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“Fine,” said Kylee, motioning to the open door. “You can wait wherever you’re staying and come back for breakfast.”
“But I’m already here. No sense in going back out in the middle of the night.”
Kylee stared him down. A sick feeling settling in her stomach where butterflies from kisses from Ron had just been. She knew where this was going.
“I just need to crash for a couple of nights,” said Jason.
“Absolutely not.”
“Mom?” came Molly’s voice from the top of the stairs. “What’s happening?”
“Hey, baby girl,” said Jason.
Molly came down another rung of the staircase. She squinted in the dim light of the hall. “Dad?”
“Surprise.” Jason held out his arms as though presenting himself like he was some great present.
Molly stared mutely.
“I came to see you.” He made his way over to the steps and scooped her up and into his arms. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too.” Molly’s voice was still groggy from being pulled from her sleep so late at night. She found her mom. Then she looked to the couch, likely searching for Ron.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Jason said as he put her back on her feet. “How about we have a sleepover like when you were five?”
“Ok. But I can’t stay up. I have school in the morning.”
Jason blew air through his lips at that idea. “You can blow off school for a day.”
“No, she can’t,” said Kylee, still standing in front of the open door as though there was a chance she could still get her ex out of it. But she knew it was a lost cause.
“Well,” said Jason. “I’ll read you a bedtime story so you can fall back to sleep. How about that?”
“Sure, Dad.”
Jason took to the steps. “See you in the morning, Kylee.”
Kylee closed the door as she watched the two head up the stairs. Before the door closed, a cold gust of air blew in on what had earlier been a warm and sunny day.
Chapter Sixteen
Ron kept pressing his fingers to his lips. He was certain they were still swollen from gorging himself on Kylee’s mouth last night. If people couldn’t tell he’d spent part of the night making out with his new girlfriend, then he was certain they’d be able to tell by the huge grin on his face.
Kylee Bauer was his girlfriend. At last. No, they hadn’t discussed labels. They’d been too busy wrapped up in each other’s embrace and pretending to watch TV. But that’s what they were.
From friends to kissers. After a prescribed amount of time, prescribed by Kylee since he was raring to go now, they’d move to husband and wife.
It was exactly the path Ron always dreamed his life would take. A path he’d walk with Kylee on his arm. And now he’d arrived.
“We need to make a final decision about the test prep company.”
Mrs. Steen’s voice cut through Ron’s daydreaming like a butter knife that had slipped down the sink into a garbage disposal. Unfortunately, he couldn’t flip a switch to stop the grinding sounds. And so, Ron reluctantly left his dream world and came back to the present.
It was an early morning teacher’s meeting. His time was running out. He needed to make a decision on the test prep company by the end of the week. His mind was already made up, but it would look good to show that he’d at least thought about the other companies vying for the job.
“Why not go with what’s tried and true,” said Mrs. Simmons. “We’ve had a relationship with Here 2 Learn for a few years now.”
“Records show they’re not up to date with the latest testing models,” said Mrs. Steen. “I’ve taken a look at Thrive Learning systems and have been really impressed with their innovations.”
