Teacher

by R. L. Merrill

  “You mean the Roland Curtis? That’s who owned this place?”

  She nodded. “That’s the one! He was recovering from hip replacement surgery and I was hired to be his in-home nurse. He took one look at me and said, ‘You aren’t happy. I want you to be happy. Come work for me. You take care of me, I take care of you.’ He sent me to culinary school, which I loved, and put me in charge of this place. It was great! I could have my own life and live in a nice place with a nice man who respected me. When he decided to retire to Spain he asked me to come, but I wanted to stay here. This is my home. When he met Danny and they talked about him buying the place, Danny asked if I would stay. I wasn’t too sure about it. I’d been working for an old gay man, not a hot young rock star. I wasn’t about to be cleaning up after parties and shit like that. But Danny isn’t like that. And Janey is a peach. Have you met her yet?”

  “Briefly,” I said. “She and Brooke came by last week while I was here, but they didn’t stay.”

  She grimaced. “You met the banshee and survived? Man, you must have balls!” I laughed, but her expression was serious. “I'm not exaggerating. Brooke is a major bitch and I don’t use that word lightly. She really puts Danny through it, you know? Pisses me off, but he puts up with it so he can see his Janey."

  I rolled my eyes. "She was horrible to him that day, making snide comments about him getting his diploma. I told her to lay off. She had to have known when she married him that he hadn’t finished school! I guess she only cared about what marrying him could do for her status. It pissed me off, too."

  Nora was looking at me with a new respect. "I'm glad you said something to her. I hate having to deal with her. I wish I could just tell her off, but I wouldn't want to upset Janey. You heard about their divorce, I assume?”

  I shook my head.

  This time she rolled her eyes. “She was doing a film with the latest ‘it’ director and they had a very public affair. Danny was on tour in Europe when he heard about it and he couldn’t do much at that point. When he got home, he confronted her. She said she was tired of him and she wanted out. He flew off the handle, filed for divorce, and ended up without having to pay her any alimony, thank God. But Brooke’s attorney fought for custody of Janey, and Danny was such a mess, he thought it was best. He’s spent the past four years cleaning up his act, not that he was a total disaster, but he was drinking a lot. He never cheated on her, though. Not in the nine years they were married. And since they split up, he’s dated some but none of them were good enough for him if you ask me.”

  I laughed. “I doubt anyone is good enough for him. He’s such a good person. I cannot believe how thoughtful he is to everyone around him.”

  She was looking at me with such warmth in her eyes. “That’s exactly why you are perfect for him. You see past the image, and even past his grouchiness. I’ve worked for him, lived with him, for three years and I think he’s wonderful, but not everyone agrees."

  “He is. But I need to get him through his diploma before I even think about whether we’ll have a relationship. I have to.”

  She tsked at me. “Try all you want to deny it, but it’s a little late for that. I’ll keep up this ‘chaperone’ charade if it makes you feel better, but face it. You two are in love.”

  “I think you’re right, Nora. At least on my part. And that scares the shit out of me.”

  She laughed. “Ain’t you ever been in love before?”

  I shook my head. “Nope. Never. I didn’t have time for boys when I was in high school. I was too focused on my dance career. And in college, I was too busy feeling sorry for myself for having to give up my dance career. Then I found teaching and fell in love with that, I suppose. I really do love it. It’s stressful and I’m barely making ends meet, but I wouldn’t change it. Well, maybe I’d change it by making my job permanent, but that’s it. I’ve dated a few times, but the men in this town are so not dating material.”

  She laughed. “Of course they’re not. If they're not gay, they’re so self-absorbed they only love themselves.”

  We gabbed for the next hour and never did get around to watching that movie. By the time I crawled into the magnificent feather bed she had, it was after midnight and I was dead to the world.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Jesse. Jesse, wake up honey.” I heard Danny whispering to me and thought I was dreaming.

  “Danny,” I moaned.

  I heard soft chuckling and I rolled over, snuggling into the pillow.

