“Dottie!” It came out more urgently than he intended.
She came running. “What is it?”
Mac pointed to the page. “Katherine Parker?”
The woman frowned for a moment. “Oh! Katie. She’s the chair of First Grade.”
He fought to regain his breath.
“Are you alright?” she asked, concerned.
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m...it’s just... She looks familiar, is all.”
“Katie’s terrific. Everyone loves her. Always here early, always the first one to volunteer. In fact, she’s usually the first one to have her room set up.”
“Has she been here yet?” he wondered.
“Not yet, and that’s unusual. She’s been on vacation.”
“Vacation?”
“Yep, she was on a cruise. Wouldn’t be surprised to see her this week, though, now that she’s back.”
Mac nodded slowly. “Would you please let me know when she’s here?”
Dottie watched him thoughtfully. “Of course.”
After Dottie returned to her office, Mac pulled out the staff directory. Katie Parker. Staring him straight in the face were her address and her phone number.
I could pick up the phone and call her. His heart pounded. Sure, why not? Because she didn’t want to stay in touch, that’s why not. He chewed his sandwich absently. That’s because she thought we lived hundreds, if not thousands, of miles apart.
Curious, he located her address online, and shook his head, astounded. Unbelievable. Her place is a mile from mine. Unbelievable. Mac interlaced his fingers, placed his hands on top of his head, and leaned back in his chair. Now what?
Day 9
Katie met Cindy at the outlet mall the next day. They each bought a few new outfits for the coming school year, and Katie found a new pair of shoes. Shopping finished, they ate lunch at a nearby bar and grill.
“So tell me all about your cruise,” Cindy urged as soon as their server left with their orders.
“It was fantastic! Exactly the kind of vacation I needed.”
“And? Did you meet any hot guys?”
Katie blushed a little as Mac’s face instantly popped into her mind.
“You did! You met a guy!”
“I met a guy,” Katie admitted.
“And? Who is he? When are you seeing him again?”
Katie shook her head. “I’m not. It was just one of those shipboard things.”
Cindy gaped at her. “What do you mean? You at least talk on the phone, right? Email and text and stuff.”
“It’s not like that. We spent a couple of days together. And by a couple of days, I mean a couple of nights. And that’s that.”
“What kind of asshole does that to a woman?” Cindy wondered.
“Don’t think that about him, he was great. It was me. My decision to keep it casual. I didn’t even want to know his name, but he told me at the last minute.”
“So? What’s his name?”
“Mac. And he was very nice. And totally hot. And tall, and he has these dreamy brown eyes and this dark hair that just sort of falls right into place, you know, kind of casual tousled. And a killer bod.” Katie sighed. “Yep, I’m a first-class idiot.”
“Well, Emma says the new principal is hot. She met him yesterday when he was touring the school.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Katie replied sardonically, sipping her strawberry lemonade. “Dr. Hot. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow when I go in.”
***
Since he had a meeting first thing in the morning, Mac nixed his plans to be more casual and wore another suit for his second day at work. Following the three-hour discussion on data for the various schools represented, he shucked the suit and tie for brown cargo shorts and a turquoise polo. The better to do a little yard work today.
From the district office, he drove straight to a nursery he’d located not far from the school. There he purchased a dozen medium-sized ixora bushes with their deep green leaves and vibrant orange blooms, figuring on placing six in each planter fronting the school. He also bought several large bags of topsoil and compost to reinvigorate the long idle planters. It’s a start, he told himself.
Before he reached the school, he stopped off to pick up lunch for himself and Dottie. She greeted him warmly and was pleased with the chicken gyro he handed her. “Yep, you’re going to work out here just fine.”
He settled in at his desk to eat his lunch, noting with satisfaction that the formerly pink office was now a pleasantly pale shade of slate blue. His framed undersea photos would be perfect on the walls.
Mac considered asking Dottie if Katie had come in that morning, but decided that the woman was suspicious enough without his adding fuel to the fire. No need to start rumors, he decided.
After lunch, she joined him as he interviewed three candidates for the positions that were available, offering her views and opinions on each after they left. Rather than finding her intrusive, Mac realized that Dottie had a great deal of valuable insight into the skill set needed to be successful at Starfish Shores.
He also met a few more teachers, each of whom eyed him warily. He realized that he would need to prove himself a capable leader in order to earn their respect.
Following the final interview for the day, Mac spent the next few hours restoring the front planters to their former glory. When he had finished, he was happy with the result and he snapped a few pictures to post on Facebook for his old friends and colleagues.
After work, Mac changed into his workout gear and went on another run along the waterfront. He planned to run for fifteen minutes, then turn around and head back, so he set the alarm on his watch. At that time of day, the sun was sliding down far enough on the western horizon that the path along Intracoastal was shaded by the taller downtown buildings. As he ran, he mulled over the things he’d been able to accomplish at work, and felt pleased.
He was still deep in thought when his alarm sounded, and he automatically looked up to check the closest street sign. He was stunned to realize that without meaning to, he’d wound up at the end of Katie’s street. Jogging in place, he actually considered running past her house. It took every ounce of self-control he could muster to turn and head back home.
