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“What’s your principal like?” I ask her.
All I know of him is that he’s pretty new and apparently young. Mr. Mattich, his predecessor, had
been at the school for forty years when he retired. Short and overweight with graying hair, he was a stern man with a great sense of humor who was well loved in the community.
“He’ll see you now.” I look up and realize the receptionist is standing in front of us. I smile and stand up, waiting for Tilly to tie her shoelace before we walk over to the office door.
Though it’s cracked slightly open, I still knock.
“Come in.” I push the door and guide Tilly inside first, closing the door behind me. “You must be Ms. Halloway.”
Looking up for the first time, the smile vanishes from my lips. No fucking way. I blink, positive I’m imagining the figure standing in front of me. But I’m not. It’s him.
What I hate most is the unfamiliar feeling that’s racing through my body. My heart pounds. I tell myself it’s because I’m surprised to see him, but it’s more than that. I like seeing him again.
“Take a seat,” he says, pointing at the two seats in front of the desk.
I nod, my body numb as I slide into a chair, Tilly climbing onto the other one. If Tilly notices my odd behavior, she doesn’t show it. She’s paying more attention to the cat perched on the windowsill.
Wait, why the hell does this guy have a cat in his office?
“Can I get you a drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
I search his face for a sign of surprise or shock to see me, but there’s nothing.
Is that a twinkle in his eye? The bastard is actually enjoying my shocked reaction. Did he know who I was before meeting me today? He’s acting way too collected for it to have been a surprise.
“No, I’m good,” I say, my voice cold.
I’m feeling vulnerable, so my defenses kick in, and my immediate reaction is to play it cool. It’s like flirty mechanic guy all over again.
“So, you wanted to take care of this matter personally? Is there a reason why?” I ask. Not that he needs to answer. I fucking know why: he knew I was Tilly’s mother.
“It’s not the reason you think it is,” he promises.
I raise my eyebrows, not convinced.
“It’s more a case of I think Miss. Walker was making this into more of an issue than it needed to be, so I wanted to make sure it wasn’t blown out of proportion. Tilly did the right thing by telling her teacher that the boys were bothering her. What Miss. Walker should have done is defuse the situation then, or come to me.” He turns his attention to Tilly. “Matilda, do you know why you’re here?” he asks, his voice gentle.
She nods. “I did something bad,” she whispers, her bottom lip quivering. It takes all my willpower not to wrap my arms protectively around her.
“What did you do?” he asks.
“I hit Jimmy and I shouldn’t have because hitting people is naughty, even when they’re mean,” she says, her voice faltering.
“That’s right,” he says. He smiles at her and she breathes out, her shoulders relaxing. “Next time they bother you, you come and see me, okay? I’ll make sure they stop.”
Tilly nods, her blue eyes determined. “I’ll be good,” she promises.
“Then I think we’re done here,” Max says, rubbing his hands together. “It was nice seeing you again,” he says to me, getting to his feet.
My cheeks heat but I manage to nod. “Thanks for taking care of this,” I mumble.
My arm on Tilly’s back, I lead her out of his office. I can feel his eyes still on me until we’re out of his view. I breathe out a sigh. I’m shocked I handled that as well as I did. Tilly skips along beside me, chattering to herself as we walk out to the empty parking lot.
Pressing my key, I unlock the car and load her into the back.
“You want to go and see Aunt Ellie and Cassie?” I ask.