  “Jesse, honey, you gotta wake up. We need to go get Janey,” he whispered. “I let you sleep as long as I could.”

  My eyes popped open and he was kneeling next to the bed smiling at me.

  “Hi,” he whispered.

  I quickly covered my mouth with the sleeve of the pajamas. “I thought I was dreaming.” I looked around the room, disoriented. The night’s activities came back to me and I sighed. “This bed is amazing, Danny. I could stay here forever.”

  He laughed, sitting on the side of the bed. “You look even more gorgeous in the morning.”

  My eyes went wide. “No way. You are not seeing me with bed hair.” I pulled the covers up over my head and he laughed.

  “Jesse, you’re beautiful. Now get those amazing legs of yours moving. We need to get Janey.” I peeked out of the covers and he was still sitting there. “If you don’t start moving, I’m going to have to touch you and I’m trying really hard over here to follow the rules.”

  “Then you have to leave the room! It’s on the list! No seeing the teacher in your pajamas.”

  His eyes flared. “Are you wearing my pajamas, Jesse?” I blinked and nodded. He started pulling at his lip and his eyes narrowed. “Really? The black silk ones?” I nodded. He rubbed a hand over his face and scrubbed his palms on his black jeans. “Oh my God, I have to go.”

  He darted out the door and I couldn’t help giggling when I heard Nora yell, “Danny! Get your ass out of that bedroom before I serve it to you on a platter!” The front door slammed and Nora came in my room with her eyebrow raised.

  “Don’t look at me. I tried to hide.”

  She laughed. “He whispered, ‘don’t ever wash those pajamas again, Nora’ as he ran past.”

  My cheeks were burning as I crawled out from under the blankets. “Thanks again for last night, Nora. I feel so much better.”

  “I’ve got a breakfast sandwich out here waiting for you. Get cleaned up. I washed your clothes last night and hung them in the bathroom.” The waterworks were threatening to start and she saw right through me.

  “Uh uh, don’t you start with those tears now, young lady. Gitcha ass movin! I want my baby Janey under this roof where she belongs!”

  I sucked in a breath and climbed out of bed. She closed the door and I took just a couple of minutes to stretch before I went in to take a shower. And what an amazing shower it was! The shampoo in there cost more than I spend in a year on all of my beauty products! I remembered I still had my jeans and boots in my bag so I just put back on my now-clean blouse with my jeans and slipped my boots on. My hair would just need to air dry.

  “Nora that shower is amaz... Oh.”

  Danny was sitting on the couch in a black Alice Cooper t-shirt and black jeans.

  “Hi. You ready,” he whispered.

  “We don’t need to go by my house. I forgot I had jeans in my bag from the other night. When we didn’t take a bike ride.”

  He nodded and stood, staring like a starved man at my jean clad legs. He gestured for me to take the lead and bit down on his lower lip.

  “You bring my Janey back soon, Danny, you hear? I miss her something fierce.” He nodded and waved to Nora on the way out of the cottage.

  We walked into the garage and he pointed to both cars and held up his hands.

  “Which one does Janey like best,” I asked.

  He rolled his eyes and mouthed “duh” and walked over to the passenger side of the Challenger. I smiled at him and climbed in. He ran around the car
and hopped in. The car’s engine roared to life and the rumble gave me a thrill. I’d only ridden in a muscle car once. In college I briefly dated a mechanic who had worked on my Pinto, but he couldn’t keep his literally greasy paws off me and I got tired of getting my clothes ruined.

  Danny turned on the music and we rode the twenty minutes to Brooke’s house without talking. I could see he was anxious.

  “Danny?” He looked over to me and raised his eyebrows. “Did you tell Janey, I was coming today?”

  He nodded. “She was cool with it. She wants to see you boss me around,” he whispered.

  I giggled at that. “I’ll do my best. Um, does Brooke know?” His glance was angry and I worried that I’d overstepped my bounds. “I’m sorry, I didn’t...”

