My Best Friend's Dad

by Bella Winters

  I didn't know very much about Brett's family, but I did know that his father was incredibly wealthy. Thomas March worked for Steel Visions, Inc – a high-dollar consulting firm. There were always whispers about him at school. One of the other teachers, Michelle, had taught Brett the year before and I remembered her talking about Mr. March in the teacher's lounge. She'd been blushing the whole time.

  Thankfully, my students were well-behaved – even Brett, who kept his head down for most of the day. He still seemed sullen and quiet, and I wondered if he'd already gotten into trouble despite the fact that I hadn't disclosed yesterday's events to his father.

  By the end of the day, I was a nervous wreck. Thankfully, Ruth had helped out a lot – she'd taught the kids a new song during their music hour, and then she'd taken them to play soccer for the last hour of the day. They were exhausted and sweaty as they waited for their buses, and I sat nervously at my desk, trying to make myself look as organized as possible.

  At three-thirty on the dot, there was a knock at my door. I glanced up to see a gorgeous older man walking towards my desk. I guessed he was in his late forties, with tanned skin, brown eyes, and dark brown hair shot through with silver.

  “Hi, are you Miss Rogers?”

  I flushed. “Please, you can call me June.” I stood up and tried to make myself as tall as possible. I'm not a short woman, but Mr. March was so tall that I only came up to his shoulder.

  Mr. March gave me a tight smile. “Call me Thomas,” he said. “Hannah, in here!”

  I expected to see a little girl run into the room, but instead a gorgeous girl in her mid-twenties came waltzing in, wiggling her hips from side to side. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair and pale skin. I flushed again – was this his wife? His girlfriend?

  “This is my assistant, Hannah,” Thomas said. “Hannah, this is June – Brett's teacher.”

  Hannah smiled with her mouth but not with her eyes. “Pleased,” she simpered. She sat down and scooted close – very close – to Thomas.

  “Hannah's just helping me out with some things this afternoon,” Thomas said. “I hope you don't mind that she came.”

  Hannah glared at me.

  “No, it's fine,” I said quickly. “Look, I know you're probably really busy, so I'll get right to the point. Brett is a smart kid – I can tell, just by listening to him talk. But he's been picking on another student, even going so far as to yank her hair. He made her cry yesterday,” I added. “I'm sorry to be the one to tell you.”

  Thomas scowled.

  “That's just how kids are,” Hannah said flippantly. She tossed her blonde locks over one shoulder. “He probably has a crush on her.”

  “Hannah, please,” Thomas said curtly. “This isn't about you.”

  Hannah sulked and I had to suppress a grin.

  “That's a pretty outdated way of looking at things,” I said, trying to keep my voice as even as possible. “We take physical assault very seriously at P.S. 151, and Brett can't attack this girl again without being written up and sent to the principal.”

  Thomas nodded. He looked very stern, and a thrill shot down my back.

  “Of course,” Thomas said. “Please, discipline Brett as you see fit.” He sighed, raking a hand through his silver-threaded hair. “The family is...going through a bit of a rough time right now,” he added. “And it isn't fair for Brett to take his frustrations out on any of his classmates.”

  I nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and curiosity. Just what was going on with the family, and why was it bothering Brett? I glanced at Hannah again, wondering if she was Thomas's mistress.

  “Again, I apologize,” Thomas said. I could tell that despite his apparent lack of emotional warmth, he was sincere.

  “It's nothing,” I said. “I just want to make sure Brett is doing alright.”

  Thomas nodded. A muscle ticked in his clenched jaw. “Of course,” he said. “I promise, I'll have a talk with him and get this sorted out.” He sighed, checking his watch. “I'm sorry, but I have to run. Hannah, is everything ready for the Johnson appointment?”

  “Yes,” Hannah said in a chirpy voice. She looked at Thomas and I watched her eyes fill with passion. “But we'll have to leave now or else we'll be late.”

