by Donna Fasano
"So when do you plan on seeing Anna again?"
The question came from Jason, whose brows were lifted high.
One of Derrick's shoulders jerked up in a quick shrug. "I don't know," he admitted.
"The necking in the park was too much for you, eh?" Reece taunted. Then he pointed across the table. "Eight ball in the side pocket."
"No," Derrick said staunchly. "It wasn't too much for me. It's just that she's a little skittish. And I don't want to scare her off."
The eight ball dropped neatly into the side pocket.
"I won!" Reece called out. "Rack 'em up, Jason. The next game's between you and me."
"What makes you think she's skittish?" Jason asked, plunking all the balls into the plastic rack.
"Well..." Derrick began, sorry now that he'd brought up the subject, "it's just that she was a little hesitant about seeing me."
He remembered her words and still wondered what she meant by them. It wouldn't be a good idea. Trust me.
"She's hiding something," Reece piped up. "You can bet on it."
"Reece," Jason snapped, "how can you say that when you don't know a damned thing about the woman?" Then realizing what he'd said, his face grew scarlet with a flash of anger. "Damn it, Reece! You made me curse."
"And you did it like a true, red-blooded male, despite that skirt you're wearing," Reece grinned.
"You ass," Jason murmured. He snatched the cue stick from Derrick. "I'm going to win this game so fast, you'll be crying like a little boy." He bent over the table and aimed at the neatly arranged balls.
"But she did go out with you?" Reece looked pointedly at Derrick, his forehead puckered.
"Yes. She did."
The cue ball clattered into the others, and all of them scrambled around on the table, yet none went into a hole.
Jason looked over at Derrick. "And didn't you just finish telling us that when the two of you went out—to the public park—you couldn't keep your hands off each other?"
"Yes, I did."
Reece and Jason exchanged keen glances.
"Looks to me," Jason said to Reece, "like our friend here is conjuring problems where none exist."
Reece shrugged. "You know how those analytical types are."
"Exactly," Jason agreed.
Both men turned to Derrick and simultaneously asked, "So when are you seeing her again?"
Derrick actually turned red in the face. He shook his head. "Well, I am planning on going into school next week."
Reece and Jason remained silent, waiting for him to explain further.
"Anna sent a note home with Timmy," he told them. "Apparently she sent one home with all her students. It seems that no one signed up to help in class at the beginning of the school year. She has a project coming up and she needs some help. I plan to volunteer."
"Damn." Reece groaned. "You're going to be room mother?"
"Room parent," Derrick quickly corrected. "I'm going to be room parent." He pointedly ignored Reece by directing his next statement at Jason. "Anna is also organizing a Career Week. I think it's a great idea. Important enough for me to arrange my schedule so I can go in and tell the kids what it's like to be an accountant in the Navy."
"Oh, my," Reece sniggered, "Those kids will be peeing themselves learning about the exciting life of a military money man."
Derrick laughed despite himself, but that didn't prevent him from tossing a parting shot. "You know we're right. Come on, admit it. You really are an ass."
"But you do love me," Reece said. "I know you do."
"Anyway," Derrick said. "If I can get her to organize her project the same day I schedule to go in for Career Week, then I'll only have to take one day away from the office."
"Sounds as though you have it all figured out," Jason said.
"Just one thing—" Reece waited until both sets of eyes were intently on him "—there won't be much tonsil-tasting going on with thirty kids watching your every move."
"There is that," Jason commiserated. "You need to get the woman out on a date. Alone."
"I know," Derrick agreed. "And I plan to do just that when I'm in her classroom next week."
"Geez," Jason exclaimed, "look at the time. I have to get home before Gina starts missing me. She's been giving the sitter a hard time lately."
"Yeah," Reece said, "I need to go over Jeffrey's homework, so I need to go soon, too."
"Me too," Derrick said. "Tim's swim lesson will be over soon."
Jason placed his cue stick on the billiard table. "So, gentlemen, same time next week?"
"Sounds good to me," Derrick said.
The three of them started toward the door of the pool hall.
Once they were out on the sidewalk, Reece tapped Jason on the shoulder. "You know you quit the game because you were afraid I'd beat you."
Jason shook his head. "Only in your wildest dreams."
Derrick only laughed.
Chapter 9
"Okay, boys and girls—" Anna kept her tone quiet, knowing it was the quickest way to get the attention of all the students in her class "—we need to get our morning routine started. We have a big day ahead of us."
Her calm voice was in direct opposition to the excitement that coiled like a tight spring inside her belly. Derrick was coming into school today.
"Let's stand for the Pledge of Allegiance."
She murmured the memorized oath, but her mind was most definitely on other things—primarily Derrick and the oh-so-naughty feelings he conjured in her.
The man was devilishly sexy. And he was leading her straight down the path toward perdition. But what a way to go! She stifled a grin that tugged on one corner of her mouth as she said, "With liberty and justice for all." There was no other way to describe the man and what he did to her. There just wasn't.
"Everyone needs to sit down and take out a piece of paper," she said, "so we can write our daily weather report."