  He held up his hand. “No, don’t apologize. It’s none of her fucking business, that’s all.”

  I swallowed hard. It may not be her business, but something was obviously bothering him. “Then what’s wrong?”

  He pulled at his lip and was quiet for another mile or so. “Look, Brooke is never going to be civil with me, and I can handle that. What I can’t handle is what it does to Janey and I hated that you had to deal with it that day at my house. She wasn’t always like that.”

  I put my hand out to touch him and he looked at it and smirked. He wagged a finger at me and I groaned.

  “Sorry. Can’t help it. Danny, you didn’t deserve to be treated that way then and you certainly don’t deserve it now. I may be talking out of turn since I’m new in your life, but I hate it that you have to put up with it.”

  He stopped at a security gate and was waved through. We drove around the corner and stopped in front of a townhouse. He put the car in park and turned to face me.

  “You may be new to my life, but I love it that you’re here. And I appreciate what you said, but you didn’t know me back then. I’m just tired of fighting about Janey.”

  I air hugged him and he burst out laughing in his soundless way.

  “That’s good. That’s following the rules.”

  “Yeah, well you need to quit with the whispering, Danny. How’s your throat?” He rubbed at his neck and held his hand out flat with a frown on his face.

  “I guess that means it’s not great, but not terrible?”

  He nodded.

  We climbed out of the car and walked up to the door. He rang the bell and I heard shouts from the other side. Brooke opened the door and glared at me.

  “What’s she doing here?”

  Danny took a deep breath and whispered, “Brooke, you remember Jesse? We’re working today. Is Janey ready?”

  She gave a disgusted smirk and screamed, “JANE!!! Get your butt down here!”

  I heard boots stomping down stairs and then Jane bounced through the doorway into her father’s arms. The love on his face for her warmed me. I couldn’t wait to spend the day watching him interact with her.

  Jane finally noticed me and stuck out her hand. “I’m Jane Black, and you are?”

  I laughed. “Hi Jane, I’m Jesse Martin, your father’s teacher.”

  Her eyes got bigger and she looked at him and whispered, “Is she old enough to be your teacher?”

  He laughed and picked up her bag.

  Brooke was back, leaning against the doorjamb with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “I want her back Sunday night and I need to talk to you when you drop her off.” She stepped inside and slammed the door. Jane was already skipping towards the car.

  “Shotgun!” she hollered.

  Danny put her bag in the trunk and then walked around to the passenger side to open the door.

  “Janey, that wasn’t polite. Besides, the safest spot in the car for you is still the backseat, so in you go.”

  She rolled her eyes. “But Dad! I’m almost in middle school! Please don’t make me ride in the backseat when I go to middle school!”

  He shook his head and whispered, “We’ll talk about it in August, ok?”

  She groaned. Score one for Dad!

  The ranch was about another twenty-minute drive and Janey chatted happily in the backseat, telling Danny about the end of the school year and all about her trip to New York with her mother the previous weekend.

  “And she’s even gotten a job offer to do a show there! Isn’t that great? But Daddy, I don’t want to move to New York.”

  Danny glanced at me and I could see the heartbreak on his face.

  “I don’t want you to move either, baby. Let me talk to your mom, ok,” he whispered, but I could see the whites of his knuckles. He was seriously not happy with this. I couldn’t believe that Brooke hadn’t told him.

  The ranch was gorgeous and the weather was perfect for riding. We parked the car and Janey ran to the barn and her instructor. Danny and I hung back. He rubbed his hands over his head.

  “I can’t fucking believe she would take Janey to New York to meet with producers without telling me. What the fuck is she thinking? There’s no way in hell I’m going to let her go to New York.”

  I placed my hand on his back between his shoulder blades. “I’m sorry Danny. I’m sure that’s what she wanted to talk to you about tomorrow. Just enjoy this time with Jane, ok? She’s what’s important right now.”

  He gave me a grateful smile and whispered, “I wish I could have a hug right now.”

  I winked at him as we walked over to Jane and her instructor, who were already getting the horse ready.

