“The date went very well,” she replied quickly, trying to get the call back on track. Otherwise, they could end up on the phone all night. As she expected it to, the simple statement got her sisters’ attention.
“Did you kiss?” Kristen asked.
“Better yet, is he still there?”
Kayla rolled her eyes at Keirra’s irrational question, but Kristen interjected before she could respond.
“Silly, she wouldn’t have answered the phone if he was still there.”
Keirra sighed dejectedly. “You have a point.”
“Hey, you sound way more disappointed than you should,” Kayla protested.
Her sister laughed, and she scowled. Keirra had sounded disappointed at the fact that James wasn’t still there, but no more disappointed than she was. Still, she knew that it was too soon. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes. It was late, and she was ready to go to bed.
“I answered your question. Is there anything else?”
“Of course there is. Don’t forget that you grilled each of us after our first dates,” Kristen replied.
“Heck, you locked me in the house on mine,” Keirra added.
Kayla sighed at her sister’s drama. “Just so you know, that is impossible since you weren’t restrained inside the house anyway.”
“Yeah well, I had a guest that I couldn’t get rid of.”
Kayla scoffed. “I think that you should be thanking me for that considering the end result.”
Both of her sisters ignored that statement.
“So we will grill you now,” Kristen continued.
Kayla sighed before going into the details of her date with James. It was the only way that she was going to be able to have any peace. She included the kiss at the end, and they were satisfied, or so she thought.
“Do you think that he is the one?” Keirra asked.
Kayla sighed. Deep down, she knew that he was. She just had to be sure that she could deal with the issues that he came along with. She’d never run from tough situations, and she didn’t plan to start. “You know, Kristen, I think that he is.”
“Well, I am glad.”
She heard some rustling in the background, and Keirra laughed breathlessly. “Hey, you two, I have to go. Eric wants me to tuck him in.” There was more rustling then Keirra came back on the line. “I take that back. Eric wants to tuck me in. Good night, and I will see you on Monday.”
They barely had enough time to say good-bye then Keirra hung up.
“Is she really related to us?”
“I am afraid so,” Kristen replied sadly, but her voice was laced with obvious humor.
They both laughed.
“Well I just wanted to call and make sure that you had a good time,” Kristen stated softly.
“I had a great time, and thank you for calling, Kristen.”
“You are welcome. Have a good night, and I will see you on Monday.”
“You, too. Good night.”
Kayla hung up the phone and smiled. She loved her sisters. They were good to her, and she had no idea what she would do without them. A yawn escaped her, and she realized that she was tired. Maybe it was the exciting day that she’d had, or maybe it was that steamy kiss that she’d shared with James. Either way, she was more excited than she’d been in a long time. Turning off the television, she closed her eyes and dreamed of James.
Chapter Six
“So how did it go?”
Kayla grinned at Jonah. They had known each other for a long time. He was Randy’s best friend as well as a good friend of hers. They had started hanging out together shortly after Kristen and Randy had started dating again. At first they had tried the dating thing but quickly discovered that they were better off as friends. Now their weekly outing consisted of having dinner on Wednesday or Thursday night, whichever night both of them managed to have time to do so.
“It went very well. He is a good guy.”
Jonah chuckled before biting into his hotdog. “If he is anything like his father, I will agree.”
She smiled as she bit into her own hot dog. Jonah was so male. He was also the brother that she never had, and she the sister that he didn’t want.
“Did he try anything?”
She almost choked on the bite she had just taken, but she managed to finish chewing. She shot Jonah a look of warning.
“Nothing that I didn’t want him to do.”
It was Jonah’s turn to choke, and she laughed then stuck her tongue out. “You had better be kidding.”
She found herself cutting her eyes at him. “Geeze, Jonah, you should hear yourself. You sound like my father would if he were alive.”
Jonah gave her a look that only she could decipher, but she could see a hint of a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.
“I promise you, Jonah, he was a perfect gentleman. Besides, I heard that I was not the only person with a date.”
A genuine grin appeared on his face, and her eyebrows rose. “Maybe I should be the one asking the questions here.”
Jonah shook his head. “Ellie is not like that.”
Her eyebrows rose higher. “And I am?”
It was Jonah’s turn to cut his eyes at her. “That is not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Sounded like it,” she grumbled as she bit into a fry. “You know, between the holidays, my sisters, and you, I am going to end up running five days a week.”
He scoffed at the comment. “Oh, please. You have a nice body. If you actually have any fat, you keep it well hidden.”
She laughed. There were definitely a few weak spots in her figure, but overall she was okay. “That is because you haven’t seen me naked.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “We can change that if you like.”
She rolled her eyes. Anyone on the outside looking in would think that she and Jonah were crazy or that they were actually sexually attracted to each other. It was definitely the first option. Although she had to admit that, in the beginning, both of them had been physically attracted to each other. But one date and a kiss had told them that it was not meant to be. Even though that was the case, she was glad that they had the friendship that they did.
