WHEN RYAN VOLUNTEERED him to chaperone the eighth-grade, year-end dance, Marcus knew exactly what his son was up to. Ryan had noticed—and commented on—the wave he’d sent Principal Hawkins that day he’d picked the boys up after school. Ryan had read way too much into a simple gesture.
Now he was determined to put Marcus in close proximity to his pretty school principal.
Which was why Marcus hadn’t mentioned meeting her at the coffee shop the other night. Though he had to admit, Addie was definitely eye-catching, and talking with her had been challenging and interesting.
But mostly, she’d made him laugh. Something he couldn’t remember doing in ages. She’d popped into his thoughts so many times since then.
But he’d found, and lost, the love of his life. He wasn’t going to find anyone else like Carolyn, and he’d worked hard the past couple years to reconcile himself to that.
The problem wasn’t his. It was Ryan’s. The boy was determined that Marcus would not spend his life alone, and put considerable effort into finding someone to replace his mother.
Somehow, that made Marcus sad.
Carolyn might not have been Ryan’s biological mother, but she’d loved him, wanted him and created a life that had been everything they could hope for. It wasn’t anyone’s fault that it hadn’t lasted.
Marcus forced himself to focus on the room around him instead of on the world that had been. If his son was any example, a room full of thirteen-year-olds could get into plenty of trouble.
Even with half a dozen chaperones around.
“So, how did he con you into doing this?” The woman’s voice came from behind him. Since the music wasn’t nearly as loud as at the dances when he was a kid, he could actually hear her. Marcus looked over his shoulder to find Addie standing there, a plastic cup of punch in one hand, the other hand shoving the riot of blond curls behind one ear.
Maybe she was the one controlling the volume of the music. He heard the half-dozen metal bracelets clatter as they fell along the length of her forearm.
“He said it was mandatory.”
She laughed. “We do push for each parent to do their turn, but we don’t use that word.”
“Apparently, my son does.” He stared into his own cup of overly sweet punch.
“We’ll work on that.” She moved beside him. “Look at the positive side. You’ve done your turn once this is over.” She smiled, and her face transformed, softened, sweetened.
He smiled back, unable to resist her infectious optimism. “How do you do this every day?”
“Do what? We only have two dances a year.”
He laughed. “No. Do this.” He pointed at the room. “Survive all this teenage energy. Just being around Ryan wears me out. You deal with it most of your day.”
“I guess I’m used to it. Being the principal gives me less student contact than when I was a teacher.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Sometimes.” She glanced toward the center of the gym floor. A grand total of two couples were dancing. “This is my first year as a principal, so it’s all new. I’m learning.”
New challenges. He understood that. He tried to find his son’s familiar blond head in the crowd. He’d been over by the basketball backboard with Dex, the neighbor kid who’d become Ryan’s new best friend. And while Ryan thought Dex was the next best thing, Marcus wasn’t convinced.
His concern must have shown on his face. “Don’t worry.” She leaned toward him. “We have a dozen parents here tonight. They can’t get into too much trouble.”
“Have you met my son?” Marcus looked at her askance. “He doesn’t need five seconds to find trouble.”
She laughed. “I’d say that’s pretty normal for his age. He’s a very inquisitive kid.”
“That’s for sure. From the minute he could talk he was asking questions.” He saw Ryan and Dex appear out of the crowd, chasing each other and laughing.
The silence between Marcus and Addie wasn’t quiet, but it was comfortable. They stood there through the length of a couple of songs, listening, watching, waiting. For what, he didn’t have a clue.
“Did you ever get around to reading your book?” she asked.
“Book?” Then he remembered the coffee shop. “No, I haven’t had time.” Nor the inclination. He was still waiting for his parents to appear on his doorstep as his sister had predicted.
A man came over shortly after the song ended, his smile too wide. “Hello, Addie.” The man stepped in too close to her. “How are you?”
“Hello, Mr. Wilson. How’s Bethany doing tonight?” Addie leaned around the man to observe the kids, despite the man’s attempts to dominate her attention.
“She’s having a good time. So glad you still have these types of activities for the kids. Keeps them off the streets and out of trouble.”
“We do what we can.”
