Spying Under the Mistletoe (Love Undercover #2) - Stina Lindenblatt Page 0,60

that can ensure a position here.”

I can almost hear a wink in her tone at the end of that sentence.

A laugh erupts from my lungs, and she swivels around to level another irritated look at me.

“Oops. Sorry. Hiccups.” I flash her my most innocent smile.

“That’s nice of you to offer,” Landon says, drawing her attention back to him. “But I’m more of a free spirit when it comes to my job. That’s why I prefer being a substitute teacher.”

“Well, the offer’s still on for the drinks.”

“That’s going to be a little tough. I have a girlfriend.”

I guess Tabitha hasn’t heard the latest rumor about us. She must be more out of the loop than she realizes.

Her eyes widen to the size of cymbals. “You do?”

He nods toward me in lieu of an answer.

Her head swivels between us like the girl in The Exorcist if she had OD’d on caffeine. “You two are dating? Since when?”

“Since last week,” I say.

“Isn’t that against the rules?”

I pretend to appear thoughtful “You mean the dating rules? Like no sex before the third date?”

Landon laughs a little louder this time. The kids continue singing behind him.

“No, I mean the rules about dating a colleague.”

“Nope. There’s no such rule. Which means we’re free to date.”

“Well, I guess congratulations are in order,” she says, not sounding at all like she means it.

I bite my tongue to keep from saying, “We’re dating, not getting married,” and go with “Thank you” instead.

“Now that we’ve got that all straight,” I say, “you really need to excuse us. We’ve got a show to prepare for and not a lot of time.”

I gesture toward the door. She gets the hint and leaves.

Air rushes from my lungs in a relieved whoosh. “I thought she was going to cause trouble with the show after you told her I’m your girlfriend.”

“She’d look rather petty if she did that after the rest of the parent-teacher association approved it,” Landon says. “Even more so when they find out who’s helping with the show.” He nods at the two individuals leading the kids in a cheery rendition of “Frosty the Snowman.”

After Josephine calls it a day with the kids and thanks them for doing such an incredible job singing and playing their bells, Landon and I take our charges back to our classrooms.

The door between the two rooms is open a crack. Not because he needs my help with his class. He doesn’t.

It’s so he can do his real job, keeping an eye on me.

But with Adam doing his regular rounds of my classroom, and Jayden and Liam outside, there’s nothing to worry about.

As long as I’m in the school, I’m safe.

As though I’ve just summoned him with my thoughts, Adam wheels his bucket and mop into my classroom and approaches my desk. I stand to talk to him.

“Miss R,” Tommy says from his seat, “why do birds and bees make babies?”

He says it loud enough that everyone looks up from the Christmas craft they’re making for the classroom walls.

The undeniable twitching of Adam’s mouth gives away his thoughts.

Oh, boy.

Sex Ed isn’t for a few more years.

I plant a desperate smile on my face and ask Adam, “Is there something I can help you with?”

The replying grin is anything but desperate. “I can wait.” He nods for me to answer Tommy’s question.

Of course.

“Well…um…it’s just a saying. I mean, of course, birds have babies. They hatch from eggs. And baby bees hatch from eggs, too. Although in the case of bees, they don’t look like baby bees when they hatch. And why do birds and bees make babies? Well, to increase their population. Otherwise, the world wouldn’t have song and honey.” I sound like a rambling fool, but my years of education haven’t prepared me enough for this.

Tommy looks thoughtful for a moment, then nods. “Okay.”

And I release a hard breath. “Hopefully, I haven’t just screwed him up for life,” I mutter so only Adam hears me.

Adam laughs. “If this is what it’s like for Landon, I definitely got the easier job for this mission.” He says it low enough so the kids don’t overhear him.

“Mission” and “janitor” are two words you don’t typically associate together. Tom Cruise didn’t drop from the ceiling in his spy gear to clean toilets.

“You might be right about that,” I say. Although I don’t doubt for a minute that the regular janitor doesn’t have his hands full with the job.

“Is there something you need?” I ask Adam, glancing around the room to double-check