She was in an honest state of shock at seeing her childhood celebrity crush standing in front of her. The Jett Anderson of Boy Tide. Kiara’s whole body was shaking as she shook his hand.
“That’s my mother.” Camille’s voice came from behind him since she’d left the choir stand.
“Hello, Camille’s mom,” Jett said as Kiara finally let go of his hand.
“Kiara,” she blurted out. “My name’s Kiara. Did I mention I’m a big, huge fan.” Instantly she felt like a fool for acting the way she was. But it wasn’t every day a girl got to meet a member of her all-time favorite band.
“Nice to meet you, Kiara.” Jett’s eyes stayed fixed on hers, his voice was smooth as velvet.
“Is this my lunch?” Camille took the plastic bag from her hands and looked inside at the contents.
“Oh. Yeah.” Kiara had trouble remembering the little human’s name. “I just came by to bring my daughter her lunch. It’s just a sandwich and apple juice from the hospital. That’s where I work; at the hospital. If ever you’re in the area…not that I want to see you injured, or anything.”
“Okay,” Jett said with a grin. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Kiara continued to gaze up at him. He was more handsome in real life than he’d ever been in posters. The way his eyes narrowed, his lips twitched, and he tugged at his bottom lip.
Wait. Those were all signs of fidgeting. Something was making him uncomfortable.
Then Kiara realized; someone was making him uncomfortable. It was her. She was the fidget causers.
“I’m so so sorry. I’m acting like a fangirl.”
“It’s fine.” It clearly wasn’t.
“I’ll just get out of your way.” If brown skin could blush, she’d be crimson right now.
“Wait, Mama,” said Camille. “Don’t you want to hear us.”
“Oh, sweetie, I already did.” Kiara’s gaze cut back to Jett’s. “They sound great.” She nodded in the direction of the students. “Much better than before.”
How was it anatomically possible for her to put her foot in her mouth this many times in this short of a time period.
“All they needed was a little tweaking,” Jett boasted proudly.
She bit down on her lip nervously as she stood with the full-grown, handsome man, whose posters and magazine cut-outs used to be plastered on her walls.
“Well, I better get back to work.” Kiara suddenly remembered she had to hurry back to the hospital before she was late. With the snow starting to fall, the ride back might be a little slow.
“Sorry, yeah. I should let you go. It was really nice to meet you, Kiara.” Jett smiled before turning back to the class.
Kiara hung on to the way her name rolled off his tongue. Jett Anderson knew her name. She could die a happy woman right now. She wanted to kiss Camille for forgetting her lunch today.
It was the best day Kiara had had in a long time. Any stress she’d had from the morning had vanished, just like when she’d caught that throwback Boy Tide song on the radio the other day. But it was time to get back to the real world.
With a nervous smile and wave, Kiara fled the classroom. In the hallway, she leaned against the wall and took a deep, shuddering breath. It wasn’t just his celebrity status, but his overall attractiveness that pulled her in. She couldn’t help feeling like an idiot for her looney behavior with him. He’d said he was the temporary teacher. Luckily, she wouldn’t be seeing much more of him and she could put him back in her imaginary perfect world where he thought she was the most beautiful, desirable, wittiest woman in the world. Yeah, that place was Lala Land.
Chapter Five
Jett stood on a raised platform in the music room. He waved his arms, pointed the baton like it was a wand. Something magical was happening.
In just a matter of days, the children sounded like an entirely different choir. The song they sang was arranged for something new. It wasn’t simply Jett’s moving the kids into a new formation based on their vocal ranges. He’d also let the children have a say in the arrangement of the song.
In his fifth period class, he’d encountered the boys he’d seen on his first day. The same boys that had been outside huddled into a group, bopping their heads as one boy chanted a verse that Jett hadn’t heard. Jett had pulled the kid aside and asked to hear what he’d rapped.
