Madge wrinkled her nose. “We went through twice as many tomatoes as usual since you cut them so thick, and some of the kids didn’t have time to finish their lunch because you took so long getting them through the line. Maybe they need help outside or with maintenance tomorrow. No hard feelings, right?”
“Yeah, of course.” Hoping word wouldn’t reach Rae about me not being invited back, I left the kitchen with plans to corner the principal and secure another position for the next day. But first, I needed to set eyes on Rae again.
I passed by her classroom at a snail’s pace, trying to catch a glimpse of her. The kids must have been at art or music because she sat behind her desk all alone. She must have been super focused on the paperwork in front of her and didn’t even look up as I entered the room.
“Hey,” I said as I approached the desk.
She looked up, slightly dazed, like I’d pulled her away from something important that had required her full concentration. “Oh, hey. Lunch duty over for the day?”
“Yeah. I thought I’d check in. Everything going okay?” She was tired. I could see it in her eyes, though I doubted she’d admit it.
“It’s fine. Just trying to get everything lined up for a field trip later this week.” Her thumb clicked the top of her pen. The quicksnap, snap, snaptugged my attention away from studying her face.
“Where are you going?” She hadn’t mentioned a field trip. I didn’t like the idea of her being out in a big public place. It made it more difficult to protect her if the guys from Savage Bones were targeting her.
Her harsh exhale proved she was over me keeping tabs on her. “We’re going to a wildlife refuge. The kids are going to learn about bears and wolves. I suppose you want to volunteer as a chaperone.”
“I’d be happy to.” I offered an encouraging smile, hoping it might take the edge off her frustration.
“If I wasn’t short on chaperones, I wouldn’t even consider it, but I’m down three and we won’t be able to go if I can’t find a few replacements.”
“Count me in. I’ll get a few of the guys at the club to step up and cover the rest.” I had no doubt I’d be able to talk a couple of the guys into helping. That was one thing I appreciated about being in the club. We always had each other’s backs. No questions asked.
“Fine.” Rae sighed and jotted something down on her notepad. “I’ll need their names as soon as you have them, and they’ll need to do a quick online background check.”
“No worries. They’ll pass.”
“Great.”
Before I could reassure her, the kids started to file into the room. Their loud chatter filled the room as they got settled at their tables.
Rae lifted her hand and called out, “Give me grilled cheese.”
The kids responded in unison, “Everybody freeze.”
After that, the room went silent. I marveled at the control she had over a two dozen kids. The fact that she’d used my sandwich as her signal didn’t escape me either.
Rae motioned me to the front. “Class, we have a special guest I want to introduce you to. He’s going to be joining us on our field trip on Friday.”
Half a dozen hands shot into the air. Rae gave me an expectant look. “Do you want to tell them your name and what you do for a living?”
I wasn’t sure about introducing myself with my nickname, so I pulled out the name I’d been given by the woman who’d birthed me then abandoned me to the system. “Hey, I’m John Paul, and I’m a retired Navy SEAL.”
Five more hands shot into the air. Rae grinned. “You wanted to come into the classroom. Are you up for answering a few questions?”
“Yeah, sure.” I pointed at a kid who had crusted ketchup in the corners of his mouth. “You. What’s your question?”
“Are you married?”
“No.” Moving on, I nodded at a little girl with a bright pink bow in her hair. “What do you want to know?”
“How many tattoos do you have? My mom has a mermaid on her back and my dad says it’s a tramp stamp.” She smiled, revealing a wide gap where her two front teeth should have been.
I shot a quick glance at Rae, who shook her head. That meant I probably shouldn’t tell them I owned a tattoo studio and had probably inked some of their parents. “Um, I’m going to have to pass on that question. Next up, kid with the faux hawk.”
“Are you Miss Cooper’s boyfriend?” he asked.
The entire class erupted into giggles.
