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Why can’t I just be the damn P.E. teacher all the kids know as Coach S?
I excuse myself from the principal by taking a well-timed bathroom break, hearing him holler, “Don’t forget to be back soon. Harrison will start his speech soon.”
I don’t know what all that will entail, and right now, I don’t care. I need some time on my own. When I depart from the restroom, I head in the opposite direction from where Harrison holds court with the other new teacher this year. Dropping by the food tables near the grill, I pick up a hotdog and a light wheat beer to nurse—I don’t need a repeat of the champagne—and plant my backside on a built-in bench on the deck at the back of the estate.
I let out a long-held breath when no one comes by expecting me to socialize. Sitting has the extra benefit of camouflaging my height, and I’m just beginning to relax a bit when I hear voices wafting from a raised window nearby.
“Nice spread as always, Harrison. How’s the knee?”
Wait. I know that voice.Sam Baldwin’svoice. Dammit. Damn. Damn. Damn. He’s the last person I need to see right now.
Harrison—undoubtedly the very Harrison Walcott who lives here—grunts.
“It’s been better, but I’ll be all right. I should’ve let that stupid golf ball stay lost in the woods. So, I hear your showing was a success.”
“It was. My best ever. Good turnout for the meeting today, too.”
“Yeah, pleasant weather with free food and alcohol tends to draw a crowd. You notice that tall blonde? The one who’s new in town?” Harrison booms, and I shrink further back into the bench. Why is bringing me up?
“Amanda Sizemore is here?” Sam asks.
I close my eyes, wishing I could disappear.
“You know her?”
“A little. Bumped into her once when she stopped by the gallery, then invited her to my opening.” I attempt to swallow but my throat has gone bone dry.Please don’t tell him about how I drunkenly made out with you. Please, please, please…
“Yeah? Did she come?”
“Oh, yes. Caught her hanging out by the charcoal nudes display. Let’s just say she stands out in a crowd.”
Why did he have to mention where I was hanging out?Why? And what does he mean by “stands out in a crowd?”
“Ah,” Harrison states sagely. “So, it’s like that, huh?”
“Maybe,” Sam confirms, but even though I’m not sure what he’s referring to, my insides shrivel. “She’s interesting. Besides, it’s not every day that I meet a woman that I can’t look in the eye unless I tilt my head back if she’s wearing heels.”
Harrison barks out a loud laugh. “Good thing you’re secure in your masculinity, then.”
“Good thing.” Sam plays it straight with a deadpan, then, they each break into chortles.
They’re talking about me like I’m some oddity, and it pisses me right off. How dare they? Neither one of them knows me. Yet when I think of my behavior with Sam again, I cringe. This is why I’m single. Too often, dealing with men is an enormous pain in my ass.
Throwing away the remainder of my hotdog, I skitter off the deck and around to the side of the estate, hiding next to the perimeter fence. It must not be far from the circle drive because I can hear more transactions occurring between Stan the valet and additional attendees. I seriously contemplate escaping. What’s the worst that could happen if I do?
Of course, my brain leaps to worst-case scenarios. Like me losing my job.
This would then cause a loss of personal funds that could jeopardize the completion of my master’s program. So, I can’t flee. I’ve been making too much progress to carelessly throw away what I’ve earned.
Since I’ve had to make do with a secondary dream after losing access to my initial one, I’ve targeted in on ultimately becoming a coach. I love my students and teaching in general, but I feel like coaching ladies’ basketball would be an even more ideal fit for me. It’s in the same vein of what I’m doing now, but with the added advantage of much higher pay, especially at the university level. Might as well put the skills I’ve collected to good use.
When I hear Harrison Walcott’s distinctive voice boom over the crowd, I sigh and reenter the backyard, remaining as much on the outskirts as I can. I also attempt to locate Sam but he’s nowhere to be found.
Has he left?
Hoping so, I tune in to the homeowner’s announcements. First, he introduces all the members of the Oak Valley Chamber of Commerce, having them stand to be recognized as everyone else claps. Then, he repeats this gesture with the school board, followed by the first-year teachers. Since that’s only me and one other, a woman who looks about twelve but is likely in her mid-twenties, I feel lots of determined scrutiny.
As soon as this rather painful part is over, I know I’ve fulfilled my duties. I wave at the principal and race-walk back through the house on the same trajectory that the butler showed me. Luckily, I don’t detect him anywhere. Unluckily, though, someone’s hand lands on my shoulder. A male hand.
