Temptation

by Kris Bryant

  At that exact moment, Brook Wellington slowed to pull into the driveway. Noah rolled down the window and waved from his booster.

  “Hi, Cassie. Who’s that?”

  Feeling guilty for absolutely nothing, I glanced at Brook, who lifted her sunglasses, I guess to get a better look at us. I wanted to die. Lacy was still in my arms, and I was wearing sweats and a faded sweatshirt.

  “Hi, Noah.” My voice was surprisingly calm. “This is my best friend Lacy. We’ve known each other for years.”

  Lacy leaned down to get a better look. “Hi, Noah. It’s nice to meet you.” Her voice changed when she spoke to Brook. “Hello. I was just leaving.”

  “Hello, Lacy. There’s no reason to rush. Have a good day.” Brook slipped the sunglasses back on her nose, rolled up Noah’s window, and drove through the now-open gate.

  “That’s your boss? Holy shit.”

  “Right? She’s gorgeous. And probably super pissed at me for whatever reason.” I’m sure it was because I was outside the estate looking like I just cleaned out the garage. The neighborhood knew Brook had hired a nanny. I was sure I was the topic of many households. At least the parents at the school weren’t as curious about me as they were in the beginning.

  “Yeah. She doesn’t look thirty-eight at all. All blond and beautiful. You are in big trouble, my friend. Big trouble.”

  I heard her laughing as she drove away. Lacy was right. I was going to have to keep my distance from Brook, because she was everything I wanted and everything I couldn’t have.

  Chapter Six

  I’d prefer it if your friends park inside the gate. I don’t want any unnecessary attention. I’m sure you understand.

  I sat up when I read Brook’s text. Fuck.

  I’m sorry. I’ll keep that in mind for future guests, but really only Lacy and my grandmother will ever see my apartment. Oh, and I got a car today, so I can park it in the driveway. I promise it doesn’t leak. I added the fingers-crossed emoji for a personal touch.

  Then you can park inside the garage. I’ll leave the opener on the counter Monday.

  Thank you.

  Well, that didn’t leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. I’d gotten a text earlier from Lacy saying how cute Brook and Noah were. I thought she was going to say more, but she dropped the subject. I would have liked to talk about it since the only other person who knew I was working for Brook was Nana. And she wasn’t as much fun. She was more about the actual job and less about my gorgeous boss.

  I tossed my textbook onto the couch. I just wasn’t feeling it today. It was Sunday, and even though I had a test coming up, I wasn’t in the mood. Six weeks into the semester, and I was already behind. I needed to spend some time on campus, but I was still nervous about not being at Noah’s school at three thirty. He was such a sweet kid, and every day I was learning more and more about him. He was bright, imaginative, and even though I maintained a healthy distance, I couldn’t help but get emotionally involved.

  I’d run into Lauren twice. When her code at the gate didn’t work a few weeks earlier, she gave me an earful after I had to buzz her up the driveway. I simply smiled at her, nodded more than I should have, and buckled Noah into his booster seat safely. He waved when they pulled away, and I smirked at Lauren. My loyalty was to Brook, but I was definitely interested in Lauren’s story. Did she walk away from this fortune, or did Brook kick her to the curb? Was there someone else? For either of them?

  I had so many questions and couldn’t find anything on the internet. Brook was extremely private. I pulled up only a few photos of Noah, and most of those were family photos arranged by the Wellingtons. Brook wasn’t on social media at all. I didn’t blame her. There was nothing worse than getting sucked down the Instagram hole for hours at a time looking at this movie star or that singer’s life in photos. Plus, Brook didn’t strike me as the kind who had the time to do that.

  My phone dinged again, and I cringed, thinking it was Brook, but it was actually Trina, Noah’s teacher. I sat up.

  Do you have time to help us with the fall festival? It’s in two Saturdays.

  Even though my weekends were free, I usually holed up to study.

  Sure. What do you need me to do?

