CHAPTER ONE #2
“So, just get here when you get here. I’m not going to stand at the front door staring at my watch and tapping my foot. But I will welcome your child inside with a smile and thank them for coming to learn and play.”
Another hand shot up. “What about discipline?”
He smiled again, and this time, there was a flutter in my lower belly that quickly made its way between my legs. I crossed them and squeezed.
“As I’m sure we can all agree, children need boundaries.
They thrive in environments with clearly set rules and parameters.
And while it is human nature—especially for children—to test those boundaries, we will also make sure they understand that certain behaviors have consequences.
Tomorrow morning, I will hold an assembly similar to this.
Together, the students, teachers, and I will come up with a School Code of Conduct.
Then, every child will be given the opportunity to sign it.
I’m a big advocate of second chances, and making every available opportunity a learning one, but for those kids who need a bit more guidance when it comes to emotional regulation, impulse control, and adhering to our code of conduct, I may request a meeting with their parents where we can all get on the same page. But as far as discipline goes …”
Something strange flickered in his eyes for just a brief second. Unless you were studying him the way I was, you would have missed it. But it was almost like a … flinch.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t teach from a foundation of fear.
I teach from a foundation of compassion, and I have found that children who feel safe, cared for, and have a clear set of boundaries, do best and don’t require ‘discipline.’ Like I said, if there are some students requiring more support, I will work with the parents to provide that. ”
“Thank god Clyde isn’t here anymore, hmm?” Raina muttered to Danica.
Danica simply nodded.
Clyde had been Principal Pickford’s grandson, and the terror of all terrors. He tormented Danica’s daughter relentlessly, and Pickford did jackshit to stop it.
The new principal continued. “I want your children to thrive here. I want them to come home and tell you about all the cool things they learned at school, and be jazzed to come the next day. I know I only have a couple of months with them before summer break, but I am determined to make those couple of months count. I want them to be excited to return in September because they know their learning environment is a safe one.” He smiled and scanned the room.
Then his eyes found mine again—or at least, it felt like they did—and I sucked in a sharp breath.
“You okay?” Danica asked.
I nodded and swallowed. “Just choked on some air.”
Gabrielle leaned forward, her dark, chunky curls falling in front of her face. “You choked on air?” she whispered.
“It happens. I’ve done it,” Raina said, backing me up.
“Anyway,” the principal started again. “Thank you all so much for coming tonight. I appreciate your time, and I hope to get to know all the San Camanez Elementary families more as the weeks go by. Like I said, my door is always open, and I’m happy to chat about whatever concerns or questions you might have. Are there any questions now?”
A few hands shot up, but I didn’t hear the questions.
I was too focused on the two full sleeves of tattoos and his muscular arms. The tattoos were full of color and, from what I could tell, beautifully done.
A funky-looking number thirteen was on the back of his forearm near his elbow in red, and there was a weird skull with a green snake curling through an eye socket on his right wrist.
Chuckles drifted around the gymnasium again, and even the principal laughed, his gentle, brown eyes lighting up.
He also had perfectly straight, white teeth.
I’d always been embarrassed and self-conscious about my teeth.
A few years ago, I got Invisalign and now I love my smile.
My daughter, however, had inherited my crooked chompers and was probably going to need braces soon.
I wouldn’t make her wait until she was an adult though.
I tuned back into the questions and answers just in time to hear the new principal say he was looking forward to working with the PTA to fundraise more than ever for a new playground and he couldn’t wait to attend our fabulous, famous funfair in June.
Then the meeting was over, and everyone stood up.
We knew from previous gymnasium events that you didn’t just dick off. The chairs needed to be folded and put away in the storage cupboard. So, like trained little elves, every single parent folded their chairs and headed for the already opened storage cupboard.
“Well, I’m excited to hear what the kids say tomorrow after school and how the assembly and code of conduct thing goes,” Gabrielle said as we slowly shuffled our way forward. “I think it’s a great idea.”
My cousins and I all nodded.
We continued to move closer to the cupboard, shoes squeaking on the wood of the gym floor, conversations mixing together to create an indecipherable din.