  “Jesse! Come meet my horse, Misty!”

  Jane’s horse was a gorgeous silver thoroughbred mare. Danny was brushing her and helping Jane with the saddle. I chatted with her instructor, Anne. She told me Jane had been riding with her for three years and was getting close to competing English style. I told her I knew very little about horse riding and she said, “Just watch Janey and you’ll get a great lesson! She’s a natural.”

  Jane mounted Misty like a pro and took her over to an arena outdoors. Danny and I followed to watch her from the rails. She walked around once and then trotted while ‘posting,’ I learned. Next she commanded her to canter and she had a good pace going. She brought the mare back to a posting trot and moved her into position to go over a series of low jumps.

  “So we never devised how this is a school-related activity. If Jane asks we need to have a good answer.”

  Danny smirked and ducked his head, his muscles taut under his tight shirt. He had one foot up on the bottom rail and he was leaning his chin on his arms on the top of the fence.

  “I got nothing,” he whispered. “Unless we start science next. How can we make this about science?”

  I thought hard for a minute. “Well, I could assign you a research paper on how ranches best dispose of their manure, or better yet, ecologically sound uses for horse manure.”

  “Basically, it’s going to be a shitty assignment,” he whispered and I elbowed him.

  “How did I know you were going to say that?"

  He shrugged. “You got me figured out already I guess.”

  I looked at him seriously. “No, Danny. I don’t. I like learning, though.”

  He gave me the sweetest smile. At that point, I knew Nora was right about me. I was falling terribly in love with him.

  We continued watching Jane and I was amazed at how skilled she was.

  “She’s unbelievable, Danny! I can’t believe how confident and in control she is.”

  His proud smile made him even sexier. “She’s brilliant. I love that little girl so much it hurts,” he whispered, watching her with so much emotion.

  Jane stopped next to us and asked Danny to bring her some water. He jogged over to the car and grabbed a bottle from the trunk. He hurried back and handed her the bottle. She downed half of it before handing it back.

  “You look great out there, Jane!”

  She smiled shyly. “Thanks. I love riding. And Misty is a perfect horse, aren’t you girl.”

  She leaned down and threw her arms around the mare’s neck. Just then a lo
ud noise, like a car backfire, rang out through the air and Misty darted. Jane grabbed for her mane but we watched in horror as she slid off the side and bounced hard on the ground. Danny was over the fence in an instant. He ran for her while Anne tried to get the mare under control. I climbed over and joined Danny.

  Jane attempted to sit up, but she’d gotten the wind knocked out of her pretty good. Tears were streaming from her eyes.

  Danny just held her hand and whispered to her, “Janey, where does it hurt babe?”

  Once she caught her breath, she reached for her ankle.

  I touched his shoulder and spoke calmly. “I think we should take her to the hospital.”

  He helped Jane to her feet. Thankfully she could get upright and her back was ok, but she couldn’t put any weight on her right leg.

  “I got it caught in the stirrup on the way down,” she said, trying so very hard to be brave.

  Anne had tied Misty up at the far end and jogged over to us. “I’ve got an ice pack in my kit. Want me to grab it?”

  Danny nodded and I called out his thanks for him.

  “You scared the shit out of me, Janey,” he whispered and she said, “Daddy stop whispering and you shouldn’t cuss. Jesse, you need to tell him to stop, he’ll listen to you.”

  I laughed. “I think you’re doing a great job on your own.”

  She had stopped crying and was trying to reassure Danny she was ok. “I’ll be ok Daddy. I don’t need to go.”

  He shook his head and scooped her up in his arms. He handed me the keys and carried her down to the end of the arena and out through the gates. I heard Anne apologizing to him and he shook his head and offered her a small smile. Jane waved at her and Anne followed with Jane’s bag.

  Danny got her situated in the backseat of the Challenger and then climbed in with her. He was fussing over her, making sure she was ok and she started giggling.

  “Daddy, I’m fine. You’re tickling me!”