Marcus watched, noting her forced smile and the way she leaned away from the guy. She didn’t like him, but she did a fairly good job of hiding that fact. The man stepped closer, and if it weren’t for the table directly behind them, she’d have probably stepped away. She was trapped, and the realization flashed in her eyes.
“Hello, I’m Marcus Skylar.” Marcus moved closer as well, sticking his hand out as a barrier between her and the other man. He actually looked surprised to see Marcus there. Addie looked relieved, and Marcus pushed Wilson to interact with him.
“And you are?”
The stranger looked perturbed, but shook Marcus’s hand. “Jack Wilson.” He stepped back, and Addie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Excuse me.” She stepped away, granting Marcus a faint, thankful smile before she headed toward a couple of boys who seemed to be heading toward the door.
“Which kid is yours?” Marcus asked.
“My daughter’s over there.” Jack pointed toward a group of girls huddled along the bleachers, ignoring everyone around them. “The pretty one on the end.”
Marcus wasn’t sure which girl he meant. There were half a dozen of them, and all of them were dolled up. A sense of dread hit him. Thankfully, Ryan was still oblivious to girls. A reprieve...for a while at least.
But someday, and probably soon, Ryan was going to notice.
* * *
ADDIE ROAMED THROUGH the gym. The boys were mostly on one side, the girls on the other. She liked this age. They weren’t yet single-minded. The operative word being yet. She smiled and took another trip around the room.
A girl’s voice came from around the corner of the bleachers. “Boys are just stupid.”
“Oh, you’re just mad because Peter broke up with you right before the dance.”
“Am not.” She was definitely pouting.
“Are, too.” The girl laughed. “Come on, Jill. There are lots of other guys here. Look around.”
“I don’t want to. Guys suck,” she repeated.
“Did you see him?” The second girl’s excited, breathy voice perked up Addie’s ears.
“Who?” the first girl asked.
“The dark-haired guy,” she whispered.
There was a bit of shuffling. “The old guy?”
“He’s not old. He’s gorgeous.”
“You’re crazy, Malory.”
That narrowed it down to just a few girls in the school. Addie leaned against the bleachers, following what was obviously the girls’ gazes. Marcus stood there, chatting with Jack Wilson.
She didn’t like Jack much, though, as the principal, she wasn’t supposed to like or dislike parents. Specific parents anyway. But Jack was one of those guys who just—how did she describe it? He was oily. Like a salesman who didn’t know when to take no for an answer. In her case, he was always selling himself.
He was divorced, and if the tales his daughter shared were true, not amicably. The idea of actually taking him up on any of his offers made Addie’s skin crawl.
Marcus Skylar, on the other hand... She thought about that night at the coffee shop. She’d found herself thinking about their chat, about the book he wasn’t reading and the enjoyable walk home several times since.
Just then, Jack said something that made Marcus smile. He had a nice smile, though he didn’t often use it. She’d managed to coax a few smiles from him so far. She recalled the girls’ comments and was pretty sure her voice would sound as breathy as the girls had if she were to say anything.
“I heard he’s the dad of the new kid.” The girls were speculating again.
“What new kid?”
“The computer whiz. Didn’t you see him in class last week?”
“I’m not sure.”
“He’s blond. Talked about the computer camp he went to last summer. He was bragging about how he met some famous hacker who could break into anything.”
“Oh, him. He’s kinda cute.”
“For a nerd.”
“Hey, that’s not very nice.”
“I’m going to go talk to him,” the girl said, and Addie almost reached out to stop her. Then realized that would let them know she’d been eavesdropping. She was the adult in charge, so, while eavesdropping was expected, it wasn’t how Addie liked to deal with the kids. Even though it sometimes was the only way she knew what was going on.
“The nerd?” The girls continued their conversation.
“No, his dad, silly.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Mike said he’s a widower. He looks lonely, right?” There were a chorus of giggles, and Addie decided to come out of hiding.
“Okay, ladies. Let’s get out and join the party.”
Several of the girls shared uncertain glances as they hustled away from Addie. She smiled, only slightly enjoying the power she had over a bunch of teenage girls who thought they ruled the world.
