Page 21 of John Wilder Gets Schooled
“Next time he drops his daughter off, you’re going to calmly but firmly take him aside and remind him that school hours aren’t flexible, and that if he can’t be on time, he needs to make arrangements for after-school care.”
I thought about Wilder’s old truck and his scuffed work boots and worn shirts. “I don’t think he has the money for that.”
“That’s not your problem,” Dallas said. “He’s the parent, so he needs to step up. Where’s the mom in all this anyway?”
The other moms had been all too eager to fill me in on the scandal that was John Wilder, teen dad. “The playground gossip says that Wilder refused to marry her when she got pregnant. But now she’s gone to college, so he’s taking a shot at parenting.”
Dallas sucked air between his teeth. “So he probably doesn’t even want to look after the kid.”
“I don’t get that vibe,” I said, right before I wondered why I was defending the worst parent in my class.
Dallas hummed. “Uh-huh. Well, don’t let him weaponize his incompetence. And as tempting as it is, don’t offer to take his kid home after school.”
“I’m not going to offer that,” I said. “The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Dallas said. “Some parents will push the envelope, and you have to be prepared to push back.”
There had been a fleeting moment when Ihadconsidered offering to drive Gracie home, but Dallas didn’t need to know that. He’d only lecture me on boundaries and professionalism and protecting myself, and I didn’t need him to tell me it was a terrible idea. Wilder didn’t live alone, but I had no idea what the deal was. There was the cute guy who’d collected Gracie last week, and I’d seen at least one other guy coming and going on a dirt bike—I was pretty sure he was the cranky asshole from the gas station—but I didn’t know if they were roommates or brothers or hell, even a threesome. The schoolyard gossips hadn’t said anything about Wilder being gay, but maybe they didn’t know everything.
And hey, he’d seemed pretty comfortable dropping his ass in my lap and working it. I pushed down the memory of Wilder rolling his hips, his muscled torso glistening with sweat and bodyglitter, that rose up in my mind unbidden. Fantastic abs and an ass you could bounce a quarter off had no place in this.
If Wilder couldn’t make it to school on time, there was no guarantee that he’d be home when I dropped Gracie off. And if there was nobody there after school, what then? There was no way I was taking Gracie to my house as a male teacher living alone. No way in hell.
“I’ll talk to him about his timekeeping and make it clear he needs to get it together,” I said. “I’ll even use my bossy teacher voice.”
Dallas snorted. “No offense, but anyone who’s met you knows you’re not even a little bit bossy.”
I had past boyfriends who would beg to differ, but again, not something my brother needed to know. Instead I said, “Hey! I have a whole class who hangs onto my every word! They basically think I’m a god.”
“They’re five,” Dallas said. “They don’t know any better.”
“Excuse me, some of them are almost six,” I said, laughing.
“Oh, well, that makes all the difference,” Dallas said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Listen, I gotta go. But call me if you need to talk, okay?”
“I will.”
We said our goodbyes and ended the call, and then I ate another cookie.
I was looking out the window at Wilder’s house when the screen door creaked and slammed as he came out onto the front porch. I expected him to get in his truck, but instead he sat heavily on the top step, and even from here I could see the way his shoulders sagged. As I watched, he brought the heel of his hands up to his eyes and scrubbed at them, and I got a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. I stared through the gap in the curtains, unable to look away as Wilder dabbed at his eyes again with his sleeve.
I had the wildest urge to go over there with the jar of my mom’s cookies. But before I could do anything, the screen doorbanged again and the guy who’d collected Gracie the other day appeared and sat on the step next to Wilder, throwing an arm over his shoulders. Wilder sagged into the touch, and the other guy said something that had Wilder nodding slowly. The guy ruffled his hair with an easy affection that had me back to wondering if they were a couple.
I had a moment to wonder why that thought stung—a partner was a good thing if it meant there was someone else helping care for Gracie—before a voice rang out, loud enough that I could hear it through the closed window. “Daddy!Daddy!Where are you?”
Wilder’s chest heaved, but then he pulled himself upright, wiping his eyes again before calling, “I’m out front, sweet pea.”
Gracie came flying out the door, and the relief on her face when she saw her father was unmistakable. Wilder stood and turned and scooped her up, a fake smile plastered on his face, and said something that had her nodding vigorously. The three of them went back inside.
I stayed where I was, staring at the spot they’d been and feeling like a dick. I was still irritated as heck with Wilder, don’t get me wrong, but I was willing to admit that maybe I’d been too hard on him. It was obvious that he cared for Gracie, and maybe hewasdoing his best to be a good father.
He just really sucked at it.
Gracie wasthe last one to class again on Wednesday, but I barely even noticed. I was too busy fending off another crisis.
I gave Gracie and her dad a nod of acknowledgement when they arrived at the door and turned my attention back to the unwelcome phone call I was dealing with. “No, I understand, Mrs. Walters. Of course. It’s unfortunate, but it’s not like you planned for Bryant to break his wrist. I’m sure we’ll manage to figure something out.”
Well, that explained why Carol-Ann wasn’t in class today—her older brother had bounced his way right off their trampoline and into a broken wrist. I ended the call, jammed my phone in my pocket, and ran a hand through my hair.
