Page 62 of Don't Call Me Sweetheart

“Are you sure this is safe?” I eyeballed the pile of timber. It looked roughly the size of a pickup truck.

Jessica laughed. “Are you going to give us detention, Mr. Darlington?” she teased.

“Max,” I corrected. “You can call me Max.” Thoughtlessly, because in another two weeks, I wouldn’t be her mom’s boyfriend anymore. I would just be her principal. And it wasn’t exactly professional for a student to refer to the principal by his first name.

She cocked her head, studying me in a way that reminded me a lot of her mother. “We’ll see.”

Touché.

It stung a little, that even Jessica had doubts that Kate would keep me for long. Still, I couldn’t help but grin at the way she put me in my place. Teenagers were masters at making someone feel small. Plus, I liked her. I had liked her even before I knew Kate was her mom. I hoped she wouldn’t hate me when it was over.

“It’s perfectly safe,” Sam, who Kate had earlier introduced as Suzie’s husband, said from his station at the grill. “We do this every couple of years, even going back to when my parents ran the place, so the pit’s been dug out for at least a few decades now. It’s all dirt, so there’s nothing to burn other than the wood.”

“And it rained the last two days, so everything is pretty wet,” Kate added. She squeezed my arm reassuringly, which was cute. I was more curious than worried, honestly. “It won’t burn.”

“Then won’t the wood be too wet to burn, too?” I asked.

Sam shook his head. “We keep it covered with a tarp. It’s dry.”

“Also, we designate one adult to stay sober and keep an eye on the flames. The Fire Minder, if you will.” Luke grinned, raising his can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. “Congratulations, man. You’re it.”

“Quite an honor,” Eli deadpanned.

“Gee, thanks, guys,” I said dryly. “I’m touched at your faith in me.”

It was just as well, considering that there was no way in hell I would get even slightly tipsy in front of one of my students, especially when I was dating her mom. Not that I was going to say that out loud. Why ruin their fun? They took such delight in hazing and, and, to be honest, I was kind of enjoying it. It made me feel part of something brotherly. That was a new experience for me.

“Don’t worry, Max,” Suzie said. “I’m your second-in-command, so it’s not all on you. I decided to forgo a pump-and-dump tonight and just stick to water.”

“What’s a pump-and-dump?” I asked.

“I’m still nursing Carly, and everything I eat, so does she, including alcohol. When I have a drink, I attach a pump to my boobs, kind of like a cow milking machine, and let it do its job for twenty minutes or so. I dump that into the sink and give Carly a bottle of formula. So the next round of milk I produce is all good.” Suzie maintained eye contact while she said all this, without even a hint of blushing.

I, on the other hand, was pretty sure my cheeks were the color of a ripe tomato. But I shrugged off my discomfort. There was no reason for embarrassment. It was clear she was totally comfortable with all of it, and I certainly didn’t want to be the reason she felt otherwise.

“That sounds like a lot of work,” I ventured.

“It is a lot of work.” She beamed. “Thank you.”

Kate leaned in, using my shoulder for balance as she stood on her toes. “That was a test,” she whispered. “You passed.”

I lowered my mouth to her ear. “Oh,” I whispered back. “Yay.” Which wasn’t sarcasm at all. Suzie was one of Kate’s best friends, and I knew the friendship meant a lot to her. I wanted to pass any test Suzie gave to me.

We smiled at each other, our faces a mere inch apart, the tips of our noses almost brushing. It would take nothing at all to close that distance, to touch my lips to hers. An I like you kiss. The kind of light peck established couples gave each other as a sign of affection that was chaste enough to do in public without grossing out innocent bystanders and children.

But these were her friends. Her daughter.

So it had to be her move.

But god, I wanted it more than my next breath. It made no damn sense. Here we were, less than two weeks from termination of the relationship, and I wanted her to claim me in front of her friends and kid? Because introducing me as her boyfriend wasn’t enough, apparently. I wanted a kiss, too. It was pathetic, and a good way to set myself up for more pain than I had bargained for.

Which was exactly what Josh had warned me about.

Idiot.

But then she shifted, her lips so close a sheet of paper would be a tight squeeze between us, and I thought maybe I wasn’t so stupid after all. Maybe she felt the same way.

“Sorry I’m late!” a cheerful voice called out. “You would not believe it, but I got lost.”

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