Beth Andrews - Caught Up in You

Eddie’s frown deepened, turned to confusion. “This isn’t funny.”

“It’s a little funny. Especially from this side of things. Max,” she said, “did you tell your father why you had to sit out during recess?”

He lifted a shoulder.

She walked out from behind the desk and crouched so she and Max were eye level. “Do you want to tell him?”

He shook his head so hard, she felt a breeze from the swinging of his floppy hair.

“Tell me what?” Eddie asked.

The little boy wasn’t going to budge. Easy enough to tell where he inherited that stubborn streak.

She straightened. “Max had his recess privileges taken away because he misbehaved in class today and at lunch. He disrupted the class several times this morning by walking around during lessons and tapping the other children’s desks. And the report I received from the cafeteria monitor stated that Max deliberately poured milk onto Elliott’s sandwich because Elliott wouldn’t share his cookies. Max and I had a discussion about his behavior and I believe he understands what he did wrong, but since recess is a privilege and not some God-given right, he lost that privilege for today and the rest of the week.”

Eddie slid his hand under the bill of his cap and scratched his head. Tugging it down again, he set his free hand on his son’s shoulder. “Wait for me out in the hall while I talk with Mrs. Kavanagh, okay, buddy?”

His eyes glistening with tears, his lower lip quivering, Max slunk off.

“Is this the part where you strangle me and toss my lifeless body from the window?” Harper asked, seeing as how Eddie still looked capable of murder. “Because if so, I should warn you that I’m heavier than I look, so tossing might take some real effort.”

He flicked his hooded gaze down her body, then jerked his head up. Must not have liked what he saw. And why that bugged her, she had no idea.

He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

She wasn’t sure which shocked her more—that he’d actually apologized, or that he was blushing.

It should have made him look ridiculous, the color washing up his neck and cheeks. It didn’t. He looked approachable and real and not quite as gloomy. And behind his embarrassment, she saw the shyness that’d been a part of him even when they’d been kids.

“You’re sorry I’m heavier than I look? Or that you’re not strong enough for that tossing?”

“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions,” he said, with no hint of defensiveness or evasion. “And that I jumped down your throat.”

His sincerity took her aback, but it was her own sudden softening toward him that caused a weird sense of unease to slide along her skin. As if she were standing on a ledge and needed to be extra careful of each step she took, each move she made.

She should let him squirm. Should, at the very least, let him sweat it out, see how far he’d go to gain her forgiveness, her understanding.

But she’d never been much into making anyone beg. Even when such a prime opportunity stared her in the face.

“It’s okay,” she said. “We all make mistakes.”

“Okay?” he repeated as if trying to decipher her true motives. “That’s it?”

“I was going to make you write, I will not jump to conclusions on the board one hundred times but I only have so much chalk, and once it’s gone I pick up the tab for more, so why don’t we skip it?”

He shoved his hands into his pockets. Took them out again, his gaze steady on hers. It set her on edge, the way he looked at her. Which was crazy. She was a grown woman. Had been married, had a daughter. She didn’t get all jittery because a good-looking guy stared at her.

God, maybe Sadie was right. Maybe she really did need to get out more.

She picked up a pencil from her desk to have something to do with her hands. “Was there anything else you wished to discuss?”

“I’ll talk to Max about his behavior today. He’ll have a punishment at home, too.”

Some parents went ballistic when their little darlings got punished in school. They took their children’s side, blamed the teacher and generally acted worse than whatever their kid had done. Eddie obviously wasn’t one of those. She respected that.

“That’s up to you, of course.” She debated whether to say more but really, when had she ever kept her opinion to herself? “Though—while I’m not condoning his actions in the least—I do think he regrets what he did. He’s a good boy. But I can’t let bad behavior go, even if that behavior is unusual.”

“That makes sense.”

“I’m so glad you think so.”

He nodded as if she actually needed his permission or his agreement as to how to run her classroom. “You need someone to come in?”

“I hate to repeat myself but... Excuse me?”

“That woman with the baby said she can’t help out for a few weeks.”

“That’s right. She’s the room mother.”

“Which means...?”

“It means many things.”

“Why don’t you give me the basics?”

“She posts events and information to the classroom’s website, attends all the PTO meetings, organizes class parties and enrichment activities, collects donations from parents for supplies such as tissues, stickers—”

“And she comes in the room? Helps out here?”

“A few times a week, usually on Mondays and Fridays.”

He shifted, tapped his fingers on her desk absently, reminding her of his son. “What does she do?”

“Reads to the kids while I grade papers. Helps get snacks. Supervises when they go to the library—”

“I’ll do it.”

Harper blinked. “You’ll do what?”

“I’ll come in two afternoons a week,” he said, all scowly and defensive, as if she was the one who wasn’t making any sense. “Help out with the kids.”

“I’m sorry. Shock short-circuited my brain and I must have slipped into a coma for a few moments. I could’ve sworn you offered to volunteer in the classroom.”

His mouth thinned. “I did.”

“Why? I mean, you’re not exactly what I’d call sociable.... No offense,” she added halfheartedly. Hey, if he took offense it was no skin off her nose. “If you want to observe my teaching methods, all you have to do is ask. You’re welcome to sit in on my class anytime you’d like.”

“I’m not trying to spy on you. I just thought you could use some help.”

“Oh, well...okay then,” she said slowly. “That’d be...” Weird. Possibly super uncomfortable. Not to mention having him in her room promised to be nothing but a huge distraction—to her class and her. Too bad she couldn’t think of any reasonable excuse to turn him down. “That’d be great. And you’d only have to come in for a few weeks.” An assurance for herself as well as him. “I’ll...uh...send the paperwork home with Max.”

“Paperwork?”

“Forms and regulations. There’ll be a background check, too. Have you volunteered at the school before?”

“I chaperoned a couple of field trips last year.”

“That’ll make the process easier. The checks should still be in place. If they are, you can start whenever you want.”

“I’ll be here Friday.”

“I can hardly wait,” she said, trying to sound as if she meant it. Hard to be enthusiastic and encouraging when all she could think was, what had she gotten herself into?

CHAPTER FIVE

WHAT THE HELL was he doing here?

Tugging the brim of his baseball cap down, Eddie slouched against the windowsill. As soon as he stepped into Max’s classroom ten minutes ago, he’d known volunteering to be the room dad...parent...whatever...was a mistake. He should have told Harper he’d changed his mind when she’d called him last night and told him his background checks were still good and he could come in today at two-thirty.