by Marla Monroe
She started to tell him to mind his own business, but he walked through the doorway and left her there speechless and so angry she swore she saw red. How dare he threaten her career like that. No one other than him seemed the least worried about her personal life. None of the other teachers had said anything.
Jessie looked around at the kids and the other teachers on duty around the room. Were they talking behind her back though? Had one or more of them said something to the principal or assistant principal? Now she was second-guessing her friendships with the other teachers.
She would approach Heather, one of the teachers she thought was close to her, and see if they were talking behind her back. If they were, she would need to do some serious thinking about her future. She loved teaching, but she also loved the guys. If it came down to picking one over the other, what would she do? Jessie wasn’t sure.
When the last bell rang dismissing the kids from classes for the day, Jessie gathered her belongings and followed them out of the room. She headed for the teachers’ lounge in hopes of catching Heather. The other woman usually had last period free and would sit in the lounge going over lesson plans.
Jessie was in luck, Heather was gathering her things when she walked into the room.
“Hey, Jessie. Glad school’s out for the day?” Heather asked.
“Yes. Are you having any trouble with your kids this week?” Jessie asked.
“Not really. Of course most of the kids like science well enough they’re at least interested. Why? Are you having trouble? I wouldn’t be surprised if you were,” Heather said.
Jessie tensed. “Why would you say that?”
“You teach literature. I love the classics, but a lot of kids think they’re boring and dry.”
Jessie sighed as the tension poured off her like raindrops on a windshield. “Yeah. The boys especially aren’t as into reading as the girls are.”
“Yeah, when we get to dissecting the pigs, the girls get all weird in my class, so I understand,” the other woman said.
“Heather, has anyone said anything to you about me dating Cole and Wesson?” she finally asked.
Heather’s brows furrowed, pulling downward slightly. “Not really. I mean there’s been some talk, but mostly it’s been envious. Why? Has someone said something to you?” she asked.
“Mr. Kelly, the assistant principal, is making noises that it could hurt my career. I was wondering if anyone else felt like what I was doing was wrong.”
“That’s absurd. You’re a great teacher, and nothing you do in your own time should affect your teaching,” Heather said.
“Thanks, Heather. I guess I’m sensitive because it’s all so new to me. I never would have thought about seeing two men at one time a few months ago. Now I’m in a relationship with two men who make me happy. I don’t want anything to sour the happiness. You know?” she asked the other woman.
“Then don’t let it. Mr. Kelly is a nosey old man whose wife left him for a younger man years ago. He’s pissy about anyone who’s happy when he’s miserable. Last year he harassed Darryl when he moved in with Matt, his lover. Nothing ever came of that, and it won’t with you either. He just made poor Darryl miserable and nearly cost him Matt in the process. Don’t let that happen to you.” Heather gave her a quick hug. “Got to run. Ned’s picking up the baby from his mom’s house after work so that gives me just enough time to do a little grocery shopping before they make it home.”
Jessie smiled as the other woman raced from the room. Several other teachers walked into the lounge talking about kids and subjects and everything in between. Jessie smiled at them as she passed them in the doorway. No one seemed to be paying her any attention, so she decided that Heather was right. Mr. Kelly was just a nosey busybody who liked to spread his own misery to anyone else he could.
She’d barely gotten in the door of her house when her cell phone dinged alerting her to a message. She pulled up the text and smiled. It was from Cole asking how her day had gone. She texted him back that it had been a good day despite the two unruly teenagers who hated literature.
He sent her an LOL and reminded her they’d pick her up after her fitting for her bridesmaid dress the next day.
She texted back that she couldn’t wait. She couldn’t. She was just as excited at the prospect of seeing them as she was of spending the time with Brenda and the other women in the bridal party.
Her next text came from Wesson asking her what she was wearing. She laughed and texted back that she was wearing granny panties and a long flannel nightgown. He’d texted back that she sounded like the sexiest granny he’d ever met. That had made her burst out laughing. He was incorrigible.
She read for a while but couldn’t get Mr. Kelly’s words out of her head. Could he compromise her position or any chances that she could one day land a job with the community college once she’d gotten some good experience in? She prayed he couldn’t. What would she do if he could? Jessie wasn’t sure. All she did know was that she loved teaching and she loved Cole and Wesson.
Chapter Eighteen
The next week Jessie worked hard with her students to make reading more fun for them. She’d chosen Lord of the Flies in hopes it would stir up some excitement with them. So far it seemed to have worked, and she was enjoying her classes again.
Even the two teens who’d disrupted the class the week before seemed to be enjoying this book. Of course it had a little of everything in it from romance to science fiction to fantasy. She hoped their grades would reflect it, as well. Several of the guys in her classes were skating a fine line between pass and fail.
Once school was over for the day, Jessie spent a little time in her room changing the bulletin board out and straightening the books she kept on shelves at the back of the class in hopes some of the kids would find one they enjoyed and wanted to read at home just for fun. It was nearly five when she finally called it a day and gathered her things to head home.