That evening, he twisted the top off a Heineken and sat at his high-top kitchen table with the New York strip he’d prepared. From his vantage point, he could look out his sliding glass door, past his veranda, out over the street, and down to the water.
He sighed deeply. The only thing missing is Katie. What happens when she finds out that I’m here? Will she be happy to see me? Or will she be mad? He wished for the millionth time that they’d taken the opportunity to talk about their lives, to share a few details. Even just a little. They would have realized that his new job brought him here.
He shook his head and sighed again.
Day 10
Katie was kneeling between his feet as he leaned back on the leather sofa. Slowly, she unzipped his fly, releasing his massive erection, and she gave him a suggestive quirk of her eyebrow before leaning forward to lick the shaft from balls to tip, and back again. Mac rewarded her with a groan of pleasure.
“You. You are so good at this,” he murmured.
“Tell me how good,” she urged, and she languidly circled his head with her tongue, taking care to lap up the pearl of his arousal that had pooled there.
“Oh, God, Katie...”
Repositioning the angle of her head, she took all of him deep into her throat, swallowing to allow him deeper still, as she gently massaged his balls. Sealing her lips around his shaft, she began moving her head up and down, applying a steady suction as she worked him with her tongue.
“Holy shit...”
Her eyes met his as she intensified her movements, working him mercilessly.
“Holy... Katie, I’m so close, so close, baby. Don’t stop.”
She felt him get even harder, his entire body stiffening, and he gave a guttural groan as his hot essence surg
ed, splashing against the back of her throat. Not stopping, she continued the suction until he finally collapsed against the back of the sofa, gently placing a hand on her head. She licked him clean, planting small kisses along the way, then gave him a satisfied grin.
Mac chuckled lightly. “Oh, baby,” he panted, “you are something else.” He held out his hand and she took it, rising from her kneeling position.
In the distance, Katie heard a beeping sound. It was followed by a whimper. Mac and the rest of her dream evaporated. She cracked one eye open to see Tucker’s head resting on the edge of the bed. He was giving her the ‘pitiful eyes’ look and he whimpered again. Her alarm was now beeping louder and Tucker apparently needed to go outside. “Dammit!” she muttered to herself.
It was mid-morning when Katie loaded her old Pilot with cleaning supplies and the boxes of back-to-school items she’d ordered. “Don’t worry, Tucker,” she ruffled his ears, “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Dressed casually in khaki shorts and a colorful t-shirt Jayma had bought her in Mexico, Katie lugged what she could carry to the front door of the school and buzzed. When the door unlocked, she entered the reception area and plopped her things onto a vacant chair before she made her way down to Dottie’s office.
“Hey, there!” she greeted the secretary. “I brought you a happy from Mexico.” Katie placed a bottle of tequila on the woman’s desk.
Dottie moved from behind her desk to give Katie a hug. “Hey, there, hon! You know me best!” She laughed heartily as she hefted the bottle. “How was your summer? I loved the pictures from your cruise.”
“It was great! I’m not ready for it to be over yet, but I need to get myself organized.”
Dottie opened a file drawer and rifled through until she found what she was looking for. “Here you are,” she handed Katie a set of keys, “just sign and you’re good to go.”
Katie signed the form and glanced at the pocket door between the offices. “Is he in?” She nodded toward the other office.
“No, he’s gone out to buy more plants.”
Katie frowned. “Buy more plants? Did he do the planters out front?”
Dottie smiled proudly. “He did. He’s got a real vision for this place.”
“Swell,” Katie murmured.
Dottie tilted her head and looked quizzically at Katie. “He wants to meet you.”
“Me?” Katie’s eyes widened.
“I told him you’re the grade chair for first grade.”
“Oh. That must be it. Well, you know where I’ll be,” she laughed. “I need to get the room clean and set up my classroom library so I can sleep at night.”
It took Katie three trips to the car to get all her things into her classroom. As she’d expected, all her furniture was pushed against the far wall and it took her half an hour to move all the tables, chairs, filing cabinets, book shelves, and her desk into their proper places.
Worn out from the exertion, she popped open a bottled water she’d brought from home and sank onto her desk chair. She turned on her computer and went directly to I Heart Radio to find some music. Usually she turned to a high energy station when she wanted to get some work done, but for some reason she was in a quieter mood, opting instead for some softer tunes. She was pleased when Jason Mraz started his happy little song about being someone’s.
Figuring she’d rested enough, she set about cleaning all the surfaces with antibacterial wipes.
***
First thing that morning, Mac had had another three interviews. When they were finished, he realized that he had a large gap of time until another round of interviews that afternoon. “Dottie, I think I’m going to run back to the nursery and get a bunch of sea grapes for the courtyard.”
Dottie laughed. “You’re going to spend your whole first paycheck on garden supplies for this place.”
He laughed too. “I’ll consider it an investment in my mental health. Nice landscaping makes me happy.”
