by Kimi Flores
She turned and was face to chest with Blaine. “Nobody. Um, did you have any questions about Justin?”
“No, just thought I’d come up and say hi. I haven’t actually had a chance to talk to you since school started.”
Leah stepped up to them. “Hi, I’m Leah, Abby’s best friend.” She extended her hand. Abby gave her another dirty look.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Blaine. Abby and I uh, went to high school together.” She was thankful he didn’t mention the main reason they knew each other. “Well, I’ll see you later. It was nice meeting you Leah.” He walked toward his family. His twin sister, Tiffany had her hands on her hips, giving him a disapproving look.
Having the same look for Leah, Abby probed, “Why did you introduce yourself to him? I just told you who he was.”
“I know. It was getting awkward just watching you stand there with him.”
“I’m sorry. I’m a little on edge about the whole situation.”
“I know, but you have to deal with this Abby. You can’t keep tucking it in the closet and closing the door.”
Another parent walking up to her saved Abby. She knew this conversation wasn’t over, but she could postpone talking about it.
Because the zoo wasn’t a far drive, Abby arranged for approved parent drivers to take the kids instead of the added expense of a school bus. This was yet another reason why she loved working at a charter school. If she had been working for one through a traditional school district, then they would never be able to have parent drivers.
Parents, students, and teachers all met in the classroom for attendance, and then to assign kids to parent chaperones. Blaine approached, and she noted that he was the only member of his family that was chaperoning this time. “Hey Abs, do you want to ride with me?”
She scanned the room and met with Caleb’s eyes. “Um, actually, I was planning on riding with Caleb.”
Caleb smiled and walked a little closer, “Are we ready to go?” Abby nodded and was dumbfounded at what just happened. She put him on the spot and felt awful about it.
Blaine grimaced. “I guess I’ll see you there then Abs.” He grabbed his nephew and the two other boys he was driving, as well as the booster seats they needed.
They walked out to Caleb’s car with Madison and two other kids in tow. “Yay, Miss Abby, are you riding with us?”
“Yes. I guess I am Sweetie.” Three little girls giggled and clapped their hands.
Caleb opened the back and front passenger doors. She noted that he had already set the booster seats in his backseat. The little girls climbed in and buckled up. He waited while Abby got in the front seat, and then closed all of the doors. What a gentleman she thought before taking in the gorgeous interior of her dream car. It still had that new car smell, rich with leather.
After entering the car and turning it on, Caleb leaned toward Abby and whispered, “So are you going to tell me what that was about?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to suck you into that. Blaine is my ex-boyfriend’s brother, and it’s just weird spending time with him. I saw you, and it just came out. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t.”
“I keep running into his family. I guess it’s just one of the hazards of living in the town that you were raised in.” He turned to look behind him as he backed out of the parking space. Dang he was cute. His facial skin looked so smooth, almost as if he’d never grown stubble on it before.
“He must have been a serious boyfriend for this to bother you so much.” He eyed her before putting the car into drive and looking out of the front windshield.
“I guess. He was my high school boyfriend, but we have some unpleasant blood between us, and it’s just awkward with his nephew in my class.”
“What does akwad mean?” They heard from the backseat and laughed.
Abby turned back to her student Melinda and said, “Awk-WARD means something that makes you uncomfortable.”
“Oh, okay. Sometimes my shoes are awkward.” The little girl turned and looked out of the window. This time Abby giggled.
After the short drive, Caleb announced, “We’re here little ladies.” He pulled into the parking lot and rushed to get out so he could open doors. Abby stepped out of the car when Blaine pulled in beside them, giving her a sexy smile.
“I have to go get the tickets. Meet me at the front?” She asked Caleb as she rushed off without an answer, trying to create more distance between her and Blaine.