When she walked out into the parking lot, it was to find that her car and Mr. Kelly’s truck were the only ones still left in the parking lot. He was leaning into the back seat when she walked up.
“Hey, Mr. Kelly. Is everything okay?” she asked.
He jerked and spun around with a startled expression pulling his mouth into an O shape. Then he looked furious with her, his face drawing down into a scowl.
“What are you staring at?” he demanded.
Jessie frowned and took a step back. “Nothing. I was just asking if you were okay.”
She thought she’d caught a glimpse of something shiny in the back seat of his truck, but he was standing in front of it now, so she couldn’t see over his shoulder.
“Are you spying on me?” he demanded.
“No. Look, I’m just going to go home now. I can see that you don’t need any help.”
She started toward her car, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist. The bite of his fingers into her skin drew a soft cry from her. He immediately let go and scowled at her. His short black hair stood up at the back. Together with his odd behavior, Jessie was a little afraid of him. When she’d first met him back before school had started he’d seemed nice enough, but over the past few months, he’d seemed to change into someone she didn’t know.
She backed away from him, afraid to turn her back for some reason. She’d never been particularly afraid of another human being before, but she was of Mr. Kelly now. That thought bothered her. She shouldn’t feel that way about one of her bosses.
Just as she started to turn away, he moved to close the back door to his truck, and she caught a clear glimpse of what looked like a rifle lying on the back seat. She nearly hesitated but quickly turned and walked quickly toward her car. What was he doing with a gun in the back of his truck and on school property? They were a gun-free campus. Plus, it had been lying in plain sight on the back seat. Anyone could have seen it or broken in and stolen it.
Jessie locked her car door as she started it up to drive home. More than likely he’d
had it covered up before she’d surprised him. Still, why would he have a gun? He didn’t strike her as the type to hunt, and it wasn’t hunting season as far as she knew.
By the time she’d made it home, she was a nervous wreck and had several text messages from the guys she needed to answer. Jessie gathered her things and hurried into the house, locking the door behind her. She was spooked, and she didn’t know why.
Her cell rang just as she’d dropped her things on the island in the kitchen. She answered it in a breathy voice.
“Hello?”
“Hey there, babe. You didn’t answer our texts. We were worried,” Wesson said.
“Sorry, I was driving. I stayed late at school to tidy up the classroom. How are you guys doing?” she asked.
“Good. Finished painting the barn and damn glad of it, too. Fucking hate painting. Glad the house is mostly brick. Won’t have to paint nearly as much when times comes for that.”
“Is it hunting season for anything?” Jessie asked before she knew she was going to ask it.
“Hunting season? No. Why?” Wesson asked.
“Nothing. I thought I saw a gun in the back of the assistant principal’s truck, but I must have been mistaken. I only caught a glimpse of something long and metal and assumed it was a gun.”
“I thought it was illegal or something to have guns on school property,” Wesson said.
“It is here. That’s why I’m probably wrong about what I saw. Had to be something else.” Jessie doubted Mr. Kelly would have broken the rules when it wasn’t even hunting season.
“Does he know that you saw something?” Wesson asked in a much quieter voice.
“Well, yeah, but I didn’t really see much since he covered it up real quick.”
“Was he upset that you might have seen it?”
“He doesn’t really like me anyway, Wesson. So yeah, he was upset.”
“I don’t like it. Why doesn’t he like you?”
“Um, well, I think it’s because I’m dating you and Cole.”
“Has he said anything to you about it?” Wesson asked.
“Yes, he’s hinted that I could be ruining my career by seeing the two of you.”
“Fuck.”
“I don’t think he can do anything. Brenda’s talked with one of the ladies on the board of supervisors, and she’s in a ménage relationship, as well. I honestly don’t think he can do anything.” Jessie hadn’t planned on telling the guys about the man’s threats, but now it all seemed more important.
“Is your door locked?” Wesson asked.
“Yes. I always lock it when I’m home. You’re scaring me, Wesson. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t trust this assistant principal. If he is carrying a weapon to school, he’s dangerous. I’m going to call the sheriff and get him to look into it. You stay where you are and don’t let anyone in but him or us. Got it?” he asked.
“Wesson. I’m not even sure what I saw was a gun. It could have been something else. Do we really need to do this?” she asked.
“What if it was a gun and he’s going to go crazy while at work? He could kill or hurt a lot of kids, babe,” Wesson said.
“Okay. I just hope this is all a terrible mistake,” she said.
When Wesson had hung up, Jessie grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and walked into the bedroom to change into jeans and a pullover shirt. She needed to rake leaves, but Wesson had made her promise to stay inside with the doors locked. Instead, she curled up in her favorite chair and read on her e-reader.
A knock on her door startled her. She lowered her feet to the floor and walked over to the door.
“Who is it?” She asked.
“It’s the sheriff. Wesson called me.”
Jessie unlocked the door and let the other man inside. He stood just inside the doorway and closed the door behind him. Jessie waited while he pulled out a pad and pen then told him what she’d seen.