The trip to the nursery took less than twenty minutes. He’d known exactly what he wanted and where they were located. Rather than returning to the office, he took the plants straight to the courtyard and placed them all around, standing back to assess the spacing.
An hour later, the courtyard was accented with groupings of sea grapes, and Mac was hot and grubby. He returned to his office, taking advantage of his private washroom to clean up as best as he could. Luckily, he’d thought ahead to bring a change of clothes for just such a contingency. Probably a best practice when working at an elementary school, he decided.
When he came out of the washroom, Dottie was just placing a folder on his desk. “These are a few new resumes,” she told him.
“Thanks,” he said, checking his watch. “It’s 11:30. Are you ready for some lunch?”
Dottie shook her head. “I’m brown-bagging it today. But you should get something. The next interviews start in a little over an hour.”
He nodded. “Maybe I’ll have something delivered. I’ll be ready for the interviews.”
She turned and started to leave. “Oh, and Katie Parker is here.”
His head snapped up. “Is she?”
Dottie pursed her lips, suppressing a smile. “Yep, she’s in her room. You said you wanted to know when she was here.”
He nodded sharply. “Yes, I did. Thanks.”
He watched Dottie return to her office and tried to get his breathing under control. This was it. How many times over the past couple of days had he stopped himself from dialing her number, from driving past her house? Now he could just walk down the hall and talk to her.
Feeling irrationally nervous, Mac swiped his palms on the legs of his shorts to dry them and made his way down the hallway to the room he already knew was Katie’s. From down the hallway he could see that her light was on and the door was propped open. As he got closer, he could hear music playing softly.
Stopping in the doorway, his eyes immediately found her. He’d recognize that red hair anywhere. It was pulled up in a ponytail, and her back was to him as she sat across the room from the door. Norah Jones was telling someone to come away with her and Katie was humming along.
***
Having cleaned every surface she could find, Katie hauled the heavy boxes of books out of the storage closet she shared with Cindy, whose classroom was next door. She plunked herself onto the beige carpet she’d purchased for her classroom library area several years earlier and, surrounded by boxes of books and empty book baskets, she set about organizing her library for the school year.
Her favorite Norah Jones song came on and she couldn’t resist humming along. Come away with me. I’d like to go away with Mac. She shook her head. She had to stop doing that. Every other thought was about him. And to top it off, that dream last night. Please!
She heard a knock on her door, and at the same time a male voice said, “Knock, knock.”
She pushed herself up off the floor, automatically dusting her hands off on her shorts. “Come on in, don’t mind the mess.” She turned and froze, eyes wide, mouth agape. “Mac,” she breathed.
He smiled and took a few steps toward her. “Hey, you. Looks like you survived zip-lining.”
Katie stood motionless, unblinking. “Is it... Are you real?” Thoughts of her earlier dream swirled through her mind.
Mac chuckled. “I’m real. Dr. Malcolm Coleman at your service.” He held out a hand and Katie slowly moved toward him, reaching out to take it.
Her brow furrowed. “You told me your name was Mac.”
“When I was born, Danny couldn’t say Malcolm. He called me Mac and it just kind of stuck.”
“But I don’t understand. How did you...when did you...” She shook her head. “What are you doing here?” She still clutched his hand, as if he’d disappear were she to let go.
He glanced around. “This is my new job. Back in Tampa, I was an assistant principal for a few years. I had just finished my doctorate, and I needed to move, and this job was available, so...”<
br />
Her mouth popped open again. “This is your new job. It was your new job the whole time.”
He nodded. “Something we might have discovered, had we shared personal information. Just,” he pantomimed pitching a baseball, “throwing that out there.” Amusement twinkled in his eyes.
“When did you know? That I was here, I mean?” she asked softly.
Mac nodded. “I found out on Monday. Dottie gave me an old yearbook to look through and there you were. You have no idea how many times I nearly picked up the phone and called you. How many times I wanted to drive by your house.”
“My house?”
“You live less than a mile from my apartment, Katie. It’s the damnedest thing.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She let go of his hand and walked to a low table, where she sank as her knees gave way.
Mac sighed deeply and gazed out the window. “Well, I have a lot to say. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that morning in Mexico. It was a mistake, our walking away like that.”
He fixed her with an earnest gaze. “Our connection was real. That kind of thing doesn’t happen every day.”
She started to protest but he held up a hand. “I know, you stuck to your guns about just one night. But I’ll tell you something, Katie. It took me just one night to realize that I’m falling in love with you.” Her eyes widened and she swiped at a tear on her cheek.
“I don’t believe in coincidences. I think we met for a reason. When we parted ways, it could have been the end. But it isn’t.”
He crossed to her and took her hand again. “Katie, I want to share personal information with you.” She laughed lightly. “I want to take you to dinner. I want to bring you flowers. I want us to take long walks on the beach together. I want us to spend long, lazy Sunday mornings in bed reading the paper.”
“Right now?”
He grinned. “Right now, I’d like to take you to lunch. We can share some personal information and figure out where we go from here. Give me a chance, Katie. Give us a chance. Will you go to lunch with me?”
Just One Night Page 8