Caroline's Seduction (Montgomery Family and Friends) (7 page)

She punched in the number Sarah gave her and waited for Kyle to answer.  She rubbed her suddenly damp palm down the front of her skirt.  She’d seen him twice in the past several days, first at Parent Night and then the barbeque.  They still hadn’t bothered to speak to each other.  She was about to disconnect the call when he answered.

“Kyle Wakefield,” he snapped in way of a greeting.  The words were fast and sharp.

“Hello Kyle.  This is Caroline Johnson.  I was calling to…”

Kyle cut her off with a frustrated sigh.  He didn’t have time for this right now.  “Listen Caroline, I don’t have time to rehash the past right now.  The last meeting of the day ran over and I’m late picking up Sarah.  I hope we aren’t going to have a problem like we did after I ended our relationship.  I don’t have time for multiple phone calls and visits to my office unless of course it directly pertains to Sarah and her performance in your class.  And I think it’s a little too early in the school year for you to have problems with her performance.”

Caroline couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  It was a wonder he was so successful in the business world, since he never seemed to actually listen to what anyone was trying to say.  Or maybe she was the only one cursed enough to have that effect on him.  “Listen Kyle,”

“No you listen,” he demanded in a harsh voice.  “I wanted to move Sarah out of your class, but she insisted she wanted to stay.”  Kyle knew he was being a first class jerk, but self- preservation made him continue. He’d dated a couple of women the past four years, but he still knew what it felt like to hold Caroline in his arms.  As far as he was concerned that was bad news.  “I understand you’re very friendly with the superintendent of schools.  It probably won’t do any good, but I will file a complaint with the school board if you don’t leave me alone.” 

Caroline held back the tears that fought to be free.  She wouldn’t cry, at least not while she was on the phone with Kyle or in front of his daughter.  She pushed the end button to disconnect the call.  “Your dad’s on his way.  He should be here anytime now.  His last meeting ran over that’s all, nothing to worry about.”

A silver luxury sports car pulled into the entrance of the school.  Sarah beamed at Caroline.  “There he is now.  Thanks for calling him.”  She waved to her science teacher who was already halfway round the corner.  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she called to her retreating teacher’s back.

Kyle stopped his car next to his daughter.  His eyes followed the retreating figure that he knew all too well.  “Sorry I’m late.  I tried calling you on your mobile several times, but it went straight to voicemail.”

“I know dad, and I’m sorry.  I forgot to charge my phone last night and the battery died while I was talking to Kelsey.”

Kyle took the apology in stride, but he still had to caution his daughter.  “Sarah we’ve been over the reasons you should always have a working phone with you.  I don’t make many friends in my line of work.  Corporate raider is one of the nicer names I’ve been called.  You are my only child and very precious too me.  You need to be more careful.  If this ever happens again I’m going to have to ground you.”

“You worry too much, dad.  I’m perfectly safe here on the school campus, besides Ms. Johnson was still at school.  She waited with me to make sure I was safe, but then you already know that, because she called to remind you that I was still at school waiting for you.” 

Sarah watched her dad closely.  The look of surprise that changed to regret only lasted a nanosecond, but she saw it.  “She’s a very dedicated teacher.  She stayed late to set up a lab for my class tomorrow.  But then again she lives alone, so I guess there’s no reason for her to hurry home.  Still it was very nice of her to offer to wait with me.  Don’t you think so, dad?”

Regret was not a feeling that Kyle felt often.  He was feeling it now and he didn’t like it one bit.  He let out a sigh.  “Yes it was very nice of her.”  That was all he said.  What else could he say?  Spending too much thought on Caroline Johnson was dangerous to his piece of mind.

Caroline briskly walked to her car.  She drove home on autopilot.  If anyone had asked her any details about the trip she wouldn’t have been able to answer them.  She recognized the hurt feelings that squeezed her heart like a vice.  They were dangerous for her peace of mind.  The sooner Kyle was no longer on the periphery of her life, the better off she’d be.  She had an uneasy feeling that this was going to be the longest school year in history.  She just hoped she survived.

Well no matter how long the year proved to be she was going to stay away from Kyle Wakefield.  And that was a promise she meant to keep!  She’d done a good deed for a student and she had been rewarded with hateful rudeness.  She was done!  She’d have the principal call Kyle if she needed to approach him for professional reasons.  As far as personally, he was completely off limits.  She didn’t want to set herself up for heartbreak once again.  That meant she had to stay far away from Kyle and the temptation to be held in his arms once again.

Six

Caroline had literally been begged by the volleyball coach to chaperone the home volleyball game scheduled for that evening.  The assigned teacher had called in sick that day.   Caroline never minded doing her share, but now she was having second thoughts.  She should have guessed that Kyle would show up to support his daughter.  His dark hair and impressive six foot three inch frame made him easy to spot in the gymnasium bleachers.  Caroline took up residence at the bottom of the bleachers about as far from him as she could get while still standing on the home team’s side.  She was too antsy to sit and as a result she paced back and forth in her little corner.  She tried hard to keep her focus on the game itself so she could cheer whenever the home team scored a point.  Her eyes also darted around the stands looking for potential problems.

She found her eyes straying Kyle’s way again and was almost punished for the deed.  She barely turned in time to catch the wayward ball that was flying toward her as a result of a wild spike.  She held the ball out to the nearest referee.  He jogged over to retrieve the volleyball, a huge grin on his face.

Kyle was having a hard time concentrating on the game.  His eyes kept straying to Caroline.  It was hard not to watch her shapely figure as it moved back and forth in front of the bottom row of bleachers.  He focused on the game just in time to see an out of control ball careen right toward Caroline.  He held his breath.  That ball would probably bruise her delicate skin if it made contact.  At the last second Carline seemed to notice the ball and caught it in midair. 

