by Laura Ann
“Uh...no-nope. Thanks, I’m good.” May day! May day! He could feel his face was flaming as he darted around her and practically ran back to his room. Once inside he let out a long breath and fell into his seat. Taking off his glasses, he put his head in his hands and tried to calm his racing heart. That woman is scary. She’s so aggressive and so confident all men want her. He shuddered. She’s all hard lines and angles. Nothing about her is soft...or blonde...or blue... He felt his heart pick back up, but this time not in fear, as the face of a very different teacher entered his thoughts. Like someone as perfect as her would ever be interested in a boring old history teacher. Shoving his glasses up his nose, he picked up a ketchup packet, when he spied the crumpled piece of paper from the Secret Santa can.
He grabbed it to see who he had.
Charlotte Cinders: First Grade Teacher Rm E104
You’ve got to be kidding me! Pushing his hands through his hair he gripped it and pulled. What are the odds that I would get her of all the teachers in the school? He groaned and slouched in his seat. His bowtie suddenly felt like it was choking him and he ran his finger around his collar. “What could I possibly do that wouldn’t have her thinking I’m an idiot? I can’t even say hello properly, let alone get her a gift.” He threw his glasses on the desk and rubbed the bridge of his nose. I’m in so much trouble...
CHAPTER 3
“I’m in so much trouble...” Charlotte mumbled to herself around a mouthful of ice cream as she stared at the slip of paper sitting on her coffee table. With a sigh she put down the carton of ice cream on the table and slouched into the couch cushions. “How in the world am I going to be his Secret Santa? I can hardly talk to him without stumbling over my words. Not to mention he runs away from me like I have the plague. There’s no way he won’t notice my feelings. I’m not sure I can take his rejection. Oooh...” She buried her face in her hands.
She thought of his handsome face. Those sky blue eyes, enlarged by his black glasses. His messy hair, like he couldn’t be bothered with such mundane tasks such as combing his unruly locks. The tips of her fingers often itched to smooth away the portions that stood up. And that cute bowtie that he tugged on every time he was nervous. She felt herself smile as she thought of being brave enough to tug on the ends and pull him in for a kiss. She giggled at the thought before shaking her head, “If only...”
Her thoughts traveled to watching him at lunch with the other teachers. He was a new hire this year, but had slipped in seamlessly with her colleagues. Friendly and easy going, everyone had welcomed him into their group. What I wouldn’t give to sit in on one of his lectures and watch him with his students....
Taking the ice cream back to the kitchen, she put on the lid and slipped it back into the freezer. Might as well finish grading those papers since I’m wide awake and Rory isn’t home yet. She sat at the kitchen counter and pulled the file folder out of her bright, floral bag. Fishing a red marker and a stack of stickers out of the side pocket, she proceeded to go through her students’ work.
She smiled in genuine enjoyment as she read the sentences the children put together about their families and the pictures they drew. Her smile fell when she read one particular paper.
This suks
She glanced to the top of the page and let out a huff of air when she realized it was Andrew Tremain’s paper. That little stinker. Knowing that Jackson’s would likely be similar, she picked through the papers until she saw his name.
Jackson had drawn four headstones with the names of all his family members and a caption that said, ‘I’m a orfun’.
I think it’s time to have another talk with Mrs. Tremain.
The front door opened, causing Charlotte to jump in her seat. “I’m home!” Rory called. Slamming the door with her foot, she hurried to the kitchen and threw her armful of bags on the counter. “Whew! The grocery store was majorly crowded and I didn’t want to wait in line, but needed cornstarch.” She grumbled as she started unloading.
“Here, let me help you.” Charlotte stood and started to walk around the countertop.
“Nah, I’m good. You finish your papers.” Rory began opening cupboards and throwing stuff on the shelves.
Charlotte cringed and made a mental note to reorganize tomorrow while Rory was volunteering at the center.
“How was your evening?” Rory asked while her back was turned.
“Oh...fine.” Charlotte tried to sound nonchalant.
