A Better Man

by Candis Terry

  For the most part it was a fun class, but during the three years Lucy had taught at Sunshine Valley High, her students had continuously been disappointed to realize it wasn’t an easy A. And yes, there was homework.

  Seventeen-­year-­old Nicole Kincade was a prime example of a brilliant mind with crappy follow-­through. The girl had potential most didn’t discover until their later years. But it seemed lately that Nicole was more distracted than ever. Quiet. Despondent. Teenagers were often moody and withdrawn, but when a normally bubbly, outgoing girl suddenly became introverted and sullen, red flags started waving. Lucy genuinely cared about the girl, thus the reason she’d put in the call to Nicole’s parents.

  Mrs. Kincade had informed Lucy that she and her husband were about to leave for a Hawaiian vacation, so she’d made an appointment to conference when they returned.

  But they weren’t coming back.

  And that changed everything.

  Lucy’s heart broke for the family. Even more for Nicole, who’d already been living deep in a well of teenage angst.

  A few days after Nicole’s parents’ funeral might seem the wrong time to discuss the future of her education, but Lucy believed it was important. Nicole was important. And finding out the reason behind her behavioral change was vital. Lucy was thankful and relieved to know that Ryan, the oldest of the Kincade brothers, intended to follow through with the meeting even though his burdens and grief must be overwhelming right now.

  A quick glance at the clock told Lucy he was late, but due to the nature of the situation she didn’t mind. She’d wait until however long it took for him to show. To pass the time she got up and walked around the room, nudging the whiteboard eraser into place, straightening the books on a shelf, anything to keep her busy until the single dad, who now was most likely Nicole’s legal guardian, arrived.

  Behind her the door creaked open.

  She turned with a smile that immediately faltered when she found not Ryan, but Jordan Kincade, standing in the doorway to her classroom, wearing dark sunglasses, a black leather jacket, a gray chest-­hugging T-­shirt, and jeans. At least a day’s worth of scruff darkened his strong jawline, and the man looked like he should either be on the cover of Badass magazine or starring in a woman’s fantasy.

  An army of unwanted memories marched up the back of her neck. She pushed her glasses a little higher on her nose and breathed deep to calm the sudden onslaught of nerves.

  The last time she’d seen the man he’d been a boy. A really cute boy who’d been nice to her, had even flirted with her a little, and then had rendered her speechless when during one of their tutoring sessions he’d asked her to the after-­graduation dance. Of course she’d immediately turned him down because no way had he been serious.

  Throughout high school she’d never had a boy ask her out. They’d barely even looked at her. She’d never gone to a dance. Heck, she hadn’t even known how to dance.

  Thanks to her father’s inglorious swan dive into a never-­ending bottle of cheap whiskey and her mother’s choice to follow, Lucy didn’t openly trust people back in those days. Her parents had given up on life and given up on her. Their lack of interest and constant berating hadn’t served well as a confidence builder. Instead of each other, they targeted her with their ugly, slurred remarks. To survive she’d become a stealth ninja in the art of being invisible.

  Invisibility offered her protection from the vicious words and heartache that often kept her awake at night. It made the mean girls at school look the other way. When someone else became their victim, Lucy felt a slap of cowardly guilt because she was thankful that at least it hadn’t been her.

  So for someone as good-­looking and popular as Jordan Kincade to ask her to the dance when he could have had any girl in the entire school didn’t make sense. It had to have been a trick.

  Stubborn to the bone, he hadn’t accepted her rejection.

  He’d asked her again and again, flashing her a smile so honest and sincere she’d finally chosen to climb out of her cocoon and pretend she could be like any of those other girls. She wanted to believe that he could really see beyond her average looks, her thick glasses, and her thrift store clothes. She’d wanted to trust that he truly wanted to be with her. Not Priscilla O’Neal, who wore the newest fashions and had the ta-­tas to fill out her tight-­fitting blouses. Not Amy Henderson, who had a quick smile to match her fast reputation. And not Leslie Meyer, who was gorgeous and was actually very kind.

  After Lucy finally accepted his invitation she’d been so excited she hadn’t been able to sleep. She’d broken into her college savings and bought a brand-­new dress for the dance. She’d had her hair professionally cut and styled, and she’d learned how to apply makeup without looking like a streetwalker.

  During the graduation ceremony, which her parents had been too drunk to attend, Jordan had caught her eye several times and given her a smile that had sent a crazy spiral of happy through her heart. After the ceremony ended she rushed home to get ready for the dance.

  He never showed up.

  Wearing the pretty blue dress she’d spent hours selecting, she’d sat in her room until midnight. Waiting. Wondering what she’d done wrong. Wondering if his invitation had just been a cruel prank. Feeling miserable in her teenage heart that she could so easily be disregarded. Feeling sad that Jordan Kincade had disappointed her by being just like all the rest.

  Above all, she’d felt stupid for falling into the trap.

  Sure, she knew her place in the school hierarchy. She was the quiet, smart girl everyone needed as a tutor but no boy wanted to kiss. She wore glasses, a ponytail of mousy brown hair, and an ever-­present backpack of books slung over her shoulders. At the time she’d been more concerned with studying her way out of her living situation than she’d been with catching anyone’s eye.

