Page 20 of Is It Casual Now?

“I need to talk to Ms.Kettlehousefor a little bit longer before we can leave.” For good. Because she damn well was going to pull Harley from this school as soon as she had a word withTori. “Can you draw me one of your favorite things about the week?”

“Okay.” Harley’s face beamed as though she’d just been given a pony for her birthday and raced off toward a low table. For a moment, Siena basked in the sunshine her daughter brought to her life. She supposed the mission she’d just sent Harley on was as important as anything else she could have requested.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name. And I don’t think I should be calling you mommy.” Jessie smiled, trying to shake away the tense air that lay thick between them.

“My name is Siena Frazee. I’m Harley’s other mother, and I have no intention of having my daughter in your class.”

“Oh.” Jessie’s face splotched red as her mouth dropped open in a wide O so similar to Jamie’s, it was more than just a little unnerving.

Fucking fantastic!

“Great. So you’ve spoken to your sister lately.” Siena couldn’t look at this Jamie who wasn’t Jamie anymore. She turned her back on the teacher and began typing a little too hard on her phone.

Siena:There is no way in hell our daughter is going to this school. It’s not happening, Tori. If it means I have to cut back on my own things to ensure she goes to a better school, it’s what I’ll do, but there is no God damn way this woman is teaching Harley.

Tori:What are you talking about?

Tori’s instant reply had no emojis or personality, and Siena knew she really would have to fight for this one. But she wouldfight. She would do anything for her daughter, and her daughter wouldn’t be taught by Jamie—no, by Jessie—Kettlehouse.

“Siena?” Jessie’s voice was nothing like Jamie’s confident flirtatious tones. Still, it sent an uncomfortable shiver racing up Siena’s back.

“My name is Ms. Frazee. Not Siena. Not to you,” Siena snapped back.

“I understand this must be incredibly strange to you, but I think we’ve simply gotten off to a bad start.”

“You don’t understand a damn thing.” Siena hissed. She had to pull herself together, she knew that, but just looking at this woman made all her self-control and professionalism fly directly out of the window. “Did you know I was Harley’s mother? Did you and yoursister,” Siena hissed the familial word, “have a good laugh over how this would play out? And to think I was going to give her a chance to redeem herself after that blog post. Unbelievable.”

“I promise that’s absolutely not the case. I wasn’t aware that you were Harley’s mother. And I’d really like the chance to sort some things out before any major decisions are made.”

“The decision’s already made.” Siena didn’t want to hear any more. The heat in her neck was enough. “You won’t be teaching my daughter.”

“Mommy?” Harley’s small voice came from beside Siena.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing her rage to simmer down into the pit of her stomach instead of letting it spark in her eyes.

“Yes, baby?” Siena turned, a smile as good as she could force out at the moment pressed on to her lips. Her phone buzzed in her hand, and Tori’s name lit up the screen, but she ignored the call. She had to finish this conversation before she could have the next one.

“Why are you being rude to Ms. K?”

“What?” Siena reeled back slightly.

“Ms. K is nice, and I don’t want another teacher.” Big tears pooled in the corners of Harley’s eyes, and Siena had the mental image of her brain in one corner of a boxing ring while her heart pumped ready for a fight in another. And she had the distinct feeling her heart was beyond pissed off with her, shaking itself back and forth in disapproval at making her daughter cry.

“Harley, it’ll be okay.” Siena softened her voice in a way nothing else could have done except for the sight of her breaking child.

But Harley continued to shake her head even as she buried her face into Siena’s shoulder and let the tears out. Siena quietly made the soothing sounds that had always helped her and Harley both during the harder days together. There had been less and less lately and this feeling of going backward tore at Siena.

Behind her, she could hear Jessie’s quiet voice. But she couldn’t quite hear what the woman was saying or any reply from whoever she was talking to.

After a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw Jessie pull a phone away from her ear and slip it into her pocket.

Had she called security?

Siena had to admit that if someone had barged into her office and started snipping at her or any of her clients or staff the same way, a call to security wouldn’t be far from her thoughts.

She had overstepped. She knew it the moment the words had left her mouth, but the importance of that truth began to truly register. Her phone buzzed in her hand where her fingers ached from how hard she clutched the damn thing.

Tori: Siena. Would you please answer me? Is Harley okay?

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