“I love your dress. Oh my God, and it has pockets?” Kayla said, two days later as she stood inside my classroom with her purple backpack hanging off her shoulder. She had the wide-eyed look of a teenager who still had their life ahead of them, and it made me smile.
I hoped she never lost that joy and wonder.
“Yes, pockets are a must. I keep everything in there when I’m walking around,” I said, laughing and finishing up the organization of projects. With the deadline looming for the grant, Christopher wanted to do it first thing when we got back, and if it meant helping him out, I would be a fool to pass up on that. There was something sexy and charming seeing how he looked out for his sister.
“Noted.” Kayla walked around my classroom and eyed the walls. “Your room is so different than my brother’s. I love your colors. This is, like, the classroom of my Pinterest dreams.”
“Thank you,” I said, grinning when Christopher walked in, and his gaze seemed to go straight into my chest and wrap around my heart in a caress. “I want school to be a safe, fun, and creative place for students. I never got to go to the beach growing up or play ghost in the graveyard or anything like that, but school? My teachers? Their rooms became home away from home, and if kids remember anything about me, or my class, I want it to be that they were safe, loved, and inspired.”
“Wow, I love that,” she said, just as her brother leaned against the door with an unreadable look on his face.
His soft blue gaze lingered on me for a beat before he pushed off the frame and headed toward his sister. “You getting started? We need to leave within an hour to get you to your swimming practice.”
“We’re about to. She was admiring how wonderful my classroom is compared to your boring one. That’s all,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. I’d gone too deep talking about my past and wanted to act like I hadn’t shared a deep part of who I was with the Callahan siblings.
“It’s true,” Kayla said, shrugging and sitting down at one of the chairs and getting her laptop out.
Christopher rolled his eyes and joined her at the table before taking out a notebook and going over her application. It was the absolute cutest thing.
“Is there anything you can tell me about the process on how they select winners?” Kayla asked.
“Mm, I’m not sure, but I think they are looking at the whole student. The person who is applying, not just all the stats. How are you a leader? How do you help others? How are you, Kayla, going to make a difference in the world? Show them who you are, not what you think they want to hear.”
She nodded and chewed on her lip for a second. “Right, yeah.”
Christopher tapped his fingers on the desk. “You were a manager at the church camp for two years—that’s leadership. Then you’re captain of your swim team too.”
Kayla’s face lit up at her brother commenting on her leadership like it was a big deal. It was, and it felt weird listening to them work in my room. I didn’t want to be caught listening like a creep with a major crush, so I got out my own laptop and started a chat with Grace to see if she was done with the letter of recommendation.
Grace: call me
I frowned as worry took root. Maybe she didn’t have time or couldn’t do it. I excused myself to go into the hallway and dialed her number with my stomach in a knot. It rang three times before she answered. “Hey, Grace.”
“Ah, sorry. I’m doing a million things at once and couldn’t chat. I have the letter done. Just need to scan it. Could it wait fifteen minutes? I’m in the middle of dealing with practice.”
“Of course, yes,” I said, hearing the sounds of others shouting in the background. “Thank you. We’re filling out the application now.”
“Are you seeing your brother later?”
Her question sent ice in my veins. Her tone was direct and more than annoyed, and I swallowed, eyeing up and down the hallway a few times to make sure no one was there. Like Samantha. “I, uh, don’t have plans to.”
“Gilly, this isn’t like you,” she said, disappointment clogging her voice and making me feel as small as an ant. “You’re lying to Fritz, and Christopher, and that’s not you. You need to be yourself. Your real self. Money doesn’t define you, Gil. Never has. You have too big of a heart, but if what you told me about your weekend with Christopher is true, you owe him the full truth. Not the lies.”
“I know, Grace,” I snapped, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Fritz was camping, then I had that conference, and I have like ten days left of this challenge.”
