CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Who knew our tiny school had so many issues to address?
I certainly didn’t. I knew we were understaffed, but the sheer number of complaints about not having enough hands to help with the children was truly baffling.
We had teachers doubling up on duties, and teaching assistants bouncing anywhere between two and three classes a day.
When Emma became my teaching assistant two years ago, I thought it was the norm for her to assist multiple classes during the day.
Apparently, that wasn’t the case. She was hired to assist only my students and me, but had volunteered to help out where she could until the school administration came up with a better solution.
They never did, and poor Emma was overworked, underpaid, and exhausted.
I felt like a tool for not recognizing that she was struggling.
I’d vowed, right then and there, to ease her workload as best I could and as often as I could.
Dealing with a bunch of little ones every day with different temperaments and different needs was no small task.
Yet Emma fell into her role beautifully and never once complained.
The kids loved her. I loved her. And she’d genuinely made my work life easier from the moment she set foot in my classroom.
Even so, the understaffed teaching issue was only one of the many issues that were discussed this evening, and if I never saw another steel chair ever again, it would be too soon.
I dropped my bags at the door and kicked off my shoes, rubbing my aching back to soothe some of the stiffness from sitting on that uncomfortable chair for so long.
The only saving grace about the meeting from hell was that I got to text Declan throughout the entire thing.
At a little after seven, he’d offered to send me dinner when he realized that I was still in the meeting.
I had to remind him that it would be impolite for me to be chowing down while everyone else was starving.
To which he replied twenty minutes later, with a delivery of Italian food so large, everyone had seconds—some thirds.
Several staff members even brought home doggy bags—there was so much food.
I smiled, thinking about Declan. There was just something about him.
He saw a situation that needed to be made better, and he simply took charge.
No questions asked. Of course, the note on the delivery read, “Thank you for all your hard work. From the parents and guardians of Little Learners Academy”, so no one truly knew who the food came from.
He was officially added to the list of people authorized to enter the school grounds on a student’s behalf for all of one day, and he was already showing up the other parents.
The house was quiet, and as I approached the dimly lit kitchen for a glass of water, there was a shuffling sound behind me.
“You’re home,” came Seth’s rasping tone.
And I started so hard, I was sure a ghostly version of me was still dangling from the light fixtures above—clinging on for dear life.
He chuckled. “It’s just me. Calm down.”
Calm down?
Did this fucker just tell me to calm down?
What the hell was he doing lurking in the dark?
My heart was pounding so fast, I wanted to throw up. But I managed to get my breathing under control before whirling around and glowering at him.
“What the hell, Seth?” I hissed.
His smile fell. “Sorry, I was just waiting up for you. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Waiting up for me?
Waiting up for me?
Did I step into the Twilight Zone?
In what world would Seth be waiting up for me? Not even when we were good—he never did that for me.
Heck, he didn’t do flowers either, but that didn’t stop him from sending that monstrosity of a bouquet today.
I eyed him dubiously.
What angle was he playing here?
Dear God, I hoped it wasn’t his mother coming to visit.
That woman hated me. His whole family hated me, especially his adopted sister, Marisol.
But that was only because she wanted to fuck him.
I knew it. She knew it. So how in the world Seth had missed it after all these years was mind-boggling to me.
“Oh,” I said succinctly, when he didn’t elaborate further. My mind scrambled for something to say, and what it came up with was, “How was your day?”
Seth brightened. “It was surprisingly good. My boss was distracted all day today, so I didn’t have to deal with him riding my ass.”
“Good.”
I really didn’t care, but it didn’t seem like he would be leaving me alone anytime soon.
“Did you get my flowers?” he asked. “You didn’t call or text or anything, so I wasn’t sure.”
Oh, I got them all right.
When I left the meeting earlier, I’d noticed a bunch of my coworkers with handfuls of red roses clutched in their palms as they made their way to their respective vehicles.
“I did.” I forced a smile. “They were lovely. The kids loved them so much, I decided to keep them in my classroom, so we can all enjoy them longer. Uh… thank you. With my meeting and everything, it slipped my mind to call you and thank you.”
His expression grew uncertain. “You left an expensive bouquet of roses in your classroom for a bunch of snot-nose toddlers to poke at?”
My spine snapped straight at his dig, and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“No, Seth,” I said, firmer than I’d intended. “I liked them so much I left them in my classroom. You know, the place where I spend the majority of my hours five days a week, so I could better enjoy and take care of them.”
He winced. “Sorry. It’s just that you never told me you got them, and I was a little concerned. I didn’t mean that… about your students.”
The thing was, he did. This wasn’t the first time he’d described my students as something unsavory. A few months ago, he called one little boy Beelzebub reincarnate. All because the little boy told him his car needed to be washed.
I’d accidentally left my student reports at home and had asked Seth to drop them off for me when Bobby—my little Velcro companion who was usually attached to me from the moment his parents dropped him off—made the suggestion after accompanying me to the parking lot to collect the files.
Seth, of course, didn’t take the comment lightly.
And honestly, if poor Bobby were five years older, Seth would have punched him.
He would have absolutely punched a ten-year-old and wouldn’t lose an ounce of sleep over it.
He was that much of a dick. And I wanted to slap myself for not seeing the red flags earlier.
He opened his mouth to speak when Lacey’s voice drifted down the stairs.
“Seth?” she bellowed. “Can you get me a bottle of water? I’m not feeling well.”
Seth frowned, his expression a mixture of exhaustion and irritation, then shot back, “Of course. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“No, now!” she demanded, and his frown deepened. “I really am not feeling well. I need the water now. It can’t wait. “
“I’ll be right up,” he called out through gritted teeth, sounding exasperated.
I wasn’t sure what about the exchange or his overall countenance that made me incredibly giddy, but I was.
He was obviously already tired of her—this prized woman he’d chosen. Which begged the question. Why hadn’t he dropped her yet, like he’d done with all the others when they grew too overbearing?
If there was anything I knew about Seth, it was that he didn’t do complications.
Anything that required more than the baseline of conscious thought was too much for him, and he gave up.
Hence, the reason he’d asked for an open marriage, and also why he’d bounced around between so many women when he first started dating six months ago.
Seth went out of his way to avoid fixing anything that was considered important to most people, like romantic relationships and valued friendships. So what did Lacey have on him?
I wasn’t concerned enough to get involved, but I was curious.
Seth chuckled awkwardly. “She, uh… really hasn’t been feeling well,” he mused. “I should probably get her that water before she demands something expensive for my delay.” Then he winced, as though he hadn’t meant to say that part out loud.
I pretended not to hear him and instead picked up an apple from the fruit bowl on the kitchen island.
He grabbed a few bottles of water from the fridge and was on his way out of the kitchen when he stopped suddenly and turned back to me. “Remember what I said, Mellie. I want us to spend more time together. Let me know what your schedule is like for the weekend, and I’ll plan our date around it.”
My stomach flip-flopped with panic and disgust.
Nodding, I flashed him a smile I didn’t feel, and he left the room with his chin held high.
Dread slithered through me like the blood in my veins, weaving a path to my terribly fractured heart.
I really didn’t want to go out with Seth. Just the thought of being around him longer than I needed to be had me wanting to pop a coronary.
I needed to find a way out of this. And fast.
My phone vibrated, and I dug around in my pocket for the offending device, noticing that it was Declan.
My heart, that was beating a million miles per minute just now, slowed to a steadier pace, and my chest warmed with the feeling.
Just seeing his name displayed on my phone screen brought me so much peace that I could cry.
I answered on the fourth ring, and Declan’s smooth, lilting baritone resonated sweetly in my ears.
“Hi, darling.”