The anger I’d felt earlier rose again. “You can’t just sit in the back of my classroom all day. I teach first grade. It’s not like you’re going to blend in with the students.”
“If I don’t go with you, then you don’t go at all.” He made the statement like it was a foregone conclusion. “I’ve got a few favors I can call in. Don’t worry, it’s going to work out.”
I felt like growling at the man. He was so confident, so sure that he’d get his way. Even though he was only trying to protect me, the way he was going about it made me see red. “I’m going to go read while dinner cooks.”
“Sounds good. I’m going to make a few phone calls and get everything set for tomorrow.” He even had the nerve to wink at me before he slid off his barstool and headed to the office.
I bit down on the inside of my cheek to hold myself in check. He might think he’d won this round, but I wasn’t ready to give in and give up quite yet. It was time he started looking at me as a grown woman instead of a little girl he could boss around.
The look in his eyes earlier gave me hope. I hadn’t imagined it. Heat like that didn’t just come out of nowhere. If he was going to insist that I continue to stay at his place and be subjected to his constant presence, I was ready to test his limits.
For my sake, I sure hoped I wasn’t reading something into nothing and making a huge mistake.
CHAPTER5
PRIEST
“Ready to go, Sunshine?”I handed Rae a thermal mug of coffee as she came out of my bedroom all dressed for school on Monday morning.
“Looks like you still think you’re spending the day with me?” Her lips pursed, and she shot me an icy glare.
I was barely surviving on Rae overload, but I wasn’t about to send her off without someone looking after her. According to the latest update from Thunder, those two assholes from Friday night had been driving up and down the mountain all weekend. No doubt they were looking for me. If they wanted trouble, I’d be more than happy to give it to them, but not with Rae around.
“Yeah. I worked it out with the principal last night. Turns out they’re down a lunch helper today, so I’m going to fill in.” He’d made it clear I couldn’t just hang out in Rae’s classroom, but I could fill in as a substitute for anyone out sick. Lunchroom duty sounded right up my alley, so I jumped at the chance.
“You’re going to be a lunch lady?” Her eyes widened at the same time a huge grin spread across those fucking kissable lips of hers.
“A lunch dude,” I corrected. “How hard is it to plop a scoop of limp spaghetti onto a paper plate? Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
Rae took the mug of coffee, then grabbed her purse. “I can’t wait to see this. When’s the last time you were actually in an elementary school?”
I counted backward in my head. “Probably fifteen years ago. I went to your fifth-grade play with your dad. You were one of the mermaids?—”
“I remember.” Her cheeks turned red.
I pulled open the door to the garage and gestured for her to go first. She’d only been a girl then, and I’d already been in the Navy for seven years. Shame flooded through me. I shouldn’t be having X-rated thoughts about my best friend’s daughter. Especially not when I was the one he’d asked to look after her.
We drove into town with only the soft sounds coming from the radio between us. Rae rushed into the building with me hot on her trail. She didn’t even say goodbye when she turned to head to her classroom and left me standing in front of the office. I didn’t blame her for being irritated, but I’d still be following her even if she swore she never wanted to see me again.
The thought of something happening to her just about killed me. I didn’t like feeling vulnerable like that. For a guy who’d always been able to push personal feelings down, I hated having a weakness.
I waited until she disappeared from sight, then turned the other way to check in at the cafeteria. Rae was right about the lunch ladies. I got directions from Madge—a woman who looked like she’d been serving school lunches for the past eighty years. After donning a hair net, gloves, and an apron, I got to work prepping lettuce and tomatoes for build your own hamburger day. Seemed like a waste of time since I didn’t know any kid who’d willingly eat lettuce and tomato on a burger, but if there was one thing I was good at, it was following orders.
Minutes ticked by on the big industrial clock on the wall. Finally, Rae brought her class in for lunchtime. Seeing her filled me with relief. She caught my eye as she led her kids to the lunch line.
“Nice duds,” she called out over the heads of dozens of kids.
“Thanks. I think I might have found my signature look.” I glanced down at the pink apron I’d already stained with juice from the tomatoes. It was worth looking like a lunch lady to be on the receiving end of the smile she gave me. She even rewarded me with a deep laugh. I felt like I’d won the fucking lottery.
Kids passed through the line, taking their trays with fully loaded cheeseburgers. Half of them asked for help opening their milk cartons. I did my best to keep up, but still got behind and earned a disappointed look from the oldest lunch lady in Montana.
Seemed like hours had passed when the last kid passed through the line, and we started to clean up. I finally tossed my hair net and gloves in the garbage and shoved my apron in the giant washing machine in the back of the kitchen.
Eager to go check on Rae in her classroom, I waved at the group of women I’d served with. “See y’all tomorrow.”
“Actually, I think you might be better suited to something else,” Madge said.
My pride took a direct hit. “I didn’t do a good job on lunch line today?”
