Chapter 32 #2
I sat between Jill and Reed for the committee meeting.
Jill side-eyed me a few times, catching me absentmindedly tapping my pen, creating aggressive dots on my agenda.
Little did she know, I was keeping my pen busy from stabbing elsewhere.
Like her ear hole. She got my halfhearted apologetic smile as Reed gently placed his hand on my wrist and said, “Relax, Cici.”
Next to me, Jill scoffed. “It seems everyone calls you Cici now.”
Before the first thing that came to mind fell out of my mouth, Reed tilted forward to stare at her. “That is her name, Jill.”
She lifted a brow and then smiled at him flirtatiously. Change of plans. Aim for the eye.
I looked back and forth between them as they stared down. Jill clearly interpreted this locking of eyes completely differently than Reed. She was practically licking her lips, while his jaw clenched. I tapped my fingertips against the table nervously as those around us peered our way.
Jill turned her attention back to me. “I’m just so used to calling you Cienna or Ms. Vilotta and didn’t realize you’d become so personable in regard to what people call you.
” She wasn’t wrong. Colleagues always called me Cienna, and Cici was reserved for those who were my friends, but still.
I made a note to change my email signature just to shut her up.
The last few people filed in, and Jill’s chair screeched as she stood, halting all conversation.
All eyes on her. Just the way she preferred.
She led introductions and discussed old business.
In between doodles, I took notes on my page.
I caught Reed peeking over at my notebook, and then he scooted closer to me until he was nearly in my chair and pointed at one of my doodles.
A heart. He played it off like he was asking a question, completely professional, but when he whispered in my ear, I’m sure my blushing gave it away.
“Doodling hearts, Ms. Vilotta? Has someone got you smitten?”
I swallowed and looked down at my lap, trying to hide the desire from my face.
“It’s from all that sniffing around, isn’t it?”
Ass!
After getting a sharp nudge in the ribs, he scooted away, looking as attentive and professional as could be, while I sat there feeling like I was caught writing our initials or practicing my signature for “Cienna Marsh.” Smitten. That hardly touched the surface.
My name being called out brought me out of my daydream as Jill opened up the floor for Reed and me.
Reed, gathering every ounce of attention and heart eyes from the room, spoke about our venue, catering, and need for a DJ recommendation.
He had hands darting up, all vying for his attention—and probably his phone number under the guise of “contact info.”
I swear I got daggered stares when he suggested all recs get sent to my email.
Then I presented our budget and a request for volunteers for advertising, raffle-basket donations, and a dessert vendor.
Our secretary looked up from her laptop.
“Oh, my sister-in-law owns a bakery. I’m sure we can get a great discount from her. ”
“Great, thank you.” I nodded and sat, just as Jill made a throaty coughing sound.
“Oh, I thought you were baking donuts. From scratch?” Shit.
“Thought what?” Reed’s attention bounced to Jill, who was eyeing me innocently. He lifted a brow at me, thankfully not interceding.
I patted his shoulder awkwardly. “Remember, we’re testing out a few recipes. Like the bombolini one I told you about. To give it that…” I made a choking sound, ready to die, potentially committing myself to this. “Homey feel?”
His brows shot up further, and I gave him my best eye-twitchy smile. “Oh, right. The bombolini. Such a sweet thought Cici had.” His voice was less than convincing, but the rest of the room hummed in agreement, while Jill grumbled under her breath.
She ended the meeting from there and invited everyone to help themselves to the pizza left over. As I gathered my belongings and placed them in my book bag, Reed hovered over my shoulder, his voice tickling my neck as he teased, “Baking donuts, huh?”
I turned to face him, nearly crushing noses. I launched back quickly, and he caught my arm before I tripped over my chair.
We caught the attention of the few people still seated, and I smiled apologetically as I twisted my hair between my fingers.
Reed let go but moved his hand to my lower back.
I stood ramrod straight despite wanting to melt into the touch.
He gave me a little pat and suggested, “C’mon. Let’s go, um, discuss these bombas.”
Jill nearly ran, heels racketing across the floor, to chase us down on our way out.
Thankfully, Reed had the forethought to remove his hand from me as Jill approached with two pizza boxes.
She handed the top box to Reed. “Here, take this home for you and Abigail. As a single parent, I know what a relief it is to have dinner taken care of.”
