by Mia Carson
“Yeah, okay,” she answered and recited her number. I sent her a text immediately and waited for it to come through. The chime sounded, and she lifted her phone.
Will: Lookin’ hot in those jeans!
She laughed and looked back up at me. “Whatever, you weirdo.”
“Call me a weirdo all you want, but you know two things. One, it’s true that you look hot in those jeans. And two, you like my sweet talking,” I told her, a grin so wide on my face it almost hurt.
She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, nodding her head slowly. “You’re right. I do look good in my jeans.” She winked and walked to her car. “And now you’re staring at my ass as I walk away.”
“Yes, I am!” I called after her. “See you at Whataburger.” She lifted a hand and waved as she climbed in her car.
Mel
Will’s a funny guy, I thought as Nikki and I climbed into the car after some breakfast burritos at Whataburger. He’d bought our breakfast before we could stop him, claiming a gentlemen always buys a lady’s breakfast. Richard looked like a chump next to him, frowning because neither Nikki nor I paid him much attention.
Will had made jokes and entertained us as we ate, and he’d laughed with Nikki when I threw some sarcasm on the table. Intelligent, too, I mused as I turned the ignition and Nikki mumbled something unintelligible before closing her eyes for a little nap on the drive home.
A honk sounded, and I turned my head. Will waved to me, lifted his phone, and wiggled it. I frowned and picked mine up. I had two missed texts from him. I lifted my phone and waved it, smiling, and he winked and drove out of the parking lot.
Will: Hey, beautiful.
Will: Wow. Thought we’d become friends, but no answer.
I chuckled. He likes me, I thought as a small thrill ran down my spine, pondering my answer. Smart ass? Funny? That’s always the way to go.
Mel: We can’t be friends if you’re always so sensitive.
Will: Are you texting and driving? That’s dangerous.
Mel: No more dangerous than you doing it.
Will: Who says I’m not home yet?
Mel: You aren’t. Can I text you when I get home? I have to cart Nikki’s drunk ass inside.
Will: Same with Richard. Don’t forget me, beautiful.
Mel: Never.
So, he was a bit of a flatterer, but there was nothing wrong with that. The man was good-looking, intelligent, and funny, and my guess was he knew how to treat a gal right. A small fear niggled in my brain… Like Richard, what if he was hiding a wife? Richard had pulled the we’re-getting-a-divorce-soon bit, but he and I had gone on that date nearly six months before and no divorce had taken place. I hadn’t even looked at Will’s finger to check for a ring.
I reminded myself as I pulled into the driveway of my little house that just because Richard was a dick didn’t mean all men were. Give the guy a chance before you make judgments, I told myself as I looked at Nikki, who had begun to snore. With a sigh, I climbed out of my car and walked around to help her out.
Ten minutes of finagling later, I had her tucked into the bed in my spare bedroom. I put a trash can nearby as well as a large glass of water and some ibuprofen. She’d have a hell of a headache in the morning, and I had to get her up early if she wanted her car. I had dance practice at ten the next morning.
I stripped and put on my standard tee-and-shorts pajamas, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and settled into bed. The time stamp on the last text was nearly thirty minutes earlier, and I hoped Will had been able to get Richard and himself home.
Mel: You make it home yet?
Will: Just walked in the door. With Richard over my shoulder. Give me a few.
I laughed as I pictured Richard draped over Will’s shoulder in a fireman’s hold. Richard was no lightweight. Will must be stronger than his frame looked. He was at least six feet, maybe a little more. His body was long and lean, and though I could tell the man had muscle, he didn’t look like a man who could pick up a two-hundred-pounder. Impressive.
His hair was blond, but I bet in the sun, it had touches of red in it. He had little facial hair, but the five o’clock shadow had given him a rugged, cowboy look I liked. Boots, tight jeans—though not grossly tight—and an untucked t-shirt had given him the air of a man who didn’t care if he looked good, but who knew he did. I liked his confidence the most, though.
I stretched out in my bed and turned off the light after plugging in my phone. Like one of my students, I opened Facebook and did a little trolling, looking for his page. Apparently, he didn’t have one, which wasn’t surprising. Not all men do. I looked at the selfie Nikki and I had posted. We were adorable, making faces rather than smiling.
My phone dinged, and a silly grin split my face. I liked him, too, despite my initial misgivings that had nothing at all to do with him.
Will: Did you fall asleep, gorgeous?
Mel: No. I’ve been waiting impatiently for you to text.
Will: Haha! Makes me a lucky guy.
Mel: Hmmm, that’s true.
Will: So, are you busy tomorrow night?
Cuts right to the chase, I mused, smiling. I appreciated a man who didn’t play games. I was too old for that nonsense, and so was he. I flipped through my head to check for plans and had none.
