Don’t punch him. Don’t punch him. No matter what this pudgy little bastard says, please, refrain from going off on him.
“I can handle it fine,” I said, offering him the craziest smile I could muster. It didn’t affect him, but at least, it elicited some laughter from my rambunctious bunch of kids, Edge included.
After the principal left the room, I tried to restore some semblance of order. Why schools no longer honored nap time I’d never understand, but I did the next best thing by revamping my schedule to allow the children some quiet, play time. Not that they were inclined to adhere to the quiet part of the scenario, but it was better than the alternative -- a full-on mutiny, care of the little alpha male-in-training Edge.
Thankfully, my plan to take things down a few notches, including my jumpy nerves, worked. The rest of the day went relatively smoothly for a kindergarten class. By the time the clock ticked closer to the time to call it a day, we were all more than ready to leave and unwind. I walked the children outside and prepared to say my much-needed goodbyes for the day.
“Daddy!” Edge jumped up and down, screaming with excitement. “I’m hungry. Can we go eat some paella?”
“Paella? Wow!” I hadn’t realized I said it aloud. I turned to find E.J. sauntering up with all his swagger and sex appeal oozing out of him. “I’m impressed.”
“With me or with the paella?” E.J. asked, nodding and shaking hands with enamored parents. His eyes were on mine, completely oblivious to what the parents were saying to him as he signed autographs and smiled for cell phone cameras.
“Both, I guess. Do you normally pick Edge up? Forgive me, but I’ve never seen you in the pickup line,” I said to let him know I’d been paying attention.
He shook his head. “Usually my business manager, assistants or my attorney pick him up for me, but it’s been a day, so I thought I’d pick him up myself.”
“Those women are your staff members? How many assistants do you have?” I asked.
Edge answered for him. “Too many. We have way too many women, don’t we, Daddy? We have to get rid of them so we can just be boys, right?”
E.J. smiled. “That’s right. When you’re as good looking as we are, son, women are everywhere.”
I rolled my eyes. Same guy, just a few years older.
“I’m kidding,” E.J. said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Well, let’s go before the vultures take a bite out of us.” He nodded to me. “Have a good night. Um, if you want to talk about stuff, you have my number.”
I sure did.
Principal Cantor was so quiet; I didn’t hear him walk up behind us. “Was there a problem? I didn’t hear anything about there being another problem today.” He looked at me with accusing eyes.
E.J must have sensed the tension between us because he intervened before things turned sour. “No, there wasn’t a problem at all. I think Mrs. Jackson has--”
“Ms. Jackson. You don’t have to call me Mrs. anymore. Actually, you can call me Hillary if you like,” I said.
“Hillary?” E.J. smiled.
Of course, he didn’t remember my name. Why would he? I was just another girl in school. There were a thousand of us in school, so why would he have remembered my name?
“Yes, that’s my name. I know it’s so common, you couldn’t possibly remember it, but yes, that’s my name,” I snapped at him, annoyed I had to explain it to him.
He smiled again. “I remember your last name. Well, your maiden name. It’s Defensive, isn’t it?”
Oh, he had jokes! Somehow on top of becoming a major celebrity football player, he also managed to become a comedian too. Excuse me; I didn’t realize I was standing next to a triple threat.
“Like I said, give me a call later and we’ll talk about things.” E.J. winked at me.
I looked at Principal Cantor, afraid he’d be fuming, but I was surprised to find he just seemed perplexed, not angry. “Yes, make sure you make the phone call, Mrs. Jackson,” he said, pretending like it was a great idea.
“I guess,” I answered noncommittally. “I guess, I will.”
Chapter Four – Razor
I didn’t recognize the number, but I figured if they were calling my private female only line, then, it was worth answering.
“Who’s your daddy?” I answered, chuckling at my cheesy greeting.
“Seriously? That’s how you say hello?”
I sat up straighter, unsure of who I was speaking to. “Why do what everyone else is doing? Different is fun. How are you doing tonight, sweetie?” I figured the answer she gave me would give me a clue as to who she was. I ran my mind through my mental Rolodex as I listened for the woman to respond.
“You have no idea who this is, do you? What if I was a casting director calling with a job offer or some advertising executive trying to vet you for a sponsorship?” the woman asked.
Now, I knew who it was, but it didn’t stop me from saying what came naturally to me. “You wouldn’t be calling me on this line if you were. Business calls go to my other line. The fun stuff goes to this phone.”
“Fun stuff? So, your son’s teacher is someone you consider fun? Wow, I feel special now. You asked me to call your fun line? I’m so flattered,” Hillary said, sounding annoyed with me already.
It was time to smooth things out. I didn’t ask her to call me because I needed a new woman to argue with. I had a legitimate reason for wanting to speak with her. All I had to do was figure out a way to convince her, I was being sincere, even though I knew I wasn’t.
“Well, since I have you on the phone, I do have some questions for you. They’ll help me figure out how to reach Edge,” she explained, but based on her tone, I got the feeling, the questions had a lot more to do with wanting to get to know me better and not because it could actually do anything to prevent my little guy from picking on her or the other kids in her classroom.
