“I didn’t lose it. You took it!”
Olivia sucked in a deep breath in order to stem her rising temper. The boy had another thing coming if he thought he could yell at her. “Which is my right since you violated school policy. Go on to your next class now, Cole, or you’re going to be late.”
“I don’t care if I’m late.”
“Perhaps you should. I’ll see you later.” She exhaled when he finally broke her stare and backed out of the door. The little kid was a terror who’d obviously gotten away with behaving like a monkey because everyone was too afraid to discipline him. She would pretend innocence in hopes that Cole would learn to behave in her class.
When Cole arrived just after the last bell of the day, he was breathing hard and red faced. Mrs. Evans had left fifteen minutes earlier.
“Cole,” Olivia said, “you didn’t have to run. I told you I wouldn’t leave until you had your phone back.”
“I can’t wait to tell my mom what you did, Ms. Golden. I sure hope you’ve enjoyed your time here.”
“If you mean to imply that your mom is going to have me fired for imposing a rule, you’re wasting your breath. I’m not so easily fooled.”
“I guess we’ll see who the fool is.”
When she held out his phone, he tried to snatch it. He lost his grip, and the phone sailed across the room and skidded to a stop by the wall under the pencil sharpener.
Cole lunged for the phone. Olivia walked over and bent down, but when she stood up, the handle on the pencil sharpener got caught between the buttons on her blouse and popped the three top buttons, exposing her lacy bra. She looked down, gasped, and pulled her shirt closed, but not before Cole had snapped a picture.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
Cole smirked, shook the phone in her face, and ran out of the room. Olivia shut the door and leaned back against it, facing the empty classroom. To think only minutes earlier she’d been flirting via email with the sexy Jack Forrester. She’d just inadvertently flashed a child. She wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, but she knew it wasn’t good.
Chapter 17
Jack waited at the table after Lyle left, counting how long it took for Erica to reenter the house. Less than sixty seconds after his SUV pulled out of the drive, Erica came in through the back door with her guitar. She rested the instrument in the corner of the den and joined him, grabbing a cookie as she sat.
“How’d the interview go?” she asked.
“Good.” Unable to sit any longer, Jack got up and retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “He’s smart and very thorough. And he loves your cookies.” Erica only grunted in response. “I told him you made them for him.”
Her head snapped up from the table. “Why would you do that?”
He recapped the bottle after taking a long sip. “Was it a secret?”
“I made cookies. I knew he was coming over, so I offered to share. That’s not the same thing as making cookies for him.”
Jack shrugged. “Did I mention he loved them?”
“You said that already.”
“Why don’t you like him, Erica?” He came behind her and rubbed her shoulders. They were tight as a drum.
“I didn’t say I don’t like him. I don’t know him.”
“He thinks you don’t like him. It bothers him.”
“Of course it does. I’m sure no one’s ever not liked him before.”
“I thought you said you did like him.”
“No, I said I don’t know him.”
Jack took a deep breath and, without a care for her reaction, said, “I think you like him too much. I think you’re attracted to him and that scares you.”
The nervous laughter she forced told him all he needed to know. He’d hit the nail on the head. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Why? He’s a nice guy and I think he likes you, too.”
“Because he likes my cookies?”
“No, because whenever he talks about you, there’s emotion in his voice. You affect him, and he’s not sure what to do about it.”
She shrugged his hands from her shoulders. “You mean I piss him off. I’m fine with that.”
“He’s going to be here a lot, and I’m not running interference for you. You’ll have to figure out how to get along. I don’t want you hiding out whenever he’s around.”
Erica’s chair scraped along the tile as she stood. “I wasn’t hiding. I was trying to stay out of your way. I know how you are when you’re working.”
“Then you won’t mind joining us next time he’s here. He’s coming over Thursday night, and I offered him dinner. You know I can’t cook.”
“So order take-out.”
“Erica, do you really think any restaurant delivers in this valley?”
“Fine. I’ll pick something up for the two of you.”
“If you’d prefer take-out, I’m sure he won’t mind, but you’re joining us.”
“Why?” she whined. “What if I have plans?”
“Do you?”
“No, but what if I did?”
“Now you do.”
She huffed out a breath. “I don’t want to be involved in this, Jack. Why can’t you understand that?”
“You’re not involved with the book. You’re involved in my life. If he’s going to write about my life, he needs to know you and understand what you do for me.”
“He’ll think I’m your…your maid. Your cook and your maid. I’m completely unnecessary to the book.”
“But you’re not unnecessary to my life. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, but…”
“No buts. I want you to join us for dinner. You’re free to do whatever you want after, but I need you at dinner.”
“Jack, you don’t really need me at all.”
He hated that she felt that way. No matter what he said, no matter what he did, he could never convince her otherwise. “Now who’s being ridiculous?” He walked toward the bedroom he’d set up as his office. “Oh, and Erica? Make enough for four. Olivia’s joining us.”
“Who?” she asked, but her tone told him she knew exactly whom he meant.
He faced his sister. “Olivia Golden, Lyle’s roommate. You met her at the Tap.”