After being sheepish for all of two minutes, the young boy finally opened his mouth and Jett’s eyes had widened. He’d sent the kid home with an assignment to write rap lyrics for one of the performance songs. In just two days, they’d integrated the rap seamlessly into one of the Christmas carols.
Jett wasn’t sure if the parents and administration would appreciate the innovative addition to the timeless tradition. But he couldn’t let creative talent like that go without being heard. Besides, the kids all loved the new arrangement.
As students filed out of his room for lunch, Jett waved them off. One of the last to leave the room was the one student who was easily one of the most talented to grace his room—Camille Harper.
“No after-school practice today, Mr. Anderson?”
“Sorry, Camille, but no. Principal Carpenter has canceled all after school activities due to the snowstorm.”
The girl sighed. “But we need the practice. The concert is next week.”
“You all are doing amazingly well. I’d pay to see you perform.”
“You really mean that?”
Jett nodded. He did. When he came in, the choir was an absolute mess, but when he began to direct them, Camille picked up the direction quickly. She had a beautiful voice and took her role in the choir seriously.
He’d expected to see more of her mom, though. It had been clear from the moment they met that Kiara Harper was an OG fan girl from back in the nineties.
Her coffee brown eyes had had stars in them the moment she’d seen Jett. She’d grinned nonstop, giving Jett a perfect view of straight white teeth and lips that were still plump enough for a kiss even though they were being stretched wide. She had been in sneakers not heels. There hadn’t been an ounce of skin showing in her colorful, hospital scrubs with dancing pigs. But it was clear even with the layers of cloth that she had a shapely figure, exactly the kind that would set a man’s mouth to watering.
She was everything he didn’t want in a woman. She was a fan, who would never reconcile who she imagined him to be with who he really was.
Jett didn’t have time to entertain a fangirl while he had a job to do. Which was all well and good since Kiara Harper hadn’t been back to the music room to harass him since the first time they’d met.
He’d seen her dropping Camille off each morning, dressed in bright colored scrubs with cartoon characters on them. She should’ve looked ridiculous, but he’d grinned with each new outfit.
Though she dropped Camille off each morning, Kiara didn’t park and come inside to chat with him like a few of the other moms did. He’d seen her walk into the main office with Kiara’s lunch the other day, but she rushed back out the front doors instead of coming down to seek him out.
Jett remembered that incident clearly because he’d seen Camille eating lunch in the lunchroom from a music note lunch box. He’d assumed Kiara had brought a second lunch in an attempt to see him again.
But no. They hadn’t seen each other again since the first time. So why had she popped into his mind each day since that initial meeting?
“Mr. Anderson? Mr. Anderson?”
Jett focused his attention back on the mini version of Kiara Harper. “I’m sorry, Camille? What were you saying?”
“I was just reminding you to check the instruments in the closet to make sure none are on the floor. We had a flood with last year’s storm.”
“Oh, thank you for that.”
She nodded, with a huge grin, then turned and headed down the hall. She was such a good kid. They all were.
Leaving his classroom behind, Jett spotted a few of his students and gave them high fives. The kids appe
ared to have taken to him quickly, and the best part was most of them were oblivious to who he’d been before.
Passing the windows, he noticed how heavily the snow was coming down. Having lived in California for most of his adult life, getting home to his hotel room was going to be an interesting journey, but he was always up for a challenge. If push came to shove, he’d call a car service.
“Ready for a snow day or two, Mr. Anderson?” A voice came from behind him, bringing him back to reality.
Jett turned to see Principal Carpenter walking up to him. The man wore a heavy coat and gloves. His nose was red and there was snow on his cap.
“A snow day will give me a chance to finish my lesson plan and my plans for the winter musical,” Jett said. It would also give him some time to plan his next career move. This was a temporary gig. Davis would be coming back after winter break, and Jett needed to get back to his old life.
