Page 5 of A Royal Menace

But I’ll never admit that to him.

“Naomi just informed me we got approval for the field trip,” he says, and all the anger and tension rushes right out of me.

“The zoo?” I ask, my voice rising in pitch as I stare at him with wide eyes.

Dropping my arms to my sides, I straighten and close the distance between us until I’m standing directly in front of him. He smiles, his perfect, straight teeth gleaming. His eyes crinkle with delight as he nods.

“We got the zoo.”

I have a sudden urge to hug him, but I manage to stifle the sensation by stiffening my arms and keeping them locked at mysides. But I can’t control the wide smile that stretches across my face. Royal’s gaze drops to my mouth, and his chest expands as he takes a quick, deep breath. Then he shakes his head and blinks before clearing his throat and taking a small step backward.

“Yeah, so, we should carve out some time to start planning the trip. Maybe one day after school next week?”

“Sure,” I say, shuffling backward a few steps. “Sounds good. I’m free all next week, so just let me know what day works for you.”

He cocks his head, one corner of his mouth lifting as he asks, “So, no big dates next week, then? Are you on any of the apps?”

And just like that, I’m back on solid ground.

“Goodbye, Royal.”

He laughs as he walks backward through the door, replying, “Have a nice afternoon, Callie.”

Shaking my head, I stomp back over to my desk and plop down in my chair. The man is incorrigible. And annoying. And ridiculous.

Why am I still thinking about him?Stop it, Callie.

Picking up my phone from where I dropped it when Royal walked in, I unlock the screen and stare at the text message again. I really should text this person back to let them know they’ve got the wrong number.

The sound of dozens of shoes squeaking on the tiled hallway floors rings through the room, and I sigh before locking the phone and tucking it into my desk drawer. My reply will have to wait until later.

The kids start to file in, and I greet them before instructing them to take their seats and pull out their books for some quiet reading. I smile as they follow directions, pulling out worn library books and new store-bought copies of their favorite stories.

I move to the white board to write some math problems, and I barely have the first one done when the shouting starts. Squeals of laughter follow, echoing through the wall to fill my once-quiet classroom. Looking over my shoulder, I see several sets of eyes staring in the direction of the sound while the other students sport wrinkled brows as they attempt to ignore the noise and focus on their reading.

“Damn it, Royal,” I hiss under my breath, then face my class to say in a louder voice, “Keep reading. I’ll be right back.”

Then I swing open the door and march out, making a beeline for Royal Manning’s classroom.

CHAPTER FOUR

Royal

“Okay, go!”I shout, and the first kid in each of the three lines they’ve formed races toward the board to solve the math problem on the giant flash card I’m holding in the air.

Kimber finishes first, and her teammates shout as she races back to slap hands with the next student in her line, James. I hold up the next card, and James writes the problem on the board while the other two finish the first problem simultaneously and run back to tag in their next teammates, relay-race-style.

I find games like this effective in burning off some of that post-lunch energy, and if they get to practice their math skills at the same time, it’s a win-win, isn’t it?

It is…until it isn’t.

A flash of color catches my eye, and I glance over to see Callie glaring at me through the window on my door. I don’t know if she knocked––there’s no way I could hear it over all this noise––but I can tell by her expression, she’s pissed.

I blow out a long breath, because of course, she’s pissed.

Holding up my hands, I shout, “Freeze!” and the room falls into an instant, almost eerie silence. I tell them not to move while I step out for a moment, and they all stand comically still like they’re pretending to be statues in a museum.

Steeling myself, I step out into the hall, and Callie only stares at me silently until I pull the door fully closed behind me. Crossing my arms over my chest, I cock my head and meet her eyes.

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