“Well, well, well.” Lindy stepped out of her own set of shadows. “Wasn’t that fun to watch?” She laughed, and Addie realized she was looking farther down than normal. She was wearing heels and Lindy had hers in her hand.
“What was fun?” Addie kept her same pace, moving around the room, watching and checking on everyone.
“Why, seeing this side of you.”
“What side of me?”
“The woman who’s interested in someone, who doesn’t want anyone—especially the person who she’s interested in—to know she’s interested.”
“Thank God you don’t teach English.”
“Yeah, not my best subject.” Lindy fell into step with her. “But you got my point.”
Addie huffed. “Yeah, I got your point.” There wasn’t much reason to hide anything from Lindy. They knew each other too well.
Lindy also knew why Addie would never act on her attraction.
“You know I’m right.” Lindy was always right—or so she believed.
“Maybe.” Addie wasn’t giving her the credit that easily.
“Okay, must I sacrifice myself for our friendship?” Lindy sighed and stopped to slip her feet into her shoes. She put a hand on Addie’s shoulder for balance. “You, my friend, need a nudge. You’ll thank me. And I expect wine with that thank-you, thank you very much.”
Addie cringed, glad that gym class seldom required papers that Lindy had to grade. “Where are you going?”
“Watch and learn, sister. Watch and learn. Follow my lead.”
With a swagger that did all womankind proud, Lindy headed straight toward Jack Wilson. The man was talking loudly, with his hands flying in the air, explaining something to Marcus. The instant he caught sight of Lindy heading toward them, he froze. Hands in midair. For an instant, he actually looked shocked, maybe even frightened.
Then Lindy must have smiled—Addie couldn’t see Lindy’s face from here. But the man—both men—smiled. Marcus’s looked a bit more like relief than joy, but Addie wasn’t sure. She didn’t know him that well yet. Whoa. Wait. Reverse that thought. Delete yet from that statement.
Addie couldn’t hear what Lindy was saying, but the way she looked at Jack, and the way she curled her hand around his arm, said plenty.
They started to stroll away, Lindy guiding him through the crowd of kids. She turned and winked at Addie as they left, as if to say, “Go for it.”
Marcus stayed where he was, watching Addie. Their gazes met, and something flipped in her stomach. She continued slowly the rest of the way around the gym until she was once again at the punch table.
“Your friend seems to have distracted your, uh, admirer,” Marcus said, leaning close. The music had gotten a bit louder. She’d given specific instructions on how loud the music could be, as much to protect everyone’s hearing as the ancient walls that had been built well before the advent of rock and roll. She didn’t have the budget for repairs.
The guys in the sound booth were definitely pushing it right now.
“Yeah, she’s a good friend.”
He laughed, and she wished the music wasn’t so loud. She wanted to hear him.
“Hope she doesn’t have to be very often.”
Addie shook her head. It wasn’t as if they had too many of these functions throughout the year. Thank God her path crossed with Jack’s only a couple of times a year. His ex took care of most of their daughter’s school interactions. Addie and Marcus stood there for several long minutes, not saying anything, watching the strobe lights match the beat of the music. Again, the silence between them seemed comfortable and neither seemed inclined to break it.
Soon, the evening started winding down and Marcus turned to find his son to leave. “Bye, Addie.” He stepped closer, and while his breath brushed her ear, his body heat brushed the rest of her. “See you around. Maybe at the coffee shop sometime.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
His grin was quick, and he moved away before she could confirm or deny anything.
Oh, for heaven’s sake, what was she thinking? They weren’t teenagers anymore. She was over thirty—not seventeen—and she was supposed to be supervising wayward kids. Not becoming one.
What was wrong with her? Hadn’t she learned her lesson? The last time she’d let herself fall for someone, she’d ended up heartbroken and alone. She’d sworn to never let that happen again.
* * *
ADDIE DIDN’T GO to the coffee shop the next night. Nor the one after that. She didn’t go for a week. She kept telling herself that she was too busy, that she had misunderstood his intentions. She’d been doing a pretty good job of fooling herself until Mandy called.
Her younger sister was in town for a training class. She helped on some of her fiancé’s fire crews, and was intent on learning all she could. Mandy called after the day’s training was done. “Meet me for coffee before I head home. I’ll need some caffeine for the road. Is that little coffee shop still there by the mall? I love their tea cakes.”
