Page 112 of Grin and Bear It

“I’ll send you a meeting invite via email with the time,” she said, before nodding and walking off, not waiting for a response.

Pre-sleuth Ellie would’ve been nervous. She would have scurried off to class, going above and beyond, feeling like somehow that June was watching me. But I didn’t now. I made my way up the hall, weaving between students when the bell went and arriving at my classroom door, feeling like somehow I was in this protective bubble. I smiled as the kids filed into class and then asked, “Who’s got some good news to share?” when they were all settled.

I did.

It felt like a secret little flame flickering in my chest, burning, burning, keeping me warm, no matter what happened during my day.

“You look… different,” Meg said when I came into the staffroom for lunch.

“Nope,” I replied, grabbing my lunch from the fridge, but I was unable to stop my lips from curving into a smile.

“Yes, you do.” Her eyes narrowed as she peered at me over her chicken and salad wrap. “What happened? You get laid or something?”

“Pfft!” I made a noise of disgust and then shoved my sandwich in my mouth, lest the truth come out.

“You did!” Meg crowed, her gaze sharpening as she looked me over more closely, others in the staffroom turning around and smiling at the attention, but before she could interrogate me further, Sally, our year coordinator, came in.

“Guys, have you got your report comments uploaded?” she asked with a sigh. “June’s looking them over now and she’s about to start taking the heads of those people who haven’t put them on the school server yet.”

“Shit!” I yelped, aware that most of mine were up, but not all. I got to my feet and exited the staffroom, glad to be out from under Meg’s inspection, but once I’d uploaded the rest of my report comments I found my hand reached for my phone, not my lunch.

Cole had sent some photos of his progress painting my house. Most were wall shots, showing how good the place looked now, at least from the exterior. Another was a goofy selfie of him throwing a thumbs up and a hopeful expression, a newly painted wall behind him. But then there was the video. He looked around warily, then ripped his shirt up and over his head, settling that broad back against one of my walls and then spun a clean paintbrush around his fingers with a look that felt like it burned through my phone screen. I stopped the video abruptly, feeling my heartbeat start to race.

I flicked then to the next message.

Got zapped fixing someone else’s shoddy wiring, Tyson wrote.Still wasn’t as electrifying as being with you.

God… I groaned at the cheesy line, but somehow my grin widened.

The next message was a picture of Nash and Lin taking a selfie together.

Finishing off this job today, Nash wrote.We always do work real well together.

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, the echoes of the pleasure I felt when between the two of them feeling out of place, bad in a work setting, but it didn’t stop the thoughts from coming. Instead, there was something forbidden, taboo, as my thumb moved to open a new message and add four recipients.

You’ve fed me, fussed over me…There was another big F to go there, but I didn’t tap that out.How about I return the favour?I forced my thumb to send the message.

You don’t need to do that.

We want to spoil you. You up for more tonight?

Let me take you out tonight, beautiful. A Bunnings sausage is a culinary delight, but I know this cute place…

My notifications went wild as each man made wilder and wilder offers. I shook my head as I read them all, some of their proposals entirely unsuitable for a school night but still… It was nice to be asked, for someone, or several someone’s to be so eager to show me a good time.

But this time, I wanted to be the one hosting.

I’ll cook, I tapped out.I can’t cook many things, but I can cook a lamb roast. Potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, all the trimmings. I’ll get some apple pie from the shops for desert.

I’d never cooked for Derek. In some ways, the lack of effort ran both ways, but suddenly that’s all I wanted to do. But I didn’t have to wait on tenterhooks for a reply, because they were instantaneous.

A beautiful woman and good food? Sign me up, Lin wrote.But as for dessert? Let’s see where the night takes us.

The bell went, letting me know I needed to stop being the sleuth’s prospective mate and go back to being Miss Jennings, but I got to read one last message before the kids came stampeding in through the door.

You wanna cook for us?Nash wrote.Not sure I like the idea of you working up a sweat in the kitchen. Prefer to do that other ways ;) But anything you make? It’ll taste like heaven. Be there with bells on. Just tell me what time.

I felt an echo of that golden pleasure I experienced each time I was around them, the feeling out of place in the classroom. But I had to push that to one side as I shoved my phone into my pocket and started the class.

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