Page 59 of Sweet Poison

I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to catch all the daggers and criticism for seemingly being the only one Cole had talked to and dashed off after. And it didn’t take long at all for me to feel the first stab.

"Do you need any help?" Marilyn Curtis asked, her voice sweet, but poisonous.

"I think I’m okay," I replied as I slipped down my oven mitt and grabbed the next batch that had been sent over.

"There’s a lot to be done. And that last batch of muffins were burnt to cinders. Let me help,” she offered, and it would have been rude to do anything else but accept her offer.

“You’re right. The muffins were slightly burnt.”

“They were blacker than coal,” she said with a smile and came around the counter to join me.

I could smell her strong perfume and I instantly regretted being polite. I should have told the witch to fly off on her broomstick instead.

"You seem to have quite the rapport with Anya's father," she commented sourly, while absolutely not helping and just standing, moving a little bit closer to annoy and quiz me.

"Not especially," I replied as I shut the oven door. "But I am her class teacher, after all."

She smiled again. "Is there a way you can get him to participate more with the other parents? For instance, a bunch of us are chatting and having some refreshments over there."

"I really don't know," I told her. "You'd have to ask him."

"You're really no help at all," she said with another irritated smile before walking away.

A few minutes later, the widely-wanted hunk came over with his daughter.

"The moms hate me," I told him. "They're wondering if I'm holding you back from socializing with them."

"You're holding me back from socializing with them?" he asked, his eyes sparkling like diamonds.

"Yes, I’m being blamed for monopolizing you. So could you go hang out with them for a bit?”

"Anya, go join your friends in the pottery shed," he said, and she ran along. Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket and without looking up spoke.

"Fine. Give me your phone number and I’ll go hang out with some Moms."

"What? Are you kidding?" I asked, shocked. "With all the attention on us right now."

He looked up. “Do you want me to hang out with them or not?”

“I’m not giving you my phone number in front of all these people.”

He grinned. "Then I’m going to keep on standing here and … er … monopolizing you.”

My heart went soft at his words. “Everyone’s gonna know, though.”

He put his phone away. “Just say the number out aloud. I’ll remember it.”

I stared at him. “You’ll be able to remember my number if I say it out once?”

“Yeah, I’m good with numbers.”

I called it out and he nodded. “Just to be clear. I’m doing this for you and only you.”

Truly, I felt like I was melting. "Thank you," I said. "But to annoy them just a little bit more, please say that I told you to come over."

"Of course," he said and reached out then to touch me, but I shook my head with alarm.

With a sigh, he walked over to where Marilyn Curtis and the other moms were gathered together.

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