11. Callie
Callie
Oliver looked up at Darren and his nose pinched just slightly in the way it did before he got truly angry. “We learned about consensual touching in the first grade.”
Tessa’s choked laughter nearly took me out.
I was fighting tooth and nail to keep some semblance of professionalism, and I definitely needed to.
Darren wasn’t the kind of man who took humiliation on the chin and moved on.
I had to get everything back on track or I would have to deal with a pissed off Darren for weeks.
“This is what I was afraid of, Principal Darren.” Samantha still stood there with her arms crossed, a deep scowl on her face.
“It’s the very first meeting and it’s already chaos.
She can’t control her own kid and we’re supposed to trust her to lead this play?
This is a prestigious school and people expect a certain level of showmanship. ”
Tessa’s face turned hard and I knew I had to jump in before she lost her job defending me.
I straightened my back and stared Samantha down.
“You’ve made some pretty serious assumptions about me based on very little information.
I understand your concerns and they’re noted.
We all know how you feel now. So, if you’d sit down, we can start this meeting. ”
“Miss Morgan, you-”
I cut her off while cringing internally about having to be rude to anyone. I was a perpetual people pleaser so it wasn’t easy. “Please. Have a seat. We’re going to get started now.”
If only I knew where to start. I couldn’t recall anything I’d read about plays.
If I was being honest, I could barely remember my own name with everyone staring at me.
I ran my hands down my shirt to smooth it out and blew out a steadying breath.
I could just start talking and maybe something would trigger in my brain and I’d get to the right point…
“If you’d stayed quiet for long enough, you’d know that Callie and I spoke earlier in the week and we went over some plans.
She wanted us to start the meeting with choosing a play.
” Luke stood up and moved over to me. He brushed Darren’s hand off my shoulder and leaned in to speak quietly next to my ear. “Is this okay?”
Him helping save me? Hell yeah, it was okay! I smiled brightly at him and squeezed his forearm, quietly noticing the muscle mass before letting go. “Thank you.”
“I want to do the pig story!” Ava Mase, a sweet girl who had followed Oliver around since kindergarten, wedged her way between me and Luke. “I love that story.”
“Avatar!”
“No, I want to do zombies!”
“Mermaids!”
Thankfully something in my brain snapped into focus and I remembered the plays I’d looked at.
“Okay, kiddos. I hear your suggestions and they’re noted for future plays, for sure.
I found a couple I think we should choose between, though, because they’re great for welcoming winter and making sure everyone gets to be a star. ”
Darren grumbled under his breath but at least he moved away from us and leaned on the wall next to the door. I knew I’d probably get chewed out later but I’d been saved for the time being.
“I guess we’ll hear your options.” Samantha looked like she’d stepped in something horrid but at least she wasn’t insulting me.
“Okay!” I clapped my hands and kept my smile wide. “Here are the options.”
*
“Good job, twin. I’m going home to my man and it seems like you have some people waiting on you…” Tessa looked back at where Ben, Luke, and Cole were standing with their children. “Good fucking luck.”
Oliver’s head snapped up from his book. “Aunt Tessa,-”
“Don’t lecture me, Ollie. Your Aunt Tessa just needs to curse sometimes. I love you, kid. Have your mom bring you to see me this weekend. We can work on that puzzle you hate.”
“That would be okay.” Oliver flashed a smile at Tessa and then went back to his book.
“A rave review from my favorite nephew!” Tessa winked at me and then strolled out of the conference room.
I heard her from just outside the door. “Oh, Karla! So sorry for that mix up earlier. Here’s the key.
You shouldn’t just leave your keys out in the open if you’re so concerned about conference room safety.
I thought you’d left them there for us. An honest mistake. ”
I turned my back to the door to grin just in case Karla decided to peek her head in. I knelt next to Oliver and brushed a piece of hair away from his face. “Ready to go home, Ollie?”
“Miss Morgan? Can we walk you and Ollie to your car?” Noah, Cole’s son, took my hand and grinned. “Dad didn’t ask me to ask you, either. This was all my idea.”
Oliver glanced at Noah and blinked a few times before giving a slight smile. “I think it’s a good idea.”
My heart squeezed as Noah stuck his hand out and grabbed Oliver’s. “Come on. If we get out before them I can show you the Aquila constellation! It’s supposed to be extra on display tonight.”
“The Aquila constellation, also known as the Eagle. We’ll need to find Altair, the highest star in Aquila.” Oliver nodded faster as he stood. “We have to find the Summer Triangle and Aquila will-”
“-be the lowest star in the triangle. You know stars, too?! I want to be an astronaut and go to space when I grow up.” Noah grabbed Oliver’s hand and pulled him towards the door. I noticed immediately that Oliver didn’t fight the hold. “We’re going to look at stars! Bye!”
Emma and Beth, Ben’s daughter, chased after the boys, holding hands themselves. I would’ve found it even cuter than I did if they hadn’t left me completely alone with their dads.
Karla stepped in and I suddenly wished I was very much alone with the guys.
She only had eyes for me, despite the hunks standing there, which said a lot about how much she disliked me.
“You. I told you that you couldn’t use this room and you just had to get your way, anyway.
You need to learn to follow the rules. I’ll be telling Principal Darren about this. ”
I patted my pockets and looked around for my keys. “I would expect nothing less, Karla.”
Luke walked behind me and picked something up from the floor. He raised an eyebrow and smirked as he held my keys out to me on the tip of one finger. “Looking for these?”
“Out! All of you out, now. I need to make sure you didn’t mess anything up during your unauthorized use of this room.” Karla held one thin, stiff arm out and pointed at the door. “This won’t happen again.”
Ben walked over, charming smile aimed at Karla. He shoved his hands in his pockets and when he curled his shoulders in he looked more like an innocent boy than he should’ve been able to. “We’ll go, of course. Thank you for letting us use this room, Miss Karla.”
For the first time ever I watched Karla blush and look shy. “Oh! Um… You’re very welcome.”
We had to get out of there before Karla’s head spun around in circles and she started vomiting pea soup. It was every woman for herself as I scurried out of the room like I was a mouse and there was a tomcat chasing after me. I left all three men behind without a second thought or glance. Oops.