  Well, most likely run a booth and help with signs. This week in art class we’re making signs, so if you have time, stay and make a few signs with us.

  Sounds like fun. Count me in.

  The weather usually made a harsh change around Halloween, but it was still enjoyable mid-October. A quilted flannel shirt, long underwear, jeans, boots, and a scarf was my normal go-to wardrobe this time of year, but I thought I might have to class it up a bit. I didn’t feel comfortable wearing leggings to pick up Noah, even though I changed into them for school. Sometimes I got dirty in lab, and I didn’t want to ruin my nice clothes. I doubted the Wellingtons would appreciate the ultra-casual look of leggings associated with their unblemished name.

  Thanks. We can talk about details tomorrow. See you then!

  Trina was nice. And cute. Was she single? But it was a very bad idea to try to date Noah’s teacher. That was against most corporate rules. Don’t date people in your department or even within the company. If things went badly, I would have to see and talk to her every day until Noah hit second grade. And I doubted Brook would be a cheerleader for us.

  I turned on the television to drown out my thoughts and picked my textbook back up. I liked print books rather than ebooks, even though they were more expensive. Something about having an actual book in my lap kept me grounded. With my tablet, it was too easy to hit a tab and surf the internet and lose valuable study time to ten thousand videos of kittens playing or dogs reacting to their military owners returning home after a tour overseas.

  I didn’t remember falling asleep, but nine hours later the kink in my neck told me I should have tried to drag myself to the bed when I woke up long enough, responsible enough, to set my alarm. I stretched and took a hot shower, which helped, but didn’t quite get me to a hundred percent. I poured a cup of hot tea. I slipped on gray wool pants and a thin black sweater. I pulled my hair back into a twist, applied enough makeup to be noticed, and headed over to the house. I was a few minutes early, but I didn’t think that would matter.

  “Good morning, Cassie.”

  “Good morning, Brook.”

  She gave me a look-over, not discreet about it at all. “You seem very tall today.”

  I tried not to smile. “The one good thing about autumn. I can wear boots with heels. It always puts me in a good mood.” Without shoes on, I was five foot nine inches. With these boots, I was just under six feet tall.

  It was her turn to try not to smile. She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Noah was feeling a little bit under the weather last night. He still wants to go to school, but if he starts feeling weak, you might get a call. If you have tests today, just let me know, and I can make other arrangements.”

  “I’m fine. We shouldn’t have a problem.” I smoothed the front of my sweater, because keeping eye contact with Brook was unnerving. She must have sensed my unease because she quickly poured coffee in her travel mug, nodded, and headed out the door. I let out a sigh. She was intense. Did she know I was attracted to her?

  “I don’t want to go to school early today. Can we sit and watch TV?” Noah walked into the kitchen, his shirt untucked and no socks or shoes in sight.

  “After you eat a little bit for breakfast and put socks on. How are you feeling? Your mom said you had a rough night.”

  He wiggled onto a chair at the kitchen table. “I feel okay. Can we have pancakes today?”

  Fuck, really? Pancakes? Why couldn’t it be simple like cereal, oatmeal, or toast? “Let me dig around in the pantry. Remember, I’m not Patrick. I can’t whip something up out of nothing.”

  He smiled. “I know. If we don’t have the stuff, we can have eggs. You can make those, right?”

  “I made you eggs just last week. You already know I can. And I’m pretty sure you ate
your eggs and then tried to steal mine.”

  That earned a soft laugh. “I did not. I asked if you were done.”

  “I’d just sat down at the table. Of course, I wasn’t done.” I’d ended up giving him half of my scrambled eggs that morning. Noah was warming up to me nicely, and I wanted to keep developing our relationship, even if that meant I had to eat fruit for breakfast instead of bacon and eggs from time to time. I checked the pantry. Patrick didn’t have pancake mix hidden in there, but I thought maybe Brook used it on the weekends. I eyed the stash of sugary cereal but decided it wasn’t mine to spoil him with. “Sorry, buddy. Looks like you get scrambled eggs instead. How about you go find something on television, after you put on your socks, and I’ll bring breakfast into the living room.”

