Chapter 14
Fourteen
“ E sther!”
At the whispered exclamation from the doorway, Esther glanced up from her desk and the lesson plan she’d been working on, a peanut butter sandwich in her left hand. “Hey, Liv.” She smiled at her colleague. Liv Spellman had started at the school the same year Esther did and also taught kindergarten. The two had become fast friends.
Liv hustled into the room, her rounded pregnant belly preceding her. Edie’s face flashed through Esther’s mind, and she was hit with another pang of jealousy. An image of Asher’s smile and the remembered feel of his silky hair clutched in her fingers swiftly followed.
Whoa, girl. Slow down.
Even if the kiss meant something and a relationship bloomed between them, they were still a long way off from adorable, squishy, brown-eyed babies.
Not that she believed she and Asher would ever have a relationship or that their kiss meant anything. Sure, it had been pleasant—okay, more like earth-shattering and mind-blowing—but it was just a kiss. They were alone, and they’d been stuck together for days. And they’d shared a moment. That’s all it was.
“Girlfriend, who’s the hunk subbing for Tamara?” Liv stopped in front of Esther’s desk and pointed a finger at her. “And don’t pretend you don’t know. I saw you two get out of the same car this morning.”
Crap! Of course she did. “Um, he’s an old friend of my sister’s.”
Liv arched an eyebrow. “That man is a friend of Edie’s? How?”
“Military. They met through that. He wasn’t military, but did some… other… stuff.” She didn’t want to divulge Asher’s real backstory. Not all of it. It didn’t make much sense for a genius hacker with his own version of a supercomputer for a brain to be subbing in a kindergarten classroom. “He decided he liked the area up here, so while he looks for a job, he’s staying with me and subbing for the district to stay busy in between interviews.” Esther resisted the urge to pat herself on the back. That was a pretty plausible backstory. Especially for something she came up with on the fly.
“Oh. He’s staying with you, you say?” A wicked gleam entered Liv’s eyes. “What’s that like? Is he sleeping in your guest room or with you?”
“Liv!” Esther’s face heated. “He’s staying in the guest room.”
Liv cackled. “I bet that won’t last long.”
“Why not? He’s just a friend.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.” Liv winked, not even trying to fight the smile that blossomed on her face. “One who’s put a pretty shade of pink on your face. You can’t sit there and tell me you don’t find him attractive.”
“Of course I do. Have you looked at him? But that doesn’t mean anything else can happen.” Esther pressed her lips together as soon as the words left her mouth, realizing what she’d said. She sent up a silent prayer Liv wouldn’t notice.
“Anything else ?”
Esther bit back a groan.
Liv grabbed a chair from a nearby table and lowered herself onto it, holding her belly. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Not nothing. You’re red now. Spill.”
With a huff, Esther set her sandwich down and ran her hands over her face, then stared at her friend for a moment before she answered. “We shared a few… nice kisses last night. That’s it. And that’s all it can be.”
Liv hummed. “Honey, if I were you, I’d jump all over that man. I don’t know how your sister didn’t, but you need to count your blessings.”
“Yes, well, your pregnancy has made you extra horny, so you’d jump on any man who offered, I’d think.”
Liv pressed a hand to her heart. Mouth rounded and brows dipped, she gave Esther a horrified look. “I would not. My Neal is enough for me.”
Esther grinned. “Neal and your nightstand friend.”
A quick laugh burst from Liv’s chest. “This is true. It never runs out of stamina. Just batteries.”
They shared a laugh.
“The books tell me my libido will calm down in the third trimester. I’m almost there, so we’ll see. Neal can’t wait. He told me the other day he never thought he’d ever think he could have too much sex.”
Esther’s face heated for another reason. She waved her hands. “TMI, Liv. TMI.”
Laughing again, a quick knock on the open door had them both turning. Esther’s chuckle died in her throat at the sight of Asher standing there. Her body heated and her brain whispered, “He’d never get tired of sex. Look at him. The man runs marathons.”
She bit back another groan. If she survived his presence in her life, it would be a miracle.
“Hey, Essy. Sorry to interrupt. I can eat in my classroom if you’d rather chat with your friend.” He held up the lunch sack he’d packed alongside her this morning.
“No, no.” Liv pushed to her feet. “You’re fine. We were just chatting. Girl stuff. I need to go grab my own lunch. The kids will be back from recess before we know it.” Smiling, she waggled her fingers and walked out of the room.
Asher strode in, pulling up the chair Liv had just vacated. Esther bit back a laugh as he folded his long frame into the child-size seat. “I have other regular chairs.” She nodded to the desk chair across the room by a long table.
“This is fine.” He opened his lunch bag and took out the cold meat sandwich. “So, we’ve been noticed, huh?”
Esther frowned as she picked up her peanut butter. “Why would you say that?”
“She didn’t ask who I was or how you know me.”
“Oh. Right.” She took a bite of her sandwich, wishing he’d drop it. She did not want to discuss Liv’s opinion on their living situation.
“So, what did you tell her? About how you knew me?”
“Mostly the truth. I said you were Edie’s friend from her military days.” She held up a hand. “But I didn’t disclose what it was you did back then. I also told her you decided you wanted to live up here and were staying with me and subbing while you looked for a job.”
A crooked smile crossed his face. “Good. I was actually hoping something like this happened.”
“You were? Why?”
“Because linking myself to you gives me better access to the staff. I’m not the new guy. I’m Esther’s friend. They’ll be more accepting and more talkative if I need information.”
“Information? On what?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Don’t know. But if I need it, I can get it.”
The hair around her forehead fluttered as she blew out a quick breath. “I think I’m glad I don’t think like a spy.”
“I wasn’t a spy.”
“No, but you were close enough. Normal people don’t think like you. Or my sister.”
He tipped his head. “I guess that’s true. So, anyway, what did she say?” He sent her a devilish smile that melted her insides.
Covering her reaction, she narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s between me and her.” She flicked her fingers toward his lunch. “Eat your sandwich.”
Asher barked a laugh. “I thought we were buds.” He took a bite.
“That doesn’t mean I spill the tea on my other buds .”
Amusement danced in his dark gaze. “You and Edie have the same ferociousness. You just hide yours under a calm exterior.”
She lifted a shoulder and tossed him a saucy smile. “It’s the red hair.” Chuckling, she polished off her sandwich, then reached into her lunch sack for the container of strawberries she brought. “How was your morning? Other than not being able to work the projector.”
“I could simplify that whole system in less than an hour. It’s ridiculous.” He shook his head. “Other than that, things have gone well. The kids are great.”
“It sounds like you met them at their level with the story voices. That helps. Learning should be fun at this age.”
“At any age, it should be fun.”
“True.” She wouldn’t argue with him about that. Some of her favorite classes had teachers who made the material interesting. “So, what do you want for dinner tonight? We should probably stop for groceries on our way home.” She stared at a point over his shoulder as she went through her mental list of what was left in her fridge, freezer, and cupboards.
“If we can find the ingredients, I could make a dish I learned in Morocco.”
“Morocco?” Her gaze connected with his. “Man, I’m starting to think I should have followed in Edie’s footsteps. She went there too. I’ve always wanted to go. The Marrakesh markets look like so much fun. She brought me some stuff from there, but it’s not the same.”
“Maybe one day you can go. You’re still young.”
Esther wrinkled her nose. “Maybe. It’s just a matter of finding someone to go with me. Maybe I can convince Edie and Jordan to go. They can leave the baby with Mom and Dad. Mom will love it.”
“See? You have a plan. So, does this mean you want that Moroccan dish for dinner?”