“She has a solo in the winter concert. I’m thinking of giving her a second one.”
Kiara jumped off the desk and did an impromptu gleeful dance in front of him. She knew her daughter would be beyond the moon and the stars to have such an honor bestowed on her. “You have no idea how much that would mean to her. I already know she’s practicing night and day. So do the neighbors.”
“Good,” he laughed. “Dedicated students will make this event amazing.”
There were passionate teachers in the St. Judith school system, but he seemed to be on another level, his passion took her on a high that drew her in and didn’t want to let her come down. She was attracted to his passion and desire to give the kids more than they’d experienced. It was like a breath of fresh air and he was unlike anyone she’d met before.
Chapter Seven
Jett grinned foolishly at her. He couldn’t figure out exactly why he was drawn to her, it was like a magnetic pull. He found her passion for giving her daughter the world simply beautiful. It reminded him of his parents who always pushed for him to have his dreams.
“Camille talks about you all the time,” he said. “You seem like a great mom.”
“Sometimes I feel like I’m the Wicked Witch with her. I understand entering the teen years is hard. I remember being one myself, but the attitude gets tiring sometimes, and I must be the bad guy. At least she’s talking about me in a positive way.”
“I’ve only just met you, but I think you’re doing a fantastic job,” he reassured her. She seemed a bit insecure about her skills, but he’d learned in the past week dealing with middle schoolers wasn’t easy. You could tell which of the kids had a good support system at home and Camille was one of those kids. “Camille is a great kid and I personally think she’s lucky to have a mom like you.”
“Thanks. It’s hard doing it on my own, but I try my hardest every single day, even when I don’t have the will.”
They sat side by side on his desk. Her feet dangled off while he perched lightly on the edge of the desk. Somehow his pinky finger grazed hers. An electric shock zipped through his palm all the way up his arm and to his chest. But he held his hand in place, not wanting to break the connection.
“Thanks for being a great teacher for her. I really appreciate it.”
Her voice was breathy. That was the way he knew she’d felt something too. He had to clear his throat before words would come out.
“No problem, that’s why I’m here.”
They sat in silence for a second. Their pinky fingers still only just barely touching. Finally, Jett gave himself an internal shake.
He might be in a middle school, but he wasn’t going to resort to this kind of behavior. This was the mother of a student. She was also a fangirl. All very valid reasons why he should ignore any electricity that might appear between them.
Jett rose from the desk, breaking contact. The cold immediately rushed to fill the lost warmth. “I’m sure you want to get out of this weather. I’m going to be heading out also. I’ll walk with you.”
“Okay.”
Jett grabbed his notepads with his lesson plan and shoved them in his bag. Tossing the strap of the khaki bag over his shoulder he then shut off the desk lamp. With a flip of the switch, he turned off the lights of the classroom. Stepping outside his room, he noticed the hallway which previously had been lit, was now dark.
“The janitor must have turned the lights off.” He pulled out his cell and turned on the flashlight to guide them through the hallway. He stared at the burnt orange glaring back at him from below his feet. “The color of the floor is disgusting.”
“Tell me about it. It was the same nasty orange when I was a student here.”
He turned to stare at her and was captured by her silhouette in the darkness. The outline of her face, the swell of her lips, plump, slightly parted, a nervous tremble to them. Was she still nervous about being near him, or was it because of the weather and having to drive home in it?
“You went to school here?” he asked.
“Born and raised. My dad was stationed at the base when he met my mom. He eventually retired here, and they raised me here. I’ve always liked it here, but I did leave for a while when I first went off to college.”
She stopped talking and Jett realized he’d been hanging on her every word. He wanted to know more. Or perhaps he just liked the way her voice filled the silence. “Where’d you go?”
“New York City. I met Camille’s dad there and we lived there until she was four. That’s when we split. I made the decision to move back home.”
There was a hint of sadness in her voice that he immediately noticed. Had she felt like a failure after her divorce? Or maybe she was still in love with her ex?
It was far too personal a question to ask. It wasn’t as though this was a date and he had any right to know. He was just her daughter’s teacher, a temporary one at that. And this… whatever it was… was about to come to a close. They’d reached the front door of the school.
Yanking at the door, he was unable to open the heavy door. He pulled at it again, hard. Still, it refused to budge.
“Here, I’ll help.”
He frowned down at her.
“What?” she grinned. “I’m not insulting your masculinity. I know these doors can be a pain.”
She pushed up her coat sleeves and wrapped her hands around the door handle. Her fingers were long, nails cut short. They looked capable. They also looked like the type of hands that would offer comfort.
Then he shook himself to rid his mind of the thought. What had made his mind go there? To think about how her hands would feel?
Jett turned his attention back to the matter at hand, getting the doors open. Kiara also began to pull at the heavy wooden door that still would not move through all of their efforts.
“They’re locked,” she announced.
“Yeah,” he added in dismay at their unfortunate situation. Outside they could see the snow coming down so thickly they could barely see the street below. “Let me call Principal Carpenter.”