Immediately, small hands shot up into the air as children requested to use the pencil sharpener. It was part of the early-morning ritual, and Anna patiently took it in stride. After the Christmas holiday each year, she introduced a new rule that the boys and girls must remember to prepare themselves and their supplies before class actually started. Anna knew this was a normal part of learning responsibility.
As she waited for the line at the sharpener to dwindle, her mind drifted back to Derrick. The emotions that whipped through her body when she was with him were overwhelming. There was something about him that made her feel... gloriously sensual... stunningly beautiful, even though she knew there was nothing special about her looks. It was just that Derrick—
She blinked several times, suddenly cognizant of the utter silence in the room. The children were sitting at their desks, fresh, shiny faces staring expectantly at her. Her cheeks flushed with heat, and she made a silent vow to remain focused on the here and now.
"Who would like to give me a sentence describing the weather this morning?" she asked.
"It's sunny out," Eric said.
Radiantly sunny, she thought. When she'd stepped outside for the first time that morning, she remembered thinking the sunlight was somehow brighter. But that was ridiculous, and she knew it must have something to do with the ebullience bubbling through her at the thought of seeing Derrick.
Forcing herself to concentrate, Anna said, "Can you be a little more descriptive? Can you express what you mean without using the word it?"
Eric frowned deeply as he thought. Then his eyes perked up and he tried again, "The sun is shining."
"Very good." Anna turned to the blackboard and printed the words large enough so that everyone could see them. Then she pivoted on her heel to face her students again. "Anyone else want to give me a sentence about the weather?"
Amy raised her hand, but remained silent as she waited to be called on.
Anna was surprised. Amy was the shyest child in her class and never volunteered to speak.
"Yes, Amy?"
; "The leaves are pretty," the little girl said, her voice whisper quiet.
"Aw, Amy," Billy Davis said. "That don't have nothin' to do with the weather. You're dumb."
"Billy, name-calling is against the rules," Anna calmly chastised. "You know that, and you also know that the punishment for name-calling is missing ten minutes of today's recess."
She directed her gaze at Amy. "Actually, Amy, when the leaves change color, it has a lot to do with the weather. As the days get shorter and cooler, the green chlorophyll growth in the leaves dies and then we are able to see other colors. The plant process of turning sunlight into energy is called photosynthesis, and we'll be learning more about it during science over the next few weeks." Anna smiled at the child. "I like your observation. And I think it's great that you noticed how beautiful the leaves are becoming." Then she grinned. "They'll soon be as colorful as the paper leaves we've made as an art project."
Anna indicated the multicolored leaf shapes cut from construction paper dangling from the ceiling.
She spoke aloud as she printed the words on the board, "The leaves are turning pretty colors."
"Aw, geez—"
Anna's eyebrows rose as she shot Billy a stern look of warning over her shoulder.
"—but do we gotta say pretty?" the boy asked. "That's such a sissy word."
A couple of the other boys murmured in accord.
April, the peacemaker, piped up, "How about if we come up with another word that would fit for the boys to use?"
Pandemonium broke out for several seconds as various adjectives were bandied about. Finally the children settled on the word awesome, and Anna spelled out the word on the blackboard.
When she was about to ask for a third sentence for the weather report, Anna saw Amy's arm slip timidly into the air.
"Yes, Amy?"
The little girl took a moment to glance down at the floor before she spoke. "Miss Maxwell, I like awesome better than pretty," she said. "Can I use awesome?"
Anna watched as several other girls in the class bobbed their heads up and down.
Addressing everyone, Anna said, "You may use either word. But class, remember that the weather report is to be written as carefully and neatly as possible. Take your time and do the best you can."
And so the morning went. Reading, arithmetic and story time, all riddled with small, unexpected incidents that only children can create—incidents that kept Anna on her toes and loving her job.
At ten forty-five, Anna had the children take a quick rest room and water fountain break, and then she herded them back into the classroom for social studies. She'd worked hard contacting and scheduling some of the children's parents to come in for what she called Career Week. Mr. Styes, the school principal, had been impressed with Anna's idea to have the parents visit the classroom to talk about what they did for a living.
Anna had invited a secretary, a dentist, and an auto mechanic to explain to the children what their jobs entailed. The kids whose parents had come in to talk had been very proud. Today, Timmy had bragged several times that Derrick would be coming in. Anna was happy that the time for him to arrive had finally come. No, she had to admit, she was more than happy, she was ecstatic.
She was helping a little boy refasten his belt when a flurry of noise and activity near the door alerted her that Derrick had arrived.
"Okay, everyone," she said to the twittering boys and girls, "let's take our seats so we can welcome our guest."
The children scrambled to their desks, and Anna felt the atmosphere in the room condense with the excitement her students felt—the excitement she felt.
She walked toward the door. Or was she slowly sauntering? she wondered, and smiled.
Finally, Derrick's gaze lifted to her face, and Anna felt her physical reality slow to a crawl. His sexy, oh-so-kissable mouth tilted into a charming grin. His dark eyes glinted, clearly expressing to her that he was feeling the same kind of gut-churning excitement as she, and she found the knowledge... highly arousing.
