Page 7 of Wild About You
“Hi. I was just bringing Everly here from the classroom, but while I’m here I wanted to say that I would be thrilled to work with Everly to fix the damage,” I say, then quickly add, “if that’s okay with you.”
“Sit.” She waves her hand to an empty chair. “I was just talking with Mr. Sharp about the damage.”
I finally let myself look at Everly’s father. His name and hers swirl together in my head like a tornado waiting to swoop down and destroy. And when I meet his green gaze, that’s exactly what it does—wreck me.
I’m no longer the capable woman starting a new job, but a brokenhearted teenager crying over the boy sitting across the room. Except he’s not a boy anymore.
Tyler Sharp is all grown up. I already knew this. His face is everywhere in this city, but no amount of media exposure prepared me for seeing him in person.
“Piper,” he says, my name a jagged whisper from his lips.
Still, it knocks the air from my lungs. I’m still walking forward to my seat, gaze locked on his. I ram into the side of Principal Best’s desk and buckle forward on impact.
Tyler stands quickly like he’s going to come across the room to help me. I hold up a hand and grimace as pain spreads down my leg, but it’s nothing compared to the one in my chest.
I glance up at him from where I hunch over rubbing my knee. My high school love. My only love, if we’re being technical.
He’s dressed in shorts and a Wildcat T-shirt like he came straight from the arena. I have so many questions, none of them appropriate for my new boss to hear.
I scramble to stand upright, ignoring the sharp pain and slapping a smile on my face. “Tyler. Hi. I didn’t realize…” I glance at Everly.His sister. He spoke of her often while we were together, but I never met her, and I definitely didn’t expect to run into her here. Her gaze ping-pongs between us for answers.
“I’m student teaching here.” I take my seat and a deep breath.
He nods but doesn’t speak. He doesn’t take his eyes off me either and I finally look away first, giving Principal Best my attention.
“Great, well,” she says, clasping her hands on the desk. “I’ve already explained to Mr. Sharp the damage to school property.”
Everly winces. I think she’s finally realizing just how bad it sounds when put in those terms.
Principal Best looks right at Everly. “I know that moving to a new school halfway through your senior year of high school can’t be easy, but it doesn’t excuse what happened today. A lot of people worked really hard on the backdrops that are now ruined.”
I sneak another glance at Tyler. His jaw is tight, mouth in a straight line as he watches his sister like he’s waiting for an explanation.
“Ev?” His voice is quiet but stern.
“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know that’s what they were.”
He rakes a hand across his jaw, back and forth, while he looks up at the ceiling. His mouth moves but no words come out. Finally, he speaks where we can hear him. “What does this mean for Everly? Will she be suspended?”
Principal Best sits back in her chair, hands still clasped but now at her waist. She’s quiet, mulling over what to do. Finally, she says, “I believe that you didn’t do it maliciously, but in the future, if it doesn’t belong to you, I think it’s safe to assume you shouldn’t be painting on it in your free time. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“It won’t happen again,” Tyler says.
“Good.”
“Is that it?” Tyler’s voice sounds like he can’t believe she’s getting off this easy.
“Well, the backdrops are still unusable, and we have a much-anticipated theater performance coming up in a couple of months.”
“I will pay for the damage, of course,” he says.
“That won’t be necessary.” Mrs. Best’s gaze slides to me. “Are you sure that you would like to oversee the work required to repaint the backdrops?”
“Yes,” I say with confidence that is entirely for Everly’s benefit. Maybe a little for Tyler. I don’t want him to see me sweating, not over the job and definitely not over him.
I catch his eye and swallow thickly when I find him staring back at me.
