“What’s wrong?”
“I gotta get this situation under control first.” I throw a general wave at my crotch.
Gia drops her head back as she laughs.
“Don’t laugh at me. This is all your fault.”
“My fault?” she asks incredulously. “You started it.”
“If you weren’t so goddamn sexy, I wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
Her prideful grin makes her blue eyes sparkle. Shaking my head, I get out of my truck. The cool spring air helps to deflate things further, and I’m able to walk into the school without the risk of getting arrested.
Ever since Gia’s sister and her family visited a few weeks ago, she’s seemed even more settled into her life here. We spend a lot of time together, but she also hangs out with Gwen and Farrah and has become a regular crochet club attendee. At the last one, I got a picture of a dubious-looking ball of yarn that I think was supposed to be a hat.
I wouldn’t say she’s a totally different person from the one I had a one-night stand with all those months ago, but she no longer feels like she’s a step away from slipping through my fingers.
We stop short as we walk into the lobby of the elementaryschool office. Leah is sitting in one of the chairs with her arms crossed and a very pissed-off expression on her face. Farrah stands next to her, looking slightly less angry, although I think she’s trying to hide it from everyone.
Through the glass partition, I let the secretary know we’re here to see Principal Grant. She nods, lifting her desk phone to her ear.
When Leah clocks us, she races over for a hug. Her little arms tighten around me with a surprising amount of force. In the end, I lift her into my arms to hold her close.
“What’s going on, monkey?”
Leah whispers in my ear. “I made a mistake. I pushed Mason back ’cause he knocked me off the monkey bars. Mrs. Halbrand sawed me and made me go to the principal’s office.”
“Hmm. Okay, sweetheart. Thank you for telling me the truth.” Gia steps over to Farrah and starts talking quietly with her.
“Am I gonna get in trouble?” Leah asks.
“Well, you already know that getting pushed doesn’t feel good. Do you think pushing Mason was the right thing to do?”
“No, but I was just so frustrated. Mrs. Halbrand saw him knock me down this time. She didn’t get Mason in trouble, so I thought I should push him back to show him it doesn’t feel good.”
I frown. “Mrs. Halbrand saw Mason knock you off the monkey bars?”
“Yeah. I was gonna tell on Mason, but she was already looking at me.”
“Okay, monkey. We’ll get this sorted out.” Leah runs over to hug Gia after I set her down. I take the time to let my emotions settle before I say hello to Farrah. I quietly ask what’s going on, and Farrah shakes her head, obviously as frustrated by this situation as I am.
“Do you need to get back to your classroom?” I ask.
“No, I’ve got a teacher’s aide taking over right now. I think it’s important I stick around.”
Before I can ask why, the secretary calls us from the doorway. “Mr. Basil, Principal Grant is ready for you.” She leads Gia and me toward the back of the main office, where a dark mahogany door is propped open.
Principal Grant stands from her desk chair and comes around to shake my hand first and then Gia’s. “Mr. Basil. Thank you for coming in.” Her smile is friendly, carving deep lines around her mouth and softening her sharp brown eyes. Melanie Grant is a bit older than I am and very no-nonsense. She was a teacher here for several years before she applied for the open vice principal position. When the old principal retired, she stepped into the role. I didn’t have strong feelings about her one way or the other before now. Something tells me that’s going to change by the end of this.
“Of course. This is my partner, Gia Miller.”
Gia’s lips twitch into a smile when she glances at me before she smooths out her expression to shake hands with Principal Grant. Using ‘partner’ might have been an odd choice, but I needed to ensure that the principal knew she’s more to me than just a girlfriend. She’s someone I trust wholeheartedly with my girls, and Principal Grant should treat her the same.
We’re directed to sit in the visitor chairs in front of Melanie’s desk while she closes the door and settles in her office chair.
“Our meeting was fortuitous today,” she starts. “It seems we’ve had another incident between Leah and Mason that needs to be addressed.”
“Yes, Leah explained what happened before we came in. I noticed that Mason is not in here as well.”
