AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do we have to?” Larson protests. “They already admitted to taking it. What else do you need to hear?”
Ms. Greene glares at him. “Mr. Grey. You are standing in the way of me getting my hot goss. Go ahead, children.”
“Well, we knew that Aunt Melody was really scared by her secret admirer getting mad at her about Jaromir,” Tina begins. “Ryan and I talked about it, and we both agreed that it made much more sense for it to be Mr. L thaGrey Coach Hill. Then Ryan had the idea that –”
“It was your idea!” Ryan interrupts.
“Okay, well, anyway, we had the idea that maybe Mr. Grey might have another note in his office that would be the same handwriting. And Ryan said that it was kind of our fault, since we were the ones who talked about it where he could hear us, so –”
“That wasn’t me either!”
“Well, the point is, we thought that since we sort of started it, we should fix it. So Ryan looked in the drawer while I tried to distract him, and…”
“It’s the same handwriting!” Ryan adds. “I even think it might also be a love letter! I didn’t get to read all of it, but I think it is!”
Ms Greene turns to Mr. Larson. “I think I would like to see that note, Mr. Grey.”
“But it’s private!” he snaps. “You have no right to look at it! It’s mine! Mine!”
“One of my employees has been the victim of harassment.” Her hands go to her hips. “I take that very seriously, and if someone claims that something is evidence, I want to see it.”
I meet Larson’s eyes meaningfully, but it’s not necessary. Ms. Greene already has him cowed. He reaches back into his coat and pulls out the crumpled paper.
Ms. Greene holds it up and reads it aloud. “I have always loved you. If you leave him now, I will still love you.”
There’s a silence. Everyone stares at Larson, waiting for him to say something.
“Well, what was I supposed to do?” he says suddenly. “I loved her, and she just ignored me! I gave her gifts and wrote her notes, and she just goes off with this idiot? Of course, I was angry! I deserved to be angry!”
“You may or may not have deserved to be angry,” Ms. Greene says. “But the way you expressed that anger was threatening, unprofessional, and unsuitable for a teacher at my school. I’m sorry, Mr. Grey. But you’re fired.”
Mr. Larson stands there, gaping. I walk over to Melody and take her in my arms. We walk together back towards her office.
“Yay!” Tina cheers as we go. “It’s not a secret anymore!”
28
MELODY
Tina is at a friend’s birthday party sleepover. Check. Ryan is having a sleepover with his teammates. Check. Salad is ready. Check. Lasagna is in the oven. Check. Wine is uncorked. Check.
Everything is ready for the special evening I’ve planned for Jaromir. I want him to know that, despite how I behaved, he still means a great deal to me. The connection Jaromir and I had was something special, and I’m not about to throw it away out of pride.
I check myself in the mirror one last time as I hear his car pull into the driveway. No more hiding down the street and sneaking in through the shadows.
“Hey, beautiful,” Jaromir says as he walks in the door. He has a small bouquet of seasonal flowers in his hands. “Look at that, they match.” He passes them over to me and, sure enough, they’re the same pink and gold color as my dress and jewelry.
I smile at him, waiting for a kiss that doesn’t come. I guess he needs some assurance that we’re still together. I don’t blame him. I stand up on my toes and offer up my lips. Jaromir smiles and leans into me, kissing me gently with his hand on my cheek. I really needed this.
“Is that lasagna? You really didn’t have to go through this much trouble.” Jaromir follows me into the kitchen as I fetch a vase and some water for the new centerpiece. I pull the casserole out of the oven and set it on the stovetop to rest.
“Yes, I actually did. I want to apologize for breaking things off the way I did. I judged you too harshly and made too many assumptions about too many people.” I pour him a glass of the cabernet and hand it to him before taking a small sip of my own. “I plan on apologizing to Verog, too. I jumped to conclusions and assumed his guilt too quickly. I’ll make him that apple pie he likes so much.”
“I know he’ll love that,” Jaromir says with a lopsided grin.
“But,” I start, putting my palms on Jaromir’s chest. “First, us. Are we okay? Because I do really like you, Jaromir. I like being with you. I’m sorry for everything I put you through, you know, the hiding and eavesdropping, and everything –”
“Hey,” he says, taking my hands in his. “We’re okay. We’re better than okay. I understand you were under a lot of stress, and I did go behind your back and talk about us when you specifically asked me not to. We both shoulder a little blame here.”