“So you like Ellie?”
He nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“I think that she is a good choice for you.”
She really did. Ellie was a nice person, and she could remember her very well from high school. Ellie had been one year ahead of her and her sisters. She knew first hand that Ellie was as smart as she was beautiful. Ellie was a good person for Jonah.
She ate another fry before chewing slowly. “I hope that things between James and I go just as well as they seem to be going for you and Ellie.”
Jonah stared at her, his expression full of puzzlement. “Why do you say that?”
She leaned back in the booth pushing the rest of her food away. “James comes with a lot of baggage.”
He gave her a concerned look. “Is it something you think you can deal with?”
She shrugged her shoulders because she truly didn’t know. To be honest, it really didn’t matter to her as long as she was not held responsible for something that someone else did. Nowadays, most people came with baggage, and she even had some of her own.
Hers stemmed from the early death of her parents. She’d become a control freak over the things that she could control because there were so many things that she hadn’t been able to. The second was that she was working on her control issues.
“I think that I can, but we will see.”
He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “Well, I hope that it works out for you. You deserve nothing but the best.”
She found herself grinning at her friend. “So do you.”
He finished off the rest of his hotdog and fries and the rest of hers. She shook her head in amazement. The man was a bottomless pit. It was amazing that he was in still in good shape with his appetite.
“So how is Eric doing?”
Sh
e chuckled at his question. “I think that depends on who you ask.”
He laughed. “He is getting restless, huh?”
“Very much so from what Keirra says.”
Her poor sister had never looked more worn out with trying to keep Eric from pacing like a crazed person.
“The good thing is that Eric has a doctor’s appointment in three weeks. If all goes well, he will be released to go back to work.”
Jonah smiled. “Well, tell Keirra not to let him overdo it, or he will have a longer recovery time.”
She rolled her eyes. “Keirra is doing everything that she can, but don’t forget that we are talking about Eric.”
He laughed. “You’re right.”
She knew that Jonah had only met Eric a handful of times, but that was enough for anyone to know that the man had to be going crazy being off work.
“Well, if it isn’t Kayla and her boyfriend. Oh wait, I thought I heard that you were seeing James Feldon.”
She rolled her eyes in exasperation at the sound of Trish’s voice. This was the last thing that she felt like dealing with tonight.
“What do you want, Trish?”
There was a snide look on her face when she replied. “To know if there is some rule about teachers fraternizing with their students’ parents.”
She smirked at Trish. “Well, I am sure that if there is, you will find it … Oh, but wait, that would mean you would actually have to work. Did you hear what happened the last time Trish went to work?” She snapped her fingers. “Oh wait. Trish never has worked.”
She looked up at Trish giving her a small smile. “Sorry, I must have had you mixed up with someone else who happens to be a productive citizen of society.”
Trish gave her a nasty sneer. “You are just jealous.”
She felt her eyes widen in shock. “Of what, Trish? What do you think that you have that I could possibly be jealous of? Because, believe me, I’m not in the market for plastic surgery.”
When Trish sputtered in outrage, Kayla shook her head and stood up. “Come on, Jonah. Trish looks like she needs a place to sit.”
By the time they made it outside, Jonah was laughing so hard that he had tears in his eyes. She shot him a puzzled look, and he pulled her into his arms to place a brief kiss on her forehead.
“I am so proud of you.”
She became more puzzled. “Why is that?”
He chuckled again, still amused at the display that just occurred between her and Trish. “Because you handled yourself very well, but then again you always do.”
She sighed. “Yeah, well, it is getting old with that one, and I’m really getting close to resorting to violence.”
He chuckled. “Well I am glad that you didn’t, but if you had you would be covered.”
She stared at him with confusion. “Why do you say that?”
He took her hand in his and led her toward her car. “Well, your sister is dating the sheriff, and you are the good friend of an attorney.”
Her expression of puzzlement turned into a grin. “That may be true, but the day that Trish becomes worth breaking the law for is the day that I leave Baxley.”
Jonah laughed. “I am very sure that will never happen.”
She exhaled softly. “Well as usual it has been fun.”
He embraced her as they stopped by her car. “Call me when you make it home.”
“I will. Drive safe,” she murmured, then placed a kiss on his cheek.
She slid behind the wheel of her car and drove home. As much as she hated to admit it, she thought about Trish the entire way home. There was something about her that was worrisome. Trish was the older of two children born to very decent parents. As cliché as it sounded, Trish was the black sheep of the family. The thing was that no one knew why.
To be honest, she really didn’t care as long as Trish didn’t pass her poison on to others. So far, she was still doing a good job of causing trouble like she had in high school. Regardless of that, Kayla refused to have Violet, Laurie, and Holly causing trouble in her class. Right now it seemed that her plan was working. Her conference with the parents had lasted a lot longer than she had thought it would. She pulled into the driveway and, shivering from the cold air, walked quickly into her house. Locking the door, she pulled out her cell phone and speed-dialed Jonah’s number. He answered on the third ring.
