"Her background is that she has excellent credentials and came highly recommended." Jack's expression is stern. "Anything else is none of our business." He pauses to look around the room and meet everyone's eyes for emphasis.
The tension in the room is suffocating. I can feel curious eyes studying me, probably wondering what secrets I'm hiding. Blake shifts closer, his presence somehow protective without being obvious.
"The bell's about to ring," Patricia says, breaking the awkward silence. "We should all get to our classrooms before the kids tear the place down." Her laugh is awkward, but I'm grateful for the timely interruption.
Teachers begin filing out, some offering me polite smiles, others whispering to each other as they leave. I catch fragments of conversation.
"...heard she just vanished ..."
"...wonder what really happened ..."
"...awfully young to have such a mysterious past ..."
Blake touches my elbow gently. "Don't let Jennifer get to you. She's like that with everyone new. Thinks she runs the place because she's been here fifteen years."
"Thanks." I manage a weak smile.
"I mean it about Friday night." His brown eyes are kind. "Come to the game. It'll be fun, and it's a good way to show you're part of the community here."
"I'll think about it."
Blake heads out, leaving me alone with Jack and Noah. The three of us stand in awkward silence for a moment.
"I should go prepare for first period." Noah's voice is tight. He grabs his books and moves toward the door, but not before our eyes meet one more time. The heat in his gaze makes my breath catch.
Then he's gone, and I'm left standing with Jack, who's watching me with an unreadable expression. He shifts his weight and slides his hands into his pockets. "Starting at a new school can be overwhelming. Especially when you're thrown into the deep end like this."
"I'll manage."
"Jennifer shouldn't have put you on the spot like that." He takes a step closer. "If anyone gives you trouble, you come to me. That's what I'm here for."
The kindness in his voice makes my chest ache. Here he is, trying to help me settle in, and he has no idea I'm hiding his sons from him.
"I appreciate that."
"If you need anything," he says finally, "my door is always open."
"Thank you."
I walk away on unsteady legs, my mind spinning. Jack is my boss. Noah is my colleague. And I've been intimate with both of them. Heat floods my face. What is wrong with me? I never have one-night stands and I haven't had a boyfriend, much less sex, in a very long time. My boys are my focus and they keep me too busy to worry about dating and having romantic relationships.
The hallway is filling with students now, their voices echoing off the lockers. I navigate through the crowd toward my classroom, trying to look confident and professional when I feel like I'm falling apart inside.
I'm almost to my door when a hand catches my elbow.
"Mia."
I turn to find Noah standing there, his green eyes intense behind his glasses. He glances around quickly, then pulls me into an empty classroom, closing the door behind us.
"We need to talk," he says urgently, his voice low.
7
NOAH
I pull Mia into the empty classroom at the end of the hall, closing the door behind us. The click echoes in the silence.
The classroom smells like chalk dust and old textbooks. Afternoon sunlight streams through the windows, casting shadows across the empty desks.