“Ask away,” I said, prepared to give her the rote answer I’d given dozens of other people over the years.
Hillary dove right into the first hard-hitting questions. “Does your son have a relationship with his mother? Are they close?”
Oh, she wanted to go there. I knew she was more interested than she was letting on. “Nope. Their relationship ended the day she walked out the door. To tell you the truth, I’m not even sure she walked out. I think her drunk ass crawled out of here on her hands and knees like the piece of--”
“Whoa! Stop right there. You’re giving me way more information than I asked for. A word of advice, you might not want to speak badly of his mother. It’s bad form. Isn’t that what you were saying to me earlier today? He can end up being hurt by your words,” Hillary warned me. It’s not something I hadn’t heard before, but the fact of the matter was, I was mad as hell and I had to vent to someone. It might as well have been her.
“Sorry, but we’ve been through a lot. It might not look like it, but we are barely beginning to get over some of it now. Anyway, you don’t want to hear about my problems. Why don’t you tell me something? You said, you were teaching in Spain. How did you end up there?” I asked, partially curious, partially anxious to change the subject. If two shots of Jack Daniels weren’t going to do it for me, then, maybe this pretty teacher could do it instead.
When Hillary spoke again, her tone had changed. Had my little tirade scared her? “Edge is a good boy. I know, I haven’t known him very long, but I can tell, he’s the sweetest child. What I’m concerned with is how all that is going on in your lives right now is affecting him. I spent the evening catching up on the news about your custody issue and your career. I guess, I was out of the loop in Spain. I didn’t realize you were a household name or you were named the Sexiest Man Alive last year. I apologize for my ignorance on that front.”
She researched me? “I’m flattered. You cared enough to do a little digging. See, I didn’t turn out so bad for a white boy from the South side of Chicago, did I?”
Hillary laughed. I thought I remembered hearing her laugh before
. Maybe I was imagining it, but it seemed comfortably familiar. “You were a white boy; that’s for sure, but you’re acting like you were the only one from Chicago; you’re not. I seem to remember there were a lot of white girls and guys besides you. You were just the loudest.”
I had to laugh. I was pretty loud back then. I craved attention and would do anything to make sure I got the right amount. “And the most unforgettable. What else do you remember about me?”
I thought back to what life was like for me as a kid. I was all over the place between football, girls, parties, and street fights; I could barely keep my head above water.
“Did you hear me?” Hillary asked. I hadn’t even realized she was still speaking.
“Yes, I heard you,” I lied.
She called me on it right away. “No, you didn’t. Listen, I wouldn’t normally say this to a student’s father, but--”
It was time to swoop in and calm the situation down, otherwise my plan to get Hillary to work with me, would blow up in my face. “You love me? Well, that’s so sweet. I’m flattered, but I think, it’d be better if we started with dinner first. How about tomorrow? Does tomorrow night work for you? I can pick you up around six. Don’t worry about getting too gussied up. It will be semi-casual.” I thought that would do the trick because I didn’t let her get a word in edgewise. There was no time to protest or try to talk me out of it.
“What? Dinner? Love? I love you? I never said those words. Where are you getting them from?” Hillary was so confused, I knew there was no chance, she was going to pull it together fast enough to refuse my generous offer.
“So, six, right?” I tried again.
“No. Yes. Wait, what is happening here?” Hillary was still struggling to wrap her mind around my invitation.
“It’s dinner. I’m not asking you to marry me,” I joked. Not yet anyway. I hoped it wouldn’t have to go that far, but if it did, I’d figure something out.
It took some convincing, but after fifteen minutes of some back and forth, she finally agreed to have dinner with me. Now all I had to do was drop a few hints on social media that I was going to be out with a special lady friend -- an elementary school teacher, no less -- and then the plan would be set in place. Kelly would be so proud of me for taking the initiative and doing something to make sure I got to keep my son.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, and then I promise, Edge won’t be a problem in class from this point forward,” I said, not completely confident I could pull that part off.
After we hung up, I made a few key phone calls to get the media ball rolling, then I made a quick call to Kelly.
“Please, don’t tell me you’re in trouble because I don’t have time to kill you today, but I will if I have to,” Kelly answered the phone with a well-placed warning.
I laughed. “No, of course not. I told you, I’d stay out of trouble. I’m calling with good news.”
“Uh-oh, what are you up to now?” Kelly asked.
I boasted about my huge achievement, convinced my plan was foolproof. “What do you think?” I asked.
“You are such a jerk!” she scolded me. “I didn’t tell you to lie to some innocent woman! All I said was, you needed to settle down, not b.s. your way to full custody. I can’t believe this. You have to break this off. Cancel the date.”
