Chapter Ten

PARKER

 

On Valentine’s Day, Parker was packing away the stacks of home reading books when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced up and noticed Lily in a black skirt suit and heels bending down at the school bag storage talking to Bodhi. Parker couldn’t look away, and thankfully neither Lily nor Bodhi had noticed her. Lily gave Bodhi a kiss goodbye and stood up. At that moment, she caught Parker’s eye and smiled, then pivoted and walked away.

It was unusual but not unheard of for grade three parents to bring their child into the classroom each morning, and Parker both enjoyed seeing Lily and felt unsettled by her presence. She would love to take the opportunity to talk to her more, like they had started to do at the Casino on the weekend, but she got the sense that Lily was very much putting a barrier up between them at the classroom. She guessed that was to do with both Lily’s husband and Bodhi. Parker needed to listen to Nathan—move on, be professional, and treat her no differently to any other school parent, but it was so hard when her heart raced at the sight of her. This wasn’t normal for Parker.

*

THE DAY WAS exhausting, so Parker was thrilled to slump into the chair she’d already identified as ‘her’ chair in the staff room at lunch time. She was thankful she’d packed a chicken salad and didn’t need to queue for one of the two microwaves that always seemed to be in high demand.

“How are you?” Nathan asked as he made his way over with a Tupperware container of stir-fried noodles, vegetables, and some kind of meat. Beef, maybe?

“Exhausted.” Parker rolled her eyes. It was unusual for them not to catch up during the day—they often did whole grade activities, which gave them a chance to catch up while the children were otherwise occupied, but they hadn’t had a moment to chat that day. “The kids have been so full-on today, and of course it’s the day I’ve started the new maths module.”

“Must be something in the air. My class are the same. At least we’ve finished the Valentine’s Day craft! Have you got a lot planned after lunch?”

Parker shook her head. “I did, but I think I’ll shelve it. Not sure what to do now.”

“Let’s let them run on the oval. Let off steam til home time. Some races and obstacle courses. We can see if Kelly wants to join us too.”

“Love it! We must do that.”

*

PARKER GOT THE children to take their bags to the oval, so when school was over for the day, she walked them up toward the large outdoor area where they waited for their parents to pick them up. Some children made their way to after-school care. Bodhi called out “Hi!” and Parker glanced up, wondering if Lily was picking him up. She noticed Scott, Bodhi’s dad.

“Hey, bud,” Scott said, giving Bodhi a kiss.

“How was your day, Dad?” Bodhi asked.

Parker pretended to look at something in the distance, but she listened to them chat about their day. She wanted to know what Scott was like. Was he the kind of man who treated Lily horribly, and that’s why she cheated on him? Or was he the type of guy that allowed his wife the opportunity to date women, in some kind of open marriage? Or did he, himself, have an open marriage? Did they swing together? Parker shook her head. She guessed she’d never know, although she’d love to know to understand what had happened between them that night and why she was thinking about Lily so long afterwards. Lily had seemed so genuine that night. Parker looked at Bodhi and his dad as they walked happily together, and his dad asked him questions about school. He seemed like a nice guy.

As they started to walk away, Nathan walked over to Parker, clearly having noticed her looking at them. “That’s the kid, isn’t it? The one whose mother you…err…met?”

“I’ve met a lot of mothers. It kind of happens in this job,” Parker said, grinning, “but, yes, that’s the one I…err…met.”

Nathan looked far more coy than usual and Parker teased him about it. “C’mon. It’s not like you to be so bashful, Nath. What’s going on?”

He shrugged and looked around, then stage whispered, “I’m trying to be professional. Which, you’ll remember, I told you to be!”

Parker nodded. “And I have been. Uber professional!”

“Great stuff,” Nathan responded. “Keep it that way. That’s his dad, isn’t it? He’s the one I’ve seen before.” By now, Bodhi and Scott were nearly at the school gate, walking toward their car.

She nodded. “Mr Delaney-Jones.”

“He’s a good looking guy,” Nathan said, and she rolled her eyes in response. Then he changed the subject, and Parker was grateful. “Did you have a better afternoon? I enjoyed it.”

“I did. It was a great idea.”

Kelly came over to them then. “Are we setting up a junior school teacher table for the trivia night?”

“A what?” Parker was baffled.

Nathan groaned. “Every year the darn P&C run this trivia night, and teachers are encouraged to support it. Last year I took vodka in a drink bottle and added it to my juice.”