“Yeah? Then how come you ate ice cream for dinner? You only do that when something is bothering you.” She spun around with her hands on her hips and a triumphant smirk on her face.
Charlotte felt her face get hot and knew her blush would give her away. “Um....I just- I mean I-”
“Oh honey, you’ve got it bad.” Rory crossed her arms and leaned against the sink. “You’ll feel better if you just admit it, you know.”
How can she possibly know? I’ve tried so hard to keep my feelings a secret since he obviously doesn’t return them. “Admit what?” She tried for an innocent tone.
“That you’ve got the hots for a certain history professor.”
Charlotte’s jaw dropped.
“Your eyes light up every time he enters the room, and your blush looks like a permanent fixture when you’re near him.”
“I do not have the ’hots’ for anyone Aurora Briar! And I don’t do any of those other things you were talking about either...maybe I just needed the ice cream tonight. After grading papers I think I’m going to have to talk to Mrs. Tremain again, that would bother anybody.”
“That woman is a nightmare!” Rory shuddered violently. “No wonder the boys are terrors. I would be too if I had to live with that lady.”
“Maybe she’s nice once you get to know her. Life is probably a little hard for her-after all she is raising twins boys all by herself, plus holding down a job. I’m sure it’s extremely stressful.” Charlotte always tried to think of good things about people, but deep down she agreed with her roommate. Mrs. Tremain had a habit of spreading malicious gossip and sticking her nose into every corner of the school. She also had a reputation for throwing herself at some of the male teachers, obviously trying to find a replacement for lost husband #1.
“You keep your rose colored glasses, I’ll keep my protective goggles and we’ll be just fine.”
Charlotte laughed.
“Soooo...”
The laughter stopped. Charlotte knew Rory was going to ask something she didn’t want to answer when she started drawing out her words like that.
“Just who did you get for the Secret Santa?”
Charlotte’s stomach dropped. She had worked so hard to hide her feelings for Christian, but being his Secret Santa was sure to bring them to the surface where others could see. Should I tell her? She loved Rory, but her good friend was a tease and said what was on her mind. She rarely kept secrets.
“I can see what you’re thinking.” Rory folded her arms across her chest. “And I can too keep a secret. Besides, it’s not like we won’t all know in the end anyway. They announce it at the Teacher Holiday Party.”
“Oh no! I had forgotten about that!” How am I going to do this? He’s going to think I’m a crazy stalker or something.
“Hey! It’s going to be okay.” Rory rushed over and rubbed circles on Charlotte’s back. “You don’t have to tell me now. I didn’t realize this was such a big deal!”
“No. I should tell you, I’m just...” She took a deep breath. “I drew Christian Prince.”
Rory pumped a fist in the air. “I knew it! Awesome! You have had it bad for him since the beginning of the school year. Now is our chance to really get his attention.” Her grin was wide and her eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Oh, no, no, no! Absolutely not Rory! The man hardly talks to me. In fact, he downright avoids me. I need to do this as carefully as possible.”
Rory’s expression changed to one of skepticism. “He won’t talk to you because he likes you. The guy is shy,
Char. He likes you just as much as you like him, but he’s scared to death. Just like you are acting, come to think of it. If one of you would just be willing to take the first step, you two would be a match made in heaven. You two are hands down the nicest people I know, generous to a fault, always think of others first,...not to mention you would have adorable babies.” She winked suggestively.
Charlotte felt heat climbing her neck and into her cheeks. “As much as I really would like to believe that, it doesn’t make sense. Any time I run into him in the hallway, he dashes away like I’m contagious.”
Her friend snorted. “Sounds about right. So, what do you think you’re going to do?” She waggled her eyebrows up and down. “Perhaps if you just jumped him and got a good kiss he would come out of his shell.”
“Rory!” Charlotte gasped. Her cheeks were really hot now, she felt like she would burst into flames any moment.
“Aw, look at you, acting all indignant, but secretly loving the thought.” She snickered.
Charlotte sighed. She was done for the night. “I think I’ll just go to bed and think on it for awhile.”