Mel: I’m free.
Will: May I take you to dinner tomorrow night?
Mel: I would love to go to dinner with you tomorrow. What time?
Will: I’ll text you tomorrow. The place I want to take you may need a reservation.
Excitement pulsed through me. How fancy! A reservation! As a teacher in Texas, I didn’t make enough money to go to a place that required reservations, except maybe on my birthday.
Mel: And where would you be taking me?
Will: It’s a surprise.
Mel: I do like surprises! But right now, I’m falling asleep as we text.
Will: Same here. I’ll text you in the morning, if that’s ok?
Mel: Perfect! Good night, Will.
Will: Good night, beautiful. Sleep tight.
I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
***
The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed with enough time to shower, get dressed, make a cup of to-go coffee, and climb into my car. The twenty-minute drive to school was not enough for my hair to dry, so after parking near the football field, I pulled it up in a messy bun and secured it with a ponytail holder. I glanced in the mirror on the sun visor. Tendrils of hair had not been captured by the ponytail holder, and I looked like I might fall asleep in the middle of a dance move.
I climbed out of my car just as my phone dinged. Thinking one of my girls was trying to get out of practice, I sighed and glanced down. My stomach jumped. Will.
Will: Good morning, beautiful.
Mel: Good morning, handsome
Will: Sleep well?
Mel: I did, but I’m up way too early. Why are you up?
Will: Have to drive my daughter to practice.
He had a daughter. Okay, I thought, wondering why he hadn’t mentioned her the night before. I wondered how old she was and what sport she played.
Will: I made reservations for 8. How about I pick you up at 7 so we have time for drinks at the bar before dinner?
Mel: Sounds great! I’m walking into work right now. I’ll text you later. I have no idea what to wear!
Will: Whatever you wear, you’ll look gorgeous.
Mel: I’ll need a little hint. Talk to you later.
I hurried to the football field. Today we were practicing with the band as the color guard. Our first marching competition was two Saturdays away. Our flag work looked good, but it didn’t look perfect. The band was getting organized, and the dancers who were already here were stretching. I smiled, proud of my girls. They loved dancing as much as I did and worked hard to be perfect. I worked hard with them. I didn’t ask them to do anything I couldn’t do.
“Good morning!” C
allie called, the only female band director. The other two were men, so Callie and I hung out during practices, competitions, and games. “You look a little worse for the wear this morning.”
“Ha, ha. I stayed out late with Nikki for her birthday.”
“And had a good time, I’d assume.” Callie winked at me.
“Didn’t get drunk, but Nikki sure did. She’s still at my house, sleeping,” I told her with a laugh. “I tried to get her up to take her to her car, but she waved me off and mumbled about waiting for me to get back.”
“That’s a good birthday, then!” Callie watched my girls for a minute. “Your girls look good. Are all of them here?”
I did a quick head count. “Missing two. Cara and Monica.”
Callie looked behind me and grinned. “Is that Cara’s dad with her?”
I turned my head and gasped. Will. I grabbed Callie’s arm and hissed, “Oh, my God! That’s the guy I met last night!”
“You met a guy last night?”
“Yes, but I didn’t realize he was a parent! What do I do?”
Callie couldn’t answer. Will and Cara had reached our side. He wore a huge grin on his face. “Good morning, beautiful.”
I felt the blood rush to my face in a blush. Cara giggled, and I glanced at her. She smirked at me and ran to join her teammates. She’d been there less than ten seconds when all of their heads swiveled to watch Will and me.
“Hi, Will. Have you met Callie?” I asked, gesturing to her to give myself time to think. How had I not known he was a parent? Vaguely, I remembered the parents’ meeting at the beginning of summer practice, but not any particular parent. I’d met a lot of people that night.
Will smiled at Callie. “Nice to meet you, though we’ve met before. Just like Mel and I have met before.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “I assume you remembered me last night.”
“I did,” he said with a wink.
Callie laughed. “Please excuse me.” She smiled at me before walking away. I glanced at the girls again, and they were pretending to stretch while actually watching the two of us. Cara was grinning like the Cheshire cat.
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” I asked, my mouth a thin line. I was a little irritated with him, as well as with myself.
Will shrugged, his smile not losing any of its humor. “I can’t believe you didn’t remember me.”
I stared at him for a moment and flared my nostrils at him. “I meet a million parents every year. I can’t remember everyone. And Cara is a freshman, so this is her first year with me.”
“You’re right. I just thought I was much more memorable.” He continued to tease.
I couldn’t help it. I giggled. “Will, you are too much.” I looked at the girls again. A few of the band members had joined them and were watching. I frowned. “Hey, um, listen…”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Will murmured.