“There’s no alcohol served?” Parker frowned. “I knew it was coming up, but I admit it hasn’t been on my radar. I’ve been handing out notes about it for weeks.”

“They have beer and wine you can buy, but the wine is awful, and I generally need something stronger to get through the night of Bianca and her cronies.”

Kelly playfully whacked him. “He’s being overly dramatic. Sure, it’s not fun to give up your Saturday night, but it ends up being a laugh between the teachers, and it’s a great fundraiser for the school. Last year they raised enough to play for a whole cupboard full of play equipment!”

Parker nodded. “It sounds like something we should be at.” She poked Nathan for being difficult.

“I’ll be there, but I tell you, there isn’t enough vodka in the world for it.”

“Well, I’ve never heard you complain about it before, so I’m inclined to think Kelly’s right and you’re being melodramatic for the sake of it.”

Kelly smiled. “Exactly.”

“You women ganging up on me. It’s not fair, being the minority sex around here,” Nathan said, sulking.

The trivia night was only a few weeks away, which explained Kelly’s eagerness to finalise their table. “Perfect. I’ll just lock a few others in. Is anyone bringing partners?”

Now it was Nathan’s turn to laugh. “Nooo.”

Parker grinned. “No partner for me.” Of course, Kelly would have already known this from their evening out at the Palace. Kelly shrugged. “So just the grade three trio. We really want a table of eight, but ten can help us get the answers right.”

“The pressure is on for the teachers to win, or at least not fail in any major way. We don’t want to look like losers,” Nathan stated as if he were informing Parker of something critical.

Kelly nodded, deadpan. “Absolutely. It was difficult to rebuild our reputations after the trivia night two years ago.”

“Which does beg the question,” Nathan added, “of why we bother. But we do.” He sighed audibly. “Vodka does take the edge off.” Parker decided to make certain she’d have enough cash in her wallet for the promised beer on the night.

*

IT HADN’T EVEN occurred to Parker that Lily would be at the trivia night. Stupid, really, because of course she was obviously friendly with Bianca and the other P&C mums, but she just hadn’t thought about it. She’d been so busy getting coached about stupid trivia questions—which ended up being useless—by Nathan and Kelly. They were clearly very competitive. The teacher table did not win, but they weren’t the major losers, either, so they were relieved.

For Parker, the trivia didn’t matter. She walked in and laid eyes on Lily immediately. She looked amazing in black skinny jeans, black singlet, denim jacket, and casual sneakers. She looked more casual than Parker had ever seen her. Every time Parker had seen her, she’d seemed to rush in ready for work—often in a suit or dress and heels. She always looked amazing dressed to the nines, but she looked adorable in her more casual attire. And once the questions started being fired to the crowd, Lily was flustered. She clearly wanted to win, and she was debating with her table.

Parker had to really struggle to take her eyes off her, but she knew she had to before anyone noticed. Every so often she’d glance in the direction of the table and would meet Lily’s eye. Parker couldn’t believe how attracted to her she was—Parker was hardly short of female attention, so why was Lily the one she wanted? It was way too complicated, for millions of reasons. At least her husband wasn’t with her, but it was still far too complicated for Parker’s liking.

“Drink up, we’re clearly not going to win!” Nathan had said, about three quarters of the way through the night. He sipped his glass of juice that Parker knew had vodka in it.

She raised her beer, downed it, and went to the bar to get another one. And another one. By the end of the night, she was feeling the effects of the alcohol. “It was a great night,” she said, grinning. “I’m glad we came.”

Kelly shook her head. “Even if we shamed the teachers once again by losing to the parents?”

Parker shrugged. “We didn’t come last though.”

They made their way down to the car park and kept talking. Kelly offered Nathan and Parker a lift, but Nathan’s ride share arrived to take him to the Palace to extend his Saturday evening. Parker said she would prefer to quietly stroll down the road to home, and although Kelly protested, she finally gave in and drove off. Parker started to walk down the driveway. She didn’t feel like meeting Nathan at the Palace, but she didn’t really feel like going home to an empty house either. She really would have preferred to sit, chatting. She probably should have tried to talk Kelly and Nathan into chatting at the bar.

“Waiting for a cab?” A voice interrupted her thoughts.

Parker was startled, and even more so when she turned and realised it was Lily. She shook her head in response. “I don’t live far from here. I was thinking about walking home, but really, I don’t feel like going home alone.”

“Are you propositioning me?” Lily smiled cheekily.

