“No.” He shakes his head. “Why do you seem so shocked by this?”
“Because you’re Mr. Popular. You get Teacher of the Year every year. Your classroom is the fun zone, and you’re the head ringleader of the entertainment circus. You know everyone and everyone knows you, and they all fawn all over you constantly.”
“I think maybe you’ve done a little bit of judging when it comes to me that’s not fact-based.”
This is so not the time to get into all the things I’ve judged this guy for. It would take wayyy too long. This is the time to sort this out and get back to my relaxing vacation. “Forget it. I’ll call RentBNB customer service.”
I’m cold and wet and soapy, but I’ll be damned if I do one dang other thing before I get this sorted out.
4
Mack
I know maybe it wasn’t great of me to pretend not to have Kimmie’s number, but sweet Katy Dayton and I have been on the wrong foot since the day I grew them in the womb—or at the very least, the day she walked into the Savannah High School building several years ago.
She thinks I don’t notice the almost-daily annoyed looks and the rolls of her pretty eyes whenever we’re in the same room together, but I do. Katy Dayton is the opposite of my biggest fan, and her disdain for me has turned us into quite the rivals in the Savannah Regional School District.
Though, I always view our rivalry as a fun pastime that allows me to stay on her radar. An opening that keeps me on her mind, even if I’m not exactly in her good graces.
But you know what they say, it’s a very thin line between love and hate.
Lord knows, I’ve always had a bit of a thing for Ms. Katy Dayton. She’s beautiful and complex, and eventually winning her over has posed quite the challenge that I can’t back down from.
And even though she comes across as prim and proper and even a little uptight at times, I know her good qualities better than anyone.
Point-blank, she’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen. Big blue eyes and flawless skin that give way to the most interesting shade of brownish-copper hair. Her teeth are straight, her lips are full and lush, and her dainty body always looks perfectly together.
She’s a good teacher too. I’ve heard that more than a hundred times from just as many students. Which, considering she teaches math, is a pretty big fucking feat if you ask me.
Her students don’t mind that she’s firm or that she makes them work in class. They say she’s fair and that she makes a genuine effort to help them learn without ever making them feel bad or incapable. She’s patient and she’s kind, and apparently, my guts are the only ones she hates.
I sigh as she paces the living room in her towel, chatting animatedly with the customer service line for RentBNB, and I try really hard not to notice how sexy her legs look beneath the white cotton material. She pauses briefly and turns to me, lifting a hand to her other ear. “You think maybe you want to get on the phone with customer service too?” she whisper-scolds, making me suck my lips into my mouth to keep from laughing.
As if both of us on the phone with customer service is going to do anything but cause more confusion.
“Nah.” I shrug. “Looks like you’ve got it covered.”
Glowering, she turns back to face the windows again and continues her politely toned tirade.
“Yes, I understand that it’s an automated system and that it’s never been double-booked like this before, but it’s double-booked now, and I’m currently looking at the other double-bookee standing across from me in the living room. Inconvenient, yes. But probably not as inconvenient as it was ten minutes ago when we were looking each other in the eye while I took a shower, wouldn’t you say?” She laughs. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened.” She pauses. Listens intently. Then adds, “Okay… So, what are we supposed to do now?”
I take another swig from my glass of wine and smile to myself when I realize she’s still pacing the living room, in her towel, with shampoo still matted to her wet hair.
The woman is so worked up over this whole mix-up that she didn’t even finish her fucking shower.
If only Katy Cat would let me be the one to help her relax…
“No, that’s not acceptable.” She shakes her head. “That’s not what either of us booked. We thought we were getting a place to ourselves, and we paid a price tag that suggested the same. This isn’t an episode of Married at First Sight, and I’m too young to be a cast member on Three’s Company.”
She glances over her shoulder at me briefly and then turns back to the window, her voice lowering to a murmur. “Listen, we’re not technically strangers because we work together, but I don’t think you’re understanding how much I do not want to be here with this person. The two of us are like oil and water. We don’t mix.”
Ouch. I suspected she wasn’t fond of me, but hearing her say it aloud hurts a little more than expected. She whispered at least, clearly trying to spare my feelings, but she doesn’t know that my ears can detect a damn dog whistle, not to mention a few whispered words.
“Yes, I’d say a refund is warranted.” She pauses and turns, and the corners of her mouth flex down. “I guess I’ll have to find another time to do this vacation. Okay. Yeah. Thanks. You too. Bye.” She sighs again, pulls her phone away from her ear, and touches the screen to end the call. She looks downright despondent and doesn’t take her eyes off the view out the window. I give her a moment to gather herself—it’s abundantly clear I’m not her favorite person—and then do my best to breach the awkward silence.
“So…”
Good job, Mack. Smooth delivery.
Her back straightens suddenly, and my eyebrows draw together. Something is happening; I’m just not entirely sure what. And evidently, she’s not ready to give me a clue yet either. Instead, she turns to face me, crosses her arms over her chest, and a sassy attitude emanates from her stance.
“They’re refunding us?” I ask, hoping innocent questions don’t incite her inner beast.
“Yes. For the huge inconvenience.”
“And, what? We’re both supposed to leave?”
She shakes her head. “They said it was up to us to figure it out, as with this short notice, they wouldn’t be booking it again anyway.”
“That’s great,” I say with a smile, perking up. “Free vacation for both of us.”
“Uh, no. No way. Not for both of us. One of us, maybe. But not both.”
My eyebrows draw together. Geez. Does she really dislike me that much? “So, what? You’re leaving, then?”
“What?” She narrows her eyes. “I never said I was leaving. And considering I was here first, you should leave. Not me.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t think vacation rentals follow ‘shotgun’ rules. You can’t ‘call it’ or race me to the front seat of a beachfront condo.”
“I’ve already showered here, Mack. I’ve been on the bed. I’ve put my stuff away. The place is basically broken-in for me. Therefore, I should be the one to stay.”