Rory’s face softened. “I pushed too far didn’t I? Sorry. I don’t mean to, I just get going and forget to stop.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Charlotte nodded and began walking down the hall before she remembered to ask a question. “Rory? Who did you draw?”
Rory’s face hardened. “Ugh! As much as fate was helping you, it was working against me. I drew that idiot, Steven Phillips.”
Charlotte gaped, then covered her giggle with her fingers. Rory hated the middle school literature teacher. He wasn’t your normal quiet bookworm. Instead he was flamboyant and outspoken. There was a rumor that during his section on Shakespeare he often stood on the desks and recited love lines until all the seventh grade girls were swooning. He flirted with any female in his path, but he seemed to particularly love giving attention to Rory. Probably because it drives her up the wall and he gets a kick out of making her mad. “I’m sorry Rory. But let’s look on the bright side. Maybe this is a chance for you to become friends instead of enemies. You’re the only person I know who doesn’t like Steven.”
Her roommate’s face changed and Charlotte wasn’t sure she liked the gleam that came into her eyes. She laughed and it sounded eerily close to an evil cackle. “Oh leave it to me...”
“Oh dear...” Charlotte murmured to herself. Turning around she hurried to her room. She knew there was no reasoning with her friend when she got an idea in her head. At least it means her attention will be elsewhere, rather than on myself and Christian.
CHAPTER 4
“I’m so full I think I’m gonna burst.” Rory groaned as she slumped in her seat at their dining room table. Rory and Charlotte had invited Lucy to have a ‘Girls’ Only Thanksgiving’ at their house. The meal had been delicious and all three women had eaten more than their normal share.
“Seriously.” Lucy dropped her head back. “I shouldn’t have had that last piece of pie, but it was soooo good.”
Charlotte giggled. She also felt overly full, but if their dramatics were anything to go by, she wasn’t as bad off as her friends. “The weather is gorgeous today. Who’s up for a walk?” She teased.
“No!”
“You can’t make me!”
Soon laughter rang throughout the room, followed by the more groans.
“I still think we should have invited Christian.” Rory glanced sideways at Charlotte.
“I’m sure he is enjoying time with family.” Charlotte said primly, striving to hold off her blush.
“Maybe.” Lucy responded. “I don’t know where he’s from, so I don’t know if he has any family close by.”
“Well Charl—”
“Besides, we decided to have a girls’ Thanksgiving to support Lucy, since Piper is still out of town.” Charlotte interrupted her roommate, changing the direction of the conversation.
“Which I am thankful for, ladies.” Lucy grinned. “Although, we might have needed to have it even if she was in town. Nash and her are getting pretty serious at this point. He’s down there right now.”
“How sweet.” Charlotte sighed.
“Speaking of sweet,” Rory grinned slyly. “Guess who Charlotte pulled for the Secret Santa?”
So much for changing the subject.
“Who? Is it someone terrible? I thought you said you didn’t get Miranda?” Lucy screeched.
“No, no...nothing like that—” Charlotte started.
“Psst.” Rory got Lucy’s attention. “She got Christian!” She said in mock whisper.
“Really? That’s fantastic! Now you’ll actually have to talk to him and everything will be perfect.”
Charlotte looked at her like she had lost her mind. “What do you mean everything will be perfect? The man can’t stand me!”
The two other girls burst into laughter. Charlotte huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”
“Oh Charlotte,” Lucy wiped tears from her eyes. “Love really is blind!” Her guffaws settled into giggling.
“What do you mean love? And I’m not blind, I can prove it. Point one,” Charlotte put one finger in the air. “When he comes to the lounge for lunch, he ALWAYS sits on the other side of the table. Always. It doesn’t matter how many empty chairs are on my side, he sits across. And point two,” she held a second finger up. “When I run into him in the hallway, he stutters, turns red and runs away as fast as he can. Literally. Once he took off so fast I almost reported him to the track coach, thinking he should help out the team.” Sitting back in her seat, Charlotte felt depressed. The more she spoke of Christian’s dislike of her, the more her heart pinched. It’s so miserable liking someone who doesn’t like you back. Books always make unrequited love sound so noble, but it stinks to high heaven.