  Thomas gave me yet another apologetic-yet-distant smile. “Thanks again, June,” he said. “I hope you'll be in touch.”

  I nodded automatically. I couldn't help feeling stunned. The meeting hadn't gone the way I'd expected at all, and suddenly I was wondering whether or not that was a good thing. Thomas obviously cares about Brett, but it seemed like he was so busy that he hardly even had time for his son.

  Thomas stood up and reached for my hand. When I slipped my palm against his, I felt a spark leap from his body to mine. My stomach turned to a pile of warm mush inside my body and I shivered as Thomas gently squeezed my hand. No doubt about it, he was one of the most attractive men I'd ever seen in my life.

  “Thanks for coming in,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

  Thomas smiled, showing a mouth full of straight white teeth. “Any time,” he said perfunctorily. “Come, Hannah.”

  Hannah gave me a mocking smile before clicking out of the room on her five-inch heels. Thomas looked at me and for a moment, I could have sworn he was about to say something else. Then he sighed, turned on his heel, and followed Hannah out of the room.

  Chapter Two

  June

  Thomas stayed in my head the whole day – the whole weekend, in fact. By the time I went home, I couldn't stop thinking about his handsome face. He was beautiful in a sensual way that I didn't often see in American men. He looked distinguished, educated – almost like some professor of French literature.

  Angela was, of course, no help. She teased me endlessly as soon as she heard about “hot Mr. March” and I spent the whole weekend blushing at her jokes. Even when we went out to the movies, I couldn't stop thinking about him. It was totally inappropriate, and borderline creepy...especially considering the fact that he was likely sleeping with Hannah, who had seemed only a year or two older than myself.

  Monday morning, I was in the teachers' lounge when Andy, another fifth-grade teacher, came up to me and sat down. He was younger – probably late twenties – than a lot of other teachers at P.S. 151 and we'd sort of bonded over this in the past. But truthfully, I found him pretty uninteresting. He was one of those guys who seemed to only know how to talk about himself, and I could tell that we didn't have anything in common.

  “Hey, June,” Andy said. “How was your weekend?”

  Well, I spent it obsessing over the father of one of my students, I thought, blushing hotly.

  Andy smirked when he saw my blush. “That good, huh?”

  His comment made me blush even harder. “Nothing like that,” I said. “I just went to the movies with my roommate, that's all.”

  Andy nodded. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Suddenly I could tell that he was nervous.

  “Hey, listen, you wanna go to a play with me next weekend?” Andy kind of shrugged, glancing down. “I mean, I got the tickets from a friend – but he can't go now, and I thought you might want to.”

  My heart sank. I'd never suspected Andy of having a crush on me – he was one of those guys who was seemingly friendly but distant to everyone around him. But now I was starting to wonder if I'd been too naive.

  “I'm sorry, Andy,” I said. I swallowed. “I don't really feel right dating a coworker.”

  Andy frowned. “It doesn't have to be a date,” he said stubbornly.

  “Ask someone else,” I said gently. “I’m sorry, Andy, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now.” At least that much was true...even if I hadn't been able to get foxy Thomas March out of my head since Friday.

  Andy scowled. “Okay,” he said. “Sorry I bothered you.”

  I winced. The sarcasm stung, even though I probably deserved it. “Sorry,” I said, feeling lame. Andy pushed his chair back from the
table and got up, striding purposefully away. For a moment, I felt guilty. But then the bell rang, and I leapt up from my desk to get to class.

  Brett's behavior was much improved. He was quiet all day, even raising his hand to answer a few pre-algebra questions during math hour. I was still dying to know what was going on at home, but I didn't dare stick my nose where it didn't belong.

  When the kids were dismissed at the end of the day, I called Angela. She answered on the first ring.

  “Hey girl,” Angela said. “What's going on?”

  “I was thinking about going out for a happy hour or something,” I said. I gnawed my lip. Bars – especially bars in New York City – weren't really my thing, but after the week I'd had, I like I deserved a drink...or three.

