2. Kat

Chapter 2

I spend the weekend working on lesson plans for the summer program, practically vibrating with excitement.

By the time Monday morning rolls around, I’ve got the whole five weeks planned, and I can’t wait to get to the school to get my list of students who will be participating.

“Hey, Kat!”

Trevor's voice startles me out of my thoughts as I head up the stairs, and I stumble before catching myself on the banister. I’d been so excited to get into the school I hadn’t seen or heard him. I need to pay better attention, especially in a city like this.

“Hello Trevor, good morning,” I say, attempting to plaster a polite smile on my face. I don’t dislike Trevor, not really, but he’s a bit much. It was worse when I first started working here. He took a long time to get the picture and understand I wasn’t looking to date. Since then, he’s chilled out a little bit, at least.

“A little birdie said you were working the summer program this year,” he says with a smile.

His words take me by surprise. I didn’t know anyone else who got approved, so how does he?

My confusion must be clear on my face because he chuckles, dropping his hand to my lower back and pressing me forward to get me moving again.

“Don’t look so shocked, Red. I told you most of us are in a group chat. You're the one who didn’t want to be in it,” he whispers in my ear, his voice low with a forced huskiness that isn’t attractive in the slightest, though he seems to think it is.

I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from saying something about that damn nickname. I’ve told him so many times I can’t stand it, but he never listens, and I’ve given up repeating myself.

“I hate group chats,” I say in response, taking a step out of his reach. I purposely walk through the second door so that he has to drop his hand from my back.

If he knows I did it on purpose, he doesn’t show it; instead, he holds his hands up in surrender with a chuckle. “I know, I know. I’m not trying to convince you. Trust me, I know you won’t join. But you can’t be shocked that we know things you don’t. You're about the only person not in it.”

I shake my head at him as he follows me down the hall, even though his classroom is on the opposite side of the school.

The halls are deserted. Most of the faculty won’t show up for another half hour, but I like to be here early. Trevor randomly shows up early all the time now, too. Has been ever since he found out I do about two months ago. Thankfully, he’s not great with mornings, though, so it’s not every day.

Small mercies.

He follows me all the way to my classroom, letting himself in as he continues to talk about the summer program and who else will be teaching it.

I pause, letting my eyes fall closed and taking a deep breath when he tells me he will be as well. I’d known it was coming when he started the damn conversation, but I’d hoped I was wrong.

Of course, I couldn’t get that lucky.

Peeling my eyes open, I continue making my way to each window and pulling the shades back, determined not to let him ruin this for me.

He goes on and on, but I’m hardly listening. It doesn’t take much—a hum or a nod—and he just keeps going, none the wiser.

It’s not until about twenty minutes before the bell rings that he finally scurries off to get to his own classroom, and I sigh in relief.

I don’t think he means any harm. He’s just a guy with a crush and hopes to change my mind. It won’t happen. I’m so far from interested, it’s not even funny. But he doesn’t seem to understand that. It’s exhausting, but not the worst thing that could happen, so I let him go and hope that one day he’ll get it.

Any damn day now.

The rest of the day passes in a blur from one activity to the next, and before I know it, the day is ending.

“Ms. Kat!”

Addison’s voice rings out as the rest of the class hurries to get ready to leave, more than done with the day, but not Addy.

She’s always the last one to leave. Her mother has to all but pull her from the room at the end of each day.

I know teachers aren’t supposed to have favorites, the same way parents aren't, but I’ll be damned if she isn’t impossible to love. Her hair is light brown and long, falling in curls down her back. A splattering of freckles runs along her nose and cheeks, and she has the brightest blue eyes. Every day she begs me to let her stay with me, and of course, I can’t, but I’ll be damned if it’s still not the hardest thing to tell her no with her big blue, puppy dog eyes.

Addy is smaller than most of the other students in my class, but what she lacks in size, she makes up for in sass and wit. I wouldn’t be surprised if she skips a grade or two in the future.

“Yes, Addy?” I answer, crouching down next to her desk with a smile.

I already know what she’s going to say. Every day, she asks me if she can just stay here for the day. It’s adorable, but it also breaks my heart because she knows as well as I do that she can’t.

“I forgot to give you this.” She holds out a paper for me with a frown. “I’m sorry.”

Well, that’s strange.

“What’s this?” I ask as I take it, flipping it open to read it.

“My brother is picking me up today,” she says, the frown melting off her face at the mention of him.

“Oh, I didn’t know you had an older brother.”

