Page 10 of The Santa Rules
He’s still seated at the table, the wrapper of his bottle now fully removed as he twists it between his hands, his eyes locking with mine. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay.” My hands feel sweaty, and I wipe them on my pants as I approach his table. “Can I join you?” What is it about this man that makes me so nervous? “Sorry, I don’t know why I asked that. It’s my classroom, and you said you wanted to talk, of course I can join you.”
The chair slides out in front of me completely on its own, and I look around in confusion. “Do you have elves under there doing your bidding?”
He chuckles. “It was my foot under the table.”
Of course it was. Get it together, Bella.
“What’s up?” I plop into the seat with as much grace as one of my students after recess.
“About the other night. Are you doing okay?”
Oh my God, are we going to talk about this now? I swallow nervously, unsure where he is going with this. “Totally fine. All better. Just a bad bladder infection because of my medication. All healed. We don’t have to talk about any other part of that night.”
My leg bounces under the table as his eyes sweep down to my chest. Is he flirting? This feels like flirting. Is he even single? This could get messy, and I’m so over Amber spreading more gossip about me around Chestnut Mountain. I need to remain professional, even if he is the most delicious man I’ve ever seen and I want to lick every inch of his body. I squeeze my thighs together and shake the thought from my head. “Let’s talk about Avery,” I say, changing the subject.
“Is Avery doing okay? In class, I mean.”
“Avery’s great. She’s super helpful to all her classmates, very respectful in class, and follows directions. You all are doing a great job with her.”Smooth, Bella.
He winces. Shit, what am I missing?
“My class size increased and I’m having a hard time keeping up, and clearly I didn’t read her file thoroughly enough. I didn’t even realize you were Avery’s dad until you said it in the meeting. My life has been a hot mess lately. I’m so sorry. Is there something going on at home that I need to know about?”
“Mrs. Williams isn’t in the picture.”
“Oh! Got it. No worries. I’m divorced too. I totally get it.”
This time he flinches at my words, and I feel like the biggest asshole on the planet.
“Not divorced.”
I wait for him to say more. Note to self: Check Avery’s file as soon as he leaves.
“So, you’re worried about Avery because your wife left?”
He drops his head in his hands and blows out a long breath.
Oh, fuck.
She didn’t leave them. Why am I the most awkward person in existence? Why can’t I pick up on context clues and have a normal conversation? “I’m so sorry, Mr. Williams, my neurospicy brain sometimes doesn’t pick up on social cues. Are you saying that Avery’s mom died?”
His head is still in his hands as he nods. I’m not sure if he’s crying, trying not to cry, or trying not to scream at my daftness.
“It’s okay. Well, it’s not, but it’s going to be. How long ago did she pass?”
“It’ll be two years in January,” he says against his palms.
“Got it. Okay. If it makes you feel any better, I couldn’t tell. Avery seems very well-adjusted, totally on grade-level with her peers. And I’m sorry I overlooked that in her file. That’s something I would’ve noted to keep an eye on. Regardless, I think you’re doing a great job with her.” I place a hand on his arm, and a tingle zips through me at the connection.
He lifts his head, studying the place where we’re connected, and I self-consciously pull my hand back, but he stops me, placing it back on his arm as he covers it with his palm.
“Thank you… for saying that.”
“It’s the truth.” My words are husky, and I barely recognize my own voice.
“I need to confess something.” He leans forward in the chair and my heartbeat quickens in my chest. His eyes drift down to my lips, briefly. It was quick, but I caught it. Does the hot EMT want to kiss me?
