I tipped my head back and let out a bark of laughter. "Yeah, you are definitely going to be bad for my health."
I glanced up just in time to see a smirk on Elle's face. I knew without even asking that she was happy for her friend. I might'vebeen a manwhore before my wedding, but I was about to prove that men really can change for the right woman.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MOLLY
There was something about Monday mornings that just made them drag on and on and on. So much so that I prayed for lunch to arrive just so I could say the morning was finally over.
Today was no different. My students were exhausted from the weekend. It was like pulling teeth to get them to answer questions. There had even come a point when I considered banging my head on my desk, but I figured that would be considered unprofessional, and I knew at least one student who would tell their parent I did such a thing.
Yes, Johnny, I'm referring to you.
So no, I didn't bang my head off the desk. I forced a smile on my face and continued to encourage my students to participate in science class. Unfortunately the curriculum I was forced to follow scheduled today to be a mostly lecture day. Tomorrow would be better because at least I had a fun experiment for them to do. I just needed to get through this hellish day.
ELA––English Language Arts––was this afternoon, and since I was going to be forcing them to write sentences, I didn't expect my day to get any better.
"Why do you look like someone stole your favorite dessert? Did Mary raid your lunch again?" Elle plopped her ass next to me at the table in the teachers’ lounge.
Mary was another third-grade teacher, and she taught the same subjects as me but for a different group of students. Our school was large enough that we had multiple teachers per grade for each subject.
"Ha." Yes, I said the word. So sue me. "No, Mary didn't steal anything, but only because I forgot to pack a dessert today." Another reason for me to be pissy. "I'm sure she looked though." Mary and I had a playful banter going on. We both loved desserts, so we would see who brought the better one for the day and steal the other’s.
"How in the world did you forget such a thing?" Elle gasped. "That's sacrilege last time I checked."
I rolled my eyes and grumbled, "I was a little distracted this morning."
That piqued my best friend's interest. "Oh yeah? Would a certain someone's husband be the reason for the distraction? I saw the two of you walk out together yesterday after the party."
Ah yes. Savannah's christening party. Or as I liked to call it, the reason for a bunch of adults to get together and shoot the shit. Although if I was being honest, it was kind of nice to meet Rhett's family. From what Elle told me, Rhett rarely saw them until she came into his life. Now they made a habit of getting the cousins together quite often, and damn there was a bunch of them. Six grown kids would do that to a family.
"He was being a gentleman and walked me to my car. I didn't see him again after I drove off."
"Okay, so if it wasn't your husband, what exactly had you so distracted this morning that you forgot your favorite part of any meal?"
"I never said my husband wasn't the reason for my distraction. I just said I didn't physically see him."
It was clear as day Elle was confused by my rambling, and who could blame her? I was talking in circles.
"You're going to have to spell this one out for me because I'm lost, and I have to say that's not a great feeling. I can usually figure you out in seconds."
A dry laugh slipped past my lips. "I woke up to a‘Good morning, beautiful. Have a great day at work’text from Parker."
"Aww, that's so sweet." I could practically see the hearts in Elle's eyes. "Or . . . not . . ." she corrected when I gave her the stink eye. "I'm a whole lot of confused. I thought the two of you agreed to date. That's what he told Rhett anyway, and the two of you looked like you were getting along yesterday."
"We did agree to see where this goes."
There was a lot of frustration on my friend's face, and I could understand why it was there. I was making zero sense.
Taking a deep breath, I started to explain, "We both know I don't do relationships. I do fun. I do casual. Hell, I even do one-night stands when the occasion calls for it. I know yesterday you called Parker a manwhore, but I'm not much better. I couldn't tell you the last time I kept a man around for more than a handful of dates."
"Okayyyyy." Elle dragged the word out. "Are you worried this is going to be the same thing?"
I blew out an audible sigh. "I'm not sure worried is the word. I've always guarded my heart. I never let that damn organ have a say in anything because I've seen how fickle love can be. I don't want to end up like my parents."
My best friend grabbed my hands in hers. I rarely talk about my parents but Elle knows about them because I stupidly confessed one night while we were drinking.
I was starting to see a pattern here. Alcohol and I didn't mix well together.
