring (Fiona KW)
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World. I personally chose each author participating in the Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World because I love their books, and the way they tell a story. That said, this book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it, and I didn’t have any part in the process of writing the story.
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Xoxo
Aurora Rose Reynolds
Chapter One
NATALIE
I adjusted my glasses. I brushed out my skirt. It was a black pencil skirt. Smart. Classic. it screamed sophisticated when paired with my no-nonsense white button-down blouse. Across the classroom I could see my reflection in the mirror. Not a hair out-of-place in my bun. Even the wispy curls around my ear were still perfectly coiled. I gave a nod to myself. Yes, I looked like an educated woman and not the socialite who’d been smeared across local tabloids.
No, I shed that skin when I graduated magna cum laude from Stanford before getting a job as a third-grade teacher at Pine Crest Academy. The staff here was amazing. The students even more so. My reflection winked back at me.
Why was I nervous? It was just a parent-teacher conference. I’d done loads of them since I started teaching two years ago and yet…
Thomas Huffman.
The name on the progress report in front of me. He was the cause of my anxiety. This wasn’t a typical conference. In the last few weeks Thomas had exhibited odd behavior. He was a sweet kid. always the first to raise his hand. He excelled in math and reading. However, in the last few weeks he’d been withdrawn, failing math, pulling girls hair, hitting & pushing other kids. In other words, he was acting like a totally different kid. Before I got my teaching degree I’d also gotten a psychology degree. Everything about Thomas screamed he was dealing with some sort of trauma. I was hoping with his parents help we could get to the bottom of it. Because, his behavior brought up another problem, he’d failed TN Merit test. This was a problem because if you failed the test you couldn’t move on to fourth grade.
My stress level went up a notch because I was meeting with Thomas’s mother, Mrs. Huffman. Thomas had been going to Pine Crest since kindergarten and his mother had quite a reputation among the other teachers. None of the teachers would give me the gossip they only said, “You’ll see, you’ll see.”
I had yet to see and was nervous to.
School got out at 3:20, this meeting was scheduled for 3:30. It was now 3:45. Mrs. Huffman was late. I gave her phone a ring, it went straight to voice-mail. I hung up. Maybe she was stuck in traffic. I’d give her another fifteen minutes then I was calling it a day.
4:00
There was still no sign of Mrs. Huffman. “Well, that’s just great,” I said to no one. I slipped on my jacket, packed up my messenger bag. Just great. Now I’d have to talk to Principal Mayson to figure out what to do next. This was, after all, a delicate matter.
I wanted this over so we could work on the next steps moving forward and that wasn’t going to happen now. “Dammit!” I yelled at the ceiling.
“Excuse me,” A male voice replied. The hint of a Scottish accent hiding within the deep baritone.
“Sorry, I was—” words failed me when I looked up into a pair of electric blue eyes. The man before me was a stunning male specimen. Piercing blue eyes? Check.
Five o’clock shadow accentuating a strong chin? Check.
Black hair tousled into that sexy bed-head look? Check.
Adonis-like body? Check.
And all of this was wrapped up in dark gray slacks and pale blue button-down shirt. The first button of his shirt was undone exposing his neck. It upped his bedable factor to unfathomable levels. Staring at him I forgot how to swallow. What was a man like this doing in an elementary school? He belonged at a GQ photo shoot. His exquisite mouth was frowning. “Can I help you?”
“I must be in the wrong room,” he said turning.
He couldn’t go. “What are you looking for?”
“Natalie Quimby.”
He was here for me? “That’s me.” He shook his head frowning further. “May I ask who you are?”
“Warren Huffman.”
“Thomas’s father?” my voice cracked as I said it.
“Yes.”
“I was expecting Mrs. Huffman.”
“You and me both.” No mistaking his irritation.
Right. Teacher. Father. Professional. I straightened up before walking over to him hand extended. “Natalie Quimby, glad you could make it.” His hand was warm, firm and big. I motioned over to my desk, “Please, have a seat.” I moved around to sit behind my desk. “Do you know if your wife will be joining us?”
“I have no idea. Look, can we get this over with, what’s the problem?”
I squeezed my hands into fists to hide the fact they were shaking. I took a deep breath. “Well, your son recently took the TN Merit test and failed.”
Mr. Huffman braced his elbows against my desk invading my space with his delicious smelling cologne. It sent my pulse racing. “So, what? That’s what this meeting was about a failed test?”
“I’m afraid—”
The door to my classroom swung open and brown-haired vixen rushed in. She was dressed as if she’d just come from the gym. By the shape of her physique she worked out a lot. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said taking the seat beside Mr. Huffman who was shaking his head and running his hand furiously through his hair.
“You show up now? I said I’d take care of this so you didn’t have to.”
“What is this exactly?” Mrs. Huffman brushed off her husband’s attitude.