“Yeah,” Addie agreed. Mandy didn’t often get time for herself. Having a one-year-old did that. “I can be there by five.” She couldn’t deny her sister much of anything, and she craved some sister time herself.
“Perfect. I’m on my way.”
Addie was anxious to talk to Mandy, who’d recently acquired that beautiful engagement ring. It had been too noisy, and too hectic, at the diner’s reopening to get the details of Lane’s long-awaited proposal.
For her sister’s sake, she’d chance going to the coffee shop. Really, that was the only reason she was going. Yet, still she walked down the hall to the teachers’ lounge and ducked into the ladies’ room to fix her hair and makeup.
She stared at her reflection. “You’re being stupid,” she told the woman in the mirror. She gave her hair one last fluff and left the scent of hairspray behind.
When Addie arrived, Mandy was already there, parked at a corner table by the big glass window. A large cup sat in front of her, and a plate of teacakes was in the center of the table.
“No fair,” Addie said, mimicking their childhood taunts. “I planned to treat you as congratulations.”
Mandy grinned at her. “I’ll let you treat yourself, then. Wasn’t sure what you wanted.”
Addie went to the counter with a smile. She wasn’t like her siblings, who all drank coffee—some by the gallon. Mandy was a creature of habit, and ordered the same drink no matter where they went. Addie much preferred tea, and with so many to choose from, it was always fun to go to the counter. If they were advertising a deal, she’d try that.
Today, however, she hesitated. The drink on the sign was blue. Bright neon blue. She liked being around her students, but she wasn’t quite ready to completely join their world. Blue was not something she could drink.
“Chai tea.” She was celebrating, after all, and ready for a long gab session with her sister.
Mandy laughed when Addie finally reached the table with her steaming cup. “I thought you’d order the blue thing.”
“Yeah, right. You know better.”
“Yeah. That’s more Tara’s speed.” Their youngest sister was even more adventurous than Addie. In everything. “It would be fun if she was here. We need a girls’ night.”
“You need a girls’ night. I need a nap.” Addie sat, enjoying the chance to just sit. “This job is a lot of work.”
“You still like it?”
“Mostly.” Addie looked out the window in the direction of the school. She couldn’t see the building, but she saw it in her mind’s eye. It had been a long day. The Haldons, now that they’d decided to come back from their various travels, had been in today. Amazing how upset they’d been regarding yet another slugfest that their son had gotten into. She’d expected Nick to be suspended before the end of the year.
She’d been right.
“Oh, my.” Mandy’s eyes widened at the just-opening door. “That’s an intense stare.”
Addie followed her gaze. Marcus had just walked in, and was looking right at her. His backpack was slung over his broad shoulder, and the way he stopped told her he was surprised to see her.
Her stomach did an irritating summersault, and she tore her gaze back to the contents of her cup. She swallowed and focused on her drink.
Mandy looked at her with a quizzical frown. She leaned back in her seat. “So, what’s up with you...and him?”
“Me? Nothing.” Addie hadn’t come here to discuss herself. “I want to know about the proposal.”
“Ooh, there’s something there.” At Addie’s frown, Mandy didn’t push anymore, focusing instead on choosing just the right cake from the plate sitting between them. “These are yummy.” She bit into one, unable to quiet her sigh of pleasure. “Though not as good as your cookies. You sure you don’t have anything to share?”
“I’m sure,” Addie said, focusing on selecting her own sweet cake. And there wasn’t anything to share. They’d had drinks and he was the parent of a student. End of story.
Mandy quietly drank, and Addie pretended to ignore the looks her sister was giving her. She was not explaining. Heck, she didn’t even understand what she was thinking and feeling anymore.
Marcus didn’t come over. Instead, he headed to the counter to order. She tried not to watch him. He looked tired, and she wondered if he’d brought the book.
He looked so... Her thoughts slid away as he reached into the backpack and pulled out a worn leather wallet to pay the barista. He looked all business. But she saw the tiny details that belied his facade.
The way his hair curled a bit too long beyond the collar of his white shirt. The five o’clock shadow that framed his wide jaw. The loose tie, the knot lopsided.
