Page 17 of Just a Little White Lie

“Hello.” My voice is croaky, and I wince, struggling to sit up.

“Lauren Fillion?” a man asks.

“Yep, that’s me.” I clear my throat and run my fingers through my hair, gritting my teeth when I hit a knot.

“Good morning. My name is Erik Van Weiss, and I’m the deputy principal at Haven Academy.”

Of course I get a call from the fancy-pants school!

“I was delighted to receive your email this weekend. Your résumé is very impressive.”

I blush.Really? It is?

“I was hoping you’d be free to come in today,” he continues. “We’ve been short on relief teachers this year, and we’ve got some gaps to fill. If you could step up, you’d be saving my bacon.”

Wow, they must be desperate if they’re offering me the job without even meeting me first. But it’s not unheard of… and my résumé is obviously speaking for itself.

“Um…” I wince and squeeze my eyes shut. “Sure. Of course.”

“Wonderful. With all your experience, it’ll be an honor to have you.”

I frown, scratching the top of my head.What is he talking about?

“School starts at 8:40 a.m., so if you could be here at 8:10, that’ll give me time to show you around.”

“At 8:10 a.m.,” I mumble, then look at my clock and bulge my eyes. That’s only an hour to get ready! I fling the covers off and jump out of bed while the guy describes where to park and how to get to the office to sign in for the day.

I make agreeable noises as I run to my suitcase, which I still haven’t unpacked properly, and start rummaging for “fancy-pants school” clothes.

“See you soon.” Mr. Van Weiss sounds way too happy for this hour of the day.

“Okay. Bye now.” I throw a red shirt over my shoulder and keep digging.

After much deliberation, I settle on my fitted pencil dress. Its subtle tartan pattern and businesslike design screams brick buildings and posh hallways. Paired with my nude four-inch heels, I’ll look perfect for that part.

“Tie my hair up. Natural makeup.” I rush for the shower, scrambling through a quick wash before spending a decent amount of time putting my envisioned look together.

With two minutes to spare, I check out my reflection and feel confident that I am going to crush this thing.

Watch out, Haven Academy—here I come.

Let’s hope it only takes fifteen minutes to drive to the school.

I rush into the kitchen. Luke’s at the dining table, all set up for a day’s work at home.

“You got a call?” He stands up with a grin. “Excellent.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s great.” I snatch a travel mug from the cupboard. “How long does it take to get to Haven Academy?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“Crap! I’m going to be late.”

“Don’t stress. Just drive carefully, and you’ll be fine.” He takes the mug off me and pours some coffee into it before screwing on the lid nice and tight.

I manage to burn my tongue on the first sip and let out a hefty string of curses.

Luke starts laughing as he grabs his keys off the hook and double-checks that I know how to drive a manual.

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