Chapter 8

Chase

I know she's in there, so I saunter into the teacher's lounge with the panther-like walk I reserve for approaching women at bars. Thankfully, she sits by herself at a table near the vending machine, and I take a moment to check her out as the door shuts with a click behind me. I imagine she's seeing me in all my glory by the door as I smile at her, but she doesn't look thrilled.

In fact, she looks downright miserable. Tired.

Her hair is in a messy bun again, but strands hang down wildly like she didn't brush her hair before she put it up today. Her normally pink skin is pale, and dark circles line her undereye area like she didn't get a wink of sleep last night.

My face scrunches in concern, and I step toward her, forgetting to look cool or impress her. Fuck that shit. It's more important that she's OK with whatever's going on .

"Kailee? Are you OK?" I ask. I pull a chair out and immediately sit without invitation. "Did someone die?"

"Only my future," she mumbles and looks back to her Tupperware dish containing a clear broth.

"What do you mean? Did something happen with your job?"

She snorts a laugh and wipes her nose. "No, Chase." She taps the spoon on the side of her container and reaches for a nearby roll. Plain. No butter. "I just haven't been feeling well lately."

"I hope you don't have that stomach issue that hit the junior class."

She stares at me for a few seconds. "I sure hope the juniors don't have this."

"Can I do anything to help?" I ask.

Her eyes widen and she looks down at her soup. "Oh, I think I'll need your help at some point, but I'm just…not ready to talk yet, OK?" She practically whispers the words. "And not here."

I straighten in my seat and smile. She'll need my help. I love being the hero. Hell, I probably have a hero complex. Many police officers do, and it's often why we go into law enforcement. I want to be her hero. I want to be needed by her. Sure, I don't know Kailee well, but I want to know her better with all my being. There's just something about her I still can't pinpoint that makes me want to pull her to my chest and never let her go. It could be that she's so independent and does her own thing. It could be because I see something under that - something crying out to have someone to lean on in hard times .

Someone hurt her once, and I want to lick her wounds…everywhere.

She said she'd let me help her. Not Leo. Not Jeff. She didn't even mention Liam, who I thought would be first on the list now that he's dating Kailee's best friend.

Before I can think more about it, she looks up at me with tears in her eyes. Her nose reddens, and my smile leaves my face. I reach for her hand resting near her soup bowl, and she allows me to run my thumb over her skin. I watch her face, silently pleading for her to talk to me. Tell me what's wrong.

"Hi, Kailee," a deep voice says, interrupting my thoughts and making Kailee jump.

Leo stomps to the table and sets his lunch box down as Kailee pulls her hand out from under mine. I miss her warmth. I miss her skin next to mine. I could positively kill Leo Paulson because I'm fairly certain Kailee was about to spill her guts.

I know she felt the spark when our skin touched. I almost had her.

Leo also noticed. "What's going on here?" he asks, sniffing. "You two dating now?"

"No," Kailee says in a clipped tone, and my heart sinks. Was she offended he even thought that? "Just friends talking. I'm having a rough day."

Leo slides into the seat next to mine, and it's all I can do not to roll my eyes as he opens up his lunch box and pulls out two gigantic sub sandwiches and three cheese sticks. Kailee also looks away. Maybe she doesn't like cheese sticks.

"So, what's new, Barnett?" Leo asks. He eyes the hand that was just on top of Kailee's, and I think hard about curling it into a fist and hitting him in the face. He looks at Kailee and jerks his chin at her. "If you're not dating this guy, can I get a rain check on our date last night?"

Date last night? Rain check? Something stirs in my stomach, and it takes me a second to recognize the feeling of hope. I hope she ran out through the back kitchen.

My eyes flick to Kailee's face, and I force my facial muscles into a neutral expression. I can't show the rage or jealousy I feel. She looks away from me.

"I don't know, Leo. Right now, I just need to deal with not feeling great."

"Yeah, I'm surprised to see you here the way you were tossing your cookies in the restaurant bathroom."

At least she wasn't making up not feeling well. I guess she's really sick, but I still don't like the idea that she was on a date with the tool next to me.

I take deep breaths through my nose, trying to avoid losing my temper. Every fiber of my being tells me to stomp and stew like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. Why him? Why did he get to take her out, and she won't let me go out with her? I thought she was fucking with me when she said she was going out with him because he asked nicely. I'm way better for her than this guy, and I have an equally great public pension.

"Thanks for calling Lorelei for me," Kailee says.

Color me confused. She had Leo call Lorelei when she was sick?

Something's going on.

"Is there anything you need?" I ask. "I'm going to the store on my break next hour." I really wasn't planning on it, but it just slipped out of my mouth. I want to do something for her and actively help.

Leo side eyes me. "Yeah, I have planning period. I can get you some Tums or something."

"Ginger ale is better," I say, nailing Leo with a glare. Thank fuck I paid attention to how Liam helped his mother through chemo.

"I have some saltines in my drawer," Leo counters.

"I may have Pepto in my glove compartment."

"I can make you some toast. Someone left bread," Leo says, gesturing to the cabinets behind us.

"Instead of feeding you old bread, Kailee, I'll walk down the street to Panera and get you some chicken soup."

Leo and I both practically pant and stare at each other as we one-up each other on nausea remedies. My lip curls, and his twitches. Fear maybe? Knowing I'm better looking and just as willing to do whatever she needs ?

I drop the mic. The nail in the coffin. I draw out the words as I look at Leo, our noses practically touching, neither of us blinking. "I can get you…Jell-O."

Leo backs away, his lips in a pale, straight line, and Kailee gasps. "Chase, I can't ask you to take time out of your day to do that for me."