  “Really? We can eat on the couch?”

  Oops. That was probably a mistake. “Only because you had a rough night, and this will have to be our secret.” I knew it was futile to swear him to secrecy. I just hoped this wasn’t enough to have Brook talk to me about it. Our communication had been minimal at best. And as much as I wanted to get to know her better, it was for the wrong reasons. I’d been working for her for almost two months and knew as much about her now as I did when I first started.

  To say Brook was private was an understatement. I knew she liked her coffee black, she rarely wore the same outfit twice, and she liked to speed. I didn’t know if she was dating, what kind of music she liked, or what she did in her very sparse spare time. The clock dinged, telling me it was seven thirty and I needed to get moving. I had a plate of cheesy scrambled eggs and a slice of toast on Noah’s lap in fifteen minutes. “What are we watching?”

  “Pokémon.”

  “You’re welcome.” I plopped next to him with my own plate of eggs and toast.

  “Thank you.” He was polite, even if I had to remind him on occasion.

  “What’s Pokémon?” I knew, but I wanted him to talk to me. I brushed his blond hair away from his forehead, partly to see if he was running a fever today. He launched into the description of the game and how it’s now a television show and how he plays it on his iPad at school sometimes and at home when his mom allows him. He was animated and excited, and I knew this kid was going to be a gamer. “Don’t forget to eat. We only have a few minutes left before we have to leave.”

  “I like this stuff on the toast,” he said and held up the piece for me to inspect it.

  “It’s cinnamon and sugar.” I tapped the side of his leg. “Finish up. I have to clean up the mess I made. I want shoes on your feet and a belt around your waist in five minutes.”

  The dishwasher was loaded and ready to go by the time Noah returned with his backpack in hand.

  “Seven minutes.” I folded my arms across my chest and leaned up against the counter.

  “I couldn’t find my belt.”

  “Tuck your shirt in. Let’s go.”

  He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked with me. I melted as he slid his tiny fingers in my hand and didn’t let go until I had to set the alarm. “Get yourself buckled into the car.”

  We made it to school with five minutes to spare. Al let me park out front and high-fived us as we dashed up the stairs and into the building. I signed us in and grabbed a visitor’s pass, much to Noah’s surprise, and walked him to class.

  “Cassie. So nice to see you again.” Trina’s smile was infectious. I smiled back at her. She looked adorable in her wool skirt and cream-colored sweater, and I loved her knee-high boots.

  “Thanks for thinking of me for the festival.”

  She gently squeezed my forearm. “I’m going to put you to work, so you’ve been warned.”

  “Do you have time to talk about it now, or should I come back? We’re running late because Noah wasn’t feeling well last night, so I kept him home for as long as possible.”

  “I have lunch from eleven thirty until noon. It’s only a half an hour, but if you have time, we can have lunch here. I can introduce you to cafeteria food,” Trina said. She fidgeted with her watch and avoided eye contact when she suggested lunch.

  I made her nervous, which gave me confidence. I couldn’t remember the last time I made another woman nervous. Even though I had class today, I knew I could skip out early. This was far more important to my social well-being. “Not a problem at all. I’ll check in with Mary and meet you here?”

  She finally looked up at me. “That sounds good.”

  I lifted my eyebrow at her and smiled. “I’ll see you later.” I waved to Noah on my way out and returned my visitor’s pass to Mary, who pretended she didn’t know who I was. Then I headed back to the estate to switch out cars. Ecology lecture lasted from ten to noon and had a two-hour lab afterward, but I could skip out for an hour or so. I was riding a low A in that class, and even if I got docked for missing an hour, it’d be worth it.

  * * *

  “The food is actually good here. It’s not like public-school food.” Trina led me down the line, pointing out all the good things and steering me away from the bad.

