Page 22 of No One But You

Kora

This was a crazy week, and I was exhausted. If anything could go wrong, it had. There was a small fire in the cafeteria Tuesday, causing an impromptu fire alarm during the third grade’s practice for our end of the year field day. Nothing like sixty third grade students needing to exit a school in an orderly manner in an area they weren’t used to. It was chaos, but luckily the fire was a small grease fire and was contained easily and it wasn’t serious.

Trevor and Patrick happened to be on duty and responded to the alarm. They ended up being guest speakers for Darlene’s and my class. The kids loved it.

Then the zoo came in with some of the animals. Let’s just say, third grade girls may not be the best choices to hold snakes. There was quite a bit of squealing and screaming. It wasn’t good.

It was finally three-fifteen, and the last of my students had been picked up in the car-rider line, so I trudged back to my room. I was so ready to straighten up and start the weekend. I loved my job. I was living the dream. But I loved Fridays even more, and the day was finally over. I leaned heavily on the counter in my classroom and stared at nothing while thinking about everything—mostly not school related.

In between all the chaos of the week, Kai had popped into my mind at random times. When I was out feeding the goats, his face would be there. When I drove through town, I thought I saw him at the corner store. Just this morning, when I pulled into the parking lot at school, I saw a truck which I thought for sure was his, parked in the front row. Which was absolutely asinine. Why would he be at school?

His crystal-clear eyes crossed my mind randomly all week. The contrast between the lightness of his eyes and the darkness of his hair was captivating. That crescent-shaped scar by his right eye added mystery, yet a roughness to him which contradicted his kind, easy-going manners. And God, that body . . . that ass.

The sound of hands clapping shook me from my daze.

“Good lord, girlie. You’ve been out of it all week.” Darlene jumped onto the counter and nudged me with her knee. “You look like you could use some girl time and margs. Do we need to have some sort of intervention? You’ve been by yourself all week and very quiet at school even during all the drama. It’s so unlike you. What’s going on?”

I ignored Darlene, pushed away from the counter, and went to my desk. I straightened it up and packed my bag. I always shared everything with Darlene, especially male related, but I wasn’t ready to discuss Kai. Hell, I didn’t even know what I’d discuss. One minute he was irritating the hell out of me, the next he was causing my heart to do weird movements and beat funny.

Margs were much needed. “What do you say we get out of here and drink early? Maybe by five I’ll be five sheets to the wind and ready to have fun.”

“That would be great, but first I need to go pick up James from daycare and drop him off at Shear Perfection. Kaye and Tonya are taking him to Diane’s tonight. She’s babysitting Skylar this weekend, so James and Skylar are having a little play date.”

“Better watch out. That granddaughter of Diane’s is adorable. James might fall in love at the ripe young age of four.”

Darlene shrugged. “Could be worse. At least he’d be marrying money.”

That was true. Diane’s stepdaughter, Leila, was married to Adler Warfield. His family was loaded, and he’d adopted Skylar. “Money’s not everything, Dar.” I threw my bag over my shoulder, and we left. “How about if I leave my car at your house and go with you? If I get too drunk, I’ll crash at your place.” I’d spent many nights in Darlene and Bryson’s spare bedroom over the years. There was a brief six-month stint where I lived with them after my father left for Florida and I was having my house renovated. Darlene’s house has always been my second home.

“Sounds good.” Darlene crossed the hall to her room and emerged just seconds later, her bag over her shoulder. “Let’s blow this joint and enjoy our weekend.”

James ran to the salon as soon as Darlene lifted him from the car. He knocked his tiny fist on the glass since he couldn’t open the door, and Kaye let him in. “Well, hello cutie.”

James ignored Kaye and made a beeline to Tonya. He flew into her arms and motioned immediately to the bowl of suckers. We chuckled as we followed Kaye through the door.

“Hey, Summer.” I placed my purse and sunglasses on her station and plopped in her seat.

“Getting comfortable, Kora? I don’t remember giving you permission to sit there.” Summer swept her station of hair and wiped down the counter. “Why’d you even bring this in?” she said when she picked up my purse to wipe under it. “It’s not like you’re staying long.”

I snatched it from her and plopped it back on the counter. “Because I knew it would irritate the shit out of you, and I live to irritate you.”

Summer rolled her eyes. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“So, how’s the addition going?” Darlene asked.

“Great,” Kaye replied. “Kai has really worked hard all week. He finished the drywall and said he should be painting this weekend. Come on. You’ve got to see it.”

Just the mention of Kai’s name set butterflies free in my gut. I needed to get whatever these feelings were under control. Kai was annoying, yet frustratingly hot, and I didn’t have time for that kind of confusion in my life. I puffed out a breath and followed Darlene and Kaye into what used to be just a large storage room. Now it was a room with waist-high walls separating stations with a sink and chair in each.

“This looks great,” Darlene exclaimed.

She was right; it really did.

Just then, the back door shut and there he was with his arms bulging under the weight of paint cans. The veins in his arms popped under the strain, and my eyes popped at the mouthwatering sight. I swallowed hard to drown the nerves that the butterflies were determined to push out and put on display.

He looked fine as usual. He wore a gray T-shirt which made those sexy crystal eyes pop even more, and his dark hair was disheveled, making him look tastier than ever.

“Hey, ladies. Just bringing in the paint and materials I’ll be needing. Didn’t mean to bother you.”

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