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“Me,” said Razor. “I’ll be teaching the class until we can find a replacement.”
Razor followed through on his promise. It would be four months before they found someone that they felt confident enough in to hand over the classroom. During that time, he spent almost every day undoing what Krauss had done to the kids.
They decided after this incident that they would routinely audit the classes, as well as install video cameras that included audio. The teachers, parents, and students were all made aware of it, but it would allow them to always have evidence of any claims by teachers or students.
As far as they knew, Krauss didn’t go back to teaching. One of the parents said they’d seen him working at a local gym, preaching his perfection advocacy. It didn’t take long for the members of the gym to complain about him, asking that he be replaced.
It took Abe a few months to get over the mess that had been put in his head about trying to look perfect and how to look for perfection in others. But in that time, he discovered that he actually enjoyed looking for the imperfections. The things that made people unique and different. That’s what was attractive to him.
By his senior year of high school, he’d broken every state swim record held by Luke. The best part was that when Luke was home, he was there to cheer him on. And the Navy noticed. Recruited for his excellent grades, superior athleticism, and superior problem-solving abilities, Abe was headed to SEAL teams, just like his father.
The problem is, sometimes you do your job so well they don’t want to let you go. On teams with young men that could conceivably be his sons, he was suddenly feeling like a dinosaur. A dinosaur that had allowed the only woman to ever turn his head to get away.
Three years earlier…
The last thing Abe wanted was to be out with the new team members. But his commanding officer had asked him to keep an eye on the young men, worried they would find their way into trouble. He was babysitting. A fucking Navy SEAL babysitting baby SEALs.
He sat at the bar nursing a glass of ginger ale while they drank their weight in whiskey and beer, singing along with the horrible karaoke performer.
“Well, you look miserable,” smirked the woman taking the stool next to him.
He started to move, then looked down at the big brown eyes and the ridiculously white smile. She had a small dimple at the corner of her mouth on the right side, and it was the cutest damn thing ever. Her shiny, thick black hair rested at her shoulders in an expertly cut bob. Her lips were glazed with a soft pink.
“Oh,” he said, swallowing the knot in his throat. “No. Not really miserable. I just don’t like babysitting duty.”
“I see,” she smiled, nodding at him. “You’re the designated driver. Well, that’s actually great of you.”
“Are you here by yourself?” he asked.
“Um, sort of,” she said, looking back toward the door. “My uncle has business across the street, and I wanted to grab a glass of wine and maybe an appetizer. I’m Lyra.” She stuck out a beautiful hand, her nails painted a soft baby blue. It made him smile. For some ridiculous reason, it made him smile.
“Abe.”
“Abe, it’s nice to meet you. If I’m bothering you, I can go sit over there.” She pointed to the small table and chair in the corner.
“No, actually, it’s nice to have some sober company for a change. So, Lyra, what do you do?”
“Well, I’m currently working on my master’s degree in interior design.”
“That’s great,” he nodded. He wasn’t even sure he understood what that meant, but he’d go with it. This was the first woman in six years who held his attention for more than a hot minute. There was no doubt he wanted to take her to bed, but he wanted more. He wanted to talk to her. Have hours of conversation. And they did just that.
They talked for an hour about anything and everything. He learned the difference between chinois and chenille. He learned what constituted an antique. And he learned that Lyra was definitely a woman he wanted to get to know. When an older man in a black suit walked into the bar, he knew it must be her uncle.
He eyed Abe, then looked at his niece as he moved closer to her. Abe stood, stretching out his hand.
“Sir, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Abe Salcedo.” The older man just stared at his hand, then turned to his niece.
“We need to leave now. Say your goodbyes.” The old man turned and walked back to the door.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said, grabbing her purse. “He’s not usually that rude. His meeting must not have gone well. I really enjoyed talking to you. If you ever want to have coffee, you can find me at Legal Grounds Coffee Shop near the university.”
She turned and was gone. The only thing Abe knew was that his life would never be the same again.
CHAPTER TWO
“Abe, please, I can’t stay. I have to go,” said Lyra, pulling on her sweater. He tried to reach for her, but she skittered away from him, grabbing her clothes as she went.
“I don’t get this,” he said with frustration. “We’ve been seeing one another for almost three years now. We have dinner; we go on dates; we come back here and spend most of the night together, then suddenly, you say you have to disappear. Are you seeing someone else? Are you married?”