“Wow, what took you so long to answer?”
“Ellie is on the other line.” She could hear the excitement in his voice.
“Oh, okay. Well, I have made it home safely. Tell Ellie that I said hello and have a good night.”
After he told her to do the same, she hung up the phone. She prepared herself for bed before crawling under the covers. Turning on the television, she settled into find something interesting to watch while she waited for sleep to overtake her. She chose a rerun of I Love Lucy. The show was funny to her, and it always had been. She jumped when her cell phone rang. When she saw James Feldon’s number, she answered, a grin on her face.
“Hi, James. How are you?”
“I am fine and yourself?”
She paused at the tone of his voice. He sounded tired and upset. “I am doing well. Thank you for asking.”
She settled back into the covers. “What are you up to?”
He paused briefly. “Just wondering if you made it home safely.”
She didn’t bother to hide her confusion. “What do you mean?”
He repeated himself without hesitation. “I just called to see if you made it in from your date okay.”
It was her turn to pause. Had she missed something? She hadn’t had a date and had no idea what he was talking about, but she planned to find out.
“My date? What are you … Oh, you are talking about Jonah? That was not a—” She stopped when she realized that the strange tone in his voice was due to jealousy. “Are you jealous?” She didn’t give him a chance to respond. “Listen, Jonah and I are friends. We have been for a long time.”
His tone held uncertainty when he spoke again. “Are you sure that’s all it is?”
She replied without hesitation and was extremely bothered by his line of questioning. “Yes. I am sure.”
“Well, I’m sorry that I bothered you. Have a good night,” he replied and disconnected the call before she could say anything else.
She looked at her phone in shock and closed it. It would be a waste of her time to call him back because she would only swear at him if she did. Instead, she plugged her phone into the charger, set the timer on the television, and tried to relax again. If she didn’t know any better, she would believe her when she said she and Jonah were just friends. He had some nerve considering the fact that she just started seeing him. Was he already trying to place claim on her? She wondered what the hell had gotten into James. Whatever it was, she was going to find out, and try to refrain from kicking him in the knees while she did.
Chapter Seven
“Okay, class. Who can tell me the names of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence?”
Kayla turned to face her ninth-grade class. Several hands were up, and she was glad. She wrote down as many names as the kids could call out. When she turned back to the class, she walked around and sat on the edge of her desk.
“Can anyone tell me why it was so important that the Declaration of Independence was written?”
She only half listened to her students. One reason was because she’d already had this discussion, and the second was that her mind was on James.
She was still mad as hell at his rudeness. Nothing gave him the right to be that rude or inconsiderate. Her students finished giving her reasons as to why they thought the Declaration of Independence had been written. She gave them a few more reasons. The bell rang shortly after she gave her students their assignment for that night and the following day. As her students began to file out of the room, she erased the board and prepared for her class of tenth graders. They were going to discuss the French Revolution.
Napoleon was always an interesting subject for her.
The rest of the day flew by, and for that, she was thankful. Unfortunately, her last class of the day was full of tenth graders. Five of them had made it an eventful one so far. She turned to look out at her students.
“What can you tell me about the French Revolution?”
She called on the students who had their hands raised. Some gave her answers that let her know that they had read the book. Others gave her answers that were questionable. When Holly raised her hand, the classroom became silent. Kayla took a deep breath then called on her.
When Holly gave her a correct answer, she had to keep her mouth from falling open in shock. Instead she grinned. “That is correct, Holly.”
The smile that appeared on Holly’s face was blinding. Kayla realized then that compliments of the sort were a rarity in the teenager’s life, and wondered if Holly wasn’t immune to her mother’s negative ways. After standing up, she headed to the chalkboard. “Most of you are correct.”
She listed important events and people of the French Revolution. They became so involved in discussion that the bell caught them off guard.
“Okay, everyone, that is it for the day.”
She quickly told them what the next day assignment would be prior to wishing them a good evening. All of the students ran out excitedly. She used to get excited herself for the last class of the day, especially the closer it got to the weekend. She turned to the chalkboard and began erasing it.
“Am I too late for class?”
She spun around at the sound of James’s voice. The first thing she noticed was that he was sexy. The second was that he was entering her classroom and closing the door behind him. Lastly, she noticed that she was drooling over a man that had been so rude and disrespectful to her the prior night. She turned back to face the chalkboard before she got herself in trouble.
“Yes, you are. Maybe you can try again tomorrow.”
He hesitated in his response. “Even if I am here to apologize?”
That caused her to pause slightly. She could feel him walking up behind her, but she kept erasing the board.
Her Every Fantasy Page 5
