Page 16 of Teaching His Babygirl

“You really should check out the downtown historical museum if you like museums; it’s amazing,” Patty says with enthusiasm.

“Or the aquarium,” Melinda says quietly. “I love going there.” She blushes bright red when she realizes that she’s gathered the attention of all of us. I’ve noticed in the short time that I’ve known Melinda that she’s incredibly soft-spoken and shy around her colleagues, but in front of her class, she’s loud and in charge. A total juxtaposition if ever there was one.

“Oh, I love aquariums,” I say excitedly.

I look at Colt, and he smiles at me, giving me an imperceptible nod, which tells me he’s making a note of it. Excitement courses through me at the thought of spending another day with him. I jump in my seat when his hand surreptitiously rests on my thigh under the table. He lightly squeezes, and I barely bite back my moan at the forbidden touch.

Outwardly, he’s being a perfect gentleman, following the rules I set for him. Keeping our secret. Inwardly, he’s obviously struggling with the confines enough to bend the rules. I put my hand on top of his, giving him a warning squeeze. His hand turns, and he threads his fingers through mine, briefly squeezing them before releasing me.

That small connection cements my knowledge that I’m in deep with Colton James. He’s going to steal my heart, and I’ll just have to hope that he’ll be careful with it.

The rest of the day moves slower than the first half. My kids are good but getting them to focus on their projects is like herding cats with a water hose. Impossible. I’m cleaning up for the day when there is a rap on the doorframe. I turn with a smile, suspecting it’s Colt… I’m disappointed when I realize it’s Levi.

“Come to dinner with me,” he asks without any preamble. Though saying he asked is a bit of a stretch since he actually demanded it.

I try to smile, but I have a feeling the look on my face reads more like disgust than friendly. “Sorry, I’ve already got plans tonight.”

Like scrubbing toilets with my toothbrush, I think to myself. Something that is much more appealing than going anywhere with him.

He tsks. “Tomorrow then.”

I shake my head. “I don’t date co-workers,” I say with fake sadness.

“Who said it had to be a date,” he says with a raise of his bushy eyebrows. He licks his dry lips and looks me up and down in a slimy way that makes my skin crawl. “Just a little fun between colleagues.”

“Sorry… I don’t do that either.”

There is a soft knock on the door, and Melinda comes in. “Are you ready?” she asks shyly, coming to my rescue.

I give her a grateful smile and grab my things. “Yes, I’m starving!”

I follow her out to the parking lot, and she turns, looking back at the building with disgust. “Sorry for stepping in back there…”

“No, thank you for stepping in, seriously. Dinner is on me tonight,” I say with a smile.

“Oh,” she says with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean… you don’t have to…”

I give her a kind smile. “I want to. It’s the least I can do for you being my knight in shining armor.”

That gets a real laugh from her. “Mr. Troy is a real piece of work. Definitely avoid him if you can.”

“That’s my new goal in life,” I agree. “Now, how about pizza? I think we deserve something nice and greasy after that.”

Melinda gives me the scoop on all of the teachers as we eat. I notice she mentions Coach Lockwood several times, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s with a dreamy smile on her face. I’m guessing there’s something there, even if she doesn’t know it yet. The way he looked at her at lunch made it seem like he was ready to eat her for lunch instead of his food.

“Principal James is a whole other thing altogether,” Melinda says, taking a bite of her pizza. She chews so slowly I could strangle her for leaving me hanging.

“What about Principal James?” I somehow manage to keep my tone calm and collected when, in reality, I’m chomping at the bit for any little piece of information she might divulge.

“Well, first of all, he’s got the whole silver fox thing going for him. All the single female staffers want him, but he doesn’t pay them the time of day. He’s respectful of his position at the school.” She shrugs. “I mean, I don’t see the draw, but everyone else seems to go gaga when they are around him.”

“Huh…” I can’t seem to come up with a better response as jealousy courses through me at the idea of dozens of women throwing themselves at my daddy.

Oh crap. Did I just stake a claim on Colt? I think I did. Which means I’m already in deep with him. I really do want more than just weekends at the club. I should be freaking out, but I’m not. The only thing I feel is desire for him. In fact, I’m kicking myself for not getting his phone number. Maybe I could stop by his place? Would that be terribly forward of me? He’s the one who was upfront about wanting more than just time at the club.

I push those thoughts aside and enjoy the rest of my meal with my new friend. I can worry about the rest later. For now, I’m going to relax and eat my greasy pizza and laugh about the time Coach Lockwood dressed down the entire marching band for groaning over doing halftime in the rain, then promptly slipped on the wet grass, nearly falling to his butt.

Chapter Eight

---