by Andi Bremner
“That’d be great,” I replied civilly. “When?”
“Well, what about Friday? Butch is heading out of town for the weekend and I thought it might be nice for Hannah—and me—to have some company while he’s gone.”
I turned to face her. “I’m sure Ava would love the playdate. I have to work late on Friday so I’ll get Gillian to pick her up afterward.”
Laura’s face fell. “Oh, you don’t have to bother Gillian. I can keep Ava until you’re ready to pick her up yourself.”
“Gillian doesn’t mind,” I replied easily. “I’ll ask her now when I get to work. Thanks!”
I headed off, not giving her a chance to reply, not wanting to hear what other excuse she had for getting me to come over while her husband was out of town.
Laura was the last thing I needed right now. Not when I had too much of Miss Henley on my mind.
****
The day passed quickly and by the time I returned to school to pick up Montana and Ava, I’d already decided what I was going to do. Nothing. There was no reason that there should be any problems between Lia—Miss Henley—and myself. We’d had a one-night stand. That was all. It was over. She was my daughter’s teacher, which was an unfortunate coincidence, but nothing I couldn’t handle. We were both adults.
As soon as Ava saw me, she cried and jumped into my arms like she hadn’t seen me for a month, and not just a few hours. Then she untangled herself and raced off to play with her friends in the playground just outside the class, forgetting me just as quickly. I watched her go and turned to Miss Henley, who lingered by the doorway, a flush on her cheeks and some purple paint in her hair.
There were a few parents lingering nearby. I glanced at them, choosing my words carefully when I spoke. “I—um—was hoping to see you,” I said, maybe a little too loud, “to discuss a few things.”
Her eyes went round.
“About Ava,” I clarified, “and her circumstances.”
“Oh, I see.” She glanced at the other parents and then back at me. “I have a few minutes now.”
“Now?” I looked over at Ava running around with her friends in the playground. There were lots of parents around and a teacher on duty. We often stayed afterschool so the girls could play with their friends in the playground. I nodded to Montana. “Tany watch Ava, okay? I’m just going to chat with Miss Henley.”
Montana nodded and sat herself down on the bench to do as I asked. She was always like that. A mothering hen. Lord knew there needed to be a mothering symbol in our lives. Their mother was a waste of space and mine was even worse.
I followed Lia into the class, noting how neat and tidy it was and how the air around us seemed to prickle with tension.
“Miss Henley…” I began.
“Lia,” she corrected. “It is fine to call me Lia, and besides, I think it’s a little late for formalities.”
I nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a teacher?”
She frowned. “I did, didn’t I?”
I would’ve remembered. “No. And I told you I had children. Did you not think…?”
She shook her head. “No. I didn’t think at all. I’m so sorry…”
I stared at her. Sorry? Did she think I was blaming her for this? Shit, that wasn’t what I meant. I simply wanted to make some kind of sense of this mess. “It’s not your fault. And besides, I wouldn’t change what happened.”
Color crept up her throat at my words and she stared at the floor. It was a long moment before she raised her eyes to mine. “I’m Ava’s teacher.”
“And I don’t think what happened between us breaks any kinds of laws,” I assured her. It didn’t, I’d looked it up at work. “But I think it would be best if we kept this to ourselves.”
She blinked at me. “Of course.”
“You’re new in town, Lia. You don’t want to get off on the wrong foot, and believe me when I say that having your name associated with mine would most definitely be getting off on the wrong foot.”
“I don’t care what people think,” she said, lifting her chin a little.
I smiled. “Yeah, you do. And the people in this town love to gossip. They love to pull people’s lives apart, dissect them, and then make completely uncalled-for judgements.”
The bitterness in my voice must have been evident because she stared at me for a long moment, a kind of sadness in her eyes. “You sound like you speak from experience.”
“I do,” I told her shortly. “Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. Ava.”
She nodded. “Go on.”
“Ava’s mother and I.” I paused. I hated talking about Tara. I hated even thinking about her and I especially didn’t want to bring her up to someone like Lia, who was so sweet, so untarnished. It felt like comparing a rotten apple to a sweet treat. “Well, we aren’t together and there is a court order involved. She has no access to the girls at all, and while for the most part that doesn’t really bother her, since she doesn’t give a shit about the girls, sometimes—usually when she’s broke or been kicked out by her latest boyfriend—she thinks she wants to be a mother again and starts coming around.”
“I see.”
“It’s been a while,” I assured her, “and I don’t expect trouble, but just so you know. If she shows up at the school, there is a procedure in place to call the police.”
She nodded. “The principal has already gone over all that with me.”
Of course. I knew that. I mean, had I let myself think about it I would’ve known that that would’ve happened. But then I wouldn’t have had a reason to talk to her, would I?
“Right. Well. So, long as you know.”
She smiled. “Ava is a sweet girl. You’ve done a great job raising her.”
I met her eyes, which were warm and honest. A lot of women told me I was doing a great job with the girls and I had no shortage of babysitters or people offering to help. As judgemental and gossipy as this town was, they were also very supportive, for which I was always grateful. Even Miranda, who bought my studio, had hired me back on simply because she knew I needed the work. If it wasn’t for her, I’d probably be stacking shelves at the local Walmart.