Well, that didn’t go as well as I’d expected it would, but I didn’t let Kelly’s heated reaction dissuade me. I was confident my plan could work. Hillary was a teacher. It was her job to do what was right for her students. Surely she’d see that by helping me keep Edge, she would ultimately be doing the best thing she could for him. I mean, it’s not like I wasn’t a good catch. Women would kill to be my girl. Eventually, she’d see that and want to do her part. Hell, I’d even spoil her with some nice stuff just to sweeten the pot. All I needed was for her to go along with it until this court case finally fizzled out. How difficult would that be?
I sat back in my seat, glad my fake date or unsuspecting wife-to-be was drop-dead gorgeous. I don’t know what I would have done if she wasn’t so hot. I suppose, I wouldn’t have ceased on her as my suitable companion. Those curves and pouty lips were enough to make me wish she was mine, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch for me to pretend like she was someone I wanted. If she played her cards right, she might end up with all the benefits many satisfied women before her had received and none of the long-term commitment.
“I can’t sleep, Daddy. Can I stay in here with you?” Edge walked into my room, rubbing his big blue eyes. They reminded me so much of his mother’s eyes, minus the dark circles she usually sported under hers.
“Sure thing, little man. Come here. You can hang out with me for a little while.” I looked at the time. It wasn’t quite eight o’clock yet, so I figured I’d allow him a few minutes to hang out with me. “Hey, you can help me decide where to take Ms. Jackson for dinner.”
“We’re going to take my teacher out for dinner? Daddy, are you crazy? I can’t eat in public with my teacher!” Edge protested.
“Why not? Don’t you think she’s pretty?” I asked, remembering how pretty she was.
“Girls are dumb,” Edge said.
It was time to man up and set him straight. “No, they’re not. I bet Ms. Jackson is pretty smart. That’s probably how she knows you are dealing with some stuff right now. She cares about you.”
Edge considered my words for a moment. “Does she care about you?”
I kissed the top of his head. “Not yet, big guy, but she will. She will soon enough. So, where should I take her?”
“Bring her here. You can make pizza and French fries for her. I heard she likes those things,” Edge said, trying to be as slick as I thought I was.
I rubbed his head. “So, your teacher likes the same food you like? Interesting. I’ll keep that in mind.” I thought he might have been onto something. Maybe, the way to Hillary’s heart was to use an approach I’d never used with any other women before her.
Chapter Five – Hillary
“If you don’t get up off my bed, I’m going to--” Felicia started.
Interrupting her, I whined, “Girl, what am I going to do? Do you know how wrong this is? I can’t date a student’s parent. That’s not right. The school board will be all over me. Now, the media has pictures of me at his house. What was I thinking?”
Felicia assessed her new do in the mirror. “How do you like this? I think it looks better this way, don’t you?”
I tossed one of her eight gazillion throw pillows at her. “Will you pay attention to me? This is serious. What am I going to do? Should I tell him I can’t see him again?”
“You should do what feels right to you. Look, you said you had a good time. This boy made you dinner. At his house! How romantic is that? So what if he’s Edge’s dad! Who cares if some photographers took your picture! It’s not like you’re going to marry him. I would try to keep it hush hush, though. Don’t go trying to act like a little family and make Edge tag along. Don’t take E.J. to school functions. Keep it cool. Keep it private and move on. Have some fun. You deserve it.”
I thought about it for a moment, imagining how nice it would be for us to be a couple. Despite what I thought I knew about him, he did turn out to be a really nice guy. Dinner was great. We made pizzas of all things. How cute is that? There was something romantic about it. Edge was with a sitter. It was just the two of us alone, talking, reminiscing about our childhoods and school days. It was funny because almost none of our good memories involved each other. It was like we’d grown up in different places at different times. While he was busy being the life of the party, I was off somewhere alone with my nose in a book.
“I don’t think I’m ready to do this,” I said. “I think; I need more time.”
“More time for what? What do you think is going to happen in a few months? I’m not saying to date this guy -- although you’d be crazy if you didn’t. I’m saying date someone. It’s time. Sam wouldn’t want you to live like some kind of an old
maid. Girl, you’re almost thirty-years-old. You don’t have much time left,” Felicia said. “It’s time to get yourself some. Please, for the love of God, get yourself some.”
Whether or not I was truly ready, I wouldn’t know, but I did, at least, know I was ready to have some fun and stop crying. I’ll never get over Sam. I’ll never forget the way he made me feel. He was the love of my life, but it was time to move on. It was time to let go.
“Why are you crying? Things are going to be okay,” Felicia consoled me, rubbing my back. “Sam wouldn’t want you to turn into some old fuddy duddy spinster.”
That made me laugh. Felicia could always be counted on for a good laugh. We’d known each for so long, she always knew what to say or do to make me stop feeling sorry for myself. When we were in college together at Northern Indiana University, she was the first person who spoke to me. I used to think she was too much for me. Too fast, as my mother would readily remind me, but I saw something more in her. She was worldly where I was much more local in my thinking and in my actions. I was from the heart of the city of Chicago; she was the child of two soldiers who gave their children as many experiences around the world as possible.
Razor's Edge: A Bad Boy Romance (Bad Boys of Football Book 2) Page 3