“Good morning, Miss Owen.”
“Good morning, Mr. Ambrose. I’m not late, am I?” she said, glancing at her watch.
Mr. Ambrose shook his head. “You still had one minute and forty-five seconds. You look very nice today. Very ladylike.”
“Thank you, sir!” she called as she hurried through the big open entry doors. The smell of the school on the first day, freshly painted, floors waxed, clean and shiny made her smile.
I love my job! This was would be a long day for her class, after having been at home all summer long. The schedule would be brief periods of orientation to the classroom environment mingled with time on the playground, the gymnasium, and the story circle in her room.
She smiled, anticipating the one or two students who might struggle all year, with varying degrees of success. She was up to the challenge, just to see that “aha!” moment when the little light bulb would go on upstairs and shine through their eyes. To make things even better, her nephew PJ was one of her pupils this year.
“Hey, Tinker Bell!” Jan Gaylord called from the doorway of the first grade classroom. “Ready or not?”
Laughing at the familiar nickname her coworker always used, Maizy hurried down to Jan and held up the tray. “Your cup has your name on it, Jan.”
Jan’s eyes went big and her cheeks turned pink. “That’s so thoughtful of you. I missed my coffee this morning.”
“I figured you might be able to use the extra caffeine today.”
Jan sipped from the cup and smiled. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” In a low voice, she whispered, “I heard about Chaz.”
“It was for the best.”
“Tell me about it. Rat bastards, every last one of them.”
The bitterness in Jan’s voice made Maizy’s heart hurt for her. Jan had closed off after her husband had suddenly left town. No amount of talking seemed to help her out of her bitter state and Maizy wasn’t sure she could blame her. She couldn’t even serve him with divorce papers until he resurfaced.
“I’m sure not all of them are that bad, Jan. There are good guys out there.”
Jan shrugged and said, “Thanks for the coffee. We can talk some more later.” Jan waved and ducked back into her classroom.
Maizy had been working for the last two weeks, so the classroom was completely ready. The quiet time she had that morning was reserved for centering herself and getting mentally prepared. As expected, that didn’t happen. Teachers came in and out of her classroom, asking if she had a blank copy of the student information form, or if she had an extra bottle of hand sanitizer, or if she would let them cry on her shoulder for two minutes before the kids started arriving for another year.
She didn’t mind. It kept her focused on the school day and less tempted to daydream about the three very large, very hot men who had evidently been searching for her for months and wanted to date her. I can’t go out with them! I teach kindergarten!
“Knock-knock!”
She grinned at the familiar voice and rose from her desk chair as her nephew came running in.
“Aunt Maizy! Aunt Maizy!” her nephew shouted as he wrapped his arms around her legs.
“Hey, Pugsly!” she cheered as she squatted down to eye level. “You ready?”
“You betcha!” He gave her a vigorous nod. “And I remember what we talked about. I call you Aunt Maizy and Maizy-Monster when the other kids aren’t around.”
“And I call you Pugsly when the other kids and teachers aren’t around.”
“Right!”
Lucy said, “I reminded him on the way here that it was important for him to call you Miss Owen. And…umm…” Lucy grinned as she looked at Lucy’s outfit while PJ ran to the story circle and looked at the books. “Miss Owen, are we clad in a bit of racy attire that’s not found in the dress code?”
Maizy burst into laughter and said, “You hush. It was your idea.”
“You must really like it. I love the heels, by the way.”
“It feels great on.” Chaz popped into her mind. “And I needed…” She’d needed something to bolster her self-confidence. In the next instant, any hurt feelings over Chaz’s rejection were quickly displaced by the memory of three handsome faces. Three!
Lucy’s interest increased as she zeroed in on Maizy’s hot cheeks. “Judging by that blush, you’ve already had an interesting morning.”
“You could say that again,” she said as she went to her desk and grabbed Lucy’s coffee and breakfast taco. “Here you go. They’re both probably lukewarm by now.”
“That’s okay,” Lucy said as she took a sip. “It’s just fine. What happened?”