He started to search through his contacts before finally reaching the number for the principal and pressing talk. He waited a few moments before he finally answered.
“Hello?”
“Principal Carpenter? Jett Anderson. I have a problem, I seem to be locked in the school. I was working late, and a parent came in. In the meantime, it seems the janitor has left, and we are locked in. Is there an alternative way for us to get out?”
He didn’t want to be locked in the school all night. And he knew Kiara wanted to get home to her daughter before too long.
“My goodness, you are in a tricky spot,” said the principal. “All the doors lock at the same time and are practically bolted shut. It’s the downfall of having such an old building. The roads are a mess and I don’t think I can make it. I’ll call the janitor and see if he isn’t too far. Settle down somewhere warm and I’ll get back to you.”
“Thank you. Please let me know as soon as you can.” Jett ended the call and turned to Kiara who was watching the snow fall.
“I can’t even see my car out there,” she commented before she turned to face him. “Is he sending someone?”
“He’ll see, but it isn’t looking good. He said settle into somewhere warm. The best place I can think of is the teacher’s lounge. It’s a small room and there’s a space heater.”
“I’d better call my mom and let her and Camille know what’s going on.” Kiara dialed as she followed Jett.
He opened the door and turned on the light while she settled on a couch. Jett was bending to turn on the small space heater when he heard what he thought was more wind growling through the vents. Turning to look at Kiara and check on her, he saw another blush creeping up her cheeks.
“Sorry, I’m starving.” Her hands patted her stomach and she grinned sheepishly. “I haven’t had a chance to really eat today. Just a small handful of chips on my break. My mom’s making dinner.”
“There was a staff pot luck today. The leftovers are in the fridge. At least we have food.”
His voice held a hint of optimism, a glass-half-full, in what could have been a bad situation. He walked to the old refrigerator in the corner and opened it. Jackpot! There were a ton of Tupperware containers filled with the spoils of the impromptu potluck the teachers had thrown.
Kiara stood from the couch and opened one of the cabinets to find plates. Joining him at the counter, they began to fill their plates with goodies. He glanced over to find her watching him, but she looked away instantly.
“I know this one,” she opened one of the containers. “This is Principal Carpenter’s wife’s coleslaw. His wife and my mom are good friends. Whenever my mom has anything going on, Mrs. Carpenter brings over a giant bowl of her slaw. I am not a coleslaw fan, but hers is amazing.”
“I’m jealous of your roots here.” Jett took their plates to the microwave. “I moved around after I joined Boy Tide. Both my parents have passed. I have some family back in Omaha and could go back. But I never really had a place to settle down.”
“St. Judith is the perfect place to settle down.”
“I’m only here for another week.”
“Right.”
It had been warm in the room. But his announcement brought in a draft of cold. He wished he’d kept his mouth shut, but it was the truth. He was leaving in the same number of days as he could count on both hands. That meant he would not be getting close to a nurse whose warm smile was doing more for him than the space heater.
Chapter Eight
“I understand… hmmm…. Yeah…okay, thanks.”
Kiara watched Jett as he spoke. She didn’t have to hide her fascination with his lips as he spoke. Of course, she would be hanging on his every word as he learned of their fate of getting out of the locked building any time soon.
But when he hung up the phone shaking his head, Kiara forgot about the movement of his lips and actually begun to pay attention to the actual words he’d said.
“That good, huh?” She tried to smile at him but failed. She was certain her frustration at being stuck in the school washed over her face.
“The roads are too dangerous for anyone to try and make it here without everyone getting stuck in the school. There’s a state of emergency for the entire area and the governor wants everyone to stay inside unless they have to go outside.”
He walked over to the window and looked outside again. The snow was still falling thick and fast. The wind blew it around like feathers in a pillow fight.
“As long as we have power and heat,” he said, “we’ll be okay.”
“I should call my mom again.” She pulled her phone from the pocket of her scrubs. She never expected she’d end up spending the night in her old middle school. And certainly not with her childhood celebrity crush.
Dialing her mom’s number, she glanced across the couch to the other end where he sat looking at his own cell phone. He was more normal than she would have ever expected. That alone was enough to calm her nerves around him.
“Kiara. Are you nearly home?” She could hear the anxiety in her mom’s voice as soon as she answered the phone.
“Sadly, no. I stopped at the school to get the notebook Cam claims she left, and I ended up locked in the school with her music teacher. The roads are too bad to send anyone out, so we’re stuck here for the night.”
She didn’t want to disappoint her mom or daughter, but she knew they would understand her being stuck because of the snow. It wasn’t the first time it had happened to her. But it had been at the hospital and not at the school.
“Is Mama coming home yet?” Kiara could hear Camille shout in the background.
“She’s stuck in the school with your music teacher until morning or until someone can get them out,” her mom told her.
She had to hold the phone away from her ear when her daughter started whooping and screaming excitedly in the background. “Why does she sound so happy?” Kiara asked suspiciously.