She wondered what his students thought of him. What kind of teacher was he? So many of the professors were much more casual these days. She’d like to see him teach. She was curious about his style—that was all, she told herself.
“Yoo-hoo!” Mandy pulled Addie’s mind to their conversation.
“Want to hear about Lane’s proposal? Or tell me about where your mind just went?” Mandy’s eyes sparkled with younger-sister mischief.
Addie laughed. “The proposal.” She forced herself to not look at Marcus. “Tell me everything.” She loved Mandy’s ability to tell a story. She picked up her mug and sat back, waiting to be entertained. This was going to be good.
* * *
SHE WAS HERE. But she wasn’t alone. The other woman was doing most of the talking, while Addie smiled and laughed.
He didn’t even have to work hard to look for her, like he had nearly every night in the past week. She lit up the room with her riot of blond curls that caught the fading sunlight. Her laughter reached out and tugged him toward her.
He should go home. He glanced at his watch. Ryan was at baseball practice for another hour. Or he could grab a cup and take it to the ballpark and watch.
Instead, he decided to stay. And what, wait? He found a table and opened his backpack. This place was small with few patrons tonight. He could hear their entire conversation without even trying.
“Lane was out in the field with his crew when he ran into that guy he worked for on the fire here. Guess he gave Lane a hard time about letting me go.” The smugness in the other woman’s voice was unmistakable.
“But he didn’t let you go,” Addie said.
“He pointed out that Lane wasn’t wearing a ring, so I must be a free woman.” The woman’s laughter filled the small room. “Lane went and got a ring that night. Once the fire was out, he came home and got down on a knee before he’d even showered all the smoke off.”
Marcus knew he should leave. Eavesdropping was rude. But he had to wait for his drink. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and paced to the counter, hoping they’d hurry.
“Something must have scared him.” Addie’s voice was soft.
The two women were silent for a moment. “It was a rough fire. One of the guys was hurt.” The other woman took her time taking a drink, but quickly recovered. “Actually, now that he’s over the asking, he’s all gung-ho to get the whole thing going. He wants to get married soon.”
“How soon?” Addie’s voice was hesitant.
“As soon as I can buy a dress, he said. But I told him we were only going to do this once, and we are going to do it right. I’ll let him know when I’m ready.”
“Don’t make the poor guy suffer too long,” Addie admonished.
“Oh, I won’t. I just need to figure out how to do it all.” There was a note of panic in the woman’s voice.
“We’ll help.”
“I hoped you would.” The relief was strong in the other woman’s voice.
They laughed again, the sound filling the air around him. Both Addie and the other woman stood then.
“It’s so good to see you, sis.” The redhead gave Addie a hug.
Ah, her sister.
“You, too.”
The already quiet coffee shop fell silent. He would not turn around. He shouldn’t look over his shoulder. Damn. Her perfume reached out to him.
Then he realized they had to walk past him to get to the door.
“Hello, Marcus.” Her voice was soft, and yet rough at the same time. Tinged with surprise? Pleasure? He couldn’t ignore her. That would be rude—and impossible.
He turned. She took his breath away. The evening sunlight fell in the window and over her hair. Her eyes were bright and crystal blue. She took a step back as if she was as surprised as he was that she’d said anything.
“Hello, Addie.” He tried to keep it informal and yet—what?—professional? Whom was he kidding? For a long minute, they stared at each other, neither of them speaking. Did they need to?
“Ahem.”
Addie visibly shook herself. And stepped back. “I—uh.” She swallowed, and he missed the intensity of her gaze on him. She glanced at the woman, her cheeks turning a warm shade of pink. “Marcus, this is my sister, Mandy. Mandy, this is Marcus Skylar. His son goes to my school.”
The woman grinned at him, then turned to her sister, and that grin widened. “Nice to meet you.”
She nudged Addie and the look Addie threw her made Marcus actually laugh out loud. His sister, Anne, had a similar dagger-throwing glare. One that inspired the phrase “if looks could kill.”
“I’ll be taking off now, Ad.” Mandy shouldered her purse and turned toward the door. “You guys have a nice time. Both of you.”
Then she was gone and he stood there next to Addie.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?