Not So Easy (The NOT Series Book 4)

Epilogue

“I still can’t believethey brought him,” Lindsey growled for the third time since Becca and Jacob showed up to Megan’s wedding with an extra person. And it wasn’t baby Noah. I had no idea what the guy had done to her, but she acted as if they were mortal enemies.

Handing over the glass of wine I’d just procured from the bar, I followed her glare to find the technically uninvited guest dancing with a twirling ten year old on the dance floor. “What do you have against him?”

According to our brief introduction, Trey Collins was the new football coach at the high school. Becca said he was new in town, and he and Jacob had become friends. They brought him—with Megan and Ryan’s approval—so he could meet new people.

I’d barely spoken to him, but he seemed nice enough.

“They put him across the hall from me,” she said, staring daggers at the guy’s back. “He teaches Econ and World History, and the kids love him.”

None of this explained her obvious dislike.

“If a bunch of teenagers like him, then he can’t be that bad.”

“You obviously don’t spend a lot of time with teenagers.” After sipping her wine, she went on. “They only like him because he’s a pushover. I’d be amazed if they learn anything in his classes.”

She was right. I didn’t spend a lot of time with teenagers, but I’d been one once upon a time. In my day, when we liked a teacher, it wasn’t because they weren’t teaching us anything. A good teacher made you want to try harder to impress them, but I wasn’t going to argue the point.

“Have the kids said he’s a bad teacher?”

Her lip curled in disgust. “They never say a negative word about him. He’s like the reverse of a teacher’s pet. He’s the students’ pet.” Lindsey swirled her merlot. “I couldn’t even get to my room the first day of school because he was holding court in the hall.”

Creating a traffic jam in the hall could get annoying, but I’d seen Lindsey with her students. They adored her. She was the proctor for the drama club, and at every play I’d attended, the kids had done everything but lift her onto their shoulders and parade her across the stage.

“Don’t the students like you, too?”

“Of course, they do,” she said, “but not because I let them cruise by. My kids are actually learning something.”

Teaching was Lindsey’s passion so her dislike of Coach Collins made sense if what she said was true. I could only assume the school wanted his coaching skills enough to look the other way regarding his teaching.

At the same time, knowing that the coach and Jacob were friends made me skeptical. I couldn’t picture Jacob spending time with the person Lindsey described. He was as passionate about education as Lindsey was, as well as a popular teacher in his own right.

Would he really befriend a subpar teacher? I didn’t think so, but I could be wrong.

“I’m going for another piece of cake,” Lindsey said, setting her glass on the table and rising to her feet. “Do you want one?”

I’d already had two slices, and Ryan was correct. The chocolate confection was the stuff of dessert dreams.

“No thanks, but the bridal party dance is coming up, so don’t wander too far off.”

As she strolled away, I watched Becca do a mean shimmy on the dance floor. This was her first chance to cut loose since having the baby, and it was fun to see her have such a good time. Not that she wasn’t enjoying motherhood. The woman was a natural, and lucky for her, Noah had so far been a dream child.

By ten weeks he was sleeping through the night, and the only time he stopped smiling was when he needed a nap or didn’t feel good. The ear infection had been rough for all of them, but once they’d cleared that up, he once again become the happy little cherub we all loved to cuddle.

“Hey, there, gorgeous.” Calvin kissed my cheek before settling into the seat beside me. “You doing okay?”

“I’m good. How about you?”

When the day started, Calvin had been surprisingly nervous. The schedule of Hickamore House bookings had filled up nicely in the last few months, but this was the first event of this magnitude to actually take place. The rest were either later in the year or as far off as next summer.

“One issue with a soda canister, and we’ll need to work on overflow parking,” he said, “but the rest is good so far. Has Megan said anything?”

Mr. Calm had been replaced with a stressed out man I hardly recognized. “Honey, relax. The ceremony was beautiful, and everyone is having a great time. You’re a guest tonight. Sit back and enjoy yourself.”

“They have no complaints?” he asked, not the least bit appeased by my words.

Cupping his cheeks, I held his gaze. “Calvin Hopkins, you’ve created a stunning event venue, paid attention to every single detail, and made it possible for one of my best friends to have the wedding of her dreams. Take a breath. Hickamore House is perfect.”

“You’re sure?”

Oh, how I loved this man. “I’m positive.”

“Let’s go,” said Josie, as she took us each by the hand. “You can kissy face later. Right now it’s all bridal party to the floor.”

“I’m not in the bridal party,” Calvin reminded her. I’d worried Calvin would feel left out, but I should have known the girls would never let that happen.

Blonde curls danced around her face as she shook her head. “You’re an honorary member. Ryan’s cousin had to leave early, so Donna needs a partner and you’re it.”

The moment we stepped foot on the dance floor, the DJ rolled into an old school Mary J. Blige song and Calvin pulled me close against him. With his cheek pressed to my temple, we swayed with the music, our bodies moving in time as if we’d been dancing together for decades. Where he led, I followed, and that’s how our life together would always be.

Leaning back, I smiled up at him. “You’re good at this.”

“I’ve got some moves.” He spun, leaned me deep over his arm, then twirled me upright again. “See that? You didn’t know I had that in me, did you?”

“I did not.” Laughing, I flattened my hand over his heart. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

With a quick nod, he said, “Let you go. That’s the one thing I can’t do.”

Heart melting, I patted his black lapel. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Amazed I could feel so blissfully happy, I set my chin on Calvin’s shoulder and spotted Coach Collins dancing with Lindsey. From the way he held her, I suspected that the coach felt very differently about Lindsey than she felt about him.

“Interesting,” I said aloud.

“What’s that?” Calvin asked.

“Lindsey is dancing with Trey Collins.”

My partner spun us around so he could see what I saw. “He’s been watching her all evening.”

“He has?” I needed to pay more attention.

“Yeah, I noticed it a couple hours ago.”

Curious about his opinion, I said, “Have you talked to him?”

“A bit. Seems like a nice guy.”

“No bad vibes or inappropriate comments?”

Calvin spun us again. “Not around me. He said some nice stuff about the house, and then we talked football until I got called away to handle the canister issue.”

Lindsey hated sports. “They’re total opposites so I don’t see anything happening between them.”

“We’re kind of opposites, aren’t we?”

I didn’t think so. “You and I are different, but not opposites. Lindsey would rather set herself on fire than talk about football. And anyway, she really doesn’t like him.”

With a chuckle, he said, “You didn’t like me very much six months ago.”

True, but that was based on teenage idiocy.

“I only felt that way because I thought you didn’t like me, remember?”

“And you were very wrong.” He pressed his cheek to mine and whispered, “I like you very much, and I always have.”

Leaning into him, I closed my eyes. “I like you very much, too. And I always will.”