I opened my mouth to respond. Mr. Huffman cut me off, “You’d know if you’d bother showing up on time.”
“Please Mr. Huffman, Mrs.—”
“Oh, and showing up to one conference in two years makes you the expert now? Where were you for all the others?”
“Busting my ass to keep you in yoga pants.”
“Sir please watch your—”
“I never asked for that. You’re the one obsessed with money not me.”
I understood now why Thomas was behaving the way he was. His parents were a mess. Two good-looking hot messes. They’re arguing was getting us nowhere fast. I had to stop this wreck from crashing, take back the reigns. I slammed my hands on my desk, standing as I did. “That’s enough.” Mr. And Mrs. Huffman both looked up at me. Mrs. Huffman looked surprised and properly chastised. Mr. Huffman, however, only frowned further. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but it’s clearly affecting your son. He’s been shucking off doing his schoolwork. And the worst of it is he failed the TN Merit test.” I exhaled and sat back down in my chair.
“He failed?” Mrs. Huffman asked.
I nodded.
She deflated sagging over my desk, head in her hands. Mr. Huffman looked from his wife to me. “Can anyone explain to me what the big deal is? One test does not a student make.”
“He’s going to be held back,” Mrs. Huffman said for me.
“No. He’s a bright kid.”
“Yes, he is,” I said, “And there are things we can do. I might be able to get an appeal that would allow Thomas to retest over the summer.”
“Great, we’ll do that,” Mrs. Huffman said.
“He shouldn’t have to retest,” Mr. Huffman said.
I could see another sparring match starting any second. I had to quash it. I said, “It won’t be easy and there’s something else.” This was the delicate part. The part that had my stomach in knots.
“Well, on with it then,” Mr. Huffman said. His voice particularly brogish then. Very sexy. I smacked the thought away. Not only was he a father to one my students and a married man, but he was also an ass.
“There was an incident today at lunch. “Both of them looked at me silent. I continued, “Thomas punched another student,” Mrs. Huffman’s mouth fell open I plowed on through, needing to get this all out, “it looks like he may have broken the student’s nose. Both students admitted blame—”
“I’ll make sure Thomas is punished for the behavior,” Mr. Huffman stated.
“There’s more, please let me finish.” I stared down Mr. Huffman who remained silent. “The parents of the other boy are looking at pressing charges. This isn’t the first time Thomas has fought with this student, but it is the first times fists were involved.”
“Jason again?” Mrs. Huffman asked.
I nodded. She shook her head before dropping her head into her hands.
“Who’s Jason?” Mr. Huffman asked.
“He’s a student in Mrs. Jacob’s class,” Mrs. Huffman answered.
“His parents are Drew and Matilda, you remember them, don’t you?” Mrs. Huffman asked Mr. Huffman. The look he gave clearly said there was more to Jason and Thomas fighting than typical schoolyard antics.
“Shit,” Mr. Huffman said getting up from his chair, “I have to go.” Without another word he took off.
Mrs. Huffman rubbed her forehead, “I’m not sure we’ll be able to fix this.”
“We’ll certainly give it a try,” I said.
Mrs. Huffman stood up, “Thank-you for your help Ms. Quimby, but I better go after him before he makes a bigger mess of this.”
With both parents gone I sagged back into my chair. Between Mr. Huffman’s temper and Mrs. Huffman’s sensitivity, I knew I had my work cut out for me if I was going to go to bat to get Thomas retested.
Chapter Two
NATALIE
Monday came way too quick for my taste. The knot in my stomach was still there from my conference Friday. I’d spent all weekend researching Tennessee’s rules for retesting students on the TN Merit. One I’d need a note from the parents contesting the results. That was the only easy part. The rest not so much. I’d need past report cards, letters of recommendations from other teachers, and I’d have to get the principal and the special education team involved. Which seemed daunting but I was willing to jump through the hoops. The problem was Thomas. I could get all the ducks lined up but if his behavior didn’t change it would all be for naught. Not to mention Jason’s parents were still a factor in all of this too.
I get they were upset about their son getting hurt, but it was really kids being kids. Nothing more. The bell rang. It was time to collect my class from outside.
At lunchtime I walked my class to the lunchroom. “Remember class, don’t take it if you’re not going to eat it.” Most kids nodded a few rolled their eyes and then there was Thomas who was staring at his shoes as though they held the world’s secrets. I passed out lunch cards once the kids were in line. “I expect only compliments from the lunch staff about Ms. Quimby’s class,” I said.
“How come you’re talking about yourself in third person?” Vienna asked.
“Vienna you earned a Quim buck for knowing what third person is.” Vienna smiled her cheeks turning pink.
“But I’m the third person,” Riley said looking confused.
