Page 4 of Bad Teacher

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“So, you said yes?” Lara took a sip of her dry martini.

Violet glanced at her three best friends, Lara, Nikki and Brit. Lara never wasted any time making her opinions known, which they all appreciated. Nikki leaned in, interested, and Brit played with the umbrella of her cocktail drink. Inside their favorite booth of Splurge, it was like time hadn’t passed.

Only, it had. Nikki now had a baby with her husband Cole, besides her twin boys she’d had from a prior marriage. Lara continued single and ready to mingle, and Brit—she was dating Violet’s ex, Damian. Not weird at all.

When she’d returned home and told them they could go on dating, she didn’t think it would last—not deep down anyway. But turned out they made a cute couple, which only hurt her even more. You can’t complain now. You gave them your blessing.

She’d cried quietly after, but then reminded herself she’d done this to herself—she’d chosen to leave her husband, family and friends behind to focus on the postpartum psychosis hallucinations testing her sanity. And she had to deal with the consequences, no matter how unpalatable.

“I had no choice,” Violet said. “I can’t lose my job.” Or get her insurance rate up, or get a bad rap for what had happened. Women outside the workforce for years and fresh from a mental wellness center didn’t necessarily have awesome job opportunities thrown at them.

“What’s his name again?” Nikki asked.

“Theo Brodeur.”

“What?” Nikki squealed. “I’ve heard that name before. Hold on.” She fished her cell phone out of her bag, and within a couple of seconds, squealed again. “Damn, girl.”

Nikki lifted the screen to her other friends, and catcalls and whistles followed.

“I wouldn’t mind giving this sex-on-a-stick a couple of lessons,” Lara said.

“Well done, Vi,” Brit said, fanning herself. “He’s really hot.”

Violet shook her head violently. “You are getting it all wrong. This evil man blackmailed me into tutoring his daughter. He’s not taking me on a date. He’s twisting my arm.” And putting me in an impossible position. Thank God Clark hadn’t called her yet, so she had more time before she faced him after he returned from his trip.

“I’d like to twist his—”

Violet waved Lara off. “Don’t you dare.”

“Fine.” Lara rolled her big, brown eyes. “I’m just saying…”

“What are you going to tell the principal?” Brit asked.

Violet touched her necklace, fiddling with the pendant. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying hard to ignore the chilly sensation spreading in her stomach. At last, she had some sense of normalcy in her life—and Theo threatened to take it all away. “I’m taking suggestions.”

“Try honesty,” Nikki suggested.

Lara snorted. “Honesty might get her fired. She agreed to tutor the girl for self-serving reasons.”

Violet chewed on her lower lip. “I’ll come up with something.” Maybe that would be her first big mistake. Make it second or third big mistake. Aaah, who’s counting? “Maybe I can buy some time.” Not time enough, though.

Theo had summoned Violet to start tutoring his daughter on Sunday. A smart, bold move on his part, probably to ensure she’d hold up her part of the bargain before the week rolled in.

“I have to pee again,” Nikki sighed. “Pregnancy blows. Excuse me, guys,” she said, scooting out of the booth.

“I’ll go too,” Lara said, following her.

Violet grabbed the menu and skimmed her options.

“Hey, Violet?” Brit said, getting her attention. “I’m glad I have you alone for a few minutes. I’ve been wanting to tell you something in person.”

“Yeah?” Violet made a mental note to try the shrimp salad.

“Damian asked me to marry him,” she said, a trace of nervousness in her voice.

Violet sat the menu to the side and swallowed. One of the few good things her narcissistic mother had taught her from a young age had been to keep her composure at all times. So, besides the fact her heart leaped from her chest to her throat, she forced a neutral smile to her friend and said in a gentle voice, “Wow. Congratulations.”

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