Page 42 of Welcome to Forever
“What kind of problem?”
“Kimberly Flowers.”
Kat groaned. “Okay. Thanks.” She’d needed a distraction, but she wasn’t in the mood to deal with the mayor’s daughter today. Or any day for that matter. She stood and walked past Val’s desk, going down the hall toward the culprit.
From the classroom’s doorway, she saw immediately what had happened. Curling a finger at the tall girl with long, ash blond hair, she signaled her to step into the hallway. Kimberly had caused trouble before. So had Kimberly’s parents.
“You smeared red lipstick on the substitute teacher’s chair?” Anger scalded Kat’s neck. If there was one thing she wouldn’t tolerate, it was disrespect against a teacher. Not in her school. And the poor sub was wearing white linen pants of all things. Didn’t she know you weren’t supposed to wear white after Labor Day?
The ends of Kimberly Flowers’s mouth quirked. “It was just a joke. Everyone thought it was funny, Principal Chandler.”
“Funny? Did Mrs. Pilar think it was funny?” Kat shook her head. “Well, guess what, Kim? You’ll be staying an hour after school for the next two weeks.”
The girl’s expression twisted. “But I have soccer.” Her mean-girl voice suddenly sounded like a whiny three-year-old’s.
“Not for the next couple weeks, you don’t.” Kat crossed her arms under her chest.
Mirroring her, Kimberly crossed her arms, too. “We’ll see. My dad won’t let you keep me from soccer.”
The twinkle in Kim’s eyes just about made Kat want to raise the penance to a month. “I’d love to talk to your father. In fact, while you return to your seat, I think I’ll go call him and share the good news.”
Kim’s twinkle dulled just a touch.Good.
Kat waved at the substitute teacher, Mrs. Pilar, whose left eye appeared to be twitching. Yeah, the Flowers family had that effect on her, too. Starting back down the long hallway, she had to admit, she was impressed with herself. Most teachers in this school backed down to the third-grade girl just because of who her parents were. Backing down had only made Kimberly Flowers a bigger bully, though. And if Kat backed down…well, the girl would probably turn out to be just like her bully parents, who, unfortunately, Kat would now be dealing with this afternoon.
Val’s brow lifted as Kat stormed back through the office. “So what are you going to do about Kimberly Flowers?”
“What do you mean what am I going to do? The only thing I can do,” Kat said. “She has to be treated like everyone else around here.”
A snicker escaped her friend’s lips. “You’ve been a great boss. I’ll put in a good word for you if you need me to.”
“For what?” Kat asked, unamused.
“Your next job. Mayor Flowers is going to have your head if you make his only daughter spend her afternoons talking to plants.”
“He won’t. I’ll make him understand. A child has to be taught her boundaries. At this rate, that girl will be in the state penitentiary by the time she’s drinking age. He certainly doesn’t want that, right?” Kat slipped a hard candy out of the bowl by Val’s computer. “I’ll be at my desk if you need me.”
“One more thing,” Val said. “You have a visitor. I told him he could wait in your office.”
“Him?” Kat looked through the frosted glass window of her office door where the tall, dark outline of a male body waited on the other side. Her belly fluttered. “Thank you, Val. Please make sure we aren’t disturbed.”
“Sure will…and we’ll discuss what happens behind that closed door when we have our chips and salsa tomorrow night.”
