Page 14 of Mr. Principal

“What? I’m not thanking you for slobbering on me. Whatever.”

He sat up, “Slobbering? Woman, that was the best kiss you’ve ever had.”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “I don’t know... it sort of felt like being licked by a puppy.”

He mockingly grabbed at his heart. “You’re so cruel. Just so cruel.”

I smiled wickedly. “I try my best.”

Before we could continue teasing each other, Meredith came running over.

“Mommy, Mommy, did you see Daddy and Becca?”

“Sure did, sweetie,” I said with forced cheer.

“Isn’t Becca nice?” she asked climbing into my lap and loping an arm around my neck.

I swallowed back the not so nice things I wanted to say and instead said, “Yep.”

“And pretty?”

“Yep.”

“Just as pretty as you, Mommy,” Meredith said giving me a sweet smile. My daughter was an angel. I didn’t deserve her.

“You’re the best kid in the whole world, you know that?” I said, giving her a hug.

She laughed. “You always say that.”

“That’s because it’s true.”

“I second that,” Carter said.

Meredith gave him a look that clearly said she didn’t believe him. “Mr. Carter you say that to all the kids.”

“What can I say? I’m surrounded by amazing children.”

“Danny Schultz isn’t all that amazing,” she said with a frown.

“What is with you and Danny Schultz?” I asked. She always seemed to find a way to work him into the conversation.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He just bugs me.”

And with that, she hopped off my lap and went looking for cake.

I turned back to Carter and said, “Kids. They have a mind of their own.”

“They sure do.”

Whatever else Carter was about to say was soon overshadowed by the bass suddenly blasting from the speakers.

We’d gone from 80s pop to 90s pop. Fun, but not really because I couldn’t really dance to this type of music. And from what I remembered, neither could Carter. Yet, that didn’t stop him from grabbing me by the hand and pulling me towards the dance floor which was Piper’s living room.

Piper was already there, shaking it. Meredith was on the dance floor too, chocolate cake on her hands, being spun around and around by Becca who I hadn’t even noticed had reappeared.

Tom was nowhere to be found, but he wasn’t a dancer. He avoided the dancefloor like the plague.

I pulled my hand away from Carter and shook my head. He gave me a sad look and mouthed, “Come on.”