Page 33 of Keeping it Real

Sheridan bit back a groan.

“How about a Friday night game?We can grab dinner after,” Alek said.

“It’s a date,” Miss Lane replied with a rapturous smile.

Alek answered her grin with one of his own.“I’ll be in touch next week to set it up.”

The sound of kids calling to one another filled the hallway.Alek slowly dropped the teacher’s hand.He turned and gestured for Sheridan to precede him out the door.She started to, but her inner demon took over.

“By the way,” she said.“February is spelled wrong.You might want to fix it.We are molding young minds here after all.”

With that ugly salvo launched into the air, she marched down the hall, heading in the direction of the drop-off lane where she was meeting Claire.

“What the hell was that all about?”Alek growled quietly beside her.“I have a hard time seeing Finn as a discipline problem.And what’s all that BS aboutmolding young minds?”

She tried not to cringe, but it sounded as awful coming out of Alek’s mouth as it had coming out of hers.Still, in for a penny ...

“Someone needed to point out her mistake.We don’t want her students picking up any bad spelling habits.”

They’d reached the front of the building where the younger kids were lined up neatly, waiting to enter.She didn’t dare look for Finn.Hopefully, he’d never know what a fool she’d made of herself back there.

She spotted Claire’s big Suburban and trudged toward it.If only Alek didn’t have longer legs and quicker reflexes, she might have made a clean getaway.He wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled her to a stop outside Claire’s SUV.

“Did you have to be so bitchy back there?”he demanded.

That depends.Did you have to be so damn attractive?

“I was looking out for Finn,” she snapped.“Isn’t that my role?Mama Bear to your Good Cop Best Friend?”

The hardness around his mouth eased.He sighed heavily.“Sher?—”

“Don’t.”She yanked her arm free from his warm grasp.“I know my part in all of this.Jamie made it perfectly clear how he wanted Finn’s life to play out.”Her throat grew painful saying the words.

Alek opened his mouth to speak again, but she waved him off.

“Miss Lane barely registered I was in the room.You needn’t worry.I doubt anything I said ruined your chances with her.”

The car window lowering pressed them both into silence.

“Everything okay out here, kids?”Claire asked.

Sheridan tore her eyes away first.“Mission accomplished,” she announced.“Finn is safely ensconced in his classroom, and Alek has a date with Miss Lane.”

“You don’t say?”Claire sounded a bit mystified.

“Mm-hmm.”Sheridan pulled open the passenger door.“She’s perfect for him.Young, attentive, and eager.She’ll look adorable in his jersey.Purple brings out the red in her hair.I’ll bet she’ll even let Sloane give her a makeover.It will be so sweet.They will be social media’s favorite couple in no time.”

“That sounds promising.”Claire shot Alek an expectant look as Sheridan climbed into the SUV and pulled the door closed behind her.

For his part, Alek kept his expression stoic, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Have a great practice,” Sheridan told him.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but he pressed his lips together instead before taking a big step back and waving them on.

Sheridan focused her attention out the passenger window so Claire wouldn’t see her fighting back tears.

The talkingheads on the sports news show were blabbering on about the Milwaukee Growlers and their record-setting quarterback.Alek tuned them out from where he sat in the canteen eating a lunch prepared by the Mayhem’s chef.The team had finished morning skate and the postmortem on last night’s game.Most of the guys grabbed lunch to go, hurrying home, where they jumped online to play video games with one another.