But for some reason, hearing the compliment from Lia, from a teacher, from someone experienced with children, from someone from a good background, who was sweet and honest. For some reason, her compliment warmed me in a way I’d never felt before.
Shit.
This was not good.
Chapter Five
Lia
I lingered outside the tattoo studio. The sign declared it Ink Addicted, and open. Swallowing hard, I stared through doors, taking note of the art that lined the walls, the trophies on the shelf behind the front desk. A massive black chandelier hung from the ceiling and the chairs in the waiting area were tall, black winged-back armchairs. The kind I’d like to curl up in and read a book.
“Thinking of a tattoo?”
I jumped at the sound of the soft feminine voice and turned, meeting the eyes of the girl who hovered beside me. She had shoulder-length dark hair and a scattering of freckles over her nose. She was beautiful in a very angular, tough way, and when I looked into her eyes, I sensed a kind of haunting that made me shiver.
“Um, well…” Was I thinking of a tattoo? No. I was merely on my way to meet Anna and Ellis for dinner, but when I passed by the studio I knew Jacob worked at, I’d been distracted.
“I’m Gillian,” the woman said. “I work here. I’d be happy to show you some designs, if you like?”
“Um…” A tattoo? I’d always been interested in tattoos, but Declan had turned his nose up at them. And of course, my parents would be furious.
“Come on in. It’s a quiet day so I could use the company.”
Somehow, I found myself ushered into the studio and sat in one of those high wing-backed chairs I’d just been admiring. Gillian pulled up a stool and dropped an album on my lap.
“Do you have anything in particular in mind?” she asked, turnin
g through the pages.
“Not really,” I replied vaguely, admiring the detail in the drawings. They were very good. “Did you do these?”
“Most of them. Some of them are Alex’s, Miranda’s, or Jacob’s.”
My heart did a little flip at hearing his name, and I felt heat creep up my throat. I ran my hands over the intricate detail in one sketch. A Mandela. It was like lace, the old-fashioned kind that reminded me of the doilies in my grandmother’s house she’d crocheted.
“That’s Jacob’s,” Gillian offered. “He’s very good at the fine lines that go into something like that.”
“A Mandela,” I murmured, “a very complicated one.”
“Hmmn. We could get something sketched for you like this. Jacob doesn’t work evenings but if you’d like to, you could come back in the morning.”
I stood up and placed the book on the seat. How had I even ended up in here? I wasn’t serious about getting a tattoo … was I? “I work in the mornings.”
“Oh. Well, if you’d like, I can ask him to sketch something for you. Something like this.” She gestured to the open page of the intricate lacework. “Where were you thinking of having it done?”
“On my stomach. Or my hip.” The words were out before I even thought them, and I blinked in surprise. I hadn’t even known that was where I would have a tattoo, much less decided on it.
“Nice. I can ask him to sketch something up and then you can come in when you’re able to get it done.”
“Does—would he be the one to do it?”
“Yes.” She paused, looking at me carefully before she continued, “Or if you are more comfortable with a female, Miranda or I could do it for you.”
I relaxed a little. The idea of Jacob tattooing me made me feel all hot and itchy. I wasn’t sure if it was because the idea thrilled me, or terrified me. Whatever the reason, it was probably best that Gillian did the tattoo.
“Okay.”
Gillian smiled and then took down my details even as my mind argued with itself. It wasn’t a commitment. I could always change my mind. Besides, the idea of a small Mandela, a dreamcatcher, on my stomach and hip was alluring.
I would decide later, when I saw it, if I would actually go ahead with it.
The design that Jacob was going to design for me.
****
“You’re crazy,” Anna announced over dinner after I explained my interaction with Gillian.
“I haven’t gotten it yet,” I repeated. “She’s just drawing up the design.”
“You’re still crazy. Your parents are going to go nuts if you get a tattoo. Honestly, Lia, I’m glad you broke up with Declan,” she said, “and I’m glad you’re here, but now is not the time to be making any drastic life choices.”
She was right. I knew she was right. But I wasn’t sure that getting a little tattoo could be considered a drastic life choice.
“I think tattoos are sexy,” Ellis said now.
Anna glanced at him. “You do?”
He shrugged. “Sure. And I mean if you are going to get a tattoo, Ink Addicted is the place to get one. Those guys are seriously talented.”
Anna turned her stare on me. “Some of them more than others, right, Lia?”
I flushed. “I spoke to Gillian. That’s all.”
“And are you sure you didn’t go in there to talk to someone else?” she prompted with a frown.
I threw a fry at her. “No. Besides, if I wanted to talk to him, I don’t need to stalk him at work. His daughter’s in my class.”
She choked on her drink. “No way.”
“Yes way.”
Suddenly, she started laughing. Ellis looked between the two of us. “I’m confused. What are we talking about?”
Anna turned to him. “I didn’t tell you, but Lia hooked up with Jacob McGaren the other night.”
