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The mom who had been ogling Valentine took a shocked breath. “That’s so aggressive.”
It was. Scarily so.
I tightened my hand around Tobi’s, my group of three safely on my left-hand side.
The headteacher said something again, and the van jerked forward, like the driver was trying to force her to let him pass.
Collective shock rippled across all us adults.
If he accelerated, she’d have to jump out of the way, and he’d no doubt speed past us all. Fear trickled into my blood.
Then my gaze latched on to Valentine. He indicated to another parent to watch his group, then strode forward. He barked something to the driver, who laid on the horn again. I strained to hear what was being said, but they were too far in front.
Abruptly, the van lurched another foot forward. Someone shrieked. The headteacher stumbled back. But Valentine didn’t budge an inch.
Instead, the huge man slammed both hands down on the front of the bonnet.
“Engine off,” he snapped.
The driver yelled something back.
“Engine off or I’m in that cab doing it for ye,” Valentine snarled louder. “Trust me, brother. Ye don’t want to know what will happen after that. I’ll have ye on the ground faster than ye can blink.”
The fear in me instantly turned into a kick of heat.
“Good God, that’s attractive,” the ogling mom whispered to her friend.
This time, I couldn’t judge her. It wasincrediblyattractive.
The driver stared Valentine down for a second, then the engine noise ceased with a rattle.
“Now get out,” Valentine ordered.
The door popped, and the driver hopped down, his features twisted in a miserable snarl.
Pointedly, Valentine turned his back on the man, arms folded, and stood in front of the vehicle. Then he gestured for us to continue.
With her eyes wide, the headteacher hustled, getting the school column moving again. The kids trotted forward, each of them gazing at the van. As he passed, Finn, Valentine’s charge, stared up at him like he’d hung the moon. Valentine gave a nod to the boy, who flushed red and beamed, getting nudges from his friends.
When it was our turn to pass, I was almost ready with the blushes, too.
“Valentine!” Tobi uttered. She stuck her hand out for a high five.
Valentine smirked and reached to tap her palm with his. Then his gaze drew over me in a quick but loaded look. I felt it right through me, a zap of lust that lit me up.
Then he was behind us, my group of kids on the pavement and our destination looming ahead.
What the hell had that been? He hadn’t sent me a reply, so why the weighted stare? Did it mean anything, or was I just as horny as the bored school mom?
In the village hall, I forced myself not to glance around for him. Instead, I enjoyed my daughter’s first event with her new school and tried not to think about anything else.
Afterwards, with an uneventful trip back to the school, I waved Tobi off for her play date with Avery and returned to the car park. At the back of his black car, Valentine had a small group of parents around him, an equal share of mothers and fathers talking at him, presumably about the driver incident. Over the tops of their heads, his gaze sought me out.
I wanted to talk to him as well. See if he was okay. To see if we were okay.
The friendship I was trying and failing to resurrect.
But he was occupied, so I hopped into my car and drove home alone.