“Well, it was odd…” Her gaze was drawn by motion at the door and she smiled when she spied Ruby Porter peeking in the door. She had her thumb stuck between her teeth and a death grip on a large stuffed bunny.
Lucy winked at her and went to PJ, knelt down, and whispered to him while he stood there looking dejected. He didn’t want Lucy to leave.
She’d seen it a thousand times before. Kids didn’t always part easily from their parents on the first day, or the second day, or sometimes even the first week. But by the end of the first couple of weeks, most of them had adjusted and didn’t even need their parents walking them into the school anymore.
PJ’s lips trembled as Lucy spoke to him and a flush came to Lucy’s cheeks as she wrapped her arms around the boy. He nodded and she squeezed him harder.
Maizy tiptoed over to Ruby and her parents and greeted them. Ruby’s eyes were a little red-rimmed like she’d already cried once that morning.
“Is this your bunny, Ruby?” Maizy asked, stroking the fluffy bunny’s ear.
Mrs. Porter had already texted her that morning to let her know that Ruby was having a hard time parting from the stuffed bunny. Maizy smiled at her mother and then looked at Ruby.
“What’s your bunny’s name?”
“Buns,” Ruby said in a shaky voice and then sniffled, holding tighter to Buns.
“He makes you feel safe?”
Ruby nodded as she nibbled on her thumb and Maizy gently tugged her hand to remove it from her mouth and Ruby complied.
“Could he stay with us today and help me at my desk? He can have his own chair and everything. At naptime you can lay down with him.”
Ruby sniffled as she thought about it and then nodded. She walked over to look at the toys in the play area but kept a firm grip on Buns.
Smiling, Maizy stood again and to Mrs. Porter she said, “She’ll be fine. I’ll be keeping her hands busy this week so she won’t need to cling to Buns.”
“I’m really sorry,” Ruby’s mother said, looking a little misty-eyed. “I didn’t have the heart to take him from her before we left the house. Her Grandpa Woody gave him to her. She’s Grandpa’s girl.”
“Don’t apologize. You did the right thing. It needs to be her choice. By the end of the week she’ll be just fine.”
Lucy waved at her as she moved toward the door, looking a little teary-eyed. Maizy waved back at her, loving her just a little more for being so attached to PJ. Patrick was a lucky man. So was Beck, even if the man was a clueless doofus at times.
Maizy’s classroom volunteer arrived as several more parents showed up with kindergartners in various stages of readiness for the first day of school. Some gave a kiss and wave at the door and others clung tearfully to their parent’s legs. The volunteer drew each child to the group in the play area as the time to start the day neared.
One of her students from last year stopped by her room for a hug and to give her a pint-sized miniature rose bush.
“Ready for first grade, Jasmine?” Maizy asked, recalling how this precious little girl had struggled the previous year, learning to read. She also remembered the way her beautiful coffee-colored cheeks had glowed and her eyes had sparkled when she read a sentence all on her own the first time. Her heart ached with love for the little girl. That feeling was mingled with hope for her in the coming year.
Jasmine
’s mother waved at her from the door, placed her hand over her heart, and mouthed “thank-you” as Jasmine ran back to her to go next door.
Despite the tears and drama of her new students, she was still excited and felt privileged to be the one to help them with their first steps in the world of reading and writing.
The bell rang, startling some of the kids. Ruby began to cry and Maizy comforted her before she got the class’s attention and started the day.
At intervals throughout the day, three handsome faces kept popping into her mind, making it difficult to focus. Each time that happened, her heart lurched. At lunch she found the business card in her tote bag and stared at it. Tossing it would be the best idea but as she looked at it, she couldn’t do it. She felt compelled to follow through on Cody’s request. “Call me.”
During her lunch break, her cell phone chirped with a text message. She picked her phone up from her desk in the quiet classroom, hoping it was a message from Lucy. She sighed when she saw the sender was her older sister, Roberta.