I finally break Leo's glare and turn to face Kailee again. "Nothing, and I mean nothing, would give me as much pleasure as procuring Jell-O for you, baby."

When I call her baby, Kailee doesn't bat an eye, but something in Leo panics. His eyes widen, and his nostrils flare. He squeezes one of the sub sandwiches so hard that the meat and bread squish together until they're goo. His face reddens until I'm worried he's having a heart attack. But he's a formidable opponent. Even I can see that.

He refuses to quit. "Want me to come over and make dinner for you tonight, Kailee?" he asks. "We didn't get through it last night."

Now it's my turn to fume. Absolutely fucking not. I can't abide this douche in her home, cooking and doing all the things I want to do for her. "I'm sure she's not up for that if she's sick, bro."

"Yeah, Leo. That's really nice of you, but I think I'm just going to take it easy and sit around tonight. Maybe watch some Netflix. "

"Ok, no food then." Jesus, this guy doesn't give up. I almost respect it. "I'll come over and watch TV with you."

Kailee looks down and stirs what's left of her soup. "Thanks, Leo, but I'm just not in the mood."

She turned him down! She doesn't want him. How many times have I been told that if a woman is really interested in a man, she'll crawl over a bed of hot coals to spend time with him? It works both ways, and I can honestly say I'd crawl over a bed of hot coals to bring this woman Jell-O later. Hell, if I was sick with Ebola, I'd put on a hazmat suit if she wanted me to make her dinner.

Eat shit, Leo!

The bell that ends Kailee's lunch period rings, and she quickly gets up from her seat, hazarding a glance at Leo and me. Is she worried we'll box for her honor as soon as she leaves?

Shaking her head, she eventually throws her napkin away and walks to the door.

"Kailee?" I ask.

She turns around and straightens her shoulders. "Yes, Chase?"

"What flavor do you want?"

She smiles, and I see the chance I really have. There's something in the smile that tells me she's at least open to the idea of giving me a chance. Her face relaxes, and her mouth opens like she's ready to read a monologue. I can tell there's so much she wants to let out.

After a few moments, she closes her mouth and clears her throat. "Anything red," she says before walking out the door and not saying another word to Leo.

As soon as the smell of her perfume follows her out the door, Leo whirls on me, his face red. Hell, his neck and ears are bright red. This guy is a heart attack waiting to happen.

"Why'd you do that?" he asks.

"Why'd I do what? Help my friend and offer to get her Jell-O?" I stand and put my hands in my pockets. "Newsflash, bro, you don't own her." I lean forward so that I'm looking down at him. He backs away in surprise that I'm willing to get that close. "In fact, I've known her since before I worked here."

"What? You know Kailee?"

"Her best friend dates my best friend." I straighten and watch Leo's face fall. He knows. He knows that if our friends want us to get together, they'll push for it, and that will give me an edge.

"Here's what's going to happen," I say. I stick my index finger in his face, and his eyes cross as he looks at it. "I'm going to go get her the Jell-O I promised, and you're going to get the fuck out of my way when it comes to her."

I arrogantly cross my arms the way I do with drug suspects who know they're fucked.

But Leo Paulson, shop teacher extraordinaire, is no cornered drug dealer. "No," he says, shaking his head. He opens his cheese stick and takes a big bite of it without peeling the strings. Fuck, I can't stand when people eat them that way. "I think I'll keep asking until she tells me outright that I'm not wanted. Let her make the decision."

Hm. Interesting concept. "I can get behind that. But if she chooses one of us, the other backs off."

It's going to be me, loser.

He nods. "Fine, but you'll just break her heart anyway."

I jolt back. "Excuse the fuck out of me?"

He idly waves his hand at standard resource officer getup of a department shirt, black pants, and weapons on my belt. He nods toward the gun at my waist. "You're a cop. Cops have hard relationships. Everyone knows that. Things can also happen to you."

Heat rushes to my toes, and I momentarily worry my blood is literally boiling because he's not wrong. How many divorces have I seen on the force because guys like me go home to their wives and can't talk about the downright cesspool of shit they see on a daily basis? How many girlfriends say that the risk of getting the phone call we've been shot is too great of a worry? Hell, Liam almost died a few weeks ago. I never thought I'd be in the same situation because my dating life is a revolving door, but would the woman I ultimately want pass me over for a mediocre man with a sensible job because what I do isn't safe?

Then again, Leo works around teenagers with access to power tools. I'll take the drug dealers.

"We'll see what Kailee decides," I say, trying to control my voice. I can't let him think he's getting to me .

"You're a ladies' man. Forget about her and let me have a shot. You'll find someone else."

Fuck no.

I lean down again and grit my teeth. "I. Want. Her."

There are no flipping opinions on it anymore. There's no worry that our one-night stand was backwards and I should just let her go. I want her down to my core. My balls tighten at the idea of losing her. It's a visceral response, and it sets my blood on fire. I want to protect her, love her, and make whatever is bothering her fuck off into the wind.

He shrugs like he couldn't give a shit that I want her, but I know he does. His shoulders heave with the energy it takes not to get out of the chair and take a swing at me. My job is to know when someone is going to attack or at least wants to hurt me. I'm trained for it, and I see it in his eyes.

The fifth-period bell rings, and it's time for me to walk around the last lunch period of the day. Leo and I both reflexively look at the clock on the wall.

"Maybe you shouldn't make bets over women. She's a human being. You and Jeff are toddlers. If you'll excuse me, I have to do a walk-through and then procure some red Jell-O for a beautiful woman." I pat him on the shoulder as I walk toward the door. "I'll wave at you through your window when I take it to her."