Second Chance with Mr. B

1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

“I guess I just wanted to ruin your day, Wes.”

It was his thirteenth first day of school, even though technically he worked year-round. He left his car and headed for the office.

“Morning, Mr. B.”

He smiled at the three girls walking by. “Ladies.”

As he approached the office door, a young man was coming through it, not paying attention. Wes took a step back. “Whoa there, Leo.”

“Mr. B. Sorry, man.” Leo held the door open.

“How’s the team looking this year?”

“This is our year. We’re going all the way.”

“Go Badgers!” Wes went through the door and waved at Polly behind the counter. She had help today with the many students with various problems filling the lobby. Wes made his way through the kids to his office, then went in and closed the door behind him.

He exhaled loudly. “And here we go.” He went to his desk, sat down, and turned on his computer. As he checked his email, the hum of voices in the outer office gradually faded as first period approached.

When Polly knocked once, then opened the door, looking exasperated, he smiled. “Happy first day of school.”

“They are finally all where they need to be. Your welcome speech is in ten minutes.”

“Got it.” When she hovered in the doorway, he cocked his head. “What’s up?”

“Did you read the memo from Superintendent Morrow?”

“I was just wading through my emails.”

“You should read it.”

“Why don’t you just tell me what it said?”

“Sir, I’d never…” She sighed. “It didn’t say private or anything. I was curious.”

“What did it say?”

“Mr. Bishop is gone.”

“What do you mean, gone?”

“He quit. Turned in his resignation and moved to Florida.”

“When?”

“This morning.”

Wes leaned back in his chair. “Well, crap.”

“He wants you to call him.”

“Bishop?”

“No, the superintendent.”

Wes picked up the phone.

“After your speech.”

“Right.” He set the receiver back down and checked his watch. “Let me know when you’re ready for me out there.”

“Yes, sir.” She backed out of the door and closed it.

A few minutes later, he was in the outer office, sitting in front of the microphone, addressing the student body.

His yearly first-day-of-school speech was always similar to those that came before it, but he tried to vary it as much as he could.

There just weren’t many ways to say welcome back and have a great year.

When he returned to the office, he called Stu Morrow.

“Wes, how’s your first day going?”

“Um…I’m a little surprised by Brian’s disappearance.”

“I’m gobsmacked for sure. But don’t you worry, it’s all under control.”

“Sir?”

“His replacement should be arriving anytime now. She was the first person I thought of, and she happened to be free. So I hired her.”

“Her, who? I’ve always done my own hiring, Stu.”

“I know, and I’m not trying to be an overbearing prick of a boss, but the situation needed to be resolved, right quick.”

“Right. So…her, who?”

“Cassandra Jordan, of course.”

Wes stood up and sent his chair rolling back, crashing into the wall behind him. “No, sir. That’s…um…no.”

Stu laughed. “You two have been working together for years. What’s the problem? I thought you’d be thrilled.”

“We haven’t really worked together. She’s been the on-call therapist, but she’s needed once or twice a year, at most.”

“Well, we got lucky. She’s taking a step back from her practice and was looking for something to do. I snatched her up, of course. Win-win for both of us.”

Wes paced around his office. “I just don’t think she’s the right person for the job. She’s…”

“Over-qualified? We’re lucky to have her.”

“But—”

“I didn’t mean to step on your toes. If it helps, I’ve only signed her up for the year. If it doesn’t work out, you can start looking for a replacement in the spring.”

Wes squeezed the bridge of his nose.

“Are you still there?”

“Yeah. I’m here.”

“I’ve got to run. Make her feel welcome.”

“Will do.”

Stu ended the call, and Wes seriously considered hurling the phone across the room. He took a breath and returned it to the desk. “Make her feel welcome? Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

Polly opened the door again. “I’m so sorry, sir.”

He turned to her. “Polly, it’s one thing to read my emails from the district office. It’s quite another to listen in on my phone conversations.”

She raised a hand. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t.”

“Then, what are you sorry for?”

“She’s here. Dr. Jordan.”

Wes dropped into his desk chair. “Is she expecting me to come out and welcome her?”

“I don’t think so. She went right to Mr. Bishop’s…or ah, her office.”

He turned to the computer and brought up his calendar for the day. “Good.” He glanced at Polly when she didn’t move out of the doorway. “Something else?”

