by Mia Ford
To make matters worse, Brett was behaving horribly. He dumped paint on one of the other kids, and he pulled Lila’s hair and made her cry twice in one day. Whenever I closed my eyes, I thought of his handsome father…but that didn’t mean I was going to let Brett off the hook. In the end, after multiple time-outs, I sent him to the principal’s office.
Thomas is going to be angry, I thought as I gathered my things together at the end of the day. As much as I knew that I shouldn’t care, I couldn’t help it. After all, teaching Brett was my responsibility as a teacher. I couldn’t worry about what parents would think – even though teaching in modern times was nothing like it had seemed when I was growing up. Ruth, my teaching assistant, had almost gotten fired last year after disciplining a student for bratty behavior. The kid’s parents had threatened to sue, and it had taken a meeting with the school board in order for them to calm down. The worst thing was, Ruth had been praised for her actions by our principal…but now, New York City had become so litigious that we really had to be careful.
After glancing around my classroom to make sure it was in order, I walked down the hall and out the main entrance of P.S. 151. Andy was waiting by the steps, sitting with his legs splayed open and a tattered paperback in both hands. He looked cuter outside than he ever had in the break room, and a nervous thrill of excitement made my stomach twist and cramp.
When Andy saw me, he grinned. “Hey, June,” he said. “You wanna go to the diner around the block?”
I frowned. “It’s so nice outside,” I said. “I was thinking that maybe we could go somewhere with outdoor seating?”
Andy grinned. “Yeah, sounds good,” he said. He stood up and stretched. When he came closer, I realized he was a full head taller than me. “Where to?”
I shrugged. “There’s a little café a few blocks over,” I said.
Andy nodded. “Don’t think less of me,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “But I might have to get a beer instead of coffee. Today was fucking rough.”
I nodded. “Tell me about it,” I said as we began walking in the direction of the café.
Andy chuckled. “Oh, yeah? You too?”
“Yeah,” I said. I rolled my eyes before launching into the whole saga of Brett March and his bad behavior. As I talked, I felt a streak of guilt – what if I shouldn’t be talking about this? What if it somehow got out and Thomas found out? Then he really would be angry with me.
“Wow,” Andy said. “That kid has problems.”
I shrugged. “I had a meeting with his dad last week, and he mentioned he’s going through a divorce,” I said. I puffed out my cheeks and blew. “That’s probably pretty typical for kids, right? To misbehave because they’re acting out?”
“Probably,” Andy said. He grinned. “Hey, thanks for asking me out,” he said. “I’ve really been wanting to go out with you, June. You’re hot.”
I blushed. “Thanks,” I said awkwardly.
We lapsed into silence as we rounded the corner and crossed the street. One of the things I loved most about teaching was the schedule – even if I had work after class, I could always take it home and be in the front door of my apartment by four. I especially loved it in the winter…no more coming out of an office at five-thirty to be greeted with gloomy, dark skies. I’ve always been a cheerful, optimistic person…to the point where Angela makes fun of me. But I can’t help feeling sad whenever it’s dark outside.
“Come on,” Andy said. “This way.”
I nodded and trotted after him. So far, I wasn’t regretting my decision to ask him out, but I did wonder if maybe I’d opened a can of worms that was better left alone. Andy was a nice guy, sure, but I didn’t feel very much of a spark with him. You’re being silly, I chastised myself as I followed Andy inside the café. Sometimes a spark takes time. Your life isn’t a movie – some dreamy guy isn’t just going to walk up and pull you into his arms for a kiss.
Andy and I asked to be seated outside. A cute, young hostess led us in the direction of the outdoor tables and I couldn’t help but notice Andy sneaking a glance at her backside. A flash of irritation crossed my mind. It wasn’t jealousy, though. I knew that realistically, most people check other people out all the time. But I was annoyed – this was our first date! Weren’t you supposed to put your best face on for a first date?
“This is nice,” Andy said. He sat next to me and peered intently into my face. “Are you having a good time, June?”
I laughed nervously. “We just got here,” I said.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of blonde hair and cringed. Hannah, Thomas’s beautiful assistant, was standing there with a smirk on her face.
Please don’t come over here, I thought. Please leave us alone.
As if she could read my mind – and wanted to make me as uncomfortable as possible – Hannah began striding over. All I could do was pray that she was alone, and Thomas was nowhere in sight.
“Oh hi,” Hannah said. “May I sit?”
Andy looked at her with eagerness. “Yeah,” he said. “Come on down.”