“What? No!” Parker quickly replied. “Why did you think I was?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, grinning. “Saying you don’t feel like going home alone.”

Parker frowned. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.” She was really worried, now that they were in the teacher-parent dynamic, that she might have offended Lily.

But Lily didn’t look offended. She looked flirtatious. “That’s a shame,” Lily said, raising an eyebrow, but still grinning ever so slightly.

“Well, it’s a very bad idea,” Parker said, more so as a reminder to herself if nothing else.

Lily nodded, but she looked disappointed. “What about just some company, then? You don’t want to go home alone, and I don’t want the evening to end either.”

Parker looked at Lily, wondering why she wasn’t hanging out with her P&C friends. Finally she spoke up, “Aren’t there some school mums keen to continue the evening?”

“Nope,” Lily said, shrugging. “They always rush home early. Believe me, I’d be talking their ear off if they were hanging around. I feel like some adult company this evening myself. I don’t get a hall pass that often.” Parker wondered what her husband was up to for her to be craving the company of another adult so much. “So…what do you think?”

Parker wasn’t thinking—that was the problem. Parker was feeling. She was feeling incredibly attracted to Lily. She was feeling happy to be talking to Lily and figured that taking her home and having a chat might help her to get the attraction off her mind and get to know her as a friend. Was it potentially dangerous? Parker didn’t know. If she was unmarried then yes, but Lily had made it clear over a year ago she didn’t want anything more than just the one night, and Parker now knew why.

Besides, Parker had been cheated on by her partner years ago. She was hardly about to knowingly participate in Lily cheating on Scott. It was the most heartbreaking and deplorable thing that could happen to a person. It had taken her years to recover, and she wasn’t going to do that to him. She needed to get Lily out of her head, and perhaps the best way was a chat over coffee, talking about her life as wife and mother.

Parker finally shrugged. “Okay, come over to my place. We can have a drink, a chat…”

Lily grinned. “Great. Lead the way.” She gestured in a forward motion, and Parker led them to her house.

*

AS THEY ENTERED the house, Lily glanced around. “I remember this place,” she sighed lightly.

Parker cringed. “Want a cup of tea or coffee? I remember you had coffee at the coffee shop, but I didn’t make you anything.”

Lily blushed a little. “No, we didn’t make it that far last time.”

Parker was quite certain she was blushing, too, but thankfully the lights were dim enough that Lily wouldn’t have noticed. “Coffee, then? Or something alcoholic?”

Lily pondered for a moment, then answered, “Do you have wine?”

Parker busied herself in the fridge, digging for a bottle of white wine. She then went to her wine rack and grabbed a bottle of red. Placing both on the kitchen counter, she presented them to Lily with a silent question. Lily pointed to the red, and Parker filled two large glasses of red wine. They took a seat on the couch.

“Nathan brought vodka to the trivia night,” Parker blurted out unnecessarily, and then laughed in a moment of self-consciousness. Thankfully, Lily laughed with her. Parker paused for a moment and added, “You know, any teacher secrets I share, especially under the influence, cannot be shared with the other parents.” She was only half joking.

Thankfully, Lily seemed to understand. “Of course! I’ll stay silent. What other secrets do you have?”

“You’d have to give me another glass of wine for that. I’ve known Nathan for twenty years. There are many stories.”

“Must be nice to have a friend like that!”

Already the wine was going to Parker’s head, and seeing Lily relaxed was nice. She decided to change the flow of conversation. “What do you do for work, Lily? I don’t remember ever discussing it, but I see you rushing off from school in your suits.”

Lily nodded. “Yes, I don’t think we discussed it. My sister and I run a business, actually.”

“Oh, really?” Parker was impressed.

“Kidzine? Do you know it?”

Parker shook her head, so Lily explained the magazine.

“So, regular free discount vouchers, advertisers, articles? Gosh, it must be busy!”

“It’s busy, but I’m really proud of it. We hear from families all the time that they’ve had family outings because of us, and the businesses love the clientele. It’s a great way for them to promote what they do. I really feel like we’re making a difference, and that’s so important to me in my job. My sister, Jacqui, is the brains behind it.”

“I’m sure she couldn’t do it without you.”

Lily agreed. “It is a joint effort, that’s true. And it’s so nice working with her. It’s not what I expected doing, but it gives me a chance to spend more time with Bodhi. I have flexibility to work from home, if I need to, without having to justify to a boss. And I have the entire summer off.”

“Do you? That’s nice. Just like a teacher.”