Abby got up to the ticket booth, gave them the field trip information, and paid for the tickets. She walked over to the side gate and joined the other kindergarten teachers. Once parents walked up with their assigned kids, she handed them the tickets and checked their names off the list. Everyone was there except her not so favorite parent, ‘Helicopter Mom’. Of course, she would drive her son, and only her son, because she didn’t want any other children in her BMW. The school was technically responsible for him though, so Abby sat and waited an additional fifteen minutes in the sun until they got there.
Abby was not a sarcastic person but had to say something when Helicopter Mom walked up with a blended iced Mocha in her hand, and a Strawberries and Cream in her gifted son’s hand. “Wow, if I knew you were making a stop, I would have placed an order.” That got her a dirty look, but she didn’t care.
“Just in case I lose contact with you here, we need to go back to school after the zoo.”
“I was planning on leaving in a couple of hours so we can spend some time together today.” As though she wasn’t going to spend alone time with her child at the zoo.
“That’s fine, but I’ll need you to sign him out with me, or to go back to school to sign him out.”
“Why don’t you give me your cell number and I’ll call you when I need you to meet up with me?” H.M. had the nerve to say, and heck no. This was the last parent she was going to give her cell number to.
“I have a better idea. Why don’t you just sign this right now, and you will be free to go whenever you like.” Abby handed her the sign out form. She didn’t dislike too many people, but Abby could do without this woman.
“Fine.” She snatched the clipboard out of Abby’s hand, signed it next to her son’s name, and then shoved it back at her. Abby turned her back and walked into the entrance. She called one of the other teachers to see where they were, and met up with them at the penguin habitat.
Abby finally caught her breath when she leaned against the railing in front of the penguins so she could listen to the presentation the trainers were giving. She could feel someone standing close behind her. Too close. She heard an unwelcome whisper in her ear. “My brother was a fool for letting you go. You have grown into an incredible looking woman.”
Abby turned quickly to face Blaine. “What? Why did you say that?” She questioned with irritation in her tone.
Blaine switched their positions then leaned his back against the railing so he could face her. “I’ve had a crush on you for years Abs, but you were forbidden in high school because you were with my brother. When I found out you guys broke up, I was away at Stanford. Now we are crossing paths again. It must be fate trying to get us together.”
Abby rolled her eyes and snort-laughed. “Yeah right Blaine. I’ve had kind of a crappy morning. Please, stop teasing me.” She tried to back up a little and accidentally stepped on a small foot.
“Oww, Miss Abby. You crunched my toe.”
“I’m sorry Ben. Are you ok?” She squatted down, turning her back to Blaine.
“It’s ok Miss Abby. I think you meant it as an assident.” She giggled at the pronunciation. That was one of her favorite things about being a kindergarten teacher.
“Thank you for your understanding, Ben.” This earned her a huge toothless smile. This was another reason she loved this grade.
Abby almost forgot about her ex-boyfriend’s brother hovering behind her until she stood back up.
“You are so good with kids Abs. You picked the perfec
t profession.” He then added, “You are going to be a wonderful mother someday.”
“Thanks.” That was weird. Most men didn’t say that a woman would make a wonderful mother someday. Most men shied away from that subject altogether. Needing to change topics, she inquired, “Where are your kids?”
“Right over there.” He pointed. “Don’t worry; I’ve got my eyes on them.”
She tried to step away again, this time without taking out any kids when Blaine grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. “This might feel strange, but I’d love for you to go out with me sometime.”
“I’m sure your family would love that.” She snorted.
“I don’t care what they think. I’m a grown man, and besides, they will have their precious Peter back next week when he and his fiancé move here.”
Even though she truly didn’t care, hearing fiancé and Peter in the same sentence stung a bit. It must have shown on her face. Blaine’s next words proved it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that would bother you. I thought you were over him since you were the one who broke it off.”
“What? Is that what he said?” She couldn’t hide her surprised irritation.
“Yeah. He cried like a baby for like two weeks, and said you broke his heart.” She heard what Blaine was saying, but just couldn’t believe what she was actually hearing.