“Actually we were just about to leave,” I lied. “I’ve got to get home and get back to work on something.”
Andy narrowed his eyes at me. “June, we just got here,” he said slowly. “What’s going on?”
Hannah snickered. “Thomas is so upset with Brett right now,” she said, raising her perfectly-groomed eyebrows high on her face. “He’s even thinking of other options. I keep suggesting private school – of course a child like Brett shouldn’t be in public – but Thomas is so stubborn.”
I felt weak. If Thomas and his ex-wife took Brett out of P.S.151, I’d never see him again. Why can’t I stop thinking about Thomas, I wondered nervously, clenching my hands into fists under the table. It’s like I’m obsessed with him!
“We have a great school,” Andy said, somewhat defensively. “It’s gotten the highest ratings for any public elementary school in New York City.”
Hannah laughed and tossed her beautiful mane. “Sure,” she simpered. “But private education is just so much better,” she said. She stood up. “I mean, I can’t even imagine how stupid I’d be if my parents had forced me to go to public schools,” she added, emphasizing the word like a curse.
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, Hannah,” I said. “It was great to see you.”
Hannah peered at me with renewed interest. Then she looked at Andy and smiled. “Oh, June,” Hannah said in a voice dripping with fake sweetness. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend!”
“I don’t,” I said quickly, trying to ignore the hurt look in Andy’s eyes. “This is a coworker of mine.”
“It’s the first time we’ve gone out,” Andy added, sounded wounded.
Hannah’s smile shrank. “I see,” she said curtly. “Well, it was nice running into you,” she added. “I’ll have to tell Thomas all about it.”
Inwardly, I groaned. But on the outside, I forced a fake smile. “Right,” I said. “Well, thanks again.”
Hannah lingered uncomfortably for a moment and I could tell that she wanted to say something else. She had a gift of getting under my skin, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she was able to do so.
“What was that all about?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea,” I said honestly. “I really have no clue.”
Chapter Three
Thomas
“Thomas? Are you ready to go?”
I barely heard Hannah’s voice as she stood in the doorway of my office, knocking loudly at the door.
“Just a sec,” I called, not taking my eyes off the latest expense report, filed just after my most recent business trip. Despite the fact that I was a self-made billionaire, spending money on myself still felt squeamish at times. And looking down at the receipt, I couldn’t believe that I’d spent over four thousand dollars of company money entertaining clients at a steakhouse.
“Come on, we’re going to be late,” Hannah said. She sighed and strode
into the room, her heels clacking on the Italian marble floor of my office.
Steel Visions, Inc. hadn’t always been this opulent, but I’d worked my ass off to bring the company into the twenty-first century. Right out of college, I’d started my own consulting firm, mostly working with defense companies. And it had taken years for Steel Visions, Inc. to even be on the map. But I was proud of what I’d done – I thought that I’d really built a solid world for myself, my wife, and my son, Brett.
“Thomas,” Hannah said sweetly, putting her hand on my arm. “I know this isn’t exactly going to be fun for you, but we’ve got to get it done.”
“Please don’t touch me right now,” I said testily, stepping away.
Hannah frowned. “Did I do something?” She batted her eyelashes. “I’m sorry, Thomas,” she said. “I didn’t mean to get in the way.”
I bit my lip. The fuck you didn’t, I thought. You’ve been gunning for me since the first day I hired you.
Hannah had been my assistant for years. I’d initially hired her at the request of Marlene, my ex-wife. She hadn’t been my ex-wife then, though – we’d still been happy together, or so I’d thought. Marlene had wanted me to hire Hannah, someone to “manage my schedule” and give me more time at home with the family.
Thinking of now all made me ill.
Hannah was beautiful – I had to give her that. She had long legs, tanned skin, and long blonde hair. But I hadn’t hired her for her good looks. I’d hired her because she’d been a whiz at scheduling. Despite her dumb-blonde looks, she was one of the brighter women at Steel Visions. I respected her.
But lately, things had been getting really out of hand. Over the last few years, Hannah’s personality had changed. She’d become more forward, less timid – and she wasted no time flirting with me whenever she got the chance.
I was used to the attention of women. I knew I was a reasonably attractive man, and I’d heard Hannah joke more than once that I was “at that dangerous age.” I was forty-six, but I worked out four times a week and kept as fit as I could. And apparently, that was some kind of strange aphrodisiac on the young women of New York City.