  “It’s very healthy. Which is good,” I quickly added for fear that Trina was super healthy or vegan. I ended up with a veggie burger, sweet-potato fries, cole slaw, and a small piece of carrot cake. “This is a lot of food.”

  Trina swiped her card for both of our trays, and I followed her back to her classroom. Being there felt clandestine, or maybe I was being too hopeful.

  “Thanks for lunch.”

  She closed the door to her classroom, and my stomach jumped a little. She slid a chair to the other side of her desk. “You’re welcome.”

  “So, tell me all about this fall festival. Is it to raise money for anything?”

  “It’s just a fun thing for the students and their families. The money goes back into the school for maintenance or a new facility, if needed.”

  “A new facility? Like what? This place is nicer than my school.”

  “You’re a student?” Her voice registered surprise.

  “Working on my master’s.” My chest puffed out a little bit. “I dropped out of medical school after a year and decided to get my master’s in environmental sciences.”

  “Wow. That’s impressive.”

  “Which part? Because if you ask my parents, they’d tell you nothing about my decision was impressive.” My bitterness was hard to hide. I needed to find some way to get over it. I briefly explained my parents’ decision to help me leave the nest.

  “That just makes you brave. I take it that’s the reason you’re working for the Wellingtons?”

  Touchy subject ahead. “Yeah. It’s a really good job that helped me out of a financial bind. I like Noah. He’s a fantastic kid.”

  “He really is. Quiet, but very nice and empathetic.”

  I watched Trina as she chewed her food. She was delicate the way she covered her mouth when she answered my questions and asked several of her own.

  “We have five minutes left, and we haven’t even talked about the fall festival. I know it’s to raise money for the school to design a sculpture out of gold. What will my part be?”

  Trina laughed until she almost choked.

  “Good news. I know CPR and have had one year of medical school. I’ll save you,” I said after it was apparent she was okay.

  “I love your dry sense of humor.” She took a drink of water, her eyes never leaving mine.

  Lunch just got a hundred times more interesting. I leaned back. “It’s obvious we aren’t going to accomplish a lot in the next five minutes. Are you interested in meeting me for coffee or a drink tonight? I work until seven.”

  “Sure. How about a drink at the bar at the Pearl?”

  “It’s my favorite place.” It really was. I wondered if Lacy worked tonight. Even though I was making money now, it was hard not to still want to cut corners by getting a free meal or two. I squelched the need to text her for a handout. I stood up when the bell signaling lunch was over blared over the intercom. Trina had to head down to the
cafeteria to retrieve her students. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight, and we can get down to business.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Trina said.

  I winked at her on my way out, stupidly putting it out there that I was interested. If nothing else, I knew women and how to read all the signs that they were into me.

  Chapter Seven

  My skirt was a little tighter than I remembered. I attributed the few extra pounds to the three meals I was eating a day versus grabbing something here and there whenever I had time and money. I wore a simple white blouse and switched out my boots. I spent a few extra minutes on my hair, styling it casually, and reapplied my makeup. I was treating this as if it were a date, but I honestly had no proof that Trina was a lesbian. I got the vibe from her, and I was rarely wrong, but I didn’t want to assume, especially since she was Noah’s teacher.

  The restaurant was packed, but I found Trina sitting at the bar sipping on a glass of white wine. She had on the same clothes she wore to school, and for a split second, I thought I’d read her all wrong. When our eyes met and her gaze traveled up and down my body, I had my answer. She was interested.

  “How are you?” After she moved her jacket, I slid onto the stool next to her.

  “I’m good. This seat is good real estate. What would you like to drink?” She signaled the bartender to get my drink order.

  “Hey, Cassie. I have a new single malt. Want to try a glass?” Rick was Lacy’s favorite bartender. She bragged about how he always filled her orders first. Lacy and I had spent many hours up at the bar drinking whatever Rick wanted us to try. I gave him the single nod, but I threw in a smile.