Her smile was fond. “Yes. I’m a bona fide daddy’s girl. Where he went, I wanted to go. Both my parents are teachers, so…” She shrugged. “I wanted a school district big enough to have typical classrooms, but not overpopulated classrooms.”
“Hard to find?”
“Yes. Most definitely. Bozeman is growing so fast.”
I polished off my lemonade and rescued the last cherry. “I love the town, but it was a relief once I finally decided to move back home.” I finished my cherry. She studied her glass. Was she avoiding looking at me? Was she universally shy or just around me?
Something about the challenge of getting through her shyness appealed to me. I’d been attracted to her since that first parent-teacher meeting. I’d sat, uncomfortable and shocked at the strength of my body’s response, and listened to her tell me the issues with Chance. Only she hadn’t made me feel like a shitty dad like other teachers had. They had assumed that, since I looked the way I did, I must be a “boys will be boys” kind of guy instead of considering what the divorce had done to my son. Ultimately, the reason Chance misbehaved was not their problem, only the outcome, but Scarlett was the first teacher who hadn’t spoken as ifIwas part of the problem. She’d also complimented him on the good things he had done and spoke as if there was so much more she couldn’t wait to see him do.
Chance played it off like she was annoyed, but I’d seen that little chest puff with pride.
Scarlett’s frosted-sugar-cookie scent overwhelmed my senses, and the urge to nuzzle her hair struck me. I had to stick with the conversation, or I’d lose myself. It was more than my lack of a sex life. “I knew moving home was the right decision after our third meeting.”
She finally looked at me. “Third?” Chewing her lower lip, her brow furrowed. My finger itched to smooth across that plump lip and make sure she didn’t harm it. “That was the playground incident—where he threw snowballs at another boy?”
“Yep. You didn’t act like it was the end of the world. I mean, I know he shouldn’t have done it. He knows he shouldn’t have done it, and he still did it.”
“For a ten-year-old boy, it’s normal, impulsive behavior.” She lifted a shoulder. “The other boy, he loves snowball fights, but he’s learned enough to know that he has to convince someone else to start them so he doesn’t get in as much trouble. The new kid was the perfect target.”
I knew the other kid’s parents. His mom had simultaneously bitched me out and flashed me her cleavage. His dad had been pickled, probably with our family’s product, so I hadn’t held their son’s behavior against him. That kid had an uphill battle in life. “Anyway, you didn’t treat me like I was an awful parent and my kid was going to be a fuckup for life.”
“That’s happened before?” A cherry slipped between her ripe lips.
“Mostly after the divorce. A little before, but I guess Tamera took the brunt of it since they always called her.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect out of you.” The crests of her cheeks were dusted with pink. The admission was hard for her.
“Why? You thought I’d yell?”
“I don’t know. I’d only heard about you from Autumn and Summer. You didn’t sound scary, just very serious.”
I’d had to be. I was the oldest Bailey, and my father was in a long battle with cancer. I juggled two industries between me and six other siblings. It was like herding cats some days. But in Scarlett’s house, the pressure wasn’t weighing on me. It couldn’t when the word “pussy” was in needlepoint across from me. “Speaking of—how did you get in thick with my sisters? Autumn, I can see. You two work together. Summer is…”
Affection blazed across her face. “Summer says and does things I wish I was brave enough to do.”
“Like buying a moody bachelor for a day?”
Her smile faded, and she rolled her lips in. “I’m sorry about the trouble. I didn’t know.”
“We’ve covered that.” I tapped my fingers on my glass. I couldn’t push her too hard. Today wasn’t easy for her. “Do you know why she did it?”
If I’d thought she’d admit to a raging secret crush on me, I was left disappointed. She grabbed my glass and brought both the empties to her sink. She dumped the ice out and whisked them into the dishwasher. “I don’t. It was a complete surprise.”
She claims you like me,sounded too childish. “Summer is a force, but she does what she thinks is right.”
“Can’t argue with the large donation to charity.” Her back was to me as she wiped off the counter.
“I’m glad she did it.” When Scarlett stiffened, I continued. “I wanted to get to know you more.”
Again, if I’d thought she’d be thrilled that I was interested in her, I was left a wanting man.
She gave me a deadpan look. “You don’t have to lay it on to make me feel better, Tate.”
“I mean it.”
“Mm.” She wiped the counter a third time.
The back of my neck grew hot. She thought I was putting on an act?
