Page 23 of Animal's Reformation
Without answering, Lucy’s father pressed his lips together then swaggered down the hallway until he pushed open the steel door with his foot and disappeared into the bright morning light.
“He’s such a rude man,” Clara huffed. “I hope he wasn’t bothering you.”
“No, he wasn’t,” Olivia replied, her gaze still fixed on the closed door.
“The best thing for you to do is stay far away from him. He’s bad news, and it isn’t any wonder that his daughter, Lucy, is so snippy and morose.” The teacher waved her hand toward the end of the hallway. “Look who she has as a role model.” She rolled her eyes.
“Mr. Walsh told me Lucy’s struggling with her reading. I wouldn’t mind helping her out.” Olivia ignored the older woman’s snide remarks about her neighbor.
“Lucy’s reading is only a little below standard. Nothing that more concentration can’t solve. She doesn’t need to spend time with you or any other assistant. I have students in my class who need more help than she does. Men like him”—another wave of her hand toward the closed door—“are used to bullying people to get their own way. I already told him that Lucy is doing just fine. Don’t let him push you into doing something that isn’t needed.”
“He didn’t push me at all. He just mentioned that Lucy is having some problems.”
Clara pushed the wire-framed glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Well, she’s not. Remember to stay away from him—he’s bad news.”
Olivia was ready to ask her why when Neil, one of the second graders, rushed out into the hall holding one hand over his mouth and another on his belly.
“Are you sick?” Clara asked, scurrying over to the boy.
Neil nodded as he hurried toward the bathroom with his teacher on his heels. Olivia glanced at the clock again and her stomach knotted.I should’ve already been in my classroom.Instead she’d been frozen to the spot, captivated by her neighbor who, according to Clara’s estimation, was bad news and should be avoided at all costs.Why does that intrigue me even more?Olivia shook her head as she hurried to the third grade classroom.
When she entered the room, Harper gave her a concerned look and motioned for her to come over. Multiplication problems littered the whiteboard and several students were in front of it, figuring out the answers to the equations.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. I had a mishap with the shower-head this morning. Just one more thing I need to repair. How’s it going with the lesson?”
Harper chuckled. “You’re going to have to find yourself a man just to help you out around your place.”
Her neighbor’s rugged face flashed in her mind. “It’s less complicated for me to learn how to do the repairs than to be involved with any guy.”
“Still holding strong to yourno manrule?”
“Yep.”I’m trying. No … Iam.
“Good for you. Last night’s date was a disaster. I’ll tell you all about it at lunch,” Harper whispered.
“I can’t wait to hear—I need something to fortify my resolve.” Olivia snickered.
“Believe me—this’ll do it.” Harper glanced over at the whiteboard. “Estella, double-check your addition.” She turned back to Olivia. “Aaron, Lucas, Emily, and Riley need help with the lesson.”
“All right.” Olivia put away the reading books in one of the cupboards then took out the math book. “I’m on it.” She walked over to the four students and led them out of the room to a smaller, adjacent one that had a round table surrounded by six chairs. The students plopped down on the plastic chairs, and Olivia opened a folder, handed out a worksheet filled with multiplication problems, and began to work with the children.
The minutes turned into hours, and before Olivia knew it, the last school bell rang and students poured out into the hallway from every room. She navigated toward the front door through the sea of children, and the din of the halls began to subside as the students rushed out of the building.
Standing on the corner, Olivia watched out for the children as parents and guardians picked them up.
“There he is,” she heard one of the third-grade mothers say to another one.
“Damn … he’s sohot,” the other one replied.
Olivia looked over her shoulder and saw Jenny Pierson and Ashley Tarleton staring across the street. She darted her gaze in that direction and sucked in a sharp breath: Lucy’s father.Of course, because heisfucking hot.As he crossed the street, she was acutely aware of his narrow hips and the corded power in his thighs and legs that molded around his tight blue jeans.Oops!He caught her looking at him, and not at his face. Damn. His lips tucked into a smug smile, and she bent down, pretending to pick up something from the ground.
“Hiya, Animal,” Ashley Tarleton said in a breathy voice that pricked Olivia’s nerves.
“Hey,” he replied stopping in front of the two mothers.
Ashley scooted closer to him and said something in a low voice that Olivia couldn’t hear. Animal—was that his actual name, or a pet name Ashley had invented for him?—chuckled and whispered something back. From a sideways glance, she watched him laugh and talk with the perky blonde in black yoga pants and a low-cut sweater.
Olivia felt a twinge of something like jealousy, which was ridiculous because she didn’t even know him. And she definitely wanted to keep it that way. She moved away and focused on the kids, refusing to give him, Ashley Tarleton, or any other sexed-up mother another thought.