  Some things never changed.

  She still preferred glasses to contacts, felt more comfortable pulling her now red and gold highlighted hair back in a ponytail or messy bun, and opted for her trusty Keds over classic pumps. But today, she was a different person. Stronger because of the things she’d lived through. Smarter because she’d found a way to survive and come out the other side in a happy place. She knew exactly where she belonged, and that was teaching and helping students like Nicki. Which was why, right now, she was going to pull on her big girl panties and face the boy who had disappointed her head-­on.

  Lucy managed to pull herself together as Jordan removed his sunglasses and slid them to the top of his head. His smile lifted a masculine pair of lips that somehow managed to look cruel and sexy at the same time.

  The boy had turned into a man times ten.

  Tall and broad-­shouldered, he had a chest that looked a mile wide. Judging by the smooth ripples beneath his snug shirt he was packing muscle, not pounds. Jeans, worn and frayed at the stress points, accented his long muscular legs and trim waist. His longish, nearly black hair gleamed beneath the overhead lights. And his sharp blue eyes focused intently on her.

  It was all she could do to keep her heart at a normal pace and her legs solidly beneath her. If ever a man could be described as delicious, Jordan Kincade would be a menu’s specialty of the day.

  Too bad he was such a jerk.

  “Ms. Diamond?” He came forward and stretched out his very large hand. “Jordan Kincade.”

  And clearly he didn’t remember her.

  Lucy smiled as a funny little tickle moved through her chest. Maybe this was going to be fun after all. Rarely was she ever given the upper hand or the opportunity to have even the slightest edge.

  When he moved closer his warm palm engulfed hers, and her triumph died with a sizzle.

  Close up she got a better look. She inhaled his sexy scent of worn leather and warm man. Every square inch of her female DNA perked up like it was party time. She hated to disappoint the little darlings but today was a
ll about helping someone else.

  “Please.” She kept the handshake brief and formal before she disengaged and motioned toward the chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat.”

  He glanced at the standard school chair with a you’ve-­got-­to-­be-­kidding-­me lift of his brows. When he sat down, the orange plastic chair creaked and seemed ridiculously small beneath the scope of his height and muscles.

  Lucy took her own seat and noticed that the difference in chairs made her tower over him and seemingly give her another advantage. But when he leaned back and crossed an ankle over a knee, he appeared completely comfortable.

  So much for one-­upmanship.

  “I apologize if I seemed taken aback just now.” She opened the folder and pulled out Nicole’s progress report as well as several exams and the few assignments Nicole had actually turned in. Late, of course, but complete nonetheless. “I expected your brother Ryan.”

  “He had business at the vineyard and sends his regrets.”

  She couldn’t help noticing how very deep and smooth his voice had become. Like hot buttered rum on a cold winter night. He had the kind of voice a woman could imagine whispering sweet nothings in her ear while he caressed her in places that tingled beneath his touch.

  “I understand.” Snapping out of the fantasy, she imagined the enormous scope of duties Ryan Kincade must need to tend to after the death of their parents. Her heart sank a little further for the family. Especially for Nicole, who was so young and really needed the love and guidance of her mom and dad. “I hope you’ll accept my condolences. And I sincerely apologize for having you come down at this sorrowful time to deal with what might seem insignificant but—­”

  “Anything regarding my sister is important, Ms. Diamond. Now more than ever.” His brows dipped in a no-­nonsense fashion. “So don’t judge me when you don’t even know me.”

  Oh, she knew him.

  Knew he was the type who’d make a promise, then shatter it without ever looking back.

  But that was then, and this was now.

  “My apologies, Mr. Kincade. That was certainly not my intent.”

  His piercing eyes perused her face for a long, uncomfortable moment and she had to admit that the look did something funny to the beat of her heart.

  Especially when with a slight tilt of his head he asked, “Why do you look so familiar?”

  “Do I?” That erratic heartbeat kicked up another notch as she let go a chuckle to cover up what was really going on inside. “People say that all the time. I guess I just have one of those faces.”

  She pushed Nicole’s schoolwork in his direction. “If you’ll take a look at these projects, you’ll see that even though she didn’t complete the assignment exactly as it was defined, Nicole has an enormous gift.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s a lie.”

  “Excuse me?” Irritated, Lucy’s gaze shot up to the slight smile curling his lips. “How can you say that without even reading anything? I guarantee your sister has a multitude of talent.”

  “I’m not talking about my sister’s work. I’m talking about you just having ‘one of those faces.’ ” He uncrossed his long, muscular legs and leaned forward without even looking at the papers she’d put in front of him. “So now I’m wondering why you sidestepped my question.”

  Good God, the man was intense. There was something in the combination of that nearly black hair that fell over his ears and his nape in perfect waves and those deep blue eyes that seemed almost otherworldly. She could imagine how he’d intimidate an opponent on the ice.

  And it had nothing to do with his size.

  But as far as admitting who she really was? Not going to happen. No need to dredge up a bad memory when all she really wanted was to help his sister.

