17. Katie

CHAPTER 17

Katie

“ M om?”

I gasp awake. “What is it? Are you okay?” So much for my mom radar going off when my kid needed me. I sit up too fast, making my head swim.

“You’re not up? Are you still sick?”

“Huh?” I grab my phone from my nightstand. “Oh, shit.” I scramble out of bed. I’m so fucking late it’s not even funny.

“We’re going to be late,” Cody says unhelpfully.

“I’m aware. Thank you. Why didn’t you come in here sooner? Sorry, that’s not fair. I should’ve been up on my own.” I shove my toothbrush into my mouth while I hurry to my closet to pick out some clothes.

“It’s okay. I just thought you were taking a long time to get ready.”

“Have you had breakfast?” I garble around the toothpaste.

“I ate a Pop-tart.” He shrugs.

Not exactly nutritious, but it’s better than nothing. Back in the bathroom, I finish brushing my teeth and then throw my hair up into a bun. It looks like a bird could live in it, but it’s good enough .

I throw my clothes on before heading back out to my room. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yep.”

“What about lunch?” I hop down the hallway as I slip on my shoes.

“It’s pizza day, so I was already going to eat at school.”

“Thank Christ,” I murmur. I grab a Thermos and brew a cup of coffee while I throw random shit into my lunch bag. We ate all the leftovers last night for dinner, which means we have very little in the fridge, and I do not have time to make a sandwich.

I check the time. Five minutes late. That’s okay. I’ll still have a few minutes to settle in before the kids show up.

“Got your backpack?” I ask Cody while I doctor my coffee. I should add an extra shot of espresso or three, but I definitely don’t have time to get that.

“Got it.” He turns to show it’s already on his shoulders. I grab my school bag, purse, and car keys, and we rush out the door.

The drive to school is filled with Cody’s silence and my swirling thoughts as I curse Nolan and his sexy body. “Smooth-talking bastard,” I grumble.

“Who is?”

Shit. “A character in my book. I stayed up too late last night.” Both are true, just missing a few key details. I was reading when Nolan called, and the main character in my book is a smooth-talking bastard.

“You broke your own rule, silly Momma.” He laughs.

Those giggles make the panic ease from my muscles. “I did. And let this be a lesson to you. This is why we don’t stay up late on school nights.”

“You’re gonna be grumpy after school.”

“Most likely. Maybe we can stop for a little treat on the way home.”

Cody sits up taller and starts bouncing in his seat. “Yes! ”

“I’m really proud of you for getting yourself up and ready for school this morning.”

He shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “It wasn’t any different from other mornings. I just didn’t get to tell you about my dreams today.”

Guilt stabs me straight in my heart. “That’s my favorite part of our mornings. I’m sorry we didn’t get to do that today. Do you still remember them?”

“Not really. And we’ll be at school soon.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Fuck. Disappointing my kid is one of the worst feelings I’ve ever experienced. Nolan fucking Ellis. He has no idea about this shit. He just lives his life free and clear, without a care in the world. I knew agreeing to this dating thing would backfire.

My shoulders slump as I pull into the school’s parking lot. I can’t put all the blame on Nolan. I shouldn’t have let myself get caught up in having phone sex with him. Even if that was the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever given myself. The man is intense. And nobody has ever made me feel as desired as he does.

Jesus, I am so tired of going back and forth with myself about this. I like Nolan. I like how I feel when I’m with him. It’s as if I can finally be my whole self. I’m not just Mom when he’s around. I’m a passionate woman with desires that need to be met. No matter how often I push that part of myself away, it’s always going to be there. Why can’t I accept that I’m allowed to be both a mom and a woman?

Cody and I speed walk into the school with only a few minutes to spare. I manage to get my stuff put away and say a quick goodbye to Cody before my students start lining up at my door. The rest of the morning moves at lightning speed. I finally get a short break while the kids are at the library.

I take out my phone and send a text message to Nolan.

Katie:

You made me late this morning.

Nolan:

I did? I’m sorry.

Um… how did I do that exactly?

I grin at my phone like a loon. Of course, Nolan would apologize before getting more details.

Katie:

Your sexy ass made me sleep through my alarm this morning. Cody had to wake me up.

Nolan:

My sexy ass apologizes to yours. I don’t regret it, though. Watching you come is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen.

My belly flutters at hearing that.

Katie:

Yeah, well… This ass is going to be hangry today because I packed my lunch in a frenzy. I’m pretty sure I packed an entire container of cherry tomatoes, although I haven’t confirmed that yet.

Nolan:

Not on my watch! What time is your lunch?

Katie:

11:30

Nolan:

Consider it done.

Katie:

Wait, what’s done? What are you talking about?

He doesn’t immediately text me back, so I send him another message asking for clarification. When that text also goes unanswered, I finally figure out that he’s not going to tell me what he’s planning. With Nolan, it could be anything. A part of me is nervous about what’s going to happen, but the rest of me is giddy that he’s making a plan in general.

