Page 1 of Hot For Teacher
Chapter One
Brendan
No one has ever considered me the responsible type.
At twenty-five I am still figuring out who I want to be. While I figure it out, I work at the Pine Star Cinema at the Pine Grove Galleria. When I got a job there with my sister and her best friend after high school, I never thought it would be long term.
When first Mandi, my sister’s best friend, and then my sister Bobbi left, I thought I should too. Only I had no idea where I would go. The truth is, I am good at what I do in the projection room. And I love movies. I love cutting trailers and working on projectors.
Working at the theater made it possible for me to get a place on my own. Staying at home after mom died was hard enough. After dad got remarried it became impossible. Because he married a girl I had hoped to make mine.
Blair Scott used to be the girl of my dreams. Blonde hair, glittering blue eyes, and a laugh that made you want to laugh with her. We had grown up together and she was one of Bobbi’s circle of friends. I was a year older, but I had the biggest crush on her all through high school.
Asking her to prom had been a mistake. I was not the sort of guy Blair dated. If it were not for Bobbi being the most popular girl at school, I doubt Blair would have known my name. My sister hung out with the cool kids, the jocks, the cheerleaders, and prom queens.
I had always been the odd man out.
Blair let me down gently when I asked her to be my prom date. Claimed she did not want to go to prom. What popular, captain of the cheerleading team, and shoe-in for prom queen doesn’t want to go to prom. I had considered it my last shot to show her I was\ more than Bobbi’s tag-a-long older brother.
“I am getting married,”Blair announcing she was getting married hit me harder than I expected.
Her marryingmy fatherblew me away. Dad never told us he was seeing anyone after we lost mom. He damn sure never mentioned it was one of Bobbi’s friends—a girl who had been to our place for slumber parties.
They had a quickie wedding at the courthouse with just Bobbi and I as their witnesses. Dad seemed happier than he had been in a long time. I guess if I was getting married to the hottest girl in Pine Grove, I would be happy too. When he moved her in to our house, I knew I had to get out of there.
Blair knew why I left. When I carried out my last box of stuff, she was there. She seemed upset I was in a rush to get out of there. While I loaded up my truck, she just stood and watched, sadness in her pretty eyes.
“Do you hate me, Brenden?” her soft voice paired with those sad eyes almost killed me.
“Why would I hate you? You made him happy. He makes you happy, right?” I wondered as we stood watching each other that last day.
“Happy? I feelsafenow,” she had mumbled, pushing her hair out of her face. Her hair was beautiful too, blonde and silky, she never did the crazy colors or sky-high bangs like my sister and her friends did.
“Safe is good,” I had replied lamely.
After I moved out, I never went back. Bobbi ended up coming to stay with me too. I think it was too weird for both of us for someone our age to be our new stepmother. It was weird for another woman besides mom to be there. We never went over for dinner or even holidays after we moved out.
Coming home today was not my idea. I do my best to stay away from my dad and stepmom. Last time I saw them, it hit me with how much I hated them being together. I resented my father a little getting married again but I resented him most for marrying the girl I had a thing for.
Blair called asking me to come over, so here I am.
“He is gone.” Her greeting is not harsh or cold, just matter of fact.
“Who is gone? Dad?” I frown down at her as she sits on the couch, pouting up at me.
Blair sits in my favorite chair, legs crossed beneath her, her arms folded at her chest. Wearing black chunky sweater and bright pink tights, she is adorable. Golden hair spills down her back, a pink headband as bright as her tights holding it back from her face.
“Yeah. He left me. Said he found his true calling in Florida. Told me to keep the house. He filed divorce papers two months ago. I have not seen your dad in five months. He left one day and now he’s never coming back.”
Stunned, I blink at her as I let her words sink in. Dad abandoned Blair? I am not just shocked, I am pissed off. He was a Kirby salesman, making plenty of money to support them. It meant he was on the road a lot but when he came home, he used to spoil mom, me, and Bobbi. I find myself wondering if he spoiled Blair the same way.
“Five months? Why didn’t you tell me, Blair?”
“How? Come to the theater to let you know he abandoned me? I am so ashamed, Brendan.”
Her face turns up to me and I hate the sadness in her blue eyes. Going to sit beside her, I consider everything she said. Jesus, he abandoned her. Left her alone all these months then told her he wasn’t coming back. Found his new calling? What a crock of shit.
“What do you need, Blair? What can I do?”