“Yeah, he’s the bestest big brother ever! He has a cool motorcycle, and he does great cannonballs in the pool!”

Her eyes light up as she talks about him, and she bounces around talking with her hands, showing how excited she is.

“He sounds like a really cool older brother,” I tell her, tucking the note into my pocket and pushing to stand again. “I’ll be back in a moment after all our friends have been picked up, and you can tell me all about him.”

She smiles up at me and nods happily before I move back toward the other students, who are now all packed up and ready to go.

Thankfully, most of my kids' parents are really good about being on time. I know a few classes have parents who are known for being late or forgetting their children altogether. It hurts my heart to hear them cry when they fear their mom or dad isn’t coming for them, and I’m grateful that I’ve yet to have to deal with that.

When the last of them has been picked up, I go back into the class to find Addy with her coat and backpack already on and stop short.

She never wants to leave.

She smiles at me when she spots me, and I do the same, happy to see her happy.

“My brother, Dessy, is the best!” she shouts, jumping up to pull me with her toward the door. “He bought me Ruby for my birthday two years ago, and he always brings me the best sweets when he travels! Oh, and he lets me stay up past my bedtime when Rose tries to put me to bed.”

Her face turns down in a frown at the mention of Rose. I’m unsure why she calls her that. Maybe she’s her stepmom? Whatever it is, she can’t seem to say her name without scowling.

“Oh, he sounds fantastic, Addy. I know how much you love Ruby. That was a very special birthday gift. He sounds like he loves you very much.”

I direct our conversation back to her dog, which I know she loves so much, and just like that, her smile is back.

“He does! He told me I’m his best friend in the whole world.” She throws her arms out wide and spins around, making her light brown curls whirl around, and I can’t help but smile watching her.

She’s so full of spirit; it’s no wonder she has her brother wrapped around her tiny fingers. Heck, she’s got me the same way, and she isn’t even my little sister. She’s so easy to love.

“Well, he’s one lucky guy to have a friend like you.”

Addy smiles when I boop her nose before she throws her arms around my waist, hugging me tight.

“Addison.”

A deep voice calls from down the hall, and we both turn to look toward it.

“Oli,” Addison huffs, folding her arms over her chest with a pout.

Oh no, I can see today might not be so easy to get her to leave after all.

The man approaches, and I look him over. He has sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. His hair is combed back neatly, and despite the heat, he wears a full three-piece suit. It fits him perfectly, and I’d bet he gets them custom-fitted. You don’t get that kind of fit from a department store buy.

It’s not uncommon to see people in full business attire, regardless of the weather. I’d been a bit shocked the first few weeks when the weather warmed up. How can anyone wear that much material when it’s hotter than Satan’s balls? I’ll never understand, but I know a lot of people have office jobs. They must be used to it.

His face lights up with a smile when his eyes find Addison down the hall, even though she seems less than happy to see him. He has a dimple on his left cheek that gives him an almost boyish quality that isn’t common with businessmen. If anything, they seem to all have permanent sticks up their asses.

“What, no hug for Oli?” he asks with a laugh, coming to a stop in front of her. She doesn’t even look at him, only pursing her lips further in a clear show of her annoyance, but it doesn’t seem to affect him at all. Instead, he crouches down and holds his arms out, and all I can do is watch them. It takes a moment, but just when I’m going to intervene to try to save him, Addy gives in.

With a very sassy eye roll, she huffs before throwing herself into his arms with enough force that he sways. His arms go around her back, pulling her tight to his chest before he stands, taking her with him, and she squeaks before laughing.

If I thought his smile was cute before, it's almost devastating now.

He extends a hand to me with a polite smile, but it doesn't have the same warmth as the one he just had for Addison—not that it should; I’m a stranger, after all. Something about his eyes looks guarded, almost uncomfortable, as I reach out to shake his hand. The moment our hands drop, it’s gone, and I wonder if it was even really there to begin with.

“My name is Oliver. My cousin was supposed to come get her today, but he got held up, so here I am. Sorry about the mixup,” he tells me, bending back down to let Addison’s feet rest on the floor again.

The second he’s let her go, she turns, throwing her arms around my waist and almost knocking me over.

“No problem. If you don’t mind just giving me a moment, though, I need to make sure you're on her release card.” I tell him with a soft smile, hoping not to offend him, but I’d prefer to be sure she’s allowed to leave with him rather than just taking his word.

His brows frown ever so slightly before he gives a stiff nod. “Yeah, of course,” he tells me. “I’ll just wait out here.”

Addison’s tiny fingers lace in mine as I turn, heading back into the classroom.

