Page 20 of Christmas with the Baby Daddy

Sara made a sound, something like a cough but maybe a laugh. I glanced at her. “Is that crossing a line?” I asked. I didn’t know the rules about how to deal with kids. Maybe applying to be a janitor fill-in at an elementary school wasn’t wise. “Is telling it like it is unethical?”

Covering her mouth with her hand, she robbed me of being able to guess whether she was laughing, scowling, or gawking. Her eyes hinted at her amusement.

“Because I don’t make a habit of lying,” I said, lowering my voice to make sure the kids knew I wasn’t bullshitting. “Your mom might think she’s got this whole town in her hand, but guess what?”

Brent scowled at me, hanging on for the rest of what I’d explain. I supposed since I was a stranger, I held his curiosity. If I didn’t, he’d treat me with the same disrespect he’d shown Sara.

“Sooner or later, you’re going to bully the wrong person, Brent Francis.” I drawled his surname. “And that’s what we call Karma.”

George nodded. “Yeah.”

“Shut—”

I shot Brent a look, and it worked. He clamped his lips shut and sighed.

Right then, the door opened. Cole Ameena stepped out, frowning at us three seated here. “Hey, Zach.” His expression of suspicion faded as he smiled and greeted me. A brief handshake followed, and I was glad Reagan stayed in his office. From the sound of it, she was on the phone, yelling away at someone else.

“I’ll get to you just after I deal with these two.”

“I doubt that will be a problem,” I said. “I was just chatting with them.” Patting George on the back, I tried to smile quickly. “Right, boys? We were discussing Karma?”

Cole arched one brow at me then slid his thick-framed glasses up his nose. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” George stood. “I’m sorry to take up your time, Principal Cole. If I can be excused, I’d like to help Ms. Erin clean up the mess in the classroom before dismissal.”

I nodded at him. “That’s nice.”

Cole glanced at Brent, who sulked and crossed his arms. He didn’t make eye contact.

“I think that would be a nice gesture from both of you,” Cole said. “Your mom is on a call in the office, but as soon as she’s done, I think she’ll get you for dismissal.”

“Whatever,” Brent mumbled as he got up and left the office.

“Thanks, Mr. Stranger.” George nodded at me and left after his bully of a classmate.

Cole sighed, glancing at Sara at the receptionist desk. “Hey, Sara, I’m going to chat with Zach in the lounge. So, uh, Reagan can have privacy to finish her call with her father.”

If I hadn’t been watching him, I would’ve missed how he turned to roll his eyes. Sara smirked, lowering her head, and nodded. “Leave me to deal with her while she waits for Brent, huh?”

Cole chuckled as he guided me toward the staff lounge. “Sorry to host an interview here,” he said, gesturing at the relaxed room that looked like a mesh of a dining room, TV space, and copier machines with other office-like things.

“No worries.” I sat as he did.

“I didn’t realize you’d come home.” Cole smiled easily. “I know we weren’t exactly close friends or anything back in high school all those years ago, but I knew of you.”

I nodded. “Same.” Then I shrugged. “I didn’t have many close friends back then, anyway.”Just Kevin. And he’s gone.

I breathed through the ache that still caught me on the bad days. Since I’d come home, the bad days far outnumbered the good.

“But I’m back. For now.” I cleared my throat, not a fan of the awkwardness I felt when I didn’t have anything to back that up. ExplainingwhyI wouldn’t be around would be natural, but I had no clue where I’d go next. “I was caught in a crash during a training overseas and my shoulder just cleared the doc’s orders for rest.”

“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Medically discharged, but I’m as whole as I’ll ever be.”Yeah, fucking right.“Nothing too hardcore with my shoulder.” When he asked a few follow-up questions without being intrusive or nosy, I explained that I’d had surgery. To my supreme relief, he didn’t do the whole pity spiel of thanking me for my service or suggesting anything was meant to be. I hated that shit. It wasn’t true. Sometimes, shit just happened for no reason and we’d all be expected to pick up the pieces and carry on.

“So, principal, huh?” I asked.

He nodded and filled me in about what he’d been up to with his career. Education was his passion, but he wondered about getting out of admin and going back to the classrooms. With the display of a punkish bully like Brent, I had to wonder why.

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