“What now,” she said softly as she opened the message. Roberta had been on the warpath ever since Patrick’s relationship with Lucy and Beck had become a public fact, thanks to Tabitha Lester and her gossip.
“Hey, Maizy! I just wanted to invite you to come to my ladies’ study group tonight. I think you’d really like it. We could eat supper beforehand and get all caught up.”
“Hmm,” Maizy whispered. “Get all caught up on all the ugly gossip Tabitha spews, I’m sure.”
“Is this the class that Tabitha Lester teaches?” Supposedly it was a Bible study, but it was really just that odious woman’s soapbox for all her bitterness.
“Yes! It’ll be awesome tonight, I’m sure. She’s a really strong teacher. Tells it like it is.”
“Sorry, Roberta. It’s the first day of school and I’m sure I’ll be wiped out. I’m not sure I’d attend Tabitha’s study, even on a good day. She’s been really mean to Patrick, Lucy, and Beck.”
“Oh. I forgot about school starting today. I hope you reconsider. And Patrick shouldn’t expect any better if he wants to involve himself in a sinful lifestyle.”
“He’s your brother, Roberta.” Maizy got a chill when she thought of Roberta’s reaction if she knew Maizy was considering meeting with Cody, Heath, and Spencer.
“I know. And I hope he reconsiders this horrible path he is on.”
Maizy scoffed and shook her head. She’d never seen Patrick happier, and it was undeniable that Lucy had been good for PJ. Any time Maizy was around them, she had no doubt that they were good for each other.
“The only thing horrible is seeing you willingly creating this divide in the family.”
“I’m not the only one, Maizy. Dad feels the same way.”
“When I became an adult I started thinking for myself, Roberta. I don’t let Daddy dictate my actions and wouldn’t expect Patrick to allow that either.”
“Fine. Well, I just hope you’re not buying into their choices. The less time you spend around them the better.”
Maizy could feel her food turning to concrete in her stomach.
“Prissy, I love Patrick, Lucy, and Beck, and they have my full support.”
There was no reply to her last message so she put the phone away and finished her lunch. Roberta was probably pouting, waiting for her to message with an apology. She’d be waiting until hell froze over. Roberta had always been a prudish, judgmental nag. She’d only gotten worse with age. Maizy giggled, imagining Roberta’s reaction to those three big men all being interested in her.
At three fifteen, she had her students lining up in the classroom and marching down to the designated pick-up area.
Cody, Heath, and Spencer’s cautious and mannerly approach in Divine Drip’s parking lot came to mind. The gentle way Cody had folded her hand between his and kissed it, Heath’s twinkling eyes and sexy grin, and Spencer’s quiet concern about her driving in the rain. The memory tugged at something deep inside her that she couldn’t pinpoint.
She knew she should cast aside the idea of talking further with them. She was a kindergarten teacher in a small town. Those three men represented a disaster waiting to happen. She should toss that business card in the trash, but the thought made the tugging a little painful.
Their hopeful eyes flashed again in her memory. They hardly knew her and she didn’t know them at all, so why should she feel such a connection to them already? She should let the notion go but it had already taken root.
Lucy showed up and hung out until the last kindergartener was loaded in their parent’s vehicle or onto a school bus.
Maizy turned to her and whispered, “I need to talk to you.”
Lucy darted a glance around her. “Want to talk now?”
“Not here.”
“Come over to our house for supper. You can help me cook.”
To be around Lucy with Patrick and Beck would probably be a good thing. It might help her have a better frame of reference for deciding if she wanted to spend time with Cody, Heath, and Spencer. She gulped when another thought occurred to her.
I want to watch them, so I can see how “it” works…not so I can decide. I’ve already decided.
Chapter Four
Lucy chuckled and removed the knife from Maizy’s hand. “Hon, there’s a fine line between bite-size pieces and minced to bits.”
Maizy looked down at the large cutting board in front of her and erupted into laughter. She’d turned the crisp head of lettuce into confetti. “I’m so sorry!”