Reed nodded in thanks.
“And Cici, I saw you didn’t eat any of your pineapple pizza. Please take it.” She somehow managed to turn up her nose even more than usual as she shoved the box my way. “No one seemed to care for it, so it’s a full pie just for you.”
Reed chuckled, and somehow, Jill took that as a snide to me and joined him with a sneer.
“I can’t believe you admitted you like pineapple on pizza.” He shook his head, putting on his over-the-top, charmingly mischievous face, and Jill’s lips crept into a satisfied smile.
“Actually, Abigail told me today.”
Reed stilled at my side, and I tried to avoid looking at his face, afraid to give anything away as Jill continued, “Yeah, we chatted a bit on the playground when she was icing her bloody nose.”
Reed whipped around to face me, his brows pulled tight in concern and confusion. “What bloody nose?”
A “hmph” sounded from Jill. “Oops, I figured you knew. I believe it’s school protocol to call the parents when things like that happen, and being that Abigail’s teacher could be our future principal, I’d think things like this would be treated with extra care.”
Reed’s ears turned red, and not in the cute, embarrassed way I’d seen once or twice before. “Things like what happen?” His focus was glued on me. This side of his scrutiny was admittedly intimidating.
My swallow felt thick as I tried to find my voice. “I left you a voicemail,” I lied, then turned to Jill. “Please excuse us. As you know, these parent-teacher conversations are confidential.”
“Of course.” I was sure I didn’t imagine how her S sounded like a snake.
I urged him down the hallway as she walked away; he was right on my heels. I was hoping to wait and have this conversation with him outside of the school, but he pulled me into a side corridor.
“What the fuck happened? Why did my niece have a bloody nose?” My niece. That crushed me a little, but I could understand why he was upset. I’d gotten so caught up in Jill’s pestering that I’d forgotten to send him a text.
The concern on his face was real, and I saw the parent there. The parent I should have notified. It was a rule of mine to never let parents pick up their children with any surprises. That diminished trust.
“She was playing dodgeball, and William pegged her with a ball.” I winced. “Right in the face.”
“William?” He nearly spat the name out. Fuck, another mistake. I kept these things confidential when more than one child was involved. “That little shit keeps messing with her.”
This was the first I’d heard of that, and my temptation to play into his protectiveness was strong. But I had to stay neutral. William was my student just as much as Abi.
“Right in the nose?” He dragged a hand down his face.
I nodded. “It started to bleed. Some got on her shirt, but I sent it home with Daisy. I can help you clean it tonight.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. I thought he was about to snap at me, but instead, his shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes with a sigh. He looked so vulnerable, so downcast.
As a teacher, I knew bloody noses happened all the time. Bullies were handled all the time. To me, it had been another part of my job, but seeing Reed was a window into what these incidents did to a parent.
I reached out, bracing my hands on his chest, no longer able to stay away, aching to comfort him, even if I wasn’t sure I was the right one to give it. His breathing was heavier than usual, cascading down my face.
“Is she okay?” he finally asked after what felt like eons of silence.
“Yeah, after being initially upset, she calmed down. She was as chatty as always while she was icing her nose.” I wanted to mention that Jill came by, and my concern with that, but this clearly wasn’t the time.
This had everything to do with him and me as a parent and teacher and his worry for Abigail, and nothing to do with us as a couple.
For the first time, the blurring of the lines gave reason for scrutiny from those invested in the school’s standards.
How could I behave as my best teacher self if I was also thinking like a significant other?
Reed lifted his head and let out a ragged exhale. His breath was hot, rolling between us. So much defeat emanated from him. Not anger.
“Do you want to call Abi and check on her? I promise you, she’s okay… but if you need to check, it might help you feel better?” I was babbling, tossing out anything I could.
He leaned back in and kissed my forehead. “I trust you.”
“Ope, excuse me,” a familiar voice yelped from a few feet away. Reed and I pulled apart, and my attention snapped down the hall. Dread roiled in my stomach. Chewing the inside of my cheek to hold back the nausea, I tightened the grip I had on the straps of my bag.
The smile on Jill’s face was as wicked as ever. She turned and began her villainous strut away as she called over her shoulder, “Enjoy your little donuts.”