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“Of course,” Thomas said. “Please, discipline Brett as you see fit.” He sighed, raking a hand through his silver-threaded hair. “The family is...going through a bit of a rough time right now,” he added. “And it isn't fair for Brett to take his frustrations out on any of his classmates.”
I nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and curiosity. Just what was going on with the family, and why was it bothering Brett? I glanced at Hannah again, wondering if she was Thomas's mistress.
“Again, I apologize,” Thomas said. I could tell that despite his apparent lack of emotional warmth, he was sincere.
“It's nothing,” I said. “I just want to make sure Brett is doing alright.”
Thomas nodded. A muscle ticked in his clenched jaw. “Of course,” he said. “I promise, I'll have a talk with him and get this sorted out.” He sighed, checking his watch. “I'm sorry, but I have to run. Hannah, is everything ready for the Johnson appointment?”
“Yes,” Hannah said in a chirpy voice. She looked at Thomas and I watched her eyes fill with passion. “But we'll have to leave now or else we'll be late.”
Thomas gave me yet another apologetic-yet-distant smile. “Thanks again, June,” he said. “I hope you'll be in touch.”
I nodded automatically. I couldn't help feeling stunned. The meeting hadn't gone the way I'd expected at all, and suddenly I was wondering whether or not that was a good thing. Thomas obviously cares about Brett, but it seemed like he was so busy that he hardly even had time for his son.
Thomas stood up and reached for my hand. When I slipped my palm against his, I felt a spark leap from his body to mine. My stomach turned to a pile of warm mush inside my body and I shivered as Thomas gently squeezed my hand. No doubt about it, he was one of the most attractive men I'd ever seen in my life.
“Thanks for coming in,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Thomas smiled, showing a mouth full of straight white teeth. “Any time,” he said perfunctorily. “Come, Hannah.”
Hannah gave me a mocking smile before clicking out of the room on her five-inch heels. Thomas looked at me and for a moment, I could have sworn he was about to say something else. Then he sighed, turned on his heel, and followed Hannah out of the room.
Chapter Two
June
Thomas stayed in my head the whole day – the whole weekend, in fact. By the time I went home, I couldn't stop thinking about his handsome face. He was beautiful in a sensual way that I didn't often see in American men. He looked distinguished, educated – almost like some professor of French literature.
Angela was, of course, no help. She teased me endlessly as soon as she heard about “hot Mr. March” and I spent the whole weekend blushing at her jokes. Even when we went out to the movies, I couldn't stop thinking about him. It was totally inappropriate, and borderline creepy...especially considering the fact that he was likely sleeping with Hannah, who had seemed only a year or two older than myself.
Monday morning, I was in the teachers' lounge when Andy, another fifth-grade teacher, came up to me and sat down. He was younger – probably late twenties – than a lot of other teachers at P.S. 151 and we'd sort of bonded over this in the past. But truthfully, I found him pretty uninteresting. He was one of those guys who seemed to only know how to talk about himself, and I could tell that we didn't have anything in common.
“Hey, June,” Andy said. “How was your weekend?”
Well, I spent it obsessing over the father of one of my students, I thought, blushing hotly.
Andy smirked when he saw my blush. “That good, huh?”
His comment made me blush even harder. “Nothing like that,” I said. “I just went to the movies with my roommate, that's all.”
Andy nodded. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Suddenly I could tell that he was nervous.
“Hey, listen, you wanna go to a play with me next weekend?” Andy kind of shrugged, glancing down. “I mean, I got the tickets from a friend – but he can't go now, and I thought you might want to.”
My heart sank. I'd never suspected Andy of having a crush on me – he was one of those guys who was seemingly friendly but distant to everyone around him. But now I was starting to wonder if I'd been too naive.
“I'm sorry, Andy,” I said. I swallowed. “I don't really feel right dating a coworker.”
Andy frowned. “It doesn't have to be a date,” he said stubbornly.
“Ask someone else,” I said gently. “I’m sorry, Andy, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now.” At least that much was true...even if I hadn't been able to get foxy Thomas March out of my head since Friday.
Andy scowled. “Okay,” he said. “Sorry I bothered you.”
I winced. The sarcasm stung, even though I probably deserved it. “Sorry,” I said, feeling lame. Andy pushed his chair back from the table and got up, striding purposefully away. For a moment, I felt guilty. But then the bell rang, and I leapt up from my desk to get to class.
Brett's behavior was much improved. He was quiet all day, even raising his hand to answer a few pre-algebra questions during math hour. I was still dying to know what was going on at home, but I didn't dare stick my nose where it didn't belong.
