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I tucked my tablet away when I got to the auditorium at the center of the school.
The next few hours were filled with information about updates to the curriculum from New York State. Then I was tossed into the elementary education minefield.
I went from two half day classes to one full. The only upside was that my day started a little later now. My nerves were jangling by the end of the second session of afternoon meetings.
I had to pull apart my entire teaching plan. How was I supposed to do that in twenty-four hours?
By the end of the day, I was pretty sure I’d become a pinball. This room for supplies, that one for music enrichment, this one for art class twice a week.
Kindergarten had been all in one room.
I walked into the sunshine at two in the afternoon in a daze, my tablet and notebook clutched to my chest. How the hell was I going to do this?
I didn’t even remember the trip back to my apartment, which was scary as hell. Thank God, it was only a ten minute drive. A blue truck was parked outside my door with a simple headboard made of wood sticking out the end of the flatbed. It was wrapped to the nth degree, but there was no denying the soft, golden color of pine. Or maybe it was maple.
I frowned. Was I getting a new neighbor?
There were a few apartments in the building, but I was the only tenant thus far. At least that was what I’d thought. The building was barely finished with renovations. Then again, Mr. Forrester would want to fill the other apartments. Empty rooms meant lost revenue. The lower half of the building no longer had a for rent sign on it either. Looked like there was a whole bunch of changes happening lately.
The apartment building door was propped open with a rock.
“There you are.”
I peeked around the queen-sized mattress encased in plastic propped against the headboard. “Dare?”
“Yep.” He hauled the mattress down and shoved it through the doorway without another word.
“Wait.” I blew out a breath. He totally didn’t wait. I grabbed my bag and slammed the door to my car. I raced after him and up the stairs. “What are you doing?”
“You need a bed.”
“What? Well, yes, I do, but umm…” My bag twisted down my arm as I rushed to catch up.
“This seems a little extreme for sex. I mean, it was awesome, but do you buy beds for all your women?”
He muscled the mattress through my apartment door. Wait, how had he gotten in? I looked down at the keys in my hand and the wide open door. “Did you break in?”
He peeked around the mattress. “Not technically.”
“Not sure there’s a gray zone there, buddy.” I ran up the last of the steps and pushed by him before he could get all the way into my apartment. Evidently, that didn’t much matter. The frame for the
bed was already set up with the box spring on top of it.
He wiped his brow and blew out a breath. “I came over to ask if you wanted to go with me to pick one out, but you weren’t here.”
“So you just went ahead and did it for me?” Outrage lifted my voice an octave or three. I wasn’t screeching…mostly. Good lord, his arms were amazing.
No, that is not the point to this.
He’d just…taken over. Why? This was not okay.
“First of all, Beck owed me a favor.”
“Beck?”
He nodded toward the window. “Furniture place across the way. And as much as I like fucking you, darlin’, this wasn’t contingent on me getting laid again. You needed a bed—and since it’s been a few days since I’ve been here and you still don’t have one…”
He gave me a pissy look which only made me want to stomp my foot at him. I huffed out a growl. “I was getting to it. I just wasn’t sure what size. As you can see, this place isn’t the biggest.” I ripped at the buttons of my sweater set. My apartment was on the top floor, and God, I was burning up.