He sighed as he watched the snow fall out the front doors. A few kids were piling the flakes up in their palms and starting a wintery war. Jett grinned as he watched. If he wanted, he could go out and join the fun. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been in a snowball fight.
“Any resources you need for the musical, just ask,” Principal Carpenter was saying. “I’ve heard what you’ve done with the choir students and I’ve also heard how excited they are. I think this will be our best musical performance in years.”
He gave Jett a grand smile. Jett knew Principal Carpenter wanted to be proud of the choir and of the winter musical. Jett had found a few clips of the past few concerts online and they were not up to his standard.
“Thank you so much,” said Jett. “I’m going to send a letter to the parents by the end of the week asking for volunteers closer to the date for decorating and other things we might need that night. I want to get everyone involved. The kids have something to be proud of.”
“We’re letting the kids out early. I’m letting all the teachers know. The fourth period will be your last and then we’re getting all the kids home.” The principal’s words were quick and efficient, with no room for argument.
“I just have to check the instrument closet and then I’ll get moving.”
Stopping in front of the teacher’s lounge, Jett pulled open the door for the older man, allowing him to walk in. The room was filled with teachers, a potluck spread on a large table against the opposite wall from them. He waved to some of the teachers he’d gotten to know over his first week on the staff, weaving his way through the room until he found himself standing in a corner.
Principal Carpenter cleared his throat, calling the attention of the room to him, waiting until all the eyes were on him. “Some of you might know already, but we’re closing down early today. Today’s fourth period will be the last class and we’re sending the students home. We’ve already sent a message out to parents. Tomorrow there will not be school and Friday we will see how the roads look. I will be in contact with all of you as to how Thursday will go. Right now, though, I’m going to dig into Mrs. Gates’ famous spinach dip.”
All the teachers began to chat enthusiastically about having a day off. Jett grabbed a few chips then headed back to the music room to get the place ready for the oncoming storm.
Chapter Six
Kiara was more than grateful to be dismissed from work in preparation for the oncoming snowstorm. She’d worked two doubles and was due to get off the rotation. She would miss the Chows’ birth of their third child. She’d been there for the first and second. But Kiara needed to get home to her first and only child.
Leaving the hospital, she drove her poor little Camry through the snow. It was beyond time to get a new car. But until she saved up enough money it wouldn’t happen, and her daughter came first.
Soon though, the car would have to be replaced for her daughter, because Camille would be driving. For now, her focus was getting home. The roads were completely covered in thick, sticky snow and it was starting to get difficult to navigate through.
Camille had been released early from school because of the impending storm. Kiara’s mom had been able to pick her up and take her home. They were waiting for her to arrive to start cooking dinner and desserts. They’d spend the night watching old movies and snuggling under blankets. Kiara couldn’t wait for the multigenerational girls’ night.
As she inched slowly along the road, Kiara’s cell phone rang from her dashboard. It was Camille. She swiped her finger over the phone, instantly plugging it to speakerphone.
“Yeah, Cam?” Kiara spoke to her daughter, keeping her eyes on the whitening road.
“Hey, Mama,” Camille’s voice came over the line and she knew Camille was going to be asking for something by the tone of her voice.
“I’m on the way home. What’s up?”
“I forgot my notebook at school. It’s my math one and Mr. Nelson will give me another zero if I don’t do my homework for class. I’m positive I left it in Mr. Anderson’s room. Can you pretty please get it for me?”
Camille sounded frantic and Kiara knew she had a good reason. Mr. Nelson had been her middle school math teacher and he was a mean old man back then who’d give a zero for anything. Kiara knew Camille wanted a new phone for Christmas, and the only grade holding her back was math.
Kiara huffed in annoyance at the request, but the school was on her route home. It wouldn’t hurt to see if anyone was around, though she seriously doubted it with the way the snow was currently falling, and the fact the students had already been released.
“I’ll try to stop by, but I won’t make promises because there is a chance nobody will be there.” Having her daughter be happy was the highlight of her day. No matter what it took some days.
