Page 4 of A Royal Menace

“Jackson,” I say, pointing in his direction.

He stands up, beaming, and says, “I spent the weekend with my dad in San Diego, and we went to the zoo.”

“That sounds awesome,” I say. “And what was your favorite exhibit?”

“The polar bears. Definitely the polar bears.”

“I think that’s my favorite, too,” I say, then look around the room. “Raise your hand if you’ve been to the San Diego Zoo.”

Several hands lift into the air, and I call on a few kids to share their favorite animals they saw while visiting. The kids that haven’t been look a little down, so I quickly move on to the next weekend update so we can change the subject.

Callie and I actually have a field trip request in to take our students to the zoo this spring, but the kids don’t know that. Every year, we try for it, and every year, our PTA tells us they just don’t have the funds to cover the costs associated with the trip, and we end up going to a local dairy farm instead.

Here’s hoping this year is the year we can make the zoo happen. That’s one of the few things she and I agree on. The dairy farm is great, but the zoo would be amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Even if I would have to spendweeksplanning it with Calliope Barnes.

CHAPTER THREE

Callie

760-555-9090:I listened to the last voicemail you ever left me again this morning. I was afraid I’d forgotten the sound of your voice, but hearing it again proved I hadn’t. That I could never forget.

I blink rapidly as I read the text for a second time. My eyes are burning, and I feel really silly for getting emotional over a text from a stranger.

The message is from the same number that randomly texted me last weekend. It’s been five days, so I assumed the person figured out they had the wrong number when they got no response. I kind of forgot all about it until now.

But this text? This text seems to indicate that the intended recipient is no longer in the sender’s life. Like the sender never expected a response, at all. Like maybe the recipient is…dead.

A tear rolls down my cheek, and I swipe it away, thankful I’m alone, and my students are in the cafeteria having lunch.

And now, I feel like an asshole for not responding to let the person know I have this number now. It’s almost like I’m reading a stranger’s diary, or something. I should text them back and let them know before they send something even more personal. My thumbs hover over the keyboard as I try to decide what to say, but before I can type a single letter, a knocking sound has my head jerking up.

I press the button to lock my phone’s screen when I see Royal leaning against the door jamb, that smarmy smirk I hate so much twisting his lips. I take a deep breath and blow it out roughly to make sure he knows how annoyed I am.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Manning?” I ask, then shuffle the papers on my desk to let him know how disinterested I am in whatever it is he has to say.

I can’t help it. The man is a menace, and he grates on my last damn nerve.

“Oh, come on, Callie. Can we please dispense with the formalities? We’ve been working together foryears. It’s ridiculous,” he says as he pushes off the door jamb and steps into the room.

He’s right, of course. I call every other staff member at this school by their first name. But I don’t feel the need to keep such a gaping professional distance from any of the other teachers or administrators. Okay, who am I kidding? There’s nothingprofessionalabout it. I do it out of spite, plain and simple.

Is that immature? Maybe. Do I care? No. Time to double down.

Standing, I move around my desk and lean a hip against it. Crossing my arms over my chest, I tilt my head to study him.

“You want me to call you by your first name?” I ask, quirking a brow.

“Yes,” he says.

“Royal.”

“Thatismy name,” he says, his voice filled with impatience.

“Is there a reason you came in here,Royal?”

I huff out a quiet laugh followed by a smirk, and he narrows his eyes at me. A tiny voice in my head tells me I should feel bad, making fun of his name like that. I don’t even mean it. The unusual name actually suits him with his thick, dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He looks like a prince torn straight from the pages of a God damn fairy tale.

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