“Yes. I will.”
“Good. Try not to worry, and I’m sorry I had to tell you this. Just wanted to be upfront.”
“Got it. Appreciate the truth,” I said, wincing at my hypocrisy. I collected all my materials and stood up, making sure I had the donations still intact, and went out of his office with my mind swirling.
What was her goal here? To get me fired? To scare me into paying her more money?
I wasn’t so sure because this made me all the more determined not to pay her a cent. Not one penny. How dare she do this? Yes, I made the mistake of paying her to leave all those months ago, but I was done.
This was it.
I stormed into my classroom, set the materials on my desk, and took the donation checks and put them in my top drawer with the rest of the money. I locked it with a tiny key I wore around my ID badge and paced the front of my room. I felt like I’d run two miles from the walk from Dave’s office. That’s how hard my pulse raced, and sweat coated my skin. I had to end it. But what would be the best way to get Samantha out of my life?
Two little knocks at my door broke my intense brainstorm session, and I forced a smile for whoever was there, but it fell off my face when Samantha stood there, her red lips curved into a wicked, terrifying grin. “Oh hello, Ms. Carter.”
“Get out of my classroom.”
“Oh, see, I can’t do that.” She waltzed in and giggled as she handed me a sheet of paper. “The volunteer coordinator placed me here. There’s some kid who needs extra help or something. I don’t know, don’t really care. I’m thrilled I finally get to work with you all day.”
My eye twitched. “I don’t want you around my students.”
“Too bad,” she said, eyeing the top of my desk and laughing again. “You seem…tense. Tough day being an heiress?”
I wasn’t a violent person, but the urge to shove her against the wall made my hands twitch. She hurt my brother, tried to get me fired, and would be aroundmykids? No. Absolutely not. “Listen, you—”
“Gilly!” Christopher came into my room, his beaming smile stopping my heart for a full two seconds. It was so beautiful and filled with warmth and joy, all directed at me, and when he walked up to me and lifted me off the ground in a spin, he planted a loud kiss right on my mouth. Right in front of Samantha. “She got it. Kayla got the scholarship!”
“Wait, really?” I put my hands on his shoulders, trying to get him to take a step back, but at this point, Samantha already knew about us. I cleared my throat and jutted my chin toward my unwanted guest, and Christopher turned his head to his left a bit and winced.
“Ah, excuse me, Samantha. Sorry about that,” he said, laughing, and a hint of red tinted his cheeks. “Got a little carried about with my girl here.”
Samantha tilted her head to the side. “Aw, how cute.”
“My sister won a scholarship for future teachers, and Gilly here is a huge reason for it. God, I’m so happy and thankful for you,” he said, pulling me into a half-hug again. “My parents are thrilled. She got the email ten minutes ago. Will you come over for dinner to celebrate?”
“Uh, yes.” I nodded, tears almost stinging my eyes at how happy he was for Kayla. My bullshit and mess had no place in this moment, and with a lot of effort, I pushed all thoughts of Samantha to the back of my mind and gave the man I liked, a lot, my attention. “I’d love to celebrate with you all. She is so deserving.”
“Tonight.” He grinned again and ran a hand over my shoulder and squeezed. “I can’t believe my sister wants to be a teacher. I know the amount isn’t huge, but it’s enough to show her she can do it. She can apply for scholarships and get financial help and go to school. She’s been so glum about it all, and this sparked a new wave of motivation. I cannot thank you enough. Seriously.”
I stared into Christopher’s tender and excited gaze and knew this was more than justlikinghim. So much more. It was in my bones, wanting to see him and his family happy and thinking about him all the time. “She’ll be phenomenal.”
He shook his head a few times and turned to Samantha again. “Sorry to interrupt you ladies, just had to share the news.”
“Interrupt anything, Christopher. I don’t mind,” Samantha said, her flirtatious tone obnoxious as hell.
Christopher didn’t notice, or if he did, he didn’t give any indication of it and stared at the magazines. “You working in here today, Samantha?” he asked, the same kind tone he always used with the students, which irritated me. He had no idea she was a literal monster.
“Yup. Got assigned to the Ms. Carter for a while. Heard all about these grants she writes for all this stuff. Isn’t it amazing how her room looks like this?”
“Amazing is a word. I’d go with busy, overdone, distracting,” he teased, winking at me and making my face flush hot. “But yes, Gilly is…the best.”
Samantha did not like that. Her facade cracked. An ugly snarl overtook her face. Christopher was too busy staring at me to notice, and I needed to get him out of there, stat.
“Could I trouble you for help for a second?” I asked him, his eyes lighting up, and he nodded before I even finished the sentence.
“Anything, yeah.”
That one word,anything,said in his teaching tone sent the last wall around my heart crashing down. He meant it. He would do anything for me, and the fear that this wouldn’t last when he found out the truth was enough to cause my stomach to cramp.
