Page 32 of Minor Trouble
I blew out a breath, not sure whether to be angry at the interfering old bat for spreading gossip or grateful I didn’t fully have to explain.
“People make mistakes,” she went on. “In my job, I can’t tell you the number of kids who have fallen in with the wrong crowd for whatever reason and come out the other side, a little bit bruised, but a whole lot wiser. You definitely seem to fall into that category. It can’t have been easy inheriting a son you barely knew, having your world turned completely upside down, not to mention having a counselor interfere in your business.”
I reached over and brushed a strand of her blonde hair away from her face. “If anyone was going to interfere in my business, Ainsley, I’m glad it was you.”
Fourteen
Ainsley
Dinner with Seth, Noah and Pepper was a fun affair. The selection of tacos was amazing: chargrilled steak and cheese, mushroom and feta, slow cooked beef and chicken and avocado. We argued over who got the last of the nachos—Noah, who finished the frijoles—Seth, who got the lion’s share of the churros—Pepper, and me. By the time we’d finished, I swear you could have rolled me out of the restaurant.
Noah and Pepper had seen some other kids from school and gone over to talk to them, leaving Seth and me alone.
We sat in our booth, me closest to the wall, him on the outside, effectively trapping me in alongside him. Both of us had a brightly colored mocktail, neither of us wanting to risk driving drunk. Besides which, his closeness was intoxicating enough for me.
“I wanted to apologize for kissing you the other night,” Seth began. “It wasn’t… appropriate.” He cast his gaze down towards the table.
To say it had been on my mind for much of this week was an understatement. It wasn’t because I’d agonized how wrong it was, but because I’d enjoyed it. Not to mention I wouldn’t be averse to it happening again.
“No need to.” I reached over and took his hand.
Seth looked up, his blue eyes questioning. He waved a finger around, pointing at me and then himself. “But how does this work… you’re a guidance counselor, I’m Noah’s father.”
I couldn’t deny the same thoughts hadn’t occurred to me on more than occasion. Principal Collins probably wouldn’t be happy, but it wasn’t as if it was a teacher/student relationship that could cost me my job and reputation or tarnish the school.
“We could take it slow and see how things work out. I mean, it’s not like we’re about to move in together. For a start, your apartment really isn’t big enough for three.” I bit my lip against the giggle threatening to bubble out of me.
Seth let out a huge laugh. “Yeah, you’re right.” He cocked his head to one side. “I bet you have a lot of stuff.”
“You should come over sometime and see.”
He was about to respond when Noah and Pepper came back. Quickly, he pulled his hand away from mine before the kids could see.
“Pepper wants to head home now, can we go?” Noah shifted from foot to foot, all teenage energy.
Reluctantly, I turned my attention to them. “Do you want me to give you a ride, Pepper?”
She glanced at Noah, then back to me. “Thanks, Ms. Coren. I’d like that. Can I go to the bathroom first?”
“Of course. I’ll meet you out front.” She disappeared, and I reached into my purse for some money to pay my share of the bill, but Seth’s hand closed over mine again.
“My treat. A way to say thank you for everything,” he said. “Maybe we can go out just the two of us soon?”
His rough skin on mine sent a shiver down my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention and I held my breath. What if Noah saw? A swift look in his direction saw he was engrossed in something on his phone screen and wasn’t looking at me and his dad. Wordlessly, I nodded, not sure I’d make a sound if I were to speak.
Seth’s mouth curved into a smile. “Good.”
Pepper came back, and I forced my own smile, wishing I didn’t have to leave. “Ready to go?” I asked her.
“I guess.” Her eyes were a little downcast, and I knew that her parents not turning up for the fundraiser was eating away at her. I didn’t want to break her confidence in front of Seth and Noah; we’d talk in the car.
“Thanks for tonight,” I directed to Seth. “Make sure you finish your science project, Noah. Mr. Matthews has high hopes for this one.”
Noah gave me a solemn nod. “Plan to work on it tomorrow, Miss. Promise to have it in on time too.”
Seth’s attention focused on Noah. “You have a science project? Why didn’t you tell me? We shouldn’t have been out all day if you had homework.”
I chuckled to myself as Pepper and I left the restaurant, Seth’s words amusing me. When we’d first met, I would never have pegged him as an interested father. How things had changed.