“You invited his waitress girlfriend to dinner? Why?”
“She’s not his girlfriend, and I invited her because I like her. Unlike you, when I like someone, I’m not afraid to get to know them.”
“Since when? I’ve been living with you for two years and I’ve yet to meet any of your girlfriends.”
“Since now. If I’m going to come out of hiding, I may as well come all the way out. I’m tired of living life on the outskirts. I’m jumping back in.”
“With a waitress?” She shook her head. Her voice held so much disdain he had to wonder what Olivia had ever done to Erica.
“She’s a teacher. She’s sweet and she’s hot and I like her.” He pointed at Erica. “You’d better be nice. To both of them.”
***
Lyle walked into the apartment and found Olivia sitting on the couch. It wasn’t unusual to find her sprawled on the sofa watching television; sitting alone in the darkened room, hugging a pillow and staring off into the quiet, wasn’t usual though.
“What’s wrong?” he asked and flipped on a light.
She squinted. “Nothing.”
Her voice sounded flat and lifeless, not filled with the snarkiness he’d come to expect. “Olivia, clearly something’s wrong.” He set his bag on the kitchen chair and took a seat beside her. When she didn’t look at him, he reached out and touched her leg. She jumped as if coming out of a trance and finally met his eyes. “What is wrong with you?” he asked again.
“Something happened at school today, and I’m not sure what to do.”
“What happened?”
She flung the pillow aside and stood up, took two steps, and sat in the chair facing him, sandwiching her hands between her knees. “This kid in my class, I too
k his phone away. When he came back to get it at the end of the day, he ended up tossing it across the room.”
“He broke his phone and now he’s blaming you?”
“No, no. We both leaned over to pick it up. He grabbed it first, and when I stood up, the handle on the pencil sharpener got caught between the buttons of my blouse and popped them open.”
Lyle laughed. “You flashed a kid?”
“It’s not funny. He took a picture.”
“Oh.” Lyle sat back and understood Olivia’s distress. She liked her job. He never heard her complain about the hours or the kids. “What he’d do with the picture?”
“I don’t know.”
“Okay, so maybe he just showed it to a couple of his friends. No biggie.”
“You think he could show a picture of my boobs to a couple of buddies and it won’t get back to anyone?”
“Probably not. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure who to tell or if I should tell anyone.”
“Why don’t you just wait and see what happens? I mean, if he did show a couple of friends, it’s not like he posted it online.”
“Oh, great, I never even thought of that. Where would a twelve-year-old post a picture?”
“Facebook? Twitter? Instagram?” he suggested. “Have you checked?”
“No. I’m not sure I want to.”
Lyle got his laptop and brought it back to the couch. “What’s the kid’s name?”
“Cole Hellenbrook,” Olivia said.
Lyle lifted his gaze and his brows. “Any relation to Westmoreland’s school superintendent?”
Olivia swallowed as the color drained from her face. “He’s her son.”
Chapter 18
Olivia yanked her arm away from Lyle as he dragged her toward Jack’s door. “I don’t want to be here, Lyle. I don’t know why I let you talk me into this.”
“You were invited. I wasn’t about to let you sit around the apartment moping.”
“After the reception I received at school today, you don’t think a little moping is in order?”
“Come on,” he said and rapped on the door. “I’ll bet Jack will help you feel better.”
As if the Gods had summoned him, Jack answered the door wearing jeans and a button-down shirt. The plaid’s burnt orange color made his eyes appear caramel. For just a moment, everything floated out of her mind as she stared at his perfection.
“Right on time,” he said and held open the door. He reached behind Olivia and led her to the couch with his hand at her back. “You smell wonderful,” he said in that voice that made her want to close her eyes and lay her head on his chest.
“I was just going to say the same,” Lyle said, “about the meal.”
“Erica’s been torturing me all day with the sauce. Her lasagna is the best I’ve ever tasted.”
Olivia felt as if she would burst out of her skin. She absolutely couldn’t sit there all night and pretend as though her world hadn’t crashed and burned.
“Can I get you both a drink?” Jack asked.
“I’d love a beer,” Lyle said.
Olivia nervously rubbed her hands along her pants. “I’m fine, thanks.”
“I’ve opened a bottle of red to breathe,” Jack said as he walked into the kitchen and retrieved Lyle’s beer. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
Olivia nodded, and then remembered he couldn’t see. But, wait… Hadn’t he led her to the couch, fetched a beer from the refrigerator, and delivered it to Lyle without any hesitation?
“Lyle,” Jack began, “would you mind keeping Erica company while I show Olivia the property? We won’t be gone long.”
Lyle nearly choked on his beer. “Ah, sure.” He stood up and meandered into the kitchen where Erica lorded over the stove, her back arrow straight.
Olivia stepped toward the door before she realized she’d forgotten to wait for Jack to grab her arm. He stepped around her and opened the door. The back of her neck began to tingle with unease.
Jack reached for her arm when they cleared the porch. “Why do I get the feeling you can see more than you let on?” she asked.
Jack raised his hand to his heart. “Guilty. How’d you know?”
“You’ve been moving around your house with ease.”