“No idea,” she said. “Just stay warm and keep us updated.”
“Thanks, Mama. I’ll do my best, but my cell battery is pretty low.”
“Get some rest,” her mom reminded her, just like she was a young child. “Cam is finishing her math homework and then we’re going to eat dinner. See you tomorrow.”
Kiara ended the call and sat her phone on the arm of the couch. It was going to be a long night in the teacher’s lounge, with only a space heater, during a blizzard.
Randomly a thought came to her mind and she started to giggle to herself softly. It was only a minute before her giggles turned into a full belly laugh at the realization of what was happening. Shaking her head, she tried to calm her fit of laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Jett asked as she wiped away tears.
“It’s actually not funny. I think I may just be delirious.”
She wasn’t sure how she should feel about the situation. Finally, she was able to take a deep breath. When she opened her eyes she found herself staring directly into Jett’s soft gray eyes. Her stomach clenched at his deep stare.
“My mom just said Camille was doing her math homework. I’m here to get this math notebook she says she left here, in your room. She couldn’t get her work done without it. I think…”
Kiara took a deep breath before spouting her theory. In her head it was crazy. But, she reminded herself, it wasn’t her idea. It was the machinations of a child.
“I think Camille may have made it up. She’s been super forgetful these last few days. And it’s always around the time she’s in your class.”
“I’m not following.” The look of confusion on his face was adorable as he crinkled his nose.
“My sweet daughter is trying to play matchmaker. She was trying to get me alone with you. I just don’t think she counted on us getting locked in the school and the snowstorm.”
Jett’s lips widened into a surprised O-shape. Kiara felt instantly mortified. Of course, the idea was laughable.
Jett Anderson was an international superstar. He had actresses and models fawning over him. Like he’d ever be interested in a small-town nurse who was also a single mom. She should’ve kept her mouth shut.
“It’s a ridiculous idea,” Kiara said, rushing to fill the silence. “I mean you and me?” She snorted, but it came out more like a whimper.
“What’s so ridiculous about that?” He frowned. “What’s wrong with me?”
It took her a moment to realize he was joking.
“I’ll have you know I was once voted the hottest boy of 1995.”
Kiara cracked a smile.
“Sure, it was in Seventeen Magazine, but teenage girls are savage.”
Now Kiara full on laughed. He was grinning too.
“A man would be lucky to have your full attention,” he said. His eyes fixed on her. His smile was thoughtful.
Kiara’s stomach flipped. There was a moment of silence between them as she decided to turn off her dying phone for the night. She peered around the terribly lit lounge. It was the one place in the school she hadn't been to. The walls here were a seafoam green and the couch an old floral thing that reminded her of something her grandmother had in her den.
“If we’re stuck, some blankets would be nice,” he said. “I’m going to try and find some.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’m going to make some tea. Want some?”
“Yeah, it will help.”
He took a step in the direction of the door, while she took a step in the same direction toward the counter. They came face to face with each other. Her gaze was level with his bottom lip.
She watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed once, twice. Was he thinking about kissing her? Because that’s exactly where her thoughts had traveled.
“Sorry,” he mumbled as he took a step back.
“Go ahead,” she said quietly stepping to the side allowing him by.
As he left the room, Kiara looked toward the
door. She might’ve been off the dating track for a long while, but there was something that was as familiar as riding a bike. There was chemistry filling the air around them she couldn’t deny. She wondered if he felt the inkling of it as she did. It was hard to say, and she wasn’t up for making a fool of herself.
She filled the electric kettle with water and turned it on. After getting the water set, she looked around for the box of tea. Finding some bags tucked in a corner of the counter, Kiara rubbed her hands together as she pulled the box to her and started flipping through the flavors. When she came across the chamomile, she pulled one out and set it on the counter for herself. She opened the packet and dropped the bag into a mug, waiting for the water to finish heating.
As the kettle clicked, showing it was finished, the door reopened to Jett entering the room with his arms filled with comforters. She rushed in his direction to aid him and grabbed one of the blankets that were threatening to fall. As she did, her fingers brushed his. She inhaled sharply before she turned and dropped the blanket to the couch.
“Thanks,” he said, his voice breathy. Likely from the weight in his arms. “I found these in the drama department. It’s something at least.” He shrugged as he placed two blankets on the floor. “I’ll take the floor. You can have the couch.”
“If you want the couch–”
“No way,” he insisted. “You deserve to be comfortable. I’ll be fine on the floor.”
“Are you sure?” Kiara instantly returned, not used to the kindness offered.
“I’m sure. You get the couch. Now is that water done? The hallway’s pretty cold and I need to warm up.” He rubbed his hands together, blowing into them for warmth.
“Yeah, just pick your tea,” she instructed.
As she picked up her mug from the counter, only to realize that when she went to take a sip that the mug was empty. Laughing at herself she pulled over the kettle and poured some water into her mug, letting the bag steep. As she waited, she looked at him expectantly.
Mommy Loves the Rockstar Page 4