It seems like being mad at Nolan will be a futile effort.

I dump the contents of my lunch bag onto my desk. This is depressing. The container of cherry tomatoes popped open in the rush and is now in a pile on my desk. I also packed a cheese stick that’s now room temperature and a sleeve of Ritz crackers. My phone buzzes on my desk.

Nolan:

Come up to the front office.

Please .

I jump up from my desk and practically sprint down the hallway. Sprint is too strong of a word. I’m walking very fast. I round the corner to see Nolan leaning against the counter where the pass-through window closes in the secretary. His charming smile is dialed up to full wattage. He’s fucking delicious.

He turns toward me, his eyes eating up every inch of my body. I’m pretty sure I could be wearing a garbage bag and Nolan would look at me as if I were naked.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask when I finally get to him.

Nolan leans into me, placing his hand on my hip and pressing a kiss to my cheek. “I couldn’t let you get hangry, so I brought you lunch.” He turns back to the counter and presents me with a stack of cardboard pizza boxes.

“Did you bring enough for my whole classroom?” I tease.

“I thought I’d press my luck and see if you’d let me have lunch with you.” He looks at me with puppy dog eyes, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to resist that blue-eyed stare.

So, I don’t. “I’d love that.” I help Nolan get signed in as my guest. Dottie shoots a wink my way, making me blush.

Nolan holds my hand all the way back to my classroom, taking in the hallways filled with colorful posters and the students’ art projects as we go. I tell him which hallways are for what grade levels.

“It’s odd how similar and yet very different Westlake is from Sonoma,” he muses.

“You went to school in Sonoma, right?”

“Yeah. It’s smaller than Westlake, but I didn’t think it would be this noticeable. This school feels much bigger than mine.”

“I’ve never been to Sonoma’s elementary. I got this job right after I graduated from college and only interviewed at a couple of other schools in Greensboro. ”

“I never knew you’ve lived here for that long. For some reason, I always imagined you moving here with Ellie.”

I lead Nolan into my classroom with a hum of agreement. “It does sort of feel like my life didn’t start until we became friends.”

I pull a chair over to my desk for Nolan while he gets our lunch together.

“This is sad.” Nolan is staring at my measly lunch, and I grimace.

“Yeah, it was not ideal. My brain wasn’t functioning on all cylinders this morning.”

Nolan grabs my chin and presses a kiss to my mouth. I hum into it, forgetting for just a second where I am.

“Next time, I’ll pay attention to the time.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Next time?”

“You bet your sexy ass there will be a next time.”

I giggle, shaking my head. Nolan gestures to our lunch, silently telling me to dig in.

Between the food and the company, I’m pretty sure this is the best lunch I’ve ever had at school. “Thank you for bringing me food. This is much better than a warm cheese stick.”

Nolan scrunches his nose in disgust. “Thank God I saved you before you were forced to choke that down. Plus, I selfishly got to hang out with you, so it’s more of a win for me.”

I take a bite of cheesy bread. “I don’t know. I’m getting pizza and eye candy. Seems like I’m the winner here.”

“I’m happy to be your eye candy any time you want me to be.” Nolan winks.

“Hey, Katie?” Andrew pops around the corner of my doorway. “Oh. Sorry for interrupting.”

“Hey, Andrew. What’s up?”

“I was going to see if you wanted company for the last half of your lunch but seems like you’re good to go. ”

I glance at Nolan’s handsome face before turning back to Andrew. “Yeah, thanks for checking in, though.”

He taps the doorframe. “No problem. See you later.”

“Is he another teacher with you?”

“Yeah, he teaches third grade, too. We don’t eat together very often. One of us is usually on recess duty, but if neither of us has anything to do, we’ll eat together.”

“That’s nice.” Nolan’s looking at his pizza as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. The undertone in his voice says he’s trying his best to act natural.

“Is it?” I question. I can’t figure out if he’s jealous or just being weird right now.

“If you think it is.”

“What’s happening right now?” I cross my arms, giving him my best stare down.

Nolan holds out for half a second before he throws his arms in the air. “I’m jealous, okay? Are you happy? The big, green-eyed monster is climbing on my head at the thought of that guy getting to spend time with you when I don’t get to do the same. It’s not fair, and I’m gonna pout about it for a minute.”

I tuck my lips between my teeth to hold in my laugh. It doesn’t escape Nolan’s notice, though.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me.” He points a finger at me to look menacing. His twitching lips ruin the effect.

I grab his finger and pull him closer. “You’re adorable, and for some reason, I’m finding it really hot that you’re jealous.”

Nolan kisses me. “Yeah… well… I’ve never felt this way before. I don’t like it.”

“Never?” I ask, surprised by that idea.

He shrugs. “No one has ever mattered to me the way you do.”

Well, fuck me sideways. I didn’t expect that. “You matter to me, too,” I find myself saying without thought. And seeing the blinding smile on Nolan’s face because of my words makes me feel about ten feet tall. Maybe this dating thing won’t be so bad.