“Like I told Wesson, it might not have been a gun. It was straight and shiny. I don’t know why my first impression was that it was a gun, but that’s what I thought. It might not have been one at all.”
“Why would he have blocked your sight of it if it hadn’t been one?” the sheriff asked.
“I don’t know. He isn’t really a fan of mine. He probably just didn’t want me looking over his shoulder. Honestly, I wish now that I hadn’t walked over to see if he needed any help.”
“Not a fan of yours? What do you mean by that?” the sheriff asked.
Jessie filled him in on the various statements Mr. Kelly had made to her over the last few months. The sheriff wrote everything down on his little pad then nodded and left, reminding her to lock up behind him.
The entire incident, along with the visit by the sheriff, had strained her nerves to the point she needed a long hot bath to relax so that she could sleep that night.
The next day at school proved uneventful. She didn’t see Mr. Kelly at all and noted that his truck wasn’t in the parking lot when she got ready to leave that afternoon.
Since it was Friday, she and Brenda were planning their usual Friday night pizza night. She changed clothes and was just about to leave when something flew past her shoulder and the sound of breaking glass had her screaming as she ducked down. She instantly knew someone had shot at her. She heard the sound of squealing tires outside the window. She hurried over to look out in time to see a white truck that looked like the one Mr. Kelly had driving off in a spray of gravel. Had her assistant principal really just shot at her?
Jessie hurried over to her purse that she’d dropped on the ground and fished out her cell phone. She called the sheriff’s office and reported what had happened. Then she called Brenda to cancel their dinner date. Brenda was nearly hysterical by the time she’d gotten off the phone with her. Then she dialed Cole’s phone. He was the calmest of the two men. She didn’t want to have Wesson go crazy with worry and end up wrecking on the way to see about her. Because Jessie knew they’d come to see about her.
“Hey, beautiful. How was school?” Cole asked.
“Hey, Cole. Look. I’m fine, but someone shot at my house tonight and—” she began.
“What the fuck? Someone shot at you? Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Just scared.”
“Did you call the sheriff’s office?” he asked.
“Yes. Someone is supposed to be on the way.”
Jessie could hear him talking to Wesson in between talking to her. Finally she heard Wesson demand that he put her on speaker phone.
“Jessie, babe. Please tell me you’re sitting down somewhere away from any windows,” Wesson said.
“I’m sitting in the kitchen waiting on the sheriff. I’m fine, Wesson,” she said.
“We’re heading your way, darling. Stay on the phone with us until the sheriff gets there,” Cole said.
“I’m fine, guys. You don’t have to drive all the way out here. I know you’re exhausted from working today.” Jessie knew it was futile to try and talk them out of coming to see about her, but she tried anyway.
“Of course we’re going to come see about you. Someone just shot at you,” Wesson said.
She could hear that they were getting in their truck as the doors slammed and one of them started the vehicle. Her heart warmed at the realization that they would always want to take care of her if she’d let them.
“I can hear the sirens now, guys,” she said.
“Make sure of who it is before you open that door,” Wesson called out over the sound of the truck’s engine.
She listened to them until someone pounded on her door. She checked to make sure it was the sheriff’s office before letting them in.
“I’ve got to go, guys. The deputies need me to tell them what happened. I’ll see you when you get here,” she told them.
“On our way, babe. We’re on our way.”
* * * *
Wesson was beside himself with anger. Someone had shot at Jessie. Again. Who was thi
s asshole? Why had he focused on her?
The moment they pulled in next to the sheriff’s SUV, he was out of the truck striding toward the house. He needed to see Jessie for himself to know that she really was okay. Just thinking about someone harming her had his blood pressure through the roof and his heart racing like a runaway horse.
He could feel his brother right behind him as he reached the door to Jessie’s house. A deputy stood just outside on the tiny front porch and put up his hand to stop them.
“Sorry, sir, but you can’t go in there,” he said.
“Bullshit. That’s our woman in there. Someone just took a shot at her, so there’s no way you’re keeping us out,” he said in a low snarl.
“Jessie!” Cole called out.
“It’s okay, deputy. You can let them in.” The voice of the sheriff came from the other side of the deputy.
Wesson stomped into the room with Cole behind him. The first thing he saw was all the crime scene paraphernalia in the living room. Yellow markers were sitting in various spots around the room, and a large circle was drawn around a hole in the opposite wall from the window. It was just about the spot where Jessie’s head would have been had she been walking from the bedroom into the living room. Frigid cold shards of ice cut through his veins.
“Are you okay, babe?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
“I’m fine. Just a little shaken up,” she said.
He stood back slightly so that Cole could reach her, as well. He turned to the sheriff with a murderous burn in his gut.
“You’ve got to stop this guy before he kills someone. I take it this time he used real bullets,” Wesson said.
“Yeah. He did. He’s upped the stakes for sure,” the sheriff said.
“What are you doing to stop him?” Cole asked.
“Everything we can, Cole. Everything we can.”
“They may have someone to look into now,” Jessie said.
“What do you mean?” Wesson asked.