“Well, you probably should…” She held her hand up again. “You’re the boss. You know best.” She backed out of the door and closed it.

Wes glared at it. “I’m the boss?” He leaned back in his chair and swiveled back and forth. “Dammit.”

Cassandra was sitting behind Brian’s cluttered desk, holding a small ceramic frog in her hand. Wes leaned against the door frame.

“Brian was a bit obsessed with frogs.”

She looked up at him as she returned the frog to the dozen others sitting on the corner of the desk. “Are you here to fire me?”

He nodded. “I’m very tempted, but no. I guess I owe you one for helping Justin with the fire thing.”

“I wasn’t much help. He seemed to have worked things out on his own.”

“Still, you tried.” He straightened up. “But now we’re even.”

“Good to know.” She looked around the office, filled with retro McDonald’s toys, superhero references, an eclectic collection of child psychology books, and a lot more frogs. “What am I supposed to do with all this junk?”

Wes smiled. “We should pack it up and store it for a while in case he sends for it.” He took a step into the office. “And by we, I mean you, of course.”

“Of course.” She looked at him for a moment. “You’re smiling, but underneath your head is about to explode.”

Wes straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat. “That would imply you have some sort of power in this situation. You don’t.”

“Okay, boss.”

He sighed. “Why are you even here? What happened to your practice?”

“I’d rather not discuss that with you.”

“Okay.”

She placed her palms on the desk for a moment, then stood up. “I don’t like this situation any more than you do, but—”

“Then why are you here? I didn’t have any say in it, but you certainly did. You could’ve said no.”

She cocked her head. “I guess I just wanted to ruin your day, Wes.”

“Mission accomplished.” He took a step back. “I’ll let you get to it.”

“Um…boxes?”

“Polly can sort that out for you.”

Wes returned to his office, then closed the door harder than he should’ve. He paced for a moment, then took out his cell phone and called Gentry.

“Wes? Why aren’t you at school?”

“I am at school.”

“Okay. What’s wrong? You sound—”

“Perturbed? Agitated? Pissed off?”

“Yeah, all of those things, Mr. Thesaurus.”

Wes exhaled sharply, then sat in his chair. “Brian resigned overnight. Stu thinks he has the right to hire staff for me, and she’s now in the office next door.”

“Wait. Hold on. Brian is…?”

“The guidance counselor. Make that ex-guidance counselor.”

“And Stu?”

“Stu Morrow, school superintendent.”

“Okay. I think I’m caught up. Who’s she?”

“Cassandra Jordan.”

“Now it’s making sense. That woman is the only person in this world who can throw you into a tirade.”

“I’m not tirading, or whatever.”

“You are so tirading. Cassandra is replacing Brian?”

“Yes, that’s what I just said.”

“Hmm. Wes, my smart, accomplished, loved-by-everyone-he-meets brother. Chill out.”

Wes sighed. “The woman…”

“I know. She broke your heart.”

“She ripped it out, threw it in the gutter, and stomped on it.”

“Um…a little dramatic, but don’t jump down my throat for saying this. It was, what, seventeen years ago?”

“That doesn’t make it…” He stood up and walked around the office. “You’re right. I need to get past it and figure out how to work with her.”

“How often do you actually need to work with her?”

“I usually met with Brian several times a week.”

“Oh, well. You can do it. You’re not that twenty-year-old guy anymore. You’re Mr. B. Principal extraordinaire.”

“Now you’re just kissing my ass.”

“I better get back to work, or I’ll be kissing Abe’s ass.”

“Me too. The work part, not the kissing Abe’s ass part.”

“Just don’t let her get to you.”

“I will try to do that.”

“Call me later and let me know how the day went.”

“If Justin hasn’t arrested me for murder, I will.”

Wes ended the call, then dropped onto the loveseat in the corner of his office.

He grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it.

“Don’t let her get to me?” He sat up and tossed the pillow aside.

“Exactly. She knows what she does to me. No more, Cassandra. I’m in charge of this situation.

I’m your boss.” He nodded. “The freakin’ boss. ”

The intercom next to the phone beeped, and Polly’s voice crackled over it. “Dr. Jordan is on line two.”

Wes fell back onto the couch and closed his eyes.