I picked up on snippets of conversations.
Mostly about kids, the weather, the upcoming tourist season.
A few people made mention of Principal Pickford and how grateful they were for his departure from the school—and island.
I glanced over at Gabrielle, who wore a small, cheeky smile on her face.
She’d had a very big hand in making that happen.
After everything that went down with Danica, Sam, Clyde, Clyde’s mother, Otto Pickford, and Danica’s new boyfriend, Otto and his family really didn’t have any other choice but to leave the island, lest they be run off, or thrown into the ocean by an angry mob of islanders.
An elbow bumped mine, and on instinct, I stepped closer to my cousin while murmuring an apology. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I bumped into you,” came the deep, dreamy voice.
My whole body went up several degrees in temperature as I turned to face the very handsome new principal with the muscular, tattooed arms—holding two chairs each—and sexy lip scar.
Up close, he was even more ruggedly good-looking—albeit young—and his soft, brown eyes hinted at something I was scared to think too hard about.
He grinned at me. “Who are your kids?” he asked as we mindlessly moved along with the queue. “So that when I meet them this week, I can say I’ve already met their mom.”
I swallowed. “Uh … Honor and Austin Geuer. Grades four and six.”
He bobbed his head once, still smiling. “Honor and Austin. Grades four and six. I’ll remember that. And you are?” He set down two chairs and leaned them against his thick thigh, then held out his hand toward me.
“My hand’s really sweaty,” I said, cringing on the inside.
He chuckled. “Mine too. It’s all good. It’s warm in here.”
I took his hand—which was not sweaty—and damn, it felt good holding mine. “I’m Naomi Geuer.”
“Naomi,” he repeated. “Nice to meet you. Please call me Lennox when we meet again. Or Len. Or Ox. That was my nickname in high school.”
“You’re not big like an ox,” Raina said behind me.
“No, but it just works with my name. I was also a bit of a bulldozer on the basketball court, so they decided to call me Ox. We don’t really get to choose our nicknames, right?”
My cousin nodded.
That’s when I realized that Lennox and I were still holding hands.
I cleared my throat and quickly pulled my hand free, cringing again at just how sweaty my palm was.
I wiped my hand on my overalls. But then embarrassment hit me hard and made my cheeks burn.
Did he think I was wiping my hand because of his hand.
“I … uh, the sweat,” I stammered. “I don’t think your hand is gross. ”
His chuckle was way too raspy for someone that young. “It’s all good.”
We reached the storage cupboard where two dads were taking the chairs from the rest of us and properly stacking them. Everyone handed over their chairs, and then we were free. And I also lost sight of Lennox.
My heart deflated a little, and my temperature dropped.
“Ready to go?” Gabrielle asked, finding me in the crowd.
I nodded, and like penguins in a rookery finding their chicks, Danica and Raina managed to locate us in the buzzing hive of involved parents.
The McEvoy brothers were right behind us, and the nine of us crossed the parking lot, chatting about our joint project.
Last year, a beloved island elder passed away.
He had no family, no heir. So he left his land—a beautiful chunk right on the water—to the Council to determine who would receive it.
So the Council asked for proposals to be submitted.
There were a lot of interested parties—us included.
And after several months, it was narrowed down to five.
Then, Raina and Jagger went from hating each other to fucking each other, and we all decided that since our interests in Bonn Remmen’s land aligned, we should combine our proposals and make a pitch for the land together.
So we did.
And we won.
Now, we were in the planning phase and getting ready to level some ground and map out just where we’d put the cabins, the event pavilion, and the garden for the hops the McEvoys wanted to grow for their brewery.
Now that the weather was better, warmer, and the nights were getting longer, we could really start getting underway with everything.
“I’ll come over with Marco after I drop these gals off,” Raina said to Jagger before lifting up onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to his hairy cheek.
He squeezed her butt, then flashed us all a big smile.
We climbed into Raina’s SUV, and as soon as the doors all closed, all three of my cousins hit me with the same questions: How old do you think the principal is? Do you think he’s married? And was I ready to be the next Vino Vixen to find my happily ever after?