Page 51 of The Nanny and the Nerd
“Maybe, I’m not sure,” she replied.
“That’s exciting! Good for you, dear,” Regina remarked.
Penny slapped a manufactured smile to her lips. It would be more exciting if she’d actually written something.
“I better get going,” she said, trying to look upbeat. But Regina wasn’t having it.
“Are you sure nothing happened with Rowen?” she pressed.
“I have a lot on my mind…with the contest,” she lied, speaking the words over her shoulder as she headed for the elevator.
The drive to Whitmore went by in a blur. Phoebe chatted away and practiced her spelling words. Stewing at each stoplight, imagining Rowen engaging in a plethora of sordid scenarios, agitation pricked through Penny’s body. On the one hand, it was none of her business what Rowen did. He was a grown man. On the other hand, he’d kissed her. He’d instigated the volcano of lust that erupted when their lips crashed. Yes, she’d hugged him. People embrace each other every day. Friends, acquaintances—hugging was like a handshake. Yes, an affectionate handshake that involved the entire body.
Rowen’s body.
Rowen’s strong, muscled body.
And Rowen’s hands.
And his cock.
His rock-hard c—
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Penny blinked. Then caught Phoebe in the rearview mirror, grinning with a twinkle in her eye. “What did you say, Phoebe?” she asked, trying to get her bearings.
“You said it, Penny,” the child replied.
“What did I say?” she asked, trepidation lacing the words as she prayed that she’d kept her R-rated thoughts to herself and hadn’t mumbled them like a crazy person.
“You said the beginning part of cock-a-doodle-doo. That’s what the rooster says, and rooster is one of my spelling words!R-O-O-S-T-E-R,” the girl finished.
Penny blinked again. She should have had some coffee this morning.
“Oh, and Mrs. Bergen is right there. I think she wants to talk to you,” Phoebe added.
The teacher?
Penny swung around in her seat to find Mrs. Bergen staring in through the passenger side window.
Holy crap!
A quick word with the teacher in the drop-off lane couldn’t be a good sign. She needed to pull herself together and get her head in the game! She tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear, then pressed the button to lower the window as Phoebe opened the car door.
“Good morning, Penny! Do you have a second? I have a quick question for you,” the teacher asked warmly.
Did this woman ever get mad?
“Yes, of course!” she answered as the stupid strand of hair fell in her face.
“Go join the other children in line, Phoebe. I’ll be right over,” the teacher directed.
Penny waved to the little girl, watching as she set off for the playground where the children stood together in groups, waiting to enter the building.
Mrs. Bergen’s expression darkened.
Double crap! Maybe the woman did get mad!