Things hadn’t always been this way. When I was younger, I’d had to work my ass off just to get a girl’s number…and it was likely a fake one, at that. Hell, even Marlene had taken a lot of convincing just for one date. But luckily (at least, I’d thought that way at the time), by the time I asked her to be my wife, I’d amassed a sizeable fortune in consulting.
“You’re fine,” I said curtly. “Just please, don’t act up today.”
Hannah made her eyes wide and she licked her lips. “Why would I act up?”
I groaned. “You know what I mean,” I said. “Do you know that Marlene actually told my son after our last meeting that I was sleeping with you?”
Hannah’s cheeks flushed and she couldn’t hide the hint of a smile that spread across her face. “I wonder why she’d think that,” she said sweetly.
“Because you flirted with me the whole time,” I said. “Hannah, look – I can’t have you act like that in front of Marlene, and if you’re going to do it again, please just let me know ahead of time so I can make additional arrangements.”
Hannah looked sulky but she nodded. “Yes, Thomas,” she said. “I understand.”
I went to my closet and pulled my jacket free as Hannah gathered my papers and put my laptop into sleep mode.
“You want me to get you a coffee before the meeting?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “I’m fine.”
The truth was, I wasn’t feeling fine at all. My stomach was a tangle of nerves and I felt sick – which was always how I felt right before I had to meet with Marlene. Brett was only ten years old. How the fuck was I supposed to co-parent with a woman I couldn’t stand for at least the next eight years?
Hannah and I rushed downstairs, then into a waiting Lincoln Town Car. The day was sunny and bright and Hannah took off her cardigan, rubbing her bare shoulders and smiling at me in a manner that I knew she thought was enticing.
I ignored her.
The car seemed to take forever crawling through Manhattan traffic. I tried to keep my mind on the most important thing at hand – Brett, and how Marlene and I were going to do our best to raise him without letting our shit get in the middle.
After what seemed like an eternity, the car slowed to a stop in front of Marlene’s office building. Until the divorce, she’d been a stay at home mother…and I know she’d been angling to keep that up with alimony payments. But luckily, the judge had been on my side. While I still awarded her a hefty fee every four weeks (a fee that no doubt would have bankrolled the lifestyle of someone less greedy), Marlene had had to return to work. Now, she worked as a secretary for a fancy law firm.
I just wondered how many of the law partners she was sleeping with at once.
Hannah and I breezed inside. To my shock, Marlene was already standing in the lobby. Her flame-red hair was piled high on top of her head and her narrow face looked pinched when she saw me. She was wearing bright red lipstick.
“You’re late,” Marlene said. “I’ve been waiting here for over five minutes!”
“I’m sure that was very taxing on you,” I said dryly. “Where are we going?”
Marlene sighed heavily before turning on her heel and leading the way through a large, mostly unfurnished office. She turned a sharp left and pointed to a conference room.
“This is reserved for us,” Marlene said.
“Oh, great.” Hannah pushed past her. “Could you bring me a coffee?”
Marlene turned to me and raised her eyebrows. “Thomas, you have to be kidding me,” she said.
“Don’t worry about her,” I said. “We’re here to talk about Brett, Marlene.”
Marlene and I followed Hannah inside and I shut the door.
“Brett hasn’t been doing well at school,” I said. “He’s gotten in trouble a few times over the past week, for teasing and tormenting this little girl.” I stared right at my ex-wife. “Do you know anything about this?”
Marlene sighed. “If you’re asking whether the school has called, yes, I’m vaguely aware of something like that.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I narrowed my eyes. “You knew about this?!”
“Well, Thomas, I’m not sure what you want me to do,” Marlene said coolly. “He’s just going through a phase right now, it’ll pass.”
“He could get thrown out of that school!” I could feel my face turning red with anger but there was nothing I could do to stop myself now. “That’s the best goddamn public school in the city! I had to work so goddamned hard to get him accepted!”
Marlene shrugged.
“I’ve suggested a private school might be better for him,” Hannah simpered. “I went to private school, and I just think it’s such a better idea.”
I rolled my eyes. “Private school is off the table,” I said sharply.
“I don’t know, Thomas, maybe she’s got a point.” Marlene was picking her cuticles, she didn’t even deign to look at me as she spoke. “Maybe we should reconsider where we placed him. You know, a change could do the boy good.”
“It’s not happening,” I said firmly.
Marlene’s eyes flashed with anger. “You’re being a cheapskate,” she said. “You don’t even want to spend money on our son’s education!”