“Anna!” I flushed crimson, embarrassed she’d shared my secret with Ellis. Not that I was ashamed of it, I was anything but, I was glad I’d done it. I’d had a one-night stand, my first, and it had been everything and more than I’d always imagined. Sex with a stranger. A sexy, dark, demanding stranger where I could relax and be myself. Where I could indulge in everything carnal that had somehow felt wrong when I was with Declan.
“Really?” Ellis didn’t seem surprised.
“It was just one night. Nothing more,” I assured him.
He snorted. “Of course. If it’s Jacob McGaren you’ll only get one night. And with someone like him, you only want one night.”
“What does that mean?” I frowned.
“It means that he’s a player. He doesn’t date women, he just screws them. Everyone knows that, although there are a few women in this town who are desperate to be the one to change him.”
My frown darkened as I thought back to that morning. Watching him leave after school drop off and seeing one of the other mothers fall into step beside him, almost running to catch up. I’d seen the way she’d looked at him, I’d seen the smiles and the flirty looks she shot him. He didn’t seem to reciprocate, but of course that didn’t mean he didn’t.
“But he’s not someone you should be interested in. He’s got too much shit in his life. Two kids. A sick mother. A psycho ex-wife. No money.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I didn’t like the way Ellis was talking about Jacob, like he was scum.
“Honestly, a girl like you shouldn’t be interested in someone like him. At least, not for more than a night.”
“I’m not,” I bristled, sipping my wine.
Anna stared at me. “Have you spoken to Declan?”
At the mention of Declan, I suddenly felt weary. “Yes.”
“And?”
“And I told him again it was over. But he doesn’t seem to hear me.”
“He’ll come around.”
I sighed again. “Yeah. I hope so.”
Chapter Six
Jacob
I finished the sketch and handed it to Gillian. “How’s this?”
She regarded it carefully. “Very pretty. I think she’ll like it.”
I nodded. “And she doesn’t want me to do it? She wants a girl?” It wasn’t unusual for a girl to want a girl to do her ink, although it had been a while since someone had distinctly asked for me not to do it.
“Yeah, she seemed kid of shy.”
I swallowed and immediately thought of Lia. The pretty blonde with the shy smile and fiery eyes. The girl who looked shocked as all hell when I commanded her to spread her legs for me but did so anyway with desire evident on her swollen pussy.
I hadn’t seen her that morning. Instead, I used the car pool to drop off Ava and Montana, but I wouldn’t be able to do that all the time. Ava liked me to come in and collect her, and having them walk even the short distance to the kiss and drive made me wary. Who knew where Tara was?
“Well, I’m happy to do it if she wants.”
Gillian tilted her head and considered me. “I think it was you she was hoping to avoid.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. She turned beet-red as soon as I mentioned your name. You haven’t been seducing upper-class princesses, have you, Jacob?”
At this, my heart turned over and I knew in an instant it had been Lia who’d walked into the studio and it was Lia who’d I just designed for. What was she doing in here? Did she really want a tattoo? Was she spying on me? Was she hoping for something more from me, because I’d already told her I wasn’t up for anything other than a one-night stand. As sexy as she was and as much as I enjoyed my time with her, I had nothing more to offer her.
Girls like her didn’t go for guys like me. I thought of her neat bedroom in the house she shared with Anna by the lake. The Louis Vuitton suitcase that was still unpacked on the floor in her room, the sparkly diamonds she had in her ears that I knew were real and cost a small packet. I thought of the world she must come from. I could see it, it was written all over her. In her shiny hair, relaxed smile. Even in her posture.
I tho
ught of my own house, the three-bedroom house that sat on the outskirts of town and was so badly in need of repairs I didn’t even know where to start. The gutters were faded, there were cracks in the walls, and the heating didn’t work properly. The décor was old, worn, and the furniture was all second hand. Except for my girls’ bunk beds. Those I’d bought brand-new a few years ago, not wanting my girls to sleep on someone else’s mattress. I thought of my mother, wrinkled and wizened from a lifetime spent drinking, smoking, and indulging in recreational drugs. She spent her days sitting in the recliner rocker in front of the television, her oxygen tank a permanent fixture beside her. She wasn’t supposed to smoke and I’d told her repeatedly not to smoke in the house, but sometimes when I got home, the house stunk of cigarettes and I knew that once again she didn’t give a shit about my wishes and just did what she wanted.
I thought about all of that and then I thought about Lia.
“Jacob?”
I glanced up at Gillian, who was watching me carefully. I saw the understanding on her face as she realized this girl was someone I knew. Someone I knew well.
“Oh.”
I shrugged. “Lia?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“She’s Ava’s teacher,” I said, trying to sound nonplussed. “No big deal.”
Her eyes went wide. “You screwed Ava’s teacher?”
“I didn’t know she was her teacher. I met her Friday night before she started and only realized when I dropped Ava off Monday.”
Gillian started to laugh. “Oh, my God, that must have been awkward! I wish I’d been there to see that.”
I managed a smile. “It was a bit.”
She thrust the drawing back at me. “I think you should show her this when she comes in this afternoon.”
I thrust it back. “No way. She asked for you.”
“She’s really sweet, Jacob.”
“She asked for you.”
“And pretty.”
“Gillian…”
“And you should have seen the expression on her face when I mentioned you.”
“No.”