“I think it’s time to let that go. Money is a huge part of your life. You can’t deny that. You have millions in a bank, and letting Christopher think you don’t is cruel, especially after what he shared with you about his family. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, but it will be the longer you keep this charade up. And don’t get me started on the fact you paid Fritz’s girlfriend to leave. I’m just…not understanding why you’re continuing the keep it from them. Tell Fritz, tell Samantha to piss off, and tell the guy you’re crushing on the truth.”
My eyes stung a bit, and I hated the truth to her words. My best friend was pissed at me, and this was all my fault. Not Samantha’s, Fritz’s, or Christopher’s. Mine. “I-I will. Soon. What if it ruins everything though?”
“I’ve seen you yell at people three times your size in college. You helped me deal with the loss of my mom. You can handle this, Gilly. Fritz will forgive you, and Christopher is into you because of you, not your lack of money. Plus, why would you want a relationship with someone who liked a fake version of you? That’s not real. That’s not a genuine relationship.”
“I’ll tell Fritz.”
“I love you, Gil. I really do. But as your best friend, it is my job to tell you when you’re being an ass, and you are. But you have the power to fix it. Money is a part of you. Be honest about it. Stop the dumb challenge. You were only doing that to prove it to Fritz and me, and honestly, I think it’s made you a little crazy. I gotta go. I’ll send the letter in a bit.”
Money is a part of you.
Her words repeated in my mind, and I hated the way it made me feel. I didn’t want my money to define me.
I paced in the hallway, struggling with pulling myself together. The urge to cry hit me hard, but it wasn’t so much in pity as it was frustration. The challenge to live off a teacher’s salary was supposed to be fun and to prove that I could live without all the funds. Something fiery went into my veins. It was like the time Fritz told me I couldn’t juggle, and I spent all summer before seventh grade learning so I could prove him wrong. He didn’t even care when I showed him, but I did. I’d learned it to prove to myself.
With a resigned sigh, I nodded to no one in the hall. The challenge for the month was to prove to myself that I could do it.
Screw Fritz and Grace. I didn’t want money to be a part of who I was or how someone saw me. Christopher was not Samantha, using me for money, but he would be affected. He might not want to see me, be with me, or want anything to do with me if he learned the truth. That was my reality.
Was it selfish to want to hold on to what we had a little longer? To see him look at me with warm eyes and like I mattered to him? Probably. But I made a priority list in my mind.
I had to tell Fritz about Samantha first. I owed him that.
Then confront Samantha and tell her to get lost. That bitch wouldn’t get a dime from me.
Finally, I’d tell Christopher the truth about my inheritance and hope to God we could still be what we were. Which I wasn’t even sure if we had defined it. We spent the whole weekend together, either learning and talking shop, or getting naked. It was an actual dream to be on the same page with someone on everything. Even when we fought about different teaching styles, it was a good discussion because we pushed each other to be better.
Shit. I rubbed my temples and made my way back into the room. Christopher looked up when I entered, a slight smirk on his face, and he winked. God, the gesture made me fumble like a total idiot. “Uh, Mrs. Anderson will send the letter soon.”
“Perfect! I think we have the essay done! I can use this for other scholarships too.” Kayla shared a smile with her brother and nudged her shoulder into his. “Chrissy has been awesome helping me with all this stuff. My parents mean well, but they get so stressed out even thinking about college for me.”
“Chrissy told me a little about it, so I’m glad you’re able to find scholarships like these,” I said, loving how his eyes flared at using his sister’s nickname for him. “I have a brother who I’m close with too, and it’s great having someone who is always on your team.” As soon as I said the words, my stomach tightened.
Would Fritz realize that I was always on his team? I sure hoped so.
The Callahan siblings worked for another hour, and I helped with the phrasing on some of her essay questions before they called it a night. Kayla put her stuff in her bag and hands on her hips. “They’ll let people know next week, right?”