She had to admit to herself that she felt just the slightest bit wicked for feeling titillated with twenty-eight little observers in the room. Striving for natural and normal behavior would be imperative. She grinned inwardly, noting that a little exhilaration would never hurt her—as long as she kept it to herself.
Anna smiled a welcome and offered her hand, just as she had to the secretary, the mechanic, and the dentist earlier in the week. "Hello," she said, her eyes riveted to Derrick's face. She was unable to stifle the extra warmth that crept into her greeting, the extra warmth that hadn't been present with the other parents.
His palm slid across hers—the contact warm, sensuous, surprisingly stimulating—and he grasped her hand.
"I'm so glad you could come," she said, the words coming out in a way that made her sound breathless and spent. It was the sight of his handsome face, she told herself, that had her feeling so out of control.
"I'm happy to be here."
The intensity of his gaze sent her a personal message—a message that let her know in no uncertain terms that she was the source of his happiness. A shiver coursed across her skin, and she pulled her hand from his before she surrendered to the urge to slip into his arms.
She turned quickly to her class. "Okay, boys and girls." She glanced out over the heads of her students, taking a moment to gather her wits about her. "I'd like to introduce Mr. Derrick Richmond. You all know Timmy. Mr. Richmond is Timmy's godfather. And he's here today to tell us—"
"What's a godfather?"
The enthusiastic query came from the back of the room. Anna stopped for an instant, debating over whether or not to answer the question. Moving from the door to her desk at the front of the room, she decided that the inquiry was sincere and the subject interesting enough to take a moment to explain.
"A godfather is a man who sponsors someone—in this instance, Timmy—at the time of baptism or christening."
"What's baptism?" another child asked.
"I was a baby when I was baptized," a little girl said. "I don't remember it, but my mommy told me all about it and showed me the beautiful dress I wore."
"My godfather gives me money on my birthday."
"I don't think I have a godfather."
"If he gives money, I'm gonna ask my mom if I can have one."
"Okay, everybody, quiet down," she said. "Remember the rule, one person speaks at a time."
She glanced over her shoulder at Derrick and smiled apologetically. Although she quickly brought her gaze back to her students, she was struck with the thought that there was something about Derrick's appearance—something that made her want to look his way again. However, she forced herself not to, knowing she had a job to focus on here.
The children quieted, and Anna went on, "We need to pay close attention to Mr. Richmond now. He's here to talk—"
She'd intended to shoot a quick glance his way as a polite means of including him in the conversation. But her eyes stuck to him like white, tacky glue, and the rest of her sentence was left unsaid as her gaze traveled down his body and she admired his Naval Reserve uniform.
The white, short-sleeved shirt was close fitting, its shoulder boards enhancing Derrick's broad shoulders. The razor-edge crease in the white trousers amplified his already-tall form. His white, round hat had a shiny black visor-type brim and an elaborately embroidered anchor on the front that looked quite dashing sitting atop his head. Standing there, with his arms at his sides, he looked strong, able to conquer even the mightiest of enemies. And she was filled with a sudden pride that he was part of the armed forces bent on protecting the country during times of war.
She had never in her life realized that she had a "thing" for men in uniform. But he looked so stinkin' sexy, she decided, her gaze riveted to his hat as he removed it and tucked it under his arm.
Dragging her eyes to his face, she could see that he knew exactly what she was thinking and feeling. And he was enjoying it!
She nearly gasped
aloud when he lowered one eyelid in a quick, yet undeniable, wink.
"I'm an accountant," he said, taking over her speech. "But as you can see from my uniform, I'm also in the Navy. I'm part of the Naval Reserves."
His voice became a drone and Anna felt as if she were in some slow-motion film as she moved behind her desk on shaky legs and sat down.
Never in her life had a man affected her this way. Never, ever. The weakness in her knees, the giddiness in her stomach, the excitement that heightened each of her senses; all of these things made her feel so... so... vibrantly alive.
She only half heard what he told the children, was only barely aware of her students' enjoyment. But on a subconscious level, she knew from the children's easy and animated reaction to him that he was making his complicated occupation understandable and interesting for the five and six-year-old boys and girls.
The kids were still asking questions some time later when the yard attendant came to the door to collect the children for recess.
She stood up and rounded her desk. "Children, we need to thank Mr. Richmond for coming in to visit us," she told them.
Everyone sang a chorus of thank-yous before rushing toward the door.
"Wait," Anna called. "I need you to come directly into class from recess. No dawdling. Because we're going to be making homemade pizza for our lunch."
The children shouted their glee.
"And Mr. Richmond has agreed to stay and help us."
There was another flurry of activity as the students filed out the door.
"Oh, Billy," Anna said.
The boy looked at her.
"Remember your ten-minute punishment."
"Aw," he said, scrunching up his face distastefully.
The yard attendant nodded at Anna and took Billy in hand.
Timmy was the last to approach the door, and before exiting along with the others, he stopped and turned to Derrick. "Thanks," he said, his little face beaming with pleasure.