  “Sounds good. If you can get to Brooklyn before five, we should go to Tio's,” Angela said, her voice rushed with excitement. “They have a deal – a slice of pizza and two beers for five bucks.”

  “Oh wow, definitely there,” I said. “I'll be there as soon as I can, meet you?”

  “Sounds good,” Angela said. “See you soon, girl.”

  As luck would have it, I ran into Angela while we were walking up from the subway. The grimy smell of the streets mixed with the garbage and fast food stalls. I'd always loved New York, but it was only just starting to feel like home. I'd grown up in New Jersey, and sometimes the idea of living in such a big city was still frightening...but with Angela, I was starting to really find my way around.

  “Tio's is right down here,” Angela said, pointing towards the crowded street. We quickened our pace, darting along the sidewalk as if we were running from something. By the time we got to the crowded bar, I was out of breath.

  'This is a nice area,” I said. I glanced around, seeing expensive hotels and restaurants. “I haven't ever been here before.”

  Angela nodded. “Yeah, I don't come this way very often myself,” she said. “But a bunch of guys from work told me about this place and it's off the chain.”

  I wrinkled my nose and peered inside. “It's really crowded. Should we try somewhere else?”

  Just as Angela was about to reply, I turned to the street and gasped. There, in a hotel bar right across the street from Tio's, was Thomas March. He was seated in front of a laptop with a pint of beer next to him. My heart skipped a beat and my breath was shaky for a moment as I watched his toned, hairy arms typing furiously away at the small computer.

  “That's Thomas,” I said, grabbing Angela's arm and pointing towards the bar. Angela cried out, dropping her hand.

  “Oh my god, June, don't be so obvious!” Angela stared, licking her lips. “Wow, you weren't kidding. He's really gorgeous.”

  I nodded, blushing furiously. I couldn't believe that I'd just shrieked and pointed at Thomas, like he was an exhibit in some kind of human zoo.

  “We should go say hi,” Angela said. She raised her eyebrow and smirked. “You know, just introduce ourselves.”

  “Oh, Ang, I can't,” I whined. “Come on, that's embarrassing!”

  But Angela was already crossing the street, her long legs making purposeful strides towards the hotel bar. Before I could catch up, she was darting into the hotel lobby and into the bar.

  My heart sank. I knew this was a bad idea – besides, what the hell would I tell Thomas. Oh, we just saw you from outside and wanted to say hi?

  I groaned. This couldn't be good.

  By the time I got inside, I was crestfallen to see Angela standing at the bar, flirting with Thomas. When she saw me, she gave a jerk of her head to the side.

  “Hey, June, over here!”

  Thomas turned around. When he saw me, he narrowed his eyes. I felt like melting into a puddle of June on the expensive hotel carpeting. After a few seconds, he smiled – but warily, almost the way you'd smile at a dog you suspected might bite you.

  “Hello, June,” Thomas said politely. I cringed. He couldn't have made it any more obvious if he'd tried.

  “Hi,” I said shyly.

  “Will you and your friend join me for a drink?”

  Angela made a wide-eyed face behind Thomas's back and I blushed.

  “This is my roommate, Angela,” I said nervously.

  “Hi, Angela. Very nice to meet you.”

  As soon as we sat down, I was sure Thomas was going to want to talk about Brett. But instead, he steered the conversation towards neutral topics. I could barely tear my eyes away from his gorgeous, leonine face. When he touched the back of my hand, I shivered.

  “Hey, June, you should tell Thomas about Sundays in the Park!”

  I wanted to cringe. “I'm sure he doesn't care about--”

  “What?” Thomas gave Angela a charming smile and turned in his stool. I cringed as Angela started talking about Sundays in the Park – a local event every week in the summer, sort of like an open mic in the Brooklyn park across from our apartment.