“Sweetie, all those things you mentioned are the very signs that he does like you, I told you this.” Rory explained. “You intimidate him. At lunch he hardly takes his eyes off you. He talks to other people, but at every opportunity his eyes go right back to you. You’re just too busy keeping your chin down, and blushing, to notice. He can’t watch you as easily if he sat next to you, it would be too obvious. So...he sits where he can see your lovely face.”
Charlotte’s cheeks started to burn and she covered them with her hands. “Do you really think so?”
“Of course! Everyone sees it but you!” Lucy chimed in.
“As for the hallways, that man is just as shy as you! He can’t seem to get over it long enough to actually speak to you, so he reverts to the easiest measure: escape.” Her roommate continued.
Lucy giggled again, “I’d like to be around when he finally does talk to you. Someone might need to catch him in case he faints.”
Rory laughed and Charlotte cracked a grin. “If what you say is true, what am I going to do? Do you think the Secret Santa thing will actually help?”
Lucy quickly sat forward and leaned on the table. “Absolutely! All we need to do is put you in a situation where he can’t get away from you. Force him to make a move.”
“That sounds like I’m trapping him into something. Like I’m being dishonest.”
“Nah... we aren’t talking about tricking him. Just...convenient timing.” Rory pumped her eyebrows up and down.
“Ooh, I like it.” Lucy agreed.
“I don’t know...” Charlotte trailed off.
“Look, first step is to dress the part.” Rory stood from the table and headed down the hallway to the bedrooms.
“What? Dress the part? What’s wrong with the way I dress?”
“Yes! A makeover!” Lucy scurried after Rory.
Charlotte stood and followed them down the hall. “Uh, no thank you. I don’t want a makeover.”
Rory’s head was in Charlotte’s closet and she was throwing clothes over her head while Lucy tried to catch each piece before it hit the floor. “Don’t worry. I�
��m not talking a massive do over. I mean, you are one of the prettiest women I have ever known, I’m not messin’ with that. All I want to do is help you shine a little.”
“By doing what exactly?”
“By taking away your cardigans, blouses and pearls. However, you can keep the shoes. Your shoe collection is impressive and they make a great accent to an outfit.”
Charlotte gasped and clutched the strand hanging around her neck. “Pearls are classics! They never go out of style. Plus, these were my mother’s.”
Lucy dropped the pile of clothes on the bed before walking over and grabbing Charlotte by the shoulders. “You’re right, pearls are classic and your mother’s are lovely. You don’t have to necessarily get rid of them, just pair them with something that says ‘young and chic’, not ‘my grandma taught me to dress.” Lucy gave her a small shake. “Live a little! You’re young and beautiful, you deserve to dress and feel that way too.”
Charlotte’s eyes teared up. She’s right, I’ve always just stayed in comfortable, efficient clothes. Nothing too dressy or exciting. Growing up in foster homes taught me to wear what was worked, not what was fashionable. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Rory, who had stopped her perusal through the closet. “Okay.” She whispered. Gathering her courage, she tried again. “Okay!”
Rory ran over and grabbed her in a bear hug, nearly squeezing the life out of her. “I knew you could do it!” Her roommate laughed and started jumping up and down, Lucy joined the fun and Charlotte found herself being shaken like a ragdoll.
“Can’t breathe!” She finally disentangled herself from the hug circle.
“Ladies.” Rory’s serious face and tone of voice caught everyone’s attention. “Prepare yourselves. For tomorrow, we shall take advantage of every Black Friday sale in the city!”
While Rory and Lucy chanted like they were heading into battle, Charlotte gaped at them. Oh dear. What have I gotten myself into?
CHRISTIAN PUSHED THE lever on the side of the chair to let out the leg rest and recline. “Ahhh...” he said after getting into a comfortable position.
