“No. No, no, no! There will be none of that, Garrett Dixon! Calm your hormones, dear brother-in-law,” Charlie yells, grabbing me by my shirt so I have no choice but to stand up. I might tower over her at six foot one, but that doesn’t make her any less scary. The woman knows twenty different ways to kill someone. And those are just the ones she told me about.
“Paige Blackstone is an angel walking among us mortals. Cullen actually listens to her. Well, mostly. I only get two phone calls a week. And you want to know why that is? It’s because that woman was created by God to tame your nephew, who takes far too much after you and my husband for my liking. So, get this straight, Garrett Dixon… right now… You will not stare at her. You will not make suggestive comments to her. You will not go back to your old ways and treat her like you would some fuck-girl nurse. Do you understand me? Because if you fuck this up for me… I swear to God… I still have contacts who will make it look like my husband was an only child and who will convince everyone we know that it’s true.”
I nod and swallow hard as Charlie walks away, leaving me alone with my brother and niece.
“Your wife is absolutely terrifying.”
Mark laughs. “She is. And I fucking love it.”
Paige
“Good job, Miss Blackstone. Another stellar performance.”
I turn to look at Mr. Arthur, who, at the age of seventy-two, is the eldest member of the Jefferson Elementary staff. He’s been around for five principals, refused to get rid of his chalkboard when dry erase and smart boards were installed, and knows where all of the proverbial bodies are buried. And bless his heart, despite his age and slight hearing loss, he can still get kids excited about music, as well as hear all the gossip around the teacher’s lounge.
“You know I didn’t do anything. That was all the kids. And you, of course.”
He takes my hand, giving it a squeeze as a grandfather would. Or at least I assume so. I never met either of my grandfathers, but if I got to pick, I’d want mine to be exactly like Mr. Arthur.
“My dear, it’s teachers like you who make me come back each year. Your enthusiasm fills me with the energy to keep going. Despite some… well… more trying students.”
I chuckle, knowing exactly who he is talking about. And as if on cue, Cullen Dixon crashes into my leg.
“Hey there, Cullen! Great job tonight, buddy!”
“Thanks, Miss Blackstone! I sang all the words just like you told me to!”
He gives me a big wink, likely referring to the bribe I offered him in regard to the music program. This kid… I swear. I really want to laugh at his antics, because his personality is one you can’t not love. Sometimes it almost makes me forget that he hid my reading glasses yesterday for the fun of it. The only reason I got them back was that I offered him a Reese’s Cup.
“Cullen, are you bugging Miss Blackstone?”
Charlie’s voice cuts through the crowd, and I must say, this woman walking toward me is much different than the one I met on the first day of school. This woman looks put together and confident. Poised and alert.
Frankly speaking, it looks like she got consecutive hours of sleep and was able to take a nice, hot bath with a huge glass of wine.
“He’s no bug at all, Mrs. Dixon,” I say, giving Cullen a little squeeze as Mr. Arthur tips his head before walking away. “I’m really proud of this guy. He worked really hard to learn the words.”
“First off, I’ve told you to call me Charlie. And second, I don’t know how you got him to want to practice so much. He’s never, and I mean never, been so determined for something. And that’s considering the time he staged a hunger strike when he was three because I took away his tablet.”
I laugh before leaning in to whisper, “I might have bribed him that he would get to be line leader next week if he learned the words and didn’t distract the other kids.”
Charlie’s eyes go wide, and for a second I don’t know if I overstepped with my choice of bribery. That’s until she drops her head down, her hands on her knees, nearly hyperventilating from laughter.
I don’t do it often. The bribery, that is. But after I saw the first few days of Mr. Arthur trying to teach the class the words to the song about everyone’s favorite snowman, and realizing that Cullen was trying to change the lyrics and get his classmates to sing those semi-inappropriate lyrics with him, I knew I needed to bring out the big guns.
He had his eye on being line leader since day one. Throw that in with a bag of jelly beans and I knew I had a winner.
I have never seen a boy so determined to learn a song in my life.
“You are an evil genius, and again, I love you,” Charlie says.
“Who do you love besides me, that is?”
Charlie’s husband, Mark I believe is his name, comes and stands next to Charlie, putting his arm around his wife’s waist.
“Mark, you remember my forever girl crush and the answer to our prayers?”
“How could I forget?” Mark says, flashing me a smile that makes me know exactly where Cullen gets his charm from. “Miss Blackstone, it’s nice to see you again. Great job tonight.”
I extend my hand to shake his. “Please, outside of the classroom, call me Paige. And I didn’t do anything; it was all the kids. And Cullen did wonderfully. He’s come so far this year.”
“That’s a very nice way of saying that he isn’t as big of a pain in the ass. And I appreciate it,” Mark says. “And my wife sings your praises each day. Thus making my life more pleasant. Thank you for everything.”
Before I can respond, my gaze is pulled to a man standing just behind Mark, and I don’t know if I would have noticed him except for the fact that he’s holding Makenna, Cullen’s sister, on his hip.
Once I see him, it’s like I can’t look away. The man is gorgeous in a way I’ve never seen before. I’ve never really had a thing for older men—I’d guess he’s about ten years older than my thirty years—but the slight salt-and-pepper in his hair is making my body tingle in ways it has never done. He’s built, but not so much that he looks like he lives in a gym. His broad shoulders taper down to a slim waist. The dress shirt he’s wearing fits him perfectly, and of course, the sleeves are rolled up to show the perfect amount of forearm. As I catch myself staring, I snap my head up, but it’s only to see his brown eyes, which are just a shade lighter than his almost black hair, which is the same color as his perfectly trimmed beard.
I must stare a bit too long as Mark looks over his shoulder before shaking his head. “I’m sorry, my brother Garrett here is probably creeping you out. He does that from time to time. My sincerest apologies.”
I shake my head. “No worries. Hi, I’m Miss… Paige… Paige Blackstone.”
“Garrett. Garrett Dixon.”
I extend my right hand out, then realize my error as he is holding Makenna with his right arm. As I switch to hold out my left, I can’t help but notice the gold band around his ring finger.
Of course. The first man I’m attracted to in literally years is married. Wouldn’t my mom be so proud of me? We would finally have something in common.
“So you’re the woman who has performed a miracle on my nephew? I didn’t realize I’d be meeting a real-life angel tonight.”