  “I apologize.” Her heart beat erratically as she avoided the intensity of his gaze. “But I would like to stick to the subject of your sister’s grades—­or lack thereof—­that may prevent her from graduating with the rest of her class. I genuinely care about her, which is why I noticed a problem way before the loss of your parents.”

  “And now you won’t even look at me,” he said. “Why is that?”

  As he leaned in, his intoxicating scent came with him. Normally such things didn’t affect her. Well, at least not with her colleagues, who tended to wear either too much aftershave or worse, too much body odor. Jordan wore his masculine scent like a sexual promise, and Lucy swore he should come with a warning label.

  But back to business.

  “In this assignment”—­she pointed to the paper on top of the stack—­“the class was asked to write their favorite childhood memory. Instead Nicole chose to write a review for a rerun of Pretty Little Liars. The review was entertaining, but that wasn’t what she’d been asked to do. And I can’t grade her on a movie review.”

  “Why not?”

  Without thinking, her gaze shot upward and caught the hint of humor in his eyes. She was trying so hard to keep it together, when having the man so close was like having a buffet of tasty desserts spread out before her and each one was tagged with a “Do Not Touch” label.

  “Because it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the class who’d done the assignment properly.”

  One corner of his sexy mouth tipped upward. “Maybe she didn’t understand the assignment.”

  “She understood it perfectly.” Was that a scar just above his right eyebrow? She wondered if he’d received that from a hockey stick, or maybe a lover in the heat of passion had cut it with the ring on her finger. Maybe he was married and his poor wife had caught him with another woman or . . .

  “Ms. Diamond?”

  “Hmmm?” Her gaze dropped back down to his eyes, and the captivating glint she found there suggested he’d caught her daydreaming.

  “I asked if there was any chance Nicole could redo the assignment for a grade.”

  “Oh.” She smoothed her hands over the folder, giving herself a moment to pull herself together. “Of course. And I actually asked her to do just that. But then . . .”

  “Our parents were killed.”

  “Yes.” Lucy sucked in a lungful of air. “I feel just horrible about discussing this right now. And I’m willing to let Nicole take as long as she needs to redo the assignments.”

  “But?”

  “But she needs to do them before grading for the quarter ends. And I fear that, because of her situation on top of whatever was undoubtedly already bothering her, she won’t.”

  “Are there any other options?”

  “She could repeat the class in summer school. But that would mean she wouldn’t receive her diploma with everyone else.”

  “I’m a little confused.” Those huge hands lifted like he was at a complete loss when she thought she was making herself perfectly clear. “This is my first time dealing with someone such as yourself.”

  Exactly what did he mean by that?

  “Excuse me?”

  “I mean, you say you care about Nicole. You say you don’t want to see her fail yet you also don’t seem open to giving her an opportunity not to fail.” He flashed a smile meant to disarm her.

  How could a man appear so charming while delivering such an outrageous insult?

  “Mr. Kincade, I hope you’re not insinuating I should falsify Nicole’s grades just so she can graduate. My goal is to teach, not to help a student learn to cheat the system. I believe that anyone who is given the opportunity for an education has the responsibility to succeed or fail all on their own. The state requires specific criteria to obtain a high school diploma. I have no control over that. And as much as I want Nicole to succeed, I can’t and won’t lie for her. However, I can and will do whatever is in my power to help her.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t call this meeting with the hopes of getting my good-­looking, single brother down here with an ulterior m
otive?” That dark brow lifted again and Lucy had to curl her fingers into her palms to keep from knocking him into tomorrow.

  “Why, Mr. Kincade.” She flashed him a disingenuous smile. “If you believe that, then you’ve taken too many hits to the head. And if that’s the situation I can recommend a good doctor.”

  A laugh rumbled deep in his muscular chest. “I like a woman who speaks her mind.”

  “Yes. I’m sure that’s different for you.”

  Another chuckle rumbled. “Meaning?”

  “Meaning, unless someone has been living under a rock, your conquests are no secret to anyone who reads the trash magazines in the checkout line at the grocery store.”

  “And are you in the percentage of those who judge a book by its cover?”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning you don’t believe any of those women have a thought in their pretty heads.”

  “I’m not a snob, Mr. Kincade. And I believe quite the opposite. Women like that are usually too smart to bite the hand that feeds them. Therefore vocalizing their thoughts can lead to disaster and disappointment.”

  “Are you flirting with me, Ms. Diamond?”

  “Flirting!” And how the heck had he soared to that conclusion?

  “Maybe it was your intent all along to lure me here.”

  She laughed. Snorted actually. The man might be gorgeous, but he bordered on ludicrous and delusional.

  “How could I have possibly known you would come to this meeting? For your information, the original consultation was arranged with your mother.”

  His smile faltered and Lucy was immediately deluged with guilt for mentioning the poor woman.

  “We seem to have gotten way off track, Mr. Kincade.” While he again appeared to relax, she took a brief moment to catch her breath and grasp the real reason they were both in the same room again after fifteen years. It was her good fortune he didn’t recognize her. Because she wasn’t entirely sure he couldn’t see the effect he had on her. And that could spell disaster for poor Nicole. “If Nicole will redo the assignments I’ll be happy to give her extra credit work.”