matched my mood. Striding through the front entrance and straight to the office, I couldn’t produce much of a greeting. The administrative staff recognized me by now and waved to the left where Ms. Shaw’s corner office was hidden away. Just as the woman inside hid herself from the world.
Jaycee was slumped in a chair across from Ms. Branson’s sturdy desk. Her cheeks were red and blotchy, and tears brimmed in her eyes, ready to fall. My gaze dipped to her jeans and Vans. How’d I miss that this morning?
No. She’d been in khaki pants, with the same emerald top, and had remarked on the brutal cold and how grateful she was she didn’t have to walk to school or go outside between classes.
I sighed and she looked up. Ms. Branson ducked her blond head to give us a feeling of privacy. I wasn’t going to make my drama public any more than it already was. I bypassed Ms. Branson and barged into Natalia’s office.
Ms. Branson’s chair scraped back, and she squeaked like she was going to say something, but I’d already disappeared inside and closed the door behind me. Natalia jerked her head up. A sheet of paper was in front of her, and her keyboard had been pushed out of the way.
I didn’t take my eyes off her as I crossed to the seat. A stronger man could’ve looked away and she was my weakness. Her hair was bound, and she reached for a black-rimmed pair of glasses, but her hand stalled over them.
My mind flashed back to the first time I’d been in this office. She’d worn those, but I hadn’t seen them on her since. And she didn’t wear contacts.
Really? Glasses? Was she ever the real Natalia Preston Shaw with anyone?
I plopped into the chair, rested my elbows on the armrests, and clasped my hands in front of my stomach. “Lay it on me.”
Pushing her chair away from her desk, she crossed her legs and I wanted to groan. Did she have to pick a skirt to wear today of all days? She hadn’t known Jaycee would decide to be a little delinquent today. The skirt was part of her Ms. Shaw identity. Sharp. Professional. But with a kick of femininity the men she worked with couldn’t deny, like her own little rebellion. Natalia wasn’t a business-skirt woman. She was a sweats-and-leggings woman, but “they” had expectations so she must live up to them.
Natalia tilted her head. Was my resentment streaming through my features? Probably. I had Nana and Papa to deal with. Would they live up to their threats? I’d been in Jaycee’s life full-time for four years. Yet, Cierra had all the power. I should’ve fought for custody when I had the means, but her parents had already been murmuring in her ear, convincing them a nanny would be just as good. An informal deal, an understanding between me and Cierra, had seemed sufficient and also wouldn’t make Jaycee feel like her mother had totally given up on her. Which was the truth, wasn’t it? But at the time, I’d been willing to absorb the hard feelings and stress to buffer my daughter.
“I went through the policy in detail before you got here.” Natalia flipped the document in front of her around and pushed it across the desk. I didn’t bother reaching for it. “Jaycee will be expelled for the rest of the year. However, upon proof of completion of ninth grade at another school and an essay about what she learned about her time away from Preston, she can petition to return to the school for her sophomore year.”
I dropped my gaze from her steady one to glare at the paper. Expelled. My daughter. “Natalia. I’m going to lose her if you do this.”
She pressed her lips together. Sympathy simmered in her eyes, but so did determination. “I’m really sorry, Chris. I think Jaycee’s going to continue to struggle with the board’s decision to table the new course track, and I anticipate that she will continue to act out.”
I couldn’t look at her. Was I expecting her to bend rules for me just because we slept together?
Yeah, I kinda was. But also because Natalia knew what was riding on this decision and she wasn’t allowing one inch of leeway for Jaycee.
Natalia leaned forward. “There’s only three months left in this school year. She can use the time away to work through her feelings and finish her freshman requirements. I’m sure she’ll get back