Page 7 of Things We Fake
What the hell was Cam doing here anyway? Was he a parent? I should have figured. A man who looked like that had to be married or engaged. The good ones always were.
Head down, I hurried around the table to sit on the same side that he did, making sure that, while I couldn’t see him, he couldn’t see me. If there were a God, Cam wouldn’t recognize me. Of course, if there were, He would’ve kicked my ass this morning and made me dress as a woman instead of a rustic renegade.
I removed my jacket and put it across the back of my chair. The others were clothed for a day at the office, while I couldn’t even get a seat at a bowling convention dressed the way I was.
Mrs. Helmsley slammed her gavel on the table to get everyone’s attention. The committee chairperson wore a Hillary Clinton styled pantsuit and pearls that must’ve come from a colony of cloned oysters since they were all exactly the same size.
“Good morning.” Her British accent was upper-class. “I want to thank you all for volunteering to be on the committee again this year. Most schools form theirs in the fall, but by putting ours to work in the spring, we can get a jump on things. The first thing we should do is introduce ourselves, as we have a new member and a temporary one. As you all know, I’m Kelsey Helmsley. My son, Liam, and my daughter, Olivia, attend this school.”
I listened as parent after parent introduced themselves and named their children. Having workedhere four years, I knew the kids well. When the man beside me finished, I took a deep breath.
“Hello. I’m Susanne Morelli. I teach English to students in seventh and eighth grade. I also look after a reading group and the math club. In addition, I will be working with the representative for the new software the school purchased thanks to your generous assistance.”
The invisible talking stick passed to the man on my left. Three people later, the only person I was interested in spoke.
“Hello,” Cam said. His fingers were linked in front of him on the table, his thumbs aligned in perfect symmetry. “I’m pleased to be here, even if it’s only on a temporary basis. I’m Cameron Jones. I’ve recently transferred to New York from Denver because of my work. As you know, my sister-in-law, Carley Jones, broke her leg skiing. Since her husband, my brother Craig, is on a business trip to Japan, Carley asked me to attend the meeting for her. As soon as the doctor replaces her cast with a walking one, she’ll be back.”
“It’s so kind of you to do that for your sister-in-law.” Across the table, Abigail Munroe leaned forward, displayed her recently remodeled cleavage, and grinned, revealing a mouthful of the whitest teeth I’d ever seen.
Some of the women on staff referred to the rich divorcee asthe barracuda, and it was easy to understand why. Judging by the way Abigail was sizing up the new recruit, it looked like she was hungry.
“And what business are you in, Mr. Jones?” the woman beside him asked.
“I work in tech,” he said, essentially ending the exchange.
After we’d all introduced ourselves, the secretary read the minutes of the previous meeting. I listened with one ear, preoccupied with beating myself up for passing up another opportunity to impress Cameron Jones. What kind of tech did he work in? I noticed an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch on his wrist. As it happened, my dad was passionate about watches and I knew this particular Swiss watch fell into the luxury watch category, especially the limited edition Cam was wearing. Whatever his business was, he must be doing reasonably well.
I had to drink two cups of coffee to stay awake throughout the meeting. The others debated everything from the graduation theme to the lunch contract, while I silently observed. After two hours of loud deliberation, the winning theme wasfuturistic—meaning the gym would likely resemble a low-budgetDuneset.
By now, my back teeth were floating, and I was in desperate need of a bathroom. When Kelsey called a break, I had to restrain myself from shouting hallelujah.
I hurried out of the library, my legs moving faster than ever. Quickly, I locked myself in a stall, grateful I’d made it there without an accident. Only an idiot would have so much coffee during a two-hour meeting. I was that idiot.
A couple of minutes later I was a gallon lighter. Before I could exit, I heard women’s voices. Their discussion kept me hidden in my stall.
“What was Mrs. West thinking, asking that woman to represent the school?” That was Abigail. “Thank God I didn’t arrange for the photographer to come today. Can you imagine that corn-fed yokel outfit front and centeron the society page? We’d be the laughing stock of all the schools in the area.”
“I’ll have to call Margaret and have her send someone else,” a second voice replied. “We can’t have that country bumpkin representing us. I don’t understand why she was even hired. I’ll insist on looking at her credentials. Teaching English? Good Lord, she’s half Italian. What could she possibly know about teaching English?”
Heat crept up my neck, engulfing my cheeks and ears. If these pompous bitches thought I didn’t belong here, they were in for a rude awakening. I’d graduated at the top of my class, and I could teach circles around their designer pumps. They could shove their precious committee where the tanning lotion didn’t reach. If Mrs. West let me off the hook, I’d throw a one-woman parade in my honor.
With a dramatic sigh, I flicked an imaginary speck of dust off my sleeve, because clearly, I was just too rustic to be in their presence. I waited until they were gone, then washed my hands, dried them, and opened the door. I wasn’t paying any attention to anything as I silently cursed the supercilious witches who didn’t like my clothes.
Focused on my inner rant, I ran smack into Cam’s chest.
Chapter Four
Sue
“Oof!” The sound escaped as I grabbed him to steady myself. “Sorry,” I mumbled, once again mortified.
I was losing track of the times I’d made a fool of myself in front of this man.
“Are you okay?” He checked me over, making me feel even worse.
“I’m fine, thanks. I’d better get back.”
I turned on my heel and started to walk away. Up close like this, there was a good chance he would recognize me, and I still clung to the hope that he had no idea I was the monster in the pink mask who’d greeted him last night.
