Page 44

Miri

M iri smoothed a hand over her skirt. It was neat and tidy and the most boring shade of gray she owned.

Ashley had picked it out. Miri had argued for a spot of color, but the marketing exec was adamant that the pencil skirt and soft green button-up would portray the best image for her interview. Whatever the hell that meant.

Between all her girlfriends, Miri had never been so confident walking into a job interview.

Marta had rewritten her resume to be HR-proof.

Ashley had fussed over her outfit and makeup.

And Nicole had... well, Nicole had been too busy puking into the kitchen sink to be any help, but she’d been there for moral support.

Sitting outside the administration office in the small elementary school, Miri had tried to brainstorm answers for any questions the principal might ask her.

She had no idea what her biggest strength was, but chocolate was by far her biggest weakness.

Not that that was what a prospective employer would be looking for.

“Ms. Brown?”

Miri’s head whipped up. A tall woman stood at the door of the office. If the dark circles under her eyes and silver streaks in her black hair didn’t tell Miri how exhausted and overworked the poor woman was, the jaw-cracking yawn she hid behind her hand would have done the job.

“I’m ready for you now. This shouldn’t be a long interview.”

Her stomach did a flip. Was that a bad thing or a good thing?

She followed the principal into her office and sat down in the empty chair in front of the overflowing desk. Piles of paperwork covered every inch. The inbox alone had a stagger ream of paper waiting for Ms. Fields’ attention.

No wonder she looked exhausted.

She flopped down into her chair and cleared a small space on her desk. Holding out her hand for Miri’s resume, she sipped at a cold cup of coffee.

“I’d offer you cup, but honestly, it’s pretty awful.” She looked pointedly at the stained mug.

“Oh, that’s okay, Ms. Fields. I’ve already had plenty of caffeine today.”

Besides, anymore coffee and Miri’s twisting nerves would vibrate right out of her chest.

“Call me Marilyn,” she yawned. Her sharp eyes skimmed the resume in front of her. “Everything looks good here. The right certifications, plenty of experience, good references — I recognize a couple of the names. Oof, Stoneworth.”

“Oof?” Miri asked delicately. If that stuffy school was a point against her, she was going to tear out her hair.

The principal snorted. “I’ve met the headmaster and I have no problem being just unprofessional enough to say that he’s a piece of work.”

“That’s putting it nicely,” Miri laughed.

“I assume you had plenty of experience dealing with overbearing parents there?”

Did she ever. Miri could write a horror novel about the things those entitled jerks had said to her over the years.

“I taught kindergarten there for nearly a decade. Experience with difficult children and obnoxious parents is pretty much second nature now.”

Marilyn skimmed the rest of the resume and sat back in her chair.

She eyed Miri in silence for a moment. The urge to squirm in her seat started to creep up her legs.

What did the stern-faced principal see when she looked at her?

Frizzy curls? Chipped fingernail polish?

A woman who had stress eaten her own weight in cookies this morning?

“You resume looks great. The only thing I’m really curious about is why you left Stoneworth Academy.

” Marilyn tapped her pen on Miri’s resume.

“May I ask why you left so abruptly or am I going to have to ask some really awkward questions when I call your references? I’d really like to avoid having to call Headmaster Dolan to ask. ”

Oof, she’d been waiting for that one. If Ms. Fields hadn’t asked by the end of the interview, Miri had been determined to bring it up herself… even if it was awkward as fuck.

“I’m currently dating four demons,” Miri said bluntly.

The principal blinked her tired eyes. Miri couldn’t tell if she was processing the information or if she had fallen asleep with her eyes open.

“I’m sorry?”

“I have four demonic boyfriends. Horns, claws, the whole package.” She paused to really let the information sink in.

Miri didn’t want there to be any confusion or claims that she had withheld anything in the interview process.

“The board of directors at Stoneworth Academy had a problem with my romantic situation becoming public and I chose to leave rather than allow them to write me up and tarnish my professional reputation. Will that be a problem here?”

Because if it was, that would be the end of the interview.

Miri hadn’t finally managed to straighten everything out with her demons just for another stuffy school administrator to throw a wrench in the works.

If it came down to it, she was ready to throw in the towel and be a kept woman.

Between the four monsters in her house with steady incomes, they would have no problem buying groceries and keeping the lights on.

Frankly, after all this drama, Miri might actually welcome the opportunity to mosey around her kitchen for a couple months.

She could live in skin-tight yoga pants and not have to worry about running into any of her students or their parents at the grocery store.

Hell, she could spend her days finally catching up on all the bad reality television she had missed over the years—Ace might actually enjoy having someone to gossip about Real Housewives with.

“This is a public school,” Marilyn said slowly, dragging Miri out of her silent spiral.