  As Angela talked, I realized that Thomas's glance kept turning back to his computer. Eventually, I grabbed Angela's hand.

  “Angela and I really should be going,” I said nervously. Angela kicked me under the bar and I yelped.

  Thomas gave me an amused grin. “Everything okay?”

  I nodded quickly. “We were just on our way to another bar,” I said.

  Thomas nodded. For a moment, I thought he was going to beg me to stay and I felt my heart swell inside my chest. But then he nodded and pulled out his wallet.

  “Please, allow me to pay for your drinks,” Thomas said. He smiled. “If I may.”

  Angela nodded quickly. “Of course!”

  I yanked her arm and glared as Angela mouthed 'what' to me over Thomas's head.

  “It was nice seeing you,” I said quickly. “We've really got to go, though.

  Thomas looked at me and grinned. It was the first genuine smile I'd ever seen on his face, and it sent warmth shooting through my body in a way that made me tremble.

  “Bye, June,” Thomas said. The way he said my name sent shivers down my spine. “I'll see you soon.”

  When Angela and I got out to the pavement, she burst out laughing and I glared.

  “What?” Angela demanded. “He's nice! And god, he's hot!”

  “I know,” I said morosely. “Trust me. I know.”

  –

  When I woke up the next morning, I knew that something had to change. I couldn't keep moping around, wishing for Thomas to suddenly think that I was the most desirable woman on the face of the planet. I was going to have to take matters into my own hands – and really make sure that I stayed as professional as possible.

  Andy was in the break room when I got into work. He was reading the paper and sipping coffee, and suddenly he seemed much more approachable than I'd originally thought. He didn't look up until I'd sat down next to him.

  “Hey,” I said.

  Andy didn't reply.

  “You mad at me?”

  Andy shook his head. “No,” he said. He gave me a funny smile. “Why would I be mad, June?”

  I blushed and shrugged. “I don’t know. Hey, I was thinking that maybe after school, we could get coffee.”

  Andy cocked his head to the side. “Like a date?”

  I nodded, blushing harder. See, that wasn’t very hard, I thought as I bit my lip. I just need to learn how to be confident around men. But I didn’t want to let my confidence get the best of me – after all, Andy was nothing like Thomas March.

  “Yeah,” I said finally. “I felt bad that I had to say no the other day…I just wondered if maybe we should get to know each other better.”

  Andy grinned. “Yeah,” he said. This time, he sounded more enthusiastic. “That sounds great.”

  I smiled. “Great,” I said. “Well, I’m going to class now. See you, Andy.”

  “Where should I meet you?”

  “Just come to my room at the end of the day.” I smiled, then I thought of Ruth. “Actually, no – you know what? I’ll meet you out front, how does that sound?”

&nbs
p; Andy nodded. “Cool,” he said. “See you, June.”

  I smiled at him one last time, then turned on my heel and walked down the hall.

  The day seemed to drag on and on. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I’d boldly (at least, I thought so) asked Andy for a date. I was feeling confident and excited…but part of me wondered if I was really doing the right thing.

  To make matters worse, Brett was behaving horribly. He dumped paint on one of the other kids, and he pulled Lila’s hair and made her cry twice in one day. Whenever I closed my eyes, I thought of his handsome father…but that didn’t mean I was going to let Brett off the hook. In the end, after multiple time-outs, I sent him to the principal’s office.

  Thomas is going to be angry, I thought as I gathered my things together at the end of the day. As much as I knew that I shouldn’t care, I couldn’t help it. After all, teaching Brett was my responsibility as a teacher. I couldn’t worry about what parents would think – even though teaching in modern times was nothing like it had seemed when I was growing up. Ruth, my teaching assistant, had almost gotten fired last year after disciplining a student for bratty behavior. The kid’s parents had threatened to sue, and it had taken a meeting with the school board in order for them to calm down. The worst thing was, Ruth had been praised for her actions by our principal…but now, New York City had become so litigious that we really had to be careful.