“I figured Lyle had told you. I have more vision than I initially admitted.”
“Why did you let me think you were blind?”
“I am blind. Legally blind. I have peripheral vision and can maneuver pretty well even outside my home. I can’t drive or read, but at least I have basic mobility.” Jack stopped before they reached the path to the river and turned Olivia to face him. “What’s wrong, Olivia?”
She felt ridiculously close to tears but fought them back with a forced smile. “Nothing.”
Jack lifted his hand to her cheek. “I may not be able to see your face clearly, but I know your voice. Something’s bothering you.” He dropped his hand. “Is it really that bad, my misleading you?”
“No, it’s not that. I should be mad at you, but I’m not. It’s something at work. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Olivia, we have absolutely no shot at making this work if we keep lying to each other. I confessed my secret. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
Her chin slumped against her chest and she scrubbed her palms over her eyes. Could she tell him? Could she not? “I’ve been suspended from student teaching.”
“How can they suspend you?”
The thought of saying it to Jack felt like a giant fist squeezing her stomach. She’d been flirting with him as if she were as sophisticated as the women he’d been with before. She couldn’t say it. She couldn’t admit the filthy charge they’d leveled against her. “A student and his family filed charges. They’re unfounded, but it’s my word against his. There were no witnesses and his mom’s got a lot of clout. Basically, I’m screwed.”
“What kind of charges?”
She turned and paced away. Why couldn’t he be a gentleman and leave well enough alone? He had to know it was tearing her apart. “Awful charges. Untrue, baseless, and vile.”
“Olivia…” She nearly gasped when his hand closed around her arm and he pulled her into an embrace. She rested her cheek against his granite chest and had to will herself not to burrow into his warmth. “Tell me. I can help.”
“No one can help.” She clung shamelessly to him and took every ounce of comfort he offered. Lyle had listened; she’d wanted to call her mother but was afraid her mother would tell Tommy. She couldn’t let Tommy know how badly she’d screwed up. Jack offered what she needed the most: a soft place to lay her head and a friend on her side.
“Not if you don’t let me. I know people. Many of my friends are attorneys. What’s the point in having lawyer friends if you don’t need their services every once in a while?”
“I’m not sure I need an attorney. I’m not sure of anything except that my degree is in jeopardy. I can’t graduate without my semester of student teaching.”
“Then let’s get you back in the classroom.” He pulled her away from his chest and gave her a gentle shake. “What happened?”
“I went into school today to report an incident that happened yesterday. A student took a picture of me and posted it online.”
“What kind of picture?” he asked.
She explained the details of how the picture had been taken, her horror at discovering it all over the Internet, and her intent to turn him into the school for his behavior. “When I went into the office this morning, his mother had already begun the process of filing charges against me for…” Olivia swiped her hands through her hair. “God, I can’t even say it.” She looked him in the eye. “Sexual harassment.”
“So fight it.”
“It’s not that simple. His mother’s the school superintendent. There’s a process that has to be followed, but because of her position, the case has to be turned over to someone outside her jurisdiction.
They’re trying to figure out who.”
“What happens in the meantime?”
She sighed. “I wait and worry. They wouldn’t even let me in the classroom today. They notified the college. My advisor said his hands are tied. This whole thing is blowing up in my face, and I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“So we’ll prove your innocence.”
She couldn’t have heard right. “We?”
The way he shrugged and rocked back on his heels made him look like a vulnerable little boy. She felt a strange web weaving around the two of them, pulling them together, binding them into some kind of union. She couldn’t have fought if she tried. And she sure wasn’t trying. Everything about him pulled her closer: his incredible good looks, his strength and support. Even the vision loss she’d worried over seemed minimal when he walked around without assistance. “I’m here without much to do but play around with some business investments and talk about my past with your roommate. I may as well help a friend if I can.”
“Are we friends, Jack?”
“I’d like us to be.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear after running the strands through his fingers. “I’d like us to be more than friends.”
“I’m not in a position to start a relationship right now.”
“The only relationship I’m offering is friendship. I’m here for a few months, tops. If we derive some benefit from our friendship, all the better.”
“Friends with benefits?” she muttered. After the day she’d had, his clichéd offer felt like salt in her wounds. “I think I’ll pass.”
He gripped her arms when she backed away and yanked her against his chest. “Really? You’re going to tell me you’re not interested?”
Before she could muster a reply, he dropped his head and captured her lips. Lust, sharp and dangerous, shot straight through her body and rendered her captive. Never in her life had Olivia felt totally defenseless in a man’s arms. The anger she’d felt moments before morphed into something desperate, something she’d cut her own arm off to experience. She meant to push him away, but her body betrayed her by molding to him while her hands dove into all that soft, black hair.
Erica loudly clearing her throat stopped Olivia cold. She stumbled out of Jack’s arms and would have fallen if he hadn’t grabbed her with a steady hand. Embarrassment slammed through her when Jack appeared totally unaffected by their kiss. Of course he was. Hadn’t she spent a good part of last week scouring the Internet for pictures of him with one gorgeous model after another?
Guiding the Fall Page 8