Lucy handed her the salad bowl. “It’s not that bad. We’ll use it as a garnish with a slice of tomato.” Lucy peered across the open expanse of the house as the guys went out onto Beck’s covered porch. A few seconds later the porch door swung shut. “Okay, spill.” She put a big glass of sangria in Maizy’s hand.
Maizy took a long sip of the iced, fruity-sweet wine and sighed. “I met some people today.” How did she explain three guys? Lucy wouldn’t be shocked but how did she put a voice to it?
“Well, that tells me a lot. Male? Female?”
“Male.”
Lucy’s tone changed and she smiled. “Oh, yeah? Do I know them?”
“I think so. They…um.”
“Who is it?”
“Cody Welsh, Heath Lindsey, and Spencer Ketchum.”
Lucy went still and her eyebrows rose, but then she sighed and looked down at her hands. “Where did you meet them?”
“Divine Drip. Can you tell me anything about them?”
Lucy studiously washed the tomato she was about to slice. “What do you want to know?”
“Um…well…” She couldn’t believe the way she was hesitating. This was Lucy, member of a ménage trio. She’d understand. “Are they nice guys?”
Lucy smiled and nodded and kept her eyes on the tomato as she sliced. “Yes. They’re very nice guys. They work security at the Twisted Bull in Morehead. Seriously good at their job. They have to be because the Twisted Bull and Chantilly’s Steakhouse are a big draw in the area. I know the owner and she’s known them forever. You won’t find better guys, but…” Trepidation took hold as Lucy hesitated.
“So if I wanted to go on a date…”
Lucy turned sad eyes to Maizy. “I wouldn’t go there, Maizy. You’ll only get your feelings hurt.”
I’d get my feelings hurt? But they asked me out. “Why?”
“It’s kind of complicated. I’ve gotten to know them this year and like I said, they’re fantastic guys but they…”
What if I’ve misjudged them? “Lucy, you’re scaring me now.”
“I don’t mean to give that impression. I guess I should just tell you. They’re in the middle of renovations on a house they share. They have very concrete plans for their future. They’re looking for someone special. Someone in particular.”
“They are? But they—”
“They’re in love with this woman, at least that’s what I think, considering the look in their eyes when they t
alk about her, especially lately.”
“They’re in love with her?” That sounded serious. Her mouth suddenly went dry and even a sip of sangria didn’t help.
“They’ve never said it, but a woman can tell, you know? I guess I recognize the look in their eyes. If you’re attracted to them, then you need to know that.”
“They asked me out.”
“They did?” Lucy replied and lifted her wineglass for a sip.
“They said that they’d seen me before. They asked me, all three of them, to go out with them. They were very clear. They said they’d been looking for me for months.”
Lucy choked and sputtered on her sangria, making a mess in the sink before she yanked a paper towel from the holder and blotted her face.
“Hey! You okay?” Maizy said as she grabbed another paper towel and blotted the wine spill.
When she could speak, Lucy gasped. “You’re the belly dancer? What the fuck?”
Busted. “Um, well…Yeah.”
“You never even came over to our table to say hello to us!”
“Chaz wouldn’t allow it. He was furious because I left him to go dance and he had to stand there while everyone gaped at me in my revealing costume. Anyway. Cody, Heath, and Spencer approached me in the parking lot at Divine Drip this morning and introduced themselves. They’re very…”
“Intimidating?” Lucy growled, holding the tomato knife like a weapon. “Did they scare you?”
“No, not at all, although they are…” Lucy seemed to relax a little with every word.
“Fucking huge?” Lucy’s expression shifted to amusement. “Were you intimidated?”
“Maybe a little at first but they were nice to me. Polite.”
Lucy giggled and continued slicing. “I imagine they were worried about scaring you off. They’re giants after all. I think Cody is six feet six.”
“Oh, at least. That makes him more than a foot taller than me. But when I was standing there with them, once we got to talking, I felt…I know it’s crazy, but I felt safe. They’ve been on my mind all day. Wait,” she said, interrupting herself.
Maizy the Bear Charmer [Divine Creek Ranch 16] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4