Page 1 of Single Dad's Christmas Gift
CHAPTER ONE
Layla
I SHOULD BE embarrassed to feel the excitement bubbling through me. Yes, it’s Friday afternoon and I’m about to finish work for the week. However, I know what Friday afternoon anticipation feels like and this is not it. My heart is beating a little too fast, my eyes keep darting beyond the classroom door, the playground and the fencing surrounding the school; seeking the tall figure of a man, they have no right to linger on.
Never, in my one and a half years of teaching, have I been this excited at the prospect of seeing a parent.
Neither have you ever come across a dad like Fallon O’Connor.
The thought slips into my mind and I latch onto it, desperately trying to assuage the guilt that runs through me every time I think about Fallon, especially in front of my innocent third graders.
I’m a healthy young woman. It’s perfectly normal to be fantasizing about the most gorgeous man in town. The other female teachers do it too, even the married ones. I can tell by the way they look at him. I don’t know if they go as far as thinking about him in the privacy of their beds or showers, like I do. The point is, they can’t help themselves either. The man is too damn gorgeous for a human male.
I remind myself that the object of my desire is not Fallon to me, despite the number of times I call him that when my hands are roving down his back in my fantasies. He’s Mr. O’Connor.
Slowly, I get out of my chair and drop myself in front of my students, crossing my legs like theirs. I can’t see outside the school fence when I’m sitting on the carpet.
“Miss. Shah, what story are you going to tell us?” Evie asks, gray eyes wide.
And just like that, my mind is suddenly clear. My students deserve the best of me. Also, I’m the type of teacher who always puts her kid’s interests first, like Mom.
I shove aside a pang of guilt, especially towards Evie, as it’s her hunk of a father I’ve been lusting over.
Several stories flash across my mind, and I sift through them until I settle on one. I clap twice to get the kids’ attention and when they clap back, then fall silent, I begin. Using my hands and body, I act the story, the delight on the faces of my audience a balm to my soul. I’m so engrossed in the story I’m startled when the bell rings just as I’m acting the last few words.
I let the children out until only Evie is in the classroom with me.
“Something must have delayed your dad, sweetheart. He’s usually the first one here.”
Evie looks at the playground then shrugs, but her eyes are full of worry. She slips a tiny hand into mine.
I crouch and pat her head with my free hand, smoothing the soft braid on her head.
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon. Wanna bet?”
Interest replaces the worry in those eyes that remind me so much of her father.
“If we spy your dad in the next two minutes, I win. If he’s not here by then, you win.”
“What do I get if I win?”
“Well,” I look back into the classroom. “You can color one page in my special drawing book.”
Evie’s lips make an o.
“If I win, you have to do some jobs for me in the classroom during recess, on Monday.”
“Okay.”
I grab a stopwatch from my desk, and we set the timer together.
My lips lift. Evie’s eyes lock on the watch.
“There’s your dad, I say, about a minute later.”
My voice is low. I clear my throat but can’t pull my eyes away from Fallon O’Connor’s long and sturdy, jean-clad legs. His red plaid button-down shirt and dark green coat make an attractive contrast to his short beard and brown windswept hair.
Stormy gray eyes stare back and I remember I’m his daughter’s teacher.
