Page 25 of Hot Four Teacher (The Lawson’s #4)
Chapter twenty-four
Lots of Murder
Michelle
“ D id you have fun with Grandma?” I ask Eve who is scouring through the fridge for a snack.
“Yeah, it was a good time. We went shopping and even went to go see a movie. It pays being the first grandkid. I swear Grandma and Grandpa love me most.”
I just laugh and roll my eyes. My parents have five kids and now four grandkids–one of whom isn’t related by blood.
They are very good at not playing favorites.
Hell, they were offering to babysit Colton, Ronnie’s boyfriend’s son, before they had even gotten serious.
I’m sure they love all their kids and grandkids equally.
All of that being said, my parents may have a little soft spot for Eve. Eve arrived on the scene while they were still raising three of their own kids. While they weren’t happy that I was pregnant so young, Eve and her sparkling personality made everything seem okay.
She pulls me from my thoughts. “Grandma was acting a little weird, though.”
“How so?”
“Well, I told her I only packed enough clothes for one night, so I needed to come home and get more. When I told her that, she freaked out and said we could just go shopping instead for new clothes. It was like she was purposely trying to keep me away from the house.”
I immediately tense up. “Hm. Weird. Maybe she just wanted an excuse to go shopping.”
She shrugs while getting out a jar of peanut butter and a sleeve of Ritz crackers. “Maybe. It was still weird.”
Trying to throw her off the scent, I change the subject. “Didn’t Grandma feed you?”
“Yeah. All weekend. Doesn’t mean I’m not still hungry.”
I swear teenagers are bottomless pits. It’s a wonder I can afford to feed her.
I watch my daughter get a butter knife out of the drawer, dip it into the peanut butter, and then, dip it into the crackers. She shoves the whole makeshift sandwich into her mouth.
When she sees the look on my face, she says, “If I do it this way, it’s way less messy.”
“Oh, I see that. It’s brilliant. I’m just wondering how you can come up with something like that yet not figure out how to pick up your clothes off the bathroom floor.”
“Picking up my clothes off the bathroom floor doesn’t give me delicious peanut butter treats.”
“You sound like a dog.”
“But a cute dog, right?”
I laugh. “The cutest.”
She walks into the living room and stares at the untouched pile of yarn. ”I’m glad to see that you’ve given up on the knitting.”
“Yeah. It just wasn’t for me. Who would’ve guessed?”
“Me, Mom. I literally told you a hundred times.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m stubborn. That’s where you get it from.”
She gets comfortable in the chair, tucking her feet up under her butt. “So, what have you been doing all weekend since you stopped knitting?”
Oh, shit. I haven’t thought of any type of story to tell her.
“Uh, I watched a ton of true crime.”
“Anything good?”
“Just, uh…murder. Lots of murder.”
Dane was right. I am an awful liar.
She gives me an odd look and says, “Maybe chill out on the true crime a little. I think it’s frying your brain. What else did you do?”
“I hung out with Aunt Liz for a while.”
There you go. That’s a good one.
“Hm. I saw her a couple hours ago, and she said she hadn’t seen you lately.”
Damn.
“Did I say Liz? I meant Leah.”
“Oh, okay.”
Phew.
“What did you guys do?” She asks.
“We played Bingo.”
What?
“Bingo?”
“Just kidding. You know, we hung out. Sat around, shooting the shit.”
“Mom, are you okay? Have you been drinking or something?”
“Uh, no. I took a late nap, and I’m just a little out of sorts.”
“Okay.” That seems to appease her because she continues eating her peanut butter crackers in silence.
“Have you enjoyed your weekend with no soccer?” I ask, trying to divert her attention again.
“I’m not going to lie–it’s been nice, but I think I’m ready to get back to it tomorrow. The new coach has me pretty excited.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s so good about him? Is he another parent?”
She mentioned to me that they had a new coach, but she’s been so exhausted that she hasn't given me many details.
“No, he’s the new history teacher, Mr. Miller. He listens to us and takes our opinions into account.”
“Wow. That’s a change of pace.”
“I know. I’m excited to see how our next game goes. Hopefully, we can stop sucking so bad.”
“Oh, you guys don’t suck,” I begin, but she quickly cuts me off.
“Mom, save it. We’ve been awful, but I think we all like Mr. Miller and will be better under him. We’re already playing more like a real team. Also, I’m pretty sure a few of the girls on the team think he’s hot.”
“Oh, yeah? Do you think he’s a hottie?”
She waves her peanut butter knife in the air as she talks. “Number one, don’t say hottie. It’s just weird coming out of your mouth. And number two, no, I don’t think so. He’s not really my type.”
I’ve seen her type. I think maybe she should find a new one.
“When is your next game?” I ask.
“Thursday. Then, we have a tournament on Saturday. Next week is Fall Break, so no practice or games.”
You’d think I would know her schedule, and a better, more together mother probably would. But half the time, I can barely keep track of myself. It’s a wonder I’ve kept her alive for so long.
“I did remember Fall Break,” I tell her. “Getting ready for our usual week off together?”
She suddenly gets quiet and puts the knife and peanut butter down.
And I brace for impact.
“Uh, I actually thought about going and staying with Dad for a few days.”
Didn’t see that one coming.
“Oh?”
“I know you normally take the whole week off so that we can hang out, but Dad’s been blowing up my phone. I finally called him back, and he asked me if I wanted to come over. I guess he had a pool put in, and he thought it would be nice for us to hang out a little.”
While I’m not keen on the idea of sharing our Fall Break, I’m glad she’s at least talking to her dad. I hate it when they fight. Honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t called me in an attempt to clean up his mess and stick me right in the middle of their squabble.
As much as I think Danny can be a piece of shit, he’s still Eve’s dad.
And I think a part of me will always feel responsible for making Danny her father.
Because of that, I also feel responsible for doing my best to keep the peace.
That means supporting my daughter in the decisions she makes regarding her dad.
Pushing down all my feelings about Danny, I say, “I think that’s a good idea. It’ll be good for you to spend some quality time together.”
“Are you sure?” It's cute how worried she looks.
“I’m positive. And quit with the face. You’re much too young to have frown lines.”
“I just worry about you. What are you going to do when I move out and go to college?”
“Uh, throw a party?” I joke.
“Mom.”
“Celebrate how much money I will have?”
She rolls her eyes. “Are you done?”
“For now.”
“I just don’t want you to be lonely…even though you’re being mean to me. I’d feel better if you had a boyfriend or something to keep you occupied.”
I could use this moment to tell her about Dane, but I’m nowhere near ready to do that. I won’t have her getting excited over something that may later disappoint her.
“I’ll be fine, kid. Don’t you worry about me.”
She eats one final peanut butter cracker before taking everything back to the kitchen.
“I’m going to go call Kayla before it gets too late. Love you,” she tells me before heading into her bedroom.
“Love you too, kid.”
I’m happy she’s not too old to tell me that every once in a while.
When she’s gone, I grab my phone off the end table and see a text from Dane.
Would it be super lame of me to tell you I miss you already?
I find myself cheesing like an idiot.
If it does, then, I’m lame too.
When we woke up this morning, we didn’t end up having sex again. But sleeping in and waking up in his arms was great. He even made me breakfast before bringing me home. Honestly, I wasn’t ready to leave, but I knew it was time to get back to reality.
I have no idea when we’re going to see each other again, but there’s one thing I know for sure.
I can’t wait.