“Yes, without the kids.” Lily poured herself another glass of wine and gestured toward Parker’s glass. Parker nodded, although she knew she shouldn’t. She was enjoying Lily’s company, but the beer from earlier, and now the wine, were certainly going to her head.

Lily moved closer to Parker on the couch. “This is a nice red,” she said, “and I’m so pleased I could come by. This is all very strange for me—you being Bodhi’s teacher, but…” Parker was wondering where Lily was headed with her speech, but then Lily didn’t continue.

Finally, after an awkward silence, Parker spoke up, “Yes, it was a little strange, but we can just be professional about it all. I like getting to know the parents of my students.”

Lily raised her eyebrows.

Parker blushed again. “You know what I mean,” Parker said and couldn’t believe the innuendo. “I wasn’t meaning…”

“It’s okay,” Lily said, placing her hand on Parker’s leg. “It’s fine.”

Parker couldn’t believe the heat on her leg with Lily’s hand on it. There was something about this woman that sent her crazy. Lily must have clearly felt whatever it was, too, because she looked at Parker in such a way that showed her interest. It was interest, wasn’t it? It seemed they were both attracted to each other, but both were trying to run from whatever it was that was drawing them toward each other. And yet, here they were having wine in Parker’s home. A stupid move. Crazy of her to have entertained the idea. She would never do this with any other school parent, and it was especially crazy after their night together last year. Madness, really.

Yet, she couldn’t tear herself away. Was it the wine? Would she be looking at Lily like she was if she hadn’t had a few drinks?

“It’s nice though, hanging out,” Lily finally spoke up. “I know it’s probably different from what you normally do with school parents, but it’s still nice. Isn’t it?”

Parker remained silent. Of course it was different from other school parents. She’d never had a school parent at her house, for starters, but the heat between them when Lily had reached out to her was something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Is everything okay?” Lily seemed oblivious to how Parker was feeling.

Parker nodded. “Fine, yes.” Her mouth suddenly seemed dry, so she reached for her wine glass, which Lily had filled up again. She took a sip, then looked at Lily, contemplating the mood between them. It had gotten serious, rather than flirty, and Parker was feeling uncomfortable. She shifted away from Lily a little. “Would you like something to eat?” she asked, ready to get busy in the kitchen.

“No, I’m good,” Lily said. “I had dinner before the trivia night, and then we had chips and dips and stuff at the event.”

Parker smiled. “Nice.”

“Bianca’s idea.” Lily shrugged.

“Of course.”

Lily sipped her wine and moved forward to place her glass down, brushing Parker’s arm with her own. As if sensing the heat between them, she looked up, and Parker noticed Lily’s eyes were focused on her lips. In return, Parker looked at Lily’s lips, and then told the voice in her head to not even entertain the idea. Too late. It was difficult to say who had started the kiss, but they were drawn to each other, and it was impossible to stop.

Parker’s body responded instantly, and finally, when they broke away, she said, “This is a very bad idea.”

Lily grinned cheekily—and in a sexy tone said, “Mmm, yes, bad, but so good too.” She reached forward, playfully kissing Parker. Parker knew it was a bad idea—for more than one reason!—but the wine, the beer, and her body were all screaming “Yes!” As Lily managed to reduce all of Parker’s protests through her kisses, Parker willingly became a total participant in the process, finally leading Lily toward the bedroom.

Remembering their amazing night a year ago, Parker was already turned on at what this night would bring. Lily tugged her jeans down, then threw her top over her head the moment they hit the bed, and Parker’s eyebrows raised—both at her enthusiasm and also at her body, in her black lace lingerie. “Wow,” she said, tracing her fingers across Lily’s shoulders and down into her cleavage nestled tightly in her bra.

Lily grinned. “Want me to unclip it?”

Parker shook her head, unclipping it herself in one swift movement. They were sitting on the bed, and Parker moved her hand over Lily’s amazing breasts—the breasts she had remembered for the better part of a year. She licked Lily’s curves, outlining one breast with her tongue, without a thought other than being in the moment. Lily was passionately kissing Parker’s neck, which was sending her wild. For a moment, there was no one else in Parker’s world. They were so in tune with each other, and every touch, every lick, every moan brought them closer and closer, and soon the two became one.

Hands and tongues were everywhere, and they climaxed together the first time, then Parker spent considerable time going down on Lily while Lily responded over and over again.

“You’re a master at that,” Lily marvelled after she’d finally calmed down. “You’re amazing.”