“Well, I have to be honest. I’m not sure it’s a good idea for me to date the parent of one of my students. You know, conflict of interests and all that, or I could be accused of playing favorites because I’m dating her dad, blah, blah.” I gestured with my hands spread wide.
“Ah,” he nodded, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t think you’re the type to play favorites, though even if we weren’t dating, you’d love Cara.”
“I do love Cara! She’s very talented and sweet. And if we date and it doesn’t work out, it could cause an issue between the two of us,” I insisted, pointing at me, then at her. I really wanted to go out with him, and though my reasons were strong, I didn’t sound sincere. And he could hear the insincerity. His smile clearly indicated he knew he’d win, which irritated me a little. Damn his confidence.
“Why don’t we ask Cara what she thinks?” He turned and called to her before I could stop him. She jumped up and ran over.
“What’s up, Dad?” She smiled at me because she already knew about the date tonight. I lifted an eyebrow at her, my pretend angry face, and she snickered.
“Cara, would it be all right with you if Ms. Ulrich and I went on a date?” Will asked his daughter, his hand comfortably on her shoulder. Obviously, the two were close.
“I think it’s a great idea!” she answered. When she looked at me, she was beaming. “Ms. Ulrich, I promise it won’t get weird. Even if you don’t go out again, I won’t be mad. But I know you will, so whatever.”
I tilted my head and took a deep breath. “Oh, good Lord. Go stretch,” I ordered her, waving a hand. She scampered off, laughing, and plopped down with her friends. Five heads looked in our direction. I gestured to them pointedly, and they jerked around, still laughing. “It’s already starting! The goofiness.”
Will chuckled as he glanced at the girls and gave them an exaggerated wink. “You’d have to deal with their teenage goofiness no matter who you were dating. Why not date someone awesome?”
“You are such a charmer, but your ego almost covers it up.”
“You love it,” he said.
“Yeah, I do.” I sighed, rolled my eyes, and huffed, “Okay, I’ll go out with you tonight, but it better not be weird!” I pointed my finger at him.
“Yes, ma’am!” He saluted me mockingly, and I slapped his arm playfully and heard giggling from my dancers.
“What should I wear?”
“I’ll be in nice jeans, boots, and a button up. Dress to match,” Will told me.
“That doesn’t help me. Tell me where we’re going.”
“Nope. It’s a surprise.”
“You know what, I have something perfect in mind,” I teased.
“I knew you would. I’m very excited about tonight,” he said. He leaned in and kissed my cheek, and a chorus of wooooos sounded from about thirty kids.
“Thanks for that,” I mumbled, pinching his side gently.
“You’re welcome.” He winked, waved at Cara, and walked away.
I watched him momentarily, and one of my girls yelled, “All right, Ms. Ulrich! Woohoo!”
“Shut your mouth!” I yelled good-naturedly. “Stretch those muscles, or we’ll run two miles after practice.” They all laughed, knowing full well I didn’t mean it.
During practice, my mind wandered. It didn’t take much concentration. The girls knew the moves. We were at the point in the routine that we were just cleaning the moves and steps to make sure they were perfect. I had a good team who helped each other when they needed it, so my mind followed a path I didn’t like.
What if there was some kind of clause in my teacher’s contract about dating a parent? No one actually read those things, they just signed at the bottom and handed it back. The idea of bringing up the date to my boss was appalling, so I decided the best course of action was to enjoy myself tonight and if we became serious, I’d tell her then.
“Wow, Ms. Ulrich, he’s a hottie!” one of my girls barked with a laugh, interrupting my thoughts.
“You say that as if you’ve never met the man,” Cara commented. “You spent the night with me just last weekend!”
“Oh my gosh, Ms. Ulrich, you could be Cara’s stepmom!” another one yelled.
Cara turned bright red and rolled her eyes in typical teenage fashion, looking at me like she thought they were such children. I smiled sympathetically at her when she said, “Guys, stop.”
“Okay, ladies, that’s enough. One date does not a wedding make.”
“That’s true, but it’s one step closer.” The girls dissolved into laughter.
“Rest time’s over! Get your flags and get on the field!” I yelled in my best coach voice. One thing was accomplished—the comments ended, but the giggles continued.
***
After practice, I had to run into my office to grab the laptop I used to edit music. Our next pep rally theme was “Circus,” which I hated, but I had what I thought was a wonderful idea for a themed dance that included a mash-up of several songs. The school had given me a Mac to do music editing, although I could have done it on my PC. Either way, I mused.
My date with Will had sat on my mind throughout practice, though I had done my best to keep his presence out of there. Now that I was no longer busy, he was at the forefront of my brain, despite my need to work on the music. It had to be ready before Monday so the girls could take what I had created, add to it, and have it learned and perfected by Friday. I smiled. My team was so amazing.