“Mr. Lawson,” Trevor’s voice has me stopping short just before the door and looking toward him. He’s about halfway down the hall, headed our way with a huge smile on his face.

Damn it, I’d hoped to be gone before he came to find me. Usually, it takes him longer. His class, thankfully, has some of the chronically late parents.

“It’s always nice to see our sponsor families,” Trevor says, and I take advantage of his attention being off of me to slip away. Trevor usually makes a beeline to me, but whenever any of the ‘rich’ families are around, he’s quick to cozy up to them.

I wasn’t aware Addy’s family was a sponsor, but I’m grateful for the distraction that offers; I’d had more than enough of Trevor for the day.

Making my way back to my desk, I quickly check the card to see who is approved to pick Addison up.

Rose Aston and Oliver Lawson.

Grabbing my purse, I shut off the lights, and Addison and I make our way back out into the hall where Trevor still stands talking to Oliver.

Poor guy. Though he doesn’t seem as put off by Trevor, maybe minorly annoyed that he’s talking his ear off. I guess he might not be so bad if he’s not trying to get in your pants, must be nice.

“Excuse me,” I say, clearing my throat in an attempt to politely interrupt.

Oliver seems happy to turn his attention back to me, and, of course, Trevor has no issue with it.

“Thanks for waiting,” I say with a smile, and he nods. “You're all set, though I know Addison and you both mentioned her brother was supposed to pick her up today. Just so you're aware, only yourself and a Rose are listed as approved for pickups,” I tell him, hoping to save them some trouble should he try to pick her up tomorrow.

Oliver sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and muttering something about him being a dumbass.

“Oh! You said a bad word, Oli!” Addison shouts, sounding all too happy about it, and I look down at her in question.

“Yes, yes. I’ll add my money to the ice cream jar when we get home,” he says with a laugh, and the tension from a moment ago melts away.

“Thank you, Miss…” he says, and I realize I haven’t even introduced myself.

Wow, way to make a great impression, Kat.

“Katherine, but the kids call me Kat,” I tell him, and he nods.

“I’ll let my uncle know that needs to be sorted out.”

Turning to Addison, he reaches out a hand to her, and while she seems somewhat reluctant to go, she does, nonetheless. With one more quick hug, she releases me before taking his offered hand with a smile.

She might have been hoping for her brother today, but there's no denying she’s fond of Oliver as well, based on the smile on her face.

“Hey, Kat, I was just headed out,” Trevor says, taking a step closer to me. Without thinking, I take a step back. He, of course, doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, but Oliver does.

He’d been ready to leave a second ago, but now he stops, leaning down to whisper something in Addison’s ear that has her face lighting up a second before she’s running back to me.

“Ms Kat, will you walk with me!” she shouts, excitedly bouncing in place, her eyes begging me to say yes.

How can I resist, especially when my other option is Trevor?

I agree, and she squeals, grabbing my hand and all but dragging me back to Oliver with her.

“Sorry, Trevor. Next time,” I call back to him as she pulls me along, not bothering to even look back at him.

I can feel his eyes follow me down the hall all the way to the end before we turn the corner, and I finally let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“Thank you,” I say, turning to Oliver as we walk on either side of Addison, who has one of our hands in each of her small ones.

“No problem, I could see you were uncomfortable,” he says without looking my way, but that’s fine. I get the feeling he’s not much of a people person.

We walk in silence through the rest of the school as Addison hums some happy tune, oblivious to the fact that she was just used to rescue me.

If she wasn’t my favorite before, she definitely is now.

The sun is hot, shining down at full force in the blazing heat the second we walk out the door. It’s a drastic change from the almost chilly school, but I welcome it. I love the sun and the way it warms everything it touches, even if it’s a little too hot sometimes. I’ll take the heat over the cold any day.

“You know, if he’s giving you a problem, you can always report him to the principal,” Oliver says, still not looking my way, instead looking out at the afternoon traffic as if it’s the most interesting thing he’s ever seen.

“He’s annoying, but so far, it’s nothing I can’t handle. I just didn’t have the patience for him today, is all,” I tell him, and now he does turn to look at me.

His eyes roam my face as if searching for something. After a minute, he shakes his head and turns away, squeezing Addy’s hand.

“Come on, let’s get home,” he says, and with one last hug, she follows her cousin into the limo that’s waiting on them.

Rich people.

I wave to Addy as they drive away and quickly make my way to the subway, wanting to avoid lingering and giving Trevor another chance to corner me.