I ruffled his hair. “Vienna can explain it to you. All right have a great lunch and I will see you soon.” I stopped next to Thomas, “Don’t forget after you get your lunch tray to come back to class.” He nodded and looked away. On my way back to the classroom I stopped by the teacher’s lounge, grabbing my lunch from the fridge. Ten minutes later Thomas came in carrying his tray. He stood in the doorway staring around the class. I motioned to the table beside my desk. “Have a seat.” He plopped his tray on the table before sinking down into a chair. We ate in silence. I graded some tests while Thomas moved his food around on his plate.
“Do you know why your here for lunch?” I asked.
Thomas didn’t look up. “Because I made Jason’s nose bloody.”
“Yes, that’s part of it, but there’s another reason.”
Thomas looked at me and swallowed. “What?”
“Did your parents tell you I met with them on Friday?”
Thomas shook his head.
“Would you like to know what we talked about?”
“Me?”
“Close.” I opened a drawer on my desk and pulled out Thomas’s TN Merit test. I placed it on the table beside his lunch. “You know what that is?”
He nodded.
“Do you know how you did on it?”
He shook his head.
“How do you think you did on it?”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“Use your words, please.”
“I don’t know,” he mumbled.
“Let me tell you this, I was very surprised with how you did on this test and not in a good way. “He licked his lips. “Did you think the test was stupid?” I asked. Again, with the shoulder shrug. One of the hardest things I found as a teacher was getting kids to advocate for themselves. “You know what I think?” He shook his head again. I had to approach this in a way that made him comfortable enough to open up. “I don’t think you tried your hardest, not even a little.” He moved his carrots from one side of his tray to the other. “And it makes me wonder why you didn’t.”
“How come?” Thomas asked meeting my eye.
I leaned forward on my desk taking off my glasses and setting them aside. “Because you always give your best Thomas Try and when you do, you usually do pretty darn well. And this time you did not well.”
“I just didn’t see a point.”
There it was a glimmer. I opened up the top drawer of my desk and pulled out a Swiss Roll. Thomas eyed it as I unwrapped the chocolate treat. “What makes you say that?”
Another shoulder shrug. I took a bite before offering Thomas the other one. Never seen a hand move faster. He took a bite. I finished chewing before asking, “Do you want to talk about it.”
“What’s there to talk about?” Thomas asked not quite meeting my eye.
“Your parents got into a fight while they were here. Have they ever fought at home?”
He took another bite before nodding.
“It’s scary when our parents fight isn’t it?” Thomas nodded. “You know when I was about your age my mom and dad got into a fight. They yelled so loud I thought their voices were going to break all our glass cups,” Thomas’s eyes went wide, “I remember I got so scared I ran into my sister’s room and hid under her bed.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Yes. And you know what was even scarier?”
“No.”
“I thought it was because of me.”
“How come?”
“Because earlier that day, I had eaten my dad’s last ice cream sandwich and I’d left my backpack in the hallway and he’d tripped over it and stubbed his toe. It wasn’t until I got older I realized my parents fighting had little to do with me. You see when we’re li
ttle we think our parents know how to do everything, but guess what? Adults make mistakes too.”
He took a deep breath, I was positive he was about to reveal the heart of his behavior, I held my breath and waited. He looked me in the eye. “All my parents ever do is fight. Usually, it’s not a big deal because they live in separate houses, but mom started seeing someone dad doesn’t like and now my mom is talking about moving away.”
“How do you feel about moving?”
Thomas looked down at the table. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye. He wiped it away. “I don’t want to live with my mom.” And there it was. The key to everything. I moved from my desk taking the seat beside Thomas. I gave his hand a squeeze. “Look at me.” Thomas looked up. “That doesn’t mean you love your mom any less than you love your dad.”
“It doesn’t?”
“Of course not. And your mom wanting to move doesn’t mean she loves you any less.”
“It doesn’t?”
This time I shook my head. “Remember, adults don’t always have it all figured out. But the one thing I know for sure is that your parents love you with all their heart. Okay?”
Thomas gave me a hug. I hugged him back. “Do you think you’d be willing to take that test again but give it a Thomas try this time?” Thomas nodded against my chest. “Good.” Thomas pulled away wiping his nose with his shirt.
“That’s gross, use a tissue.”
He walked over to a shelf near the bathroom door at the back of our classroom and grabbed a tissue. “You sound like my mom.”
“She’s a wise wom—”
“Hey dad,” Thomas said. I looked up to see Mr. Huffman standing in the doorway of my classroom staring at me.
This time he was smiling. “Hey kiddo.” He wrapped his knuckles against the door frame. “Ms. Quimby do you have a moment?”
“Thomas would you like to go to recess?”
“Yes.”
“All right then.”
Thomas gave his dad a hug as he was leaving. “I’ll see you after I talk to Ms. Quimby, is that cool?”
Happily Ever Alpha: Until The Summer (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 1