Page 102 of Perfectly Complicated
The girls giggle while a few boys moan in disgust.
“Merry Christmas, Ms. Bennett,” Rourke whispers against my ear.
And I blush, feeling like my chest is going to burst. “Merry Christmas,” I whisper.
Lily sighs dramatically. “That was SO romantic!”
I laugh. “Well, we’re not getting much practice done, that’s for sure.”
“Forget practice,” Rourke says. “We’re creating our own Christmas magic right here.”
The sound of a door opening shifts everyone’s attention away from the center of the stage. “Janie?” A voice cuts through our little Christmas moment, sucking all the joy from the room.
I freeze, the warmth draining from me as my ex-husband stands at the bottom of the stage.
“Nick.” I step away from Rourke instinctively. “What are you doing here?”
“Do you have a minute?” His mouth clamps into a tight line.
Seriously? After all the minutes, the hours, the years I gave him that he threw away?
“I’m in the middle of rehearsal,” I say, gesturing to the kids who are now watching this moment unfold.
“I can see that,” Nick says, his tone clipped. “Along with whatever this is.” He nods toward the mistletoe above us.
Heat floods my cheeks. “Maybe we should discuss this somewhere else?—”
“No, I think here is fine.” Nick crosses his arms. “Since apparently you’re comfortable having your personal life on display in front of your students.”
Rourke steps in front of me. “I think you should probably leave.”
“And I think this doesn’t concern you,” Nick replies coldly.
“Students,” I say quickly, trying to keep my usual tone. “Why don’t you get your backpacks and meet your parents in the lobby? We’ll finish practice tomorrow.”
A few of the kids look between us before slowly filing out. Once they’re gone, I turn around to face Nick.
“I heard someone’s been staying at the house,” he says. “With Aria.”
I stare at him and it finally clicks—he’s the one who’s been sneaking around the neighborhood. It wasn’t a bunch of teenagers trampling through the flower beds. He was checking up on me. “He’s not there because…”
“I have a right to know who’s hanging around my daughter, Janie.”
“You knew we were dating,” I fire back.
Nick’s eyes narrow slightly. “But not that he was living at your house.”
“His apartment is under repair,” I say. “It’s only temporary.”
“I don’t care why he’s there. If it involves Aria, I should know.” He pauses. “I think we need to discuss some changes to our custody arrangement.”
Rourke steps closer to him. “I think you need to respect that this is Janie’s workplace. If you want to have a conversation, maybe make an appointment.”
“I don’t need to make appointments to talk to my ex-wife about my daughter,” he snaps.
I move to stand beside Rourke. “You do when you show up unannounced and create a scene in front of my students.”
Nick’s jaw tics. “I’m not creating a scene. I’m trying to have a conversation about what’s best for Aria.”