“Yes.” I smiled, so thankful I was able to work with the high school sponsor to get her application in last minute. I loved and respected deadlines for adults, but for kids? It took some greasing, but I got her in. “We have most of the funds collected, and the committee is chosen. It all depends on the number of applicants who applied. Last year it took two weeks for them to decide, but the year before, it was two days.”
“I hope I get it. I want to be a teacher so bad.”
“Fingers crossed.”
Christopher put his arm around his sister and led her to the hallway, making my chest get all warm and fuzzy seeing them together, but he didn’t walk out with her. He came back into my room and walked right up to me. I barely had time to react before he cupped the back of my head and kissed me. Warm, wet lips greeted mine, and he traced his thumb over my cheek in the most heart-shatteringly gentle way. “Thank you,” he said, his voice thick and smooth as he stared down at me. “She means the world to me, and I appreciate your help.”
“Anytime, Chrissy,” I teased, blushing from head to toe, and he bent down and nipped at my bottom lip. “Hey.”
“We spent the weekend together, and it doesn’t seem like enough time. Let me take you out.”
“Like a date-date?” I asked, my heart racing at the seriousness on his face. He looked determined—the same way he had before our SPIRIT competition.
“Exactly like a date-date.” He pushed my hair behind my ear as one side of his mouth curved up on the side like he knew a punchline to a joke. “Thursday night.”
“Are you asking me if I’m free then or demanding?”
“It’s the soonest night I have available, forgive me for being impatient.” He trailed his fingers over my jaw, making goose bumps break out all down my neck and tingling in the best kind of way.
“I am free then, yes.”
“Good,” he said, letting out a long breath and pressing one more kiss to my mouth. “See you tomorrow, Gilly.”
“Yeah,” I said, breathless and excited and guilty all combining into one hot mess of emotions.
He winked again before heading to the door, but he stopped, put a hand on his hip, and narrowed his eyes in a teasing way. “Also, Kayla told me all about this awful coworker. She has yet to realize that it was me.”
“I’ll make sure she has all the details, Chrissy.”
His eyes flared, but we shared a heated smile before he left. God, my heart swelled around him, and I could only hope that it lasted. I picked up my room and got everything into my bag before heading out toward my car.
Gilly: can I come over?
Fritz: I’m going on a date tonight. Date two, Gil. You and G would freak out.
Gilly: WHO IS SHE
Fritz: don’t worry about it. You won’t meet her until date 10
Gilly: Fritz. How dare you keep this from us?
I cringed at the double standard but held my ground. If he was going on a second date, tonight wouldn’t be the night I told him. I couldn’t remind him of all Samantha’s bullshit and destroy a chance at him being happy. Not when this was the first time in half a year that he showed interest in dating at all. It would be horrible to dampen his mood. Grace would understand.
My car, undamaged from Samantha, reflected in the sun that remained, and I reached into my bag and groaned. My damn car keys were in my classroom. I was too damn distracted by Christopher that I forgot my car keys.
My classroom keys were in my pocket. I never forgot those. But ugh. I made the trek back to the building. The creaking sounds of a large empty building always sent a weird chill down my neck. It wasn’t unsafe but eerie. Especially when most people were gone.
I got to the first-grade hallway and stopped in my tracks. Samantha was tiptoeing out of my room. That bitch. How did she get into my room? My heart lurched in my chest, and I waited until she was out of sight before running as quiet as I could to my room. Did she take something? Destroy my stuff? Put a hidden mic?
I unlocked the door, grabbed my car keys, and searched for anything that was missing. My laptop was there, my lesson plans. The scholarship donation sheet sat on the top of my desk. Nothing out of place that would’ve indicated why she was there.
I spent another ten minutes trying to find a single hair out of place but couldn’t. I hated that she could fluster me like this. She had no business breaking into my room unless it was to mess with me. I gritted my teeth together as anger lit me up. It was time to end this shit with her. No more money. No more blackmail. This monster was going to be cut out of my life—I just had to make sure Fritz and Christopher heard it from me first.