“Yes, I am aware.” She might have been nervous for her interview, but she hadn’t missed the giant sign over the front door.

“Are you? Because this is not Stoneworth Academy. We are under-funded, over-crowded, and drastically under-staffed. There are three months left in the semester and somehow I have two teachers on early maternity leave, one teacher mid-mental breakdown, and another two on suspension for facilitating a kickball gambling ring among the sixth graders.” Marilyn calmly paperclipped a stack of papers together and slipped it into a folder.

“To be blunt, Ms. Brown, we’re so desperate for help, you could host a demon orgy in the teachers’ lounge and as long as your lesson plans are halfway legible, I won’t bat an eye.

Hell, send me an invitation. I could use a thrill. ”

The folder slid across the desk to stop in front of Miri.

“Sign the contract and I’ll call in a favor to have it pushed through by next week.”

Miri stared at the bland beige folder. “Just like that?”

She’d had gynecologist appointments that had lasted longer than her interview.

“You can start on Monday.” The principal passed her a pen and rubbed a hand over her face. “How do you feel about first graders trying to murder each other with crayons?”

Twenty minutes and a dozen forms later, and Miri was once again gainfully employed. Ms. Fields walked her to the school entrance. Three kids careened through the hall with a soccer ball, narrowly missing the two women.

“Take it outside!” Marilyn called over her shoulder.

They stepped outside into the sunshine. Two familiar faces turned to look at Miri as she descended the steps.

Lounging against the railing, Nico and Duke waited patiently.

She had wanted a demon escort to really make her point and the two demons were the most monster-y of the bunch.

Between Nico’s vibrant red skin and dark, swirling tattoos, and Duke’s hulking mass and broad wingspan, they looked like they didn’t belong anywhere near small children or anyone with a heart condition.

Her monsters were part of the deal in all of their demonic glory. Besides, she’d already signed the contract.

Miri smiled and gave them a little wave.

She turned to offer her hand to the principal.

Ms. Fields eyed the two massive demons. The stony woman didn’t so much as blink, just a quick up and down with her sharp eyes before she turned away.

She shook Miri’s hand and offered her demons a quick wave.

Her attention was gone as quickly as it had come—now that Nico and Duke didn’t appear to be a threat, she was already setting off across the playground to break up two kids throwing rocks at each other.

Wow. She really was unflappable.

Miri grinned. She had a feeling she was going to like working with her… or at the very least, enjoy watching the immovable Ms. Fields stare down a fourth grader with a rock and a slingshot.

“Is that kid carving a crayon shiv?” Nico nodded at a child sitting on the pavement in the pickup line.

Miri squinted at the small girl. “No, I think she’s just drawing on rocks.”

“Hmm, maybe.” The demon eyed her warily. “Watch your back with that one. You don’t want to get shanked on the playground.”

Shanked? Really? She made a mental note not to let Ace choose anymore reality dating shows with prison inmates. Clearly, it was rubbing off on Nico.

“Its public school, not a prison yard.”

The sharp laugh barked out of him. He shook his head, dark horns gleaming in the bright afternoon sun.

“I went to public school, rich girl. It’s survival of the fittest.” He looked over at Duke. “Back me up, man.”

The big demon shrugged, his wings dipping toward the ground. “I was homeschooled.”

“Honestly, that makes so much sense.”

“Nico.” Miri shook her head. “Stop it or I’m putting you in time out.”

He wiggled his eyebrows and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Promise?”

Sandwiched between the two men, they headed for the parking lot. A knot school boys stopped passing around a ball to stare at the passing demons with wide eyes. The group of even younger girls started to whisper on the other side of the walkway.

Miri wasn’t sure if it was Duke and his towering wings that had their mouths gaping open or Nico’s tough-looking tattoos. Either way, the kids were definitely in awe.

The tiniest girl of the bunch broke away from her whispering friend and hurried up to them before they could cross the street. She stopped in front of Miri. Gaping at the two demons up close, words seemed to fail her.

“Do you need something, sweetie?” Miri asked gently.

Shooting both monsters a serious look, she crooked her finger toward Miri. She bent down so the tiny thing could whisper in her ear.

"Is one of them your boyfriend?"

Miri couldn’t help but smile at the shaky voice. She straightened up and winked.

“They both are."

"Why?"

God, she loved kids.

"I love them both... and my other two boyfriends too."

The little girl contemplated her words, her brow wrinkling into a sweet frown. She shook her head, her pigtails whipping back and forth.

"Boys are smelly. That's way too many."

Miri envision the pile of laundry waiting by the washer. No matter how many loads she ran, they never seemed to get ahead. It was an endless mountain of boxers, gym socks, and stained t-shirts.

"You're not wrong, kiddo.”