“That must be what Cindy McCormick was doing with him at my locker then. Consoling his broken heart with her tongue down his throat. That is how he broke my heart.” She was fuming, but why? It was so long ago. Why was he still getting to her? Darn it!
“Abs, I’m so sorry. I had no idea he was such a bastard. He’s been with the same girl for like four years now. I assumed he was a faithful guy.”
“He probably is; he just didn’t have the guts to break up with me after he discovered something he didn’t like. He chose the coward’s way out.”
“What could he have found out about you that would turn him away? Do you have a tail or something?” He looked down at her behind trying to lighten the mood. She did not appreciate his eyes on her butt though.
She gave an unenthusiastic laugh. “There’s a long story there, but I’m not willing to talk about it. Sorry, but I most certainly cannot go out with you.”
“If you and Peter are history, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t give me a chance. Don’t you find me attractive?” He gave her a cocky grin. He sooo knew how hot he was.
“It’s not that. You are very attractive, but I just can’t do it Blaine. I can’t even entertain the idea.”
“Do you have the hots for that other guy?” He leaned back a bit more on the railing.
“What other guy?” She was confused.
“The one you rode with. The one that keeps looking like he wants to run to your rescue.” He motioned toward Caleb who was standing with his arms crossed, looking back and forth between them and the girls he was watching.
“No, that’s Madison’s dad. Our families know each other, and he is probably just wondering why I looked upset a minute ago.”
“Isn’t he the writer whose wife died or something?”
“Yeah.” Abby glanced at Caleb sadly. “I can’t even imagine how that would feel.”
“Me neither.” He looked down then back up. “Sorry Abs. I’ll leave you alone if you aren’t interested. You can’t blame a guy for trying though.”
He stepped aside and walked the kids he was in charge of to the next exhibit now that the penguin presentation was over.
Abby and the other teachers bounced around from parent to parent to make sure they were all okay, and then it was time for lunch. They decided to eat by the playground area so the kids could run around for a little bit and the adults might get a small break. Abby sat on the grass by herself until Caleb joined her. She got a whiff of him, and man did he smell delicious. He smelled like clean clothes and fabric softener. She loved that scent. She had switched to an organic earth friendly detergent, and it just didn’t have that same aroma. Caleb probably thought she was nuts smelling the air when he sat down.
“Hey, how are you doing?” He was so sweet and considerate. What guy would ask that question? Most men would be afraid that a woman would actually answer such a query, but he looked genuinely concerned.
“I’m fine. It was a rough start, but all is well now.” She pulled her knees up to her chin then faced him and rested her cheek on them.
“I noticed that you got cornered at the penguin exhibit. I didn’t want to interrupt, but there was a moment when I thought I would have to. You looked so sad. You kind of broke my heart with that one look.” She blushed immediately, which was strange because she was sure all the blood had rushed directly to her heart, filling it to capacity.
“He was just talking about old news that never got to me, and I was a bit shocked, but I honestly shouldn’t be surprised. It’s fine now though. Truly it is.” She looked at the playground and noticed the girls were out there already. “Are they going to eat?”
“They ate about thirty minutes ago. We were walking along, and each one had already said she was hungry a couple of times, so they ate and walked at the same time. So what’s after lunch?”
“We will go see the elephants, then my all-time favorite, the giraffes.” She felt her face light up and knew he saw it too, judging by his expression.
“Giraffes, huh?”
“Yeah, but not just any giraffes; these ones are exceptional.” They truly were breathtaking creatures.
“And why is that?”
“Where else are you going to find giraffes with an ocean view?”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. It’s my favorite part of the zoo. I can only imagine what it looks like at sunset. This zoo has been my favorite place since I was a kid and I’ve never seen it at sundown. One day I will.” She smiled shyly.
“That sounds like an amazing plan.”
