half-hearted.
“Jaycee doesn’t graduate for four years. I don’t want to write us off because of a career.” A career that doesn’t suit you. The more I got to know her, the more I couldn’t understand the Ms. Shaw side of her. Valaria? Shaw Shank? Neither of those screamed uptight principal. Neither did the form-hugging jeans that cradled her body the way I wanted to.
Skepticism entered her eyes. “I’m sure you have plenty of options.”
“Have you ever tried dating—leading with ‘I work in a comic book shop’ and ending with ‘I have a teenager’? I haven’t had to lock the door against a line of single ladies waiting to ask me out.”
A laugh burst from her. “Maybe if you’d quit being so hostile when someone criticizes the latest DC universe movie, you would have better luck.”
“Then I wouldn’t have a sexy assassin coming to my rescue.”
Her laughter faded, but her smile stayed. “I think you could’ve handled it yourself.”
“Not without losing business. They were about to diss my favorite character.”
She hadn’t left yet, but indecision warred in her gaze. “I just… What if we’re seen together?”
I didn’t want to push it and seem desperate, but I was. For her. Talking to her was as easy as talking to Mara, who’d become my best friend. But I didn’t want to kiss Mara. Natalia was another story. “How about you come over? Jaycee’s gone for the weekend. I don’t burn too many meals since I learned to cook.” If I had anything to throw together for dinner. I’d planned on having a sandwich.
“What if I have to discipline Jaycee again?” Her tone cut like Ms. Shaw. I almost sighed. Because like it or not, that’s who she was.
“The first time went well. Jaycee needs to learn consequences for her behavior. My concern is her grandparents, but they’re for me to deal with, not you.”
She was going to turn me down. I’d have to spend the night dealing with my disappointment and bemoaning the one that got away.
“Okay.”
My brows popped. “Really?” My voice damn near cracked like I was one of her nervous students.
“I won’t confess my giant disappointment at learning you are a parent of one of my students, but since I don’t usually lust after the other moms and dads, maybe it’s worth exploring.”
If her tone weren’t so clinical, I’d feel better. But at least she was willing to give us a chance. “Want to follow me home?”
Natalia
Natalia Shaw Preston, what the hell are you doing?
I steered my silver Lexus behind Chris’s practical Ford. It was charcoal gray and not exactly what I’d expected. Since he didn’t seem concerned with others’ opinions, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d rolled up with an Arcadia advertising wrap around his entire vehicle. But at the same time, his Edge fit him exactly. Understated. Efficient.
What a gorgeous store he owned. It had more artistic flair than some museums I’d been in—some art studios, for that matter. What career had he left that he could afford to build such a state-of-the-art comic book shop?
Either he or his partner had to be business savvy, and while I’d never officially met his partner, I’d gotten lost in Chris’s keen gaze long enough to know he was capable.
The combo of brains and looks was why I’d embarked on this foolish endeavor to have dinner with him. Volunteering to drop off the flyers at Arcadia, knowing full well Chris might be working, was one thing. But dinner at his home? Sure, it was private, and I didn’t have to worry about being seen on a date with a Preston Academy parent. But it was his home. It was more…intimate.
I didn’t usually jump between the sheets with my dates. Usually there was a waiting period. The guy often knew my father and suspected the sum in my bank account. He’d have to show off his own talent and business acumen. When he thought I was duly impressed, then he moved in with the underwhelming physical prowess. If I orgasmed, I considered the relationship a success, no matter how short-term it was.
And they were usually brief. Even if we were physically compatible, I quickly grew stifled, holding a huge part of myself back. I wanted to see superhero movies, he wanted to see the latest critically acclaimed indie film. I’d once missed Emerald City Comic Con because my boyfriend had had March Madness fever. Was there anything more boring than a basketball game full of people I didn’t know? I often attended