Page 30 of Passing Notes
“Mornin’, Clara.” I spun to the side. Nick’s voice drowned out the band, drowned out the kids’ chatter, drowned out everything as I took him in, trying to stay mad as he stood in the early morning light looking way too gorgeous for my own good. “It’s been a while. You look stunning. Where are you off to today?”
“He doesn’t know?” Gracie laughed. “Clara’s subbing for Miss Dalbotten today. She’s got herself a new job as a substitute teacher.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “Is that so? We’ll be co-workers then. I’ll show you around.”
“I used to go there, remember?” I laughed to soften the rejection in front of his kids. “I can find my own way around campus, thanks though.”
“Then let me take you out to dinner tonight to celebrate.”
I reared back and shook my head to clear it. “What did you just say?” He’d lost his dang mind.
“Dinner.” He grinned. “You and me. I’ll buy you a steak at The Front Porch to celebrate.” The Front Porch was fancy and had the best steaks in town. I loved it there.
My jaw lowered as I tried to gather my wits. I was too startled to offer an immediate objection.
“Yes!” Sasha pumped her fist in the air.
“You’re asking Miss Clara out on a date?” Ethan questioned.
“She would love to,” Gracie answered for me.
“Hey! I can answer for myself.” I really couldn’t, not when I desperately wanted both to go with him and also to run off and hide from him under my bed at the same time.
No, no, a billion times NO!
Shut up. Say yes. Nick’s hot.
I caught sight of Sasha’s big, brown, hope-filled eyes and before I could think too hard about it, the word “Yes” came tumbling out of my mouth, followed by, “Thanks, Nick. Dinner would be nice.”
“Great. Six o’clock it is.” He beamed at me, and it was all I could do not to throw myself into his arms. “Gracie, I’ll pay you double your usual rate since it’s last minute. Will that work?”
“Heck yes.” Gracie was somewhat of an entrepreneur, at my influence. She was licensed, bonded, trained in CPR and first aid, and had her own website offering services for anything from grocery shopping, to driving the elderly to appointments, to babysitting. Apparently, Nick was one of her customers.
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” I hedged. “Uh, it’s a school night...” So much irony floated in the air between us, it was ridiculous. Luckily none of the kids noticed the subtext-filled looks we were shooting at each other.
School nights had meant nothing to us in the past. We’d snuck around doing whatever we felt like with no regard for time, or propriety, or anything our mothers had to say about curfews.
But now? I had a whole entire list of rules forming in my brain for our dinner together. He never used to be a troublemaker like this. Asking me out in front of his kids and Gracie and putting our secret at risk? Who was this guy?
“Aw, you’re right. We’ll aim for Friday night instead, and I won’t keep you out past your bedtime. I swear I’m a responsible adult now.”
“Ohh, Friday is date night!” Sasha squealed. “You can stay out as late as you want.”
“Dial it down, Sash. I’m being neighborly is all. New jobs deserve celebrating. Right, Clara?”
I bit my lip and gave him my best what the hell are you thinking glare. He shrugged it off with that devastating and adorably toothy grin I used to love before herding his kids back home to finish getting ready for school.
“Sash, Eath! Say goodbye, grab your backpacks, and get to the bus.”
“Bye, y’all.” I waved, trying to act normal, like I wasn’t freaking out inside about Nick and whatever he was planning, or the way I was saying yes to everything he wanted and not telling him to go screw himself like I should.
Good lord, I should have tried harder to avoid him this morning. But the stupid marching band had wrecked my plans to hightail it out of here before he left for the day.
“I have to get my stuff too.” Gracie headed to the house, stopping on the porch before she went in. “Oh, I’m free Friday, if you need me. But I’m still charging you double,” she added with a smirk. “Supply and demand. It’s only fair.”
“You got it. Thanks, Gracie.” Nick paused at the edge of my lawn and waited until I finally turned to face him.
“Gah! What now?” I burst out. “I’m supposed to be mad at you, remember? I mean, I am mad. Totally pissed, okay? We have issues, Nick. Big ones. Big honking past issues that make whatever this is”—I swung my hand back and forth between us—“very complicated. I’ve been avoiding you for a reason, okay?”