Page 7 of Beneficial Misfortune

Crap, they need the card so they can update it.

Slapping my hand to my forehead, I move a little faster as I turn off the lights and lock my room. Then, I head down to the office to drop it off.

“Of course, Mr. Lawson.” I hear Barbara, the school secretary, say before I even enter the office. Her voice is a few octaves higher than usual, and when I enter the office, I find her staring up at Nathaniel with a smile that reminds me of a schoolgirl with a crush.

She doesn’t even look up at me, instead happily making heart eyes at him until he clears his throat and snaps her out of it, kinda. She stands and makes her way to a cabinet behind her, quickly flipping through the folders it holds. But even busy, she can’t seem to keep her eyes off him, glancing back over her shoulder every few seconds.

I take a step forward, and Addison notices me over her father’s shoulder, where she once again sits in his arms. A smile pulls at her lips, forcing mine to do the same before I clear my throat to make the other two aware of my presence. I hate to interrupt, but I know they need the card.

They both turn to me, and I’m shocked to find a glare on Barbara’s face when her eyes land on me.

“Yes, what can I help you with?” she snaps, her voice cold and nothing like it had been a moment ago with him.

Wow, rude.

“I just wanted to bring the card down,” I say, holding it up to show her. “I’d sent Nathaniel down to update it, but realized after he left I forgot to actually give it to him.”

Walking forward, I drop it on her desk. I expect some kind of understanding or maybe even a thank you. But she scoffs and waves me off.

“Mr. Lawson doesn’t need it updated. We can just get him a new one,” she says, putting heavy emphasis on his name as if I might not know it.

Which is ridiculous, considering his daughter shares the same last name.

More than that, her comment throws me off.

“Oh, I thought the policy was to have one per student and simply update it as needed,” I say, which only makes her already annoyed face pinch into a glare.

I know for a fact that’s the policy. I made sure to read it thoroughly before starting this year. This was my dream job, and I wasn't going to mess it up over something like a policy slip.

Barbara slams the drawer closed, and I startle slightly at the sound but hold her gaze.

I’ve never had an issue with Barbara before, so her attitude seems a bit strange. I don’t see her often, as I’m here most days before her, but on the occasional times I have, she’s been nice enough.

“Yes, that is the policy,” she bites out, snatching the card off the desk and ripping it up with much more force than necessary. “Which means you would have been responsible for disposing of the old one. It’s not that hard to understand.”

“I would have had no issues going to retrieve the old one if that’s the policy, Barbara.”

Both of us turn our attention to Nathaniel, and Barbara is once again as sweet as can be.

“Completely unnecessary. I know you're a busy man. Katherine is just new. You’ll have to forgive her,” she says, waving a hand in my direction as if shooing me away, but I don’t move right away, much to her obvious annoyance.

I stand there for another moment, watching as Barbara calls him over to update the card I brought in. I watch as she gets so damn close she might as well be sniffing him before I can’t take it anymore.

“Um, have a wonderful day,” I say, taking a step back toward the door with a wave to Addison. I don’t exactly want Barbara to have a wonderful day, but I also don’t feel like telling her to pull the stick out of her ass is a good idea.

Without waiting for their responses, I turn and head out the door.

Chapter 4

Ispend the weekend much the same way I always do: lesson planning and relaxing. I also go to the store and grab groceries for the week. Overall, it’s normal, and by Monday, I’ve all but forgotten about Barbara’s weird behavior… until I get to the school.

Trevor is nowhere in sight, and I dare think it’s going to be a good day. It’s not until about twenty minutes before my class starts—when I go to the teacher's lounge to make copies for the day—that I realize something strange is going on.

Barbara and a few of the teachers are getting coffee or just hanging out before the day starts. Where they normally greet me or at least smile, today, Barbara looks me up and down before her face twists up in a scowl.

It’s uncomfortable, but I make my copies and head out. Nobody says a word.

It’s like that all week. The only one who keeps talking to me is Trevor, but even he’s around less. It’s strange but not unwelcome, especially because I have no idea what happened to cause the shift.

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