Page 19

While the kids are at their first of three recesses for the day, I sneak over to the office to sweet talk Charlotte into calling Cash’s mom.

Don’t think she’ll do it? Just watch. I can usually get anything I want from a woman. Anything.

The moment I open the door, Charlotte is watching me through her thick-as-fuck glasses. “Good morning, Mr. Lucas!”

Jesus, she’s cheery, isn’t she?

I barely listen to the chirpy voice but meet her gaze. “I need your help.” I barely notice a woman standing next to me, a mother I assume as she’s standing on the other side of the counter with a child at her feet and a backpack on his back.

“What do you need, Mr. Lucas?”

I shake my head and place my hand on the counter in front of her, leaning into it. “Stop calling me Mr. Lucas. It’s weird.” I motion to her computer I don’t think she knows how to use. “Can you look up the number for Cash Jacob’s mother?”

Charlotte blinks, about the speed of a sloth and reaches for her mouse to move it around. “Oh, Mrs. Aly. . . I think I have her number in here if I can figure out how to find it.” Then she laughs, lightly. “Oh, honey, this may take me a moment. I’m not good with these computers.”

Damn it. I only have fifteen minutes.

My impatience gets the better of me, and I flatten my palm on the counter. “How about this? I have to get back to class. How about you call her and have her come by the school for a parent-teacher meeting?”

Confusion flashes in her eyes. She glances from the computer screen to me. “Today?”

I nod and take a step back from the counter. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the woman with the son a few feet away watching me carefully. Gale, the other office lady waves her hand in front of her face. “Mrs. Holt, your son can go to class now.”

Mrs. Holt is looking at me like Mr. Holt probably isn’t satisfying her in bed these days.

I swallow down a chuckle and draw my attention to Charlotte. Look at the way she’s watching me now. Confused as fuck. “Why not wait until parent-teacher conferences next month? We usually don’t call parents during the day unless it’s an emergency.”

With my hands still on the counter, I lean in. Charlotte watches me carefully. “Because it’s important. I need to see her today about Cash’s behavior in class.”

“Did Cash get in trouble?”

I sigh. I don’t have time for this. I should have just hacked into her computer and done this myself. “You could say that.” I drag my tongue across my lower lip, smiling. “Have her come to my classroom around eleven thirty to meet with me if she can.”

Charlotte stutters out a few words I can’t quite hear, then shakes her head picking up the phone. “All right, dear. I’ll get in touch with her, but if I can’t, I’ll just call Austin.”

Just hearinghisname aloud makes me want to punch the counter.

There are several reasons why I hate Austin Jacob. The first and most obvious, he got the girl. The second, his father had been cheating on his wife with my mother.

I uncuff the links on my dress shirt and roll my sleeves up. Crap, I hadn’t thought about that. The last thing I want is to see Austin. “Don’t call him.” I flash her a detached smile. “I need to speak to the boy’s mother. If she can’t come, let me know, and I’ll work something else out.”

Charlotte lets out a heavy breath, the screen of her computer reflecting off her glasses as she scrolls through the parent directory. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Turning to leave, I spot that same mother outside the office, and she stops me. “Are you really a teacher here?”

“Yes,” I answer flatly, brushing past her without another word. The very last thing I need to do in this town is make friends with any of these moms. Unless of course we’re talking about Aly, but that’s different. Aly and I have history, and I’m not about to let that go.