Parker grinned cheekily. “Thank you.”

Lily hadn’t finished with Parker and now used her hands to bring her pleasure. Parker was incredibly wet and responded quickly. Lily raised an eyebrow at Parker’s enthusiasm, moaning slightly herself as Parker came.

“Wowwww,” Parker said and lay with Lily in her arms. “Shit.” She shook her head in relaxed happiness about the moment. Lily lay in silence, tracing her fingers over Parker’s shoulders, neck, and torso. Parker shut her eyes, relaxed, happy, and enjoying the sensation of Lily’s gentle fingers.

Everything felt perfect, but suddenly, her mood came crashing down as she remembered why this was so wrong—she was Bodhi’s teacher, and there was the not so little matter of cheating on Scott, and if all that wasn’t enough, there was the fact that Lily hadn’t wanted anything more than a one-off. Already they’d broken that rule, and how on earth would she face Lily on Monday morning? And what if Lily gossiped with the other parents? Lily didn’t seem the gossipy type, and already Parker had found herself sharing thoughts with her that she wouldn’t dare share with any other school parent, but it didn’t change the fact that this seemed highly dangerous.

“What’s your name?” Lily asked.

“My name?” Parker raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, you’re Ms Parker. Is Parker your surname? Or are you like Madonna, just a first name?” Lily must have also been thinking about their roles as teacher and parent to be analysing her teaching name of Ms Parker.

Parker sighed but answered her. “Louise.”

“Louise?” Lily’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Your name is Louise? Wow. I do not see you as a Louise.” She smiled, but clearly tried to bite it down.

“I know, right? Thanks Mum and Dad.” She shrugged. “I’ve been Parker since I was about ten.”

“Oh, wow. Do your parents call you Louise?”

Parker shook her head. “No, not since I was about twenty. It got too confusing for them when all my friends called me Parker, but they didn’t. I hated being called Louise at home. Hated it. Or Lou, or any other variation. I’d tried them all, but none felt right. My Nan called me Louise til she passed a couple of years ago. Somehow, I tolerated it from her because she never meant it badly. To her, I was always Louise. My parents are lovely too. They took a while to accept my sexuality and also my name. I guess because they have Parker as their surname, they didn’t seem to get me using it as my first name.”

“Did you ever think about a different name? Because you’d have to go by Louise Parker on forms and stuff, but you could be ‘something else’ Parker if you changed your first name.”

Parker shrugged. “As a ten-year-old, that clearly wasn’t on my radar, and Parker is just right for me now. I can’t imagine being anything else.”

“True.” Lily seemed to really understand.

Parker couldn’t believe how much she was confiding in this woman, a very dangerous idea indeed. “I think this was a bad idea,” she said, finally speaking her thoughts.

Lily looked hurt momentarily and then said, “You’re probably right. I hadn’t intended this when I wanted to come over. I promise. I honestly just came for a drink.”

Parker wasn’t sure she believed her, but also felt she had no reason to not be truthful, so she just nodded. “It was amazing, but I think we really can’t do it again.” Parker couldn’t believe Lily hadn’t said it already. She didn’t know what Lily wanted—a repeat performance?—but she wasn’t going to put pressure on Lily if she didn’t want anything more. Besides, there was Scott to think about, and Parker was not going to be the one to cause a rift in their marriage. Perhaps Scott and Lily had an arrangement, but that wasn’t for Parker to determine. She felt awful enough that she’d now been intimate twice with Lily, once knowingly. She could only put it down to the magnetic attraction between them—and the boozed-up evening—and she had to be certain they were never alone again.

“Oh.” Lily looked surprised. “Because you’re Bodhi’s teacher?”

Parker nodded. “That’s just one reason.”

Lily pulled her underwear back on and then slid her clothes over the top. She put her shoes back on and looked at Parker while fumbling for her phone. “Okay, I’ll be honest. I really like being with you.”

Parker laughed wryly. “Oh, Lily, if things were different, you’re just my type.”

Lily smiled sadly. “I’ve booked a cab. It will be here soon, so I’ll go wait out front.”

“Let me come with you.” Parker quickly threw pyjama pants and a T-shirt on, some old slip-on shoes, and ran her fingers through her messy, gelled-up hair. The cab pulled up fairly quickly, and Lily gave Parker an awkward hug goodbye. “See you Monday.”

Parker smiled. “Have a good Sunday. I hope everything is okay for you at home.”

“Thanks,” Lily said, her voice flat. The cab drove off into the darkness.