“Thanks, Mama!” Camille cheered before the call ended.
When she arrived at the school, she noticed lights on in the hallway. Pulling up to the curb she’d dropped Camille off at that morning, she wrapped her scarf around her neck and opened the car door. Stepping one foot out, it sunk into at least six inches of snow. Groaning, she stepped the rest of the way out of the car, sinking into the snow, and closed the door. She started the shorter trek to the building much like she had earlier in the day with less snow on the ground.
Sliding through the white powder was a workout until she reached the bottom of the steps. Out of breath, Kiara was determined to scale the steps and get out of there as fast as possible. With the wind whipping around, she held her coat tightly around her body as she slowly made her way up the steps to the front door, which was thankfully unlocked.
Stepping into the hallway, there was pure silence. Knowing where the choir room was, she wiped her feet on the carpet and hurried off in its direction to get the notebook so she could get back on the road before it got much worse.
Arriving at the classroom, she pushed the door open and was surprised to find someone sitting at the desk. His head shot up and those unmistakable gray eyes met hers. It was Jett.
She hadn’t seen him since that surprise encounter at the beginning of the week. Kiara had grilled Camille about why he was there, how long he was staying, and what he had the kids doing. Kiara hadn’t wanted to stalk the man. She’d been so embarrassed by her behavior that day. But she couldn’t deny that she’d wanted to see him again. So much so that she’d volunteered to help out the night of the Winter Concert. And now she was standing in front of him, in the flesh.
“Hi.” Her voice dipped as a blush crept over her face. She stepped the rest of the way into the room, allowing the door to shut behind her. “I don’t know if you remember me. I’m–”
“Camille’s mom, right?” Standing, he walked around his desk before leaning casually against the front of it.
“Yeah.” She shrugged. At least her voice was working this time. And her face wasn’t as heated as the first time, because this time she was more prepared, but not by much. “I don’t mean to disturb you. Camille said she left a notebook and she’s sure she left it in your room. It’s for Mr. N
elson’s class and she’s freaking out.”
“Oh, yeah. Him. I can understand the freak- out.” Jett stepped away from his desk toward the student’s desks scattered around the room. “Let’s see. I didn’t see any notebooks earlier, but it might be around here.”
“Thanks,” she sighed with relief as she began to look around the desks, not exactly knowing where to look in the first place.
“You almost missed me,” he said. “I stayed after to rearrange the instrument closet. I heard after last year’s snowstorm there was a flood.”
“There was?” Kiara hadn’t heard of any such flood. It also hadn’t snowed hard last year. They’d had a pretty mild winter in Virginia.
The wind rattled the windows as it whipped by, howling as it found cracks and creases to get caught in. She could tell the cold was trying to force its way through the old building’s windows by the crystals forming at the bottom of the window frames.
“It must be really storming now,” he said.
“Yeah, it’s already pretty deep, at least six inches when I walked in.”
He seemed perplexed as he glanced at the window. “And I’m not coming across any notebooks.”
“I’m not seeing a notebook either,” she mentioned as she sat down on top of a desk in defeat.
She hadn’t noticed he had joined her, sitting on the desk next to her until she glanced through her eyelashes at him. She was still trying to process it but sitting there on the next desk, he seemed more like a regular guy than a rock star.
“You know, Camille is one of my best students. She’s taken to my direction so well and her voice is astounding.” He praised her daughter, a smile growing as he spoke about her.
Kiara returned the smile, grateful for the praise he was giving her daughter. Finally, someone aside from her saw her daughter’s talent.
“Thanks. She’s always loved music. I had her in vocal and piano lessons for a little while, but it got a bit too expensive for me to keep up with it. She was devastated.” It was the worst part of being a single parent for Kiara. Camille deserved the world, but a single salary couldn’t always bring the world. “But starting middle school she was insanely excited to join the choir.”
Mommy Loves the Rockstar Page 3