Chapter Twelve
The last week in November
Anna breezed down the hallway on the way to her office, smiling to herself as one of the upper year pupils, who’d been running, ground to an exaggerated slow walk when he spotted her. ‘Keen to get to your science lesson, Jackson?’
‘Of course, miss.’
‘I hope you’ll be as keen during the lesson, too.’
‘Yes, miss.’
She wasn’t sure why Jackson was in a hurry, though she’d like to bet it wasn’t unbridled enthusiasm for science. Her strides were faster than usual, too, though in her case she knew the cause.
It was Tuesday. Daniel Ramsey day.
Even the thought of his name sent her pulse racing. It felt like a long time since the pizza, and the phone conversation the following day when he’d opened up to her about his worries over his son.
He’d been decidedly . . . flirty, despite promising only the day before to back off.
The mixed messages were confusing, but she couldn’t deny the warm flood of pleasure at his open show of jealousy.
My willpower is strong. Who the heck had she been kidding?
Her willpower hovered around zero where he was concerned.
Her footsteps slowed as she rounded the corner because there was the man himself.
Dressed in grey jeans, a dark jacket and a white shirt, he was laughing at something Hayley was telling him, the corner of his eyes crinkling in that sexy way that didn’t seem fair. On her, those lines would be wrinkles.
Oh God, speaking of flirty, though. Could Hayley be making her attraction to him any more obvious?
Suddenly she caught a blast of bright blue as his eyes met hers. The laughter faded, replaced by a soft smile. ‘Hello, Ms Dalton.’
‘Mr Ramsey.’
Anna was aware of Hayley glancing first at her, and then back at Dan. Could she sense this electric undercurrent pinging between them? Or was Anna being overly dramatic?
‘I was asking Hayley if she could recommend a good bakery near here. I thought I could buy some donuts and cakes for the staffroom.’ Again his eyes held hers. ‘And maybe tempt you with something.’
No, she wasn’t being dramatic. She could only hope everything she felt, this giddiness, this nervous energy, wasn’t written all over her face.
Dragging her gaze away from his, she spoke to Hayley.
‘Did you mention The Rolling Scones at the end of the High Street? Their donuts are amazeballs according to Maisie.’
Hayley nodded. ‘That’s where I suggested, too. We were having a laugh about their name.’
What did it say about her that she felt a ripple of relief knowing that was what they’d been laughing over?
‘The Rolling Scones it is.’ He gave her a boyish grin. ‘I’d better go quickly. Don’t want to be late for my lesson with year six.’
As he dashed out, Hayley sighed. ‘Could he be any more perfect? Hot-looking, charming, and he’s going out to buy us cakes.’
He’s also ten years older than you. Annoyed she was thinking it, Anna bit down on the snarky retort.
‘I’ll reserve judgement on the perfect until I see the final script for the play.
’ Better. She had to remember Dan was an actor.
He was smooth, used to getting his own way.
And if the press clippings were true, he was also used to charming women.
She wasn’t going to deny she enjoyed his attention, but she had to remember it for what it was. A temporary diversion for him.
A toe into the flirting game for her.
It was at the after-school rehearsal when Anna saw Dan again, though at some point during the morning she’d returned to her office to find a glazed donut and a chocolate cupcake in a box on her desk.
Next to them had been a Post-it note with the following, scrawled in flowing black biro.
How’s the willpower now? With a smile she’d reached for the donut.
Ann pushed open the door of the main hall where the rehearsal was taking place. Immediately her eyes found Dan, who was surrounded by about ten pupils, all listening attentively. Even Riley, she noted with surprise.
Sid sat on the stage, thumbing through what Anna presumed . . . hoped, was the final script. He noticed Anna and waved her in.
‘Everything going okay?’ She slipped onto the stage next to him, glancing at the script.
‘I suppose it depends how you define okay.’ Sid handed her the document. ‘We’ve got an angel. Jesus being born in a stable. A talking donkey. Three wise men following a star and three shepherds talking to an angel, but that’s it. Mary and Joseph are still waiting for visitors.’
Her heart fell and she automatically looked over at Dan, who caught her eye. He must have guessed what they were talking about because he winced and mouthed sorry.
Annoyance snuck through her, a welcome distraction from all the giddiness. This was the real deal. Not how sexy he was, or how sexy he made her feel, but whether he was going to deliver on what they’d agreed.
Or let her down.
‘Are you ready to show your head teacher how great the opening scene is?’ Dan’s voice carried over to her and she glanced up to see all the pupils looking at her expectantly.
‘I’d love that, thank you.’ She gave Dan a mild look. ‘The first act is finished then?’
His smile faltered. ‘Most of the play is finished. I’ve just got the visit of the kings and shepherds to go.’
‘And the sheep.’ Riley gave her his cheeky grin. ‘Dan’s promised the shepherds can bring a live sheep onto the stage.’
Anna’s eyes flew open and she struggled with what to deal with first. The fact that Riley had called Dan by his first name, something she’d told Dan to discourage. Or . . . she started to laugh. ‘That’s a wind up, isn’t it? You’re not really going to bring a live sheep onto the stage.’
‘Ah.’ Anna watched as Dan’s eyes flickered between Riley, who was still grinning along with the rest of the pupils, and her.
‘I may have agreed to that.’ He gave her a disarming smile.
‘The cast here thought it would be wicked.’ He glanced round at them.
‘That’s what you said, isn’t it?’ When they duly nodded, he flashed his stunning smile again at Anna.
‘Just think how amazed the audience will be.’
‘And how much sheep poo will have to be cleaned up. Never mind how we might be left chasing after it when it tries to make a break for it.’ Anna could see the joy slowly fading from the children’s faces and she inwardly cursed Dan for putting her in this position.
‘We’ll talk about it later.’ She fixed a wide smile on her face. ‘I thought you promised me act one?’
Ten minutes later and the smile on her face was no longer forced.
How wonderful to see her instinct about Riley had paid off.
He was brilliant as the chronically useless head, Mr Sedgwick.
And she had to admit shy Taran had held his own as Mr Patel, the teacher with grand ideas who thinks he’s putting a play on Broadway.
She didn’t miss the resemblance to Sid. Then there was Priti and Jackson as Mary and Joseph.
And of course Maisie. Anna had to work hard to smother her maternal pride at seeing her daughter as the ditzy Mrs Potterington.
‘Well?’
Dan turned to her, his face filled with pride, and for the first time she wondered if this was becoming more than a PR stunt to him.
If he’d actually started to care about the play he was helping to put on.
‘If the other acts are as good as the opening one, this Christmas play is in danger of being the best we’ve ever done.
’ Anxious not to put Sid’s nose out of joint, she smiled at him.
‘What do you think, Mr Humphrey? You’ve helped us put some fabulous plays on over the years. How do you think this will stack up?’
She could tell he was torn between defending the previous plays, yet also supporting this, as he was still in charge of it. ‘It’s looking good so far, but there’s a long way to go.’ He gave Dan a pointed look. ‘It would help if we had a finished play to work from.’
‘Of course.’ Dan took the rebuke on the chin and gave Sid a slight nod of his head before turning back to the now-fidgeting cast. ‘Okay, guys, once more from the beginning. Tomorrow after school, we’ll go through act two.’
Anna quietly walked out. It was dance night, so she had plenty of opportunity to tackle Dan over the missed deadline.
Before slipping into his arms. Maybe it wasn’t appropriate, or sensible, but how could she not want to waltz with a handsome man who, even when he was annoying her, excited her.
One look from him and she felt something she’d not felt for many years. Alive.
She wasn’t going to apologise for it. For the short time he was here, she was going to enjoy it.