Today was one of Abby’s least favorite school days of the year. Emergency drill day. They were necessary, and Abby understood that, but the blaring sound of the alarm would freak out at least one kid in her group. It would break her heart. The siren would go off, and she would spot that child right away. She expected it, but didn’t plan on that child being sweet Madison Hunter today. Both she and her co-teacher Melissa had explained to the students what was going to happen before the bell went off, and she hadn’t seen any fear on Madison’s face. Once it happened though, she grabbed her cell phone before scooping Madison up in her arms and leading the other children out to the playground. Madison clung onto Abby’s body, sobbing while chanting, “Please don’t let us die.”
“Sweetheart, we aren’t going to die. We are just practicing for an emergency so if one ever occurs, everyone will know how to be safe and stay together.” Abby tried to calm her down while keeping all of the kids in line having to remind Justin Zuckerman countless times that he needed to keep his hands to himself. Madison was clinging so hard that she was choking Abby. She tried to pull her off a bit, but the little girl had a death grip around her neck. The drill was over, and it was lunchtime, so the teachers decided to let the kids go directly to the cafeteria while Abby brought her clingy friend with her back to the classroom. She sat down on her chair with Madison on her lap.
“Pumpkin, do you want me to call your daddy to come?” She didn’t know what else to do. This was not typical behavior from her. Without a word, Madison rubbed her eyes while moving her head up and down on Abby’s shoulder answering yes to her question.
Picking up her desk phone and dialing the number on her emergency contact list, Abby’s heart began to speed up. Regardless of the reason, she was about to call Caleb. Get it together Abby she started to repeat in her mind before hearing his deep masculine voice. “Hello?”
“Um, yeah this is Abby, I mean Miss Abby. I’m here with Madison, and I think she needs some daddy love right now.”
“Is she okay?” Panic was evident in his voice.
“Well we had an emerge
ncy drill today, and it truly upset her. I haven’t been able to calm her down. She won’t tell me what has her so bothered about it.” Abby rubbed Madison’s little back with the palms of her hands.
“Leaving now.” The line went dead. She hated to call a parent in before the end of school but couldn’t let this sweet girl spend the rest of her day so shaken. Abby called the front office and explained what had happened. Then she held Madison’s tiny, shaking form up against her, and started to sway as she sang the song her late grandmother always crooned to her when she was a little girl and needed comforting. Madison started to release her hold slightly, so Abby continued the lullaby.
Caleb raced through traffic after getting that call from Abby. His baby girl needed him, and he would be damned if he wasn’t going to get there as soon as he could. He was in the middle of writing a chapter, but she was more crucial than any deadline. He parked in the only empty spot in the parking lot. It may have been the principal’s space, but he couldn’t care less. Throwing the car into park, turning off the ignition and jumping out of his SUV, he began to run to the front office of the school. He pulled the door open, grabbed a visitor badge, and signed in before heading to the classroom. Just as he started to enter the door, he could hear a beautiful melody being sung. Caleb peeked around the corner, and his heart melted at seeing the beautiful woman that now starred in his nightly dreams, rocking his baby girl, and singing a lullaby to her. He craned his neck around to look into the adjacent classroom and saw the two kindergarten classes combined watching a movie with another teacher sitting close by. One boy was bouncing around while the others calmly sat and watched.
“Look, it’s Madison’s daddy,” he heard a little girl yell then all eyes were on him, including Madison’s and Abby’s. He barely had a chance to squat down before a small body slammed into him and clung on for dear life.
“Daddy.” Her body quivered, and tears freely flowed from her eyes. “Justin said we were all going to die when the alarm went off just like my mommy did. I was so scared.” His wide eyes connected with Abby’s right before she mouthed, ‘That little shit.’ She placed her hand up asking him to give her a minute then walked over to the crowd of kids until she stopped at the boy that had been bouncing around. She crouched down in front of the boy that now had panic written all over his face. Caleb whispered words of comfort into Madison’s ear as he watched Abby talk to the monster that upset his angel. She pulled on his small hand so he would follow her then started to pass Caleb.