He saw her hold out the ball to someone.  One of the refs ran over to retrieve it.  It was hard to miss the goofy grin on the younger man’s face.  The fathers seated around Kyle perked up! “Oh look at the ridiculous smile on that ref’s face,” the man closest to him remarked.  “He’s going to ask her out,” another father added to the commentary.   “Wait for it, wait, wait…”

Kyle looked at the ref.  His smile faltered and then disappeared, a look of resignation taking its place.  “There it is,” a third parent added to the conversation.  “Complete and total rejection, the ice princess is still alive and well.”  The four fathers in the group with Kyle all laughed.   

Kyle, who had been holding his breath, let out a sigh of relief.  He wasn’t laughing.  He was too busy basking in Caroline’s rejection of the referee.  Then the whistle blew and the game resumed.  It was Sarah’s turn to serve.  Thank God, Kyle would finally be able to concentrate on the game instead of examining why he felt such intense relief when Caroline turned down the referee.  It was none of his business who she spent her time with these days.

******

Caroline looked up from the papers she was correcting.  Sarah was patiently standing by her desk waiting to be noticed.  Caroline offered a smile.  “Just give me a minute Sarah.  I’m almost done with this test.”

Caroline finished the test and set it aside.  She turned her attention back to Sarah.  “What can I do for you?”  She had purposely avoided volleyball games the past month.  She didn’t want to unnecessarily cross paths with Kyle.  The old adage out of sight out of mind didn’t seem to be working.  No matter how hard she tried to forget him he was always in the back of her mind.

“Well, I need a big favor,” the teen hesitantly replied.  “Jay asked me to be his date to the homecoming dance.”

Caroline wasn’t surprised.  The two teens had become fast friends and spent a lot of time together.  “That’s fabulous Sarah.  If your father needs me to vouch for Jay, I can.  His mother and I are best friends as you probably already know.  He comes from a fine upstanding family and he’s a wonderful young man.”

“I think my dad knows that already.  He doesn’t object to Jay escorting me to the dance.  He already met Jay and his family at the barbeque.  Remember?” 

“So he did,” Caroline agreed.  “What’s this big favor you need then?”

Sarah gave her another sheepish look.  “Can you picture my dad shopping for a homecoming dress?” she actually laughed while she was asking the question. 

Caroline raised her eyebrows and smiled at the mental image of Kyle surrounded by a rack full of fancy dresses.  “I see your point,” Caroline agreed.  “He would look rather out of place amongst all that lace, chiffon, and the occasional ruffle.”

“Exactly,” Sarah giggled!   “I need someone to take me shopping and help me pick out a dress.  Preferably someone with a great sense of fashion, which I know you possess.  You have got to be the best dressed teacher at this school!”  Sarah held out a sheet of paper with a printed list.  “Look!  I already have a list of dress shops and boutiques I want to visit.  They’re all in Atlanta.  I figured most of the other girls will buy their dresses in Tallahassee.  I want something a little different and I’m already familiar with the shops in Buckhead.”

Caroline was reluctant to involve herself in Kyle’s life anymore than she already was.  And she was sure after their last conversation that he wouldn’t appreciate it either.  “Maybe Mrs. Blake would enjoy helping you pick out a dress, since you’re Jay’s date.”  Caroline could only hope that was the case.  “I know that she and her sisters shop in Atlanta several times a year.  It’ll be a few years before Jay’s sister is old enough to need a homecoming dress.  You know the more I think about the more I’m sure Abigail wouldn’t mind helping you find a dress.”

Sarah’s smile faded to a frown.  “Mrs. Blake seems nice enough, but I don’t really know her.   I was hoping you and I could go shopping together one Saturday.  You know make a whole day out of it, maybe even a weekend.  It would just be the two of us,” she was quick to add.  “My dad wouldn’t be caught dead in some of the dress shops and boutiques I want to check out.”

Caroline could feel and see Sarah’s enthusiasm.  Deep down she knew it was a bad idea to agree, but she didn’t have the heart to turn down Sarah’s request.  “Only if your dad says it’s all right.” Caroline figured that would be an easy way out.  She couldn’t imagine Kyle agreeing to her spending time with his precious daughter outside the classroom. 

Sarah plopped her backpack down on Caroline’s desk.  She reached inside and grabbed her phone.  “I’ll call him right now,” she promised. 

Caroline picked up the next test on the pile and began to correct it.  That way she wouldn’t be tempted to eavesdrop on Sarah’s conversation with Kyle.  Caroline heard the girl give an excited squeal.  She looked up from the paper she was working on to see Sarah stuffing her phone into her pack.  Caroline had a bad feeling about this.  Sarah didn’t look like a girl whose best-laid plans had been sidetracked by her dad.

Sarah did a little hop of excitement.  “My dad agreed to a dress hunting girl’s day out!  He was a little hesitant at first,” Sarah admitted, “but I threatened to drag him to all the Atlanta boutiques in your place.  He caved right away.”

Caroline was surprised Kyle hadn’t found an excuse to put a stop to Sarah’s plan.  Now that she thought about it though, she was almost as excited as Sarah was.  She hadn’t been shopping for a formal dress in a really long time.  She’d already been roped into chaperoning the homecoming dance this year.  She might as well take advantage of the shopping trip and find a nice dress to wear too. 

Caroline grabbed her agenda from her tote bag.  She flipped through the pages.  “Well, the dance is in three weeks.  Do you have plans for next weekend?” 

“I don’t have anything planned that can’t be rescheduled.  It works for me.” 

“Okay,” Caroline agreed.  She used a pencil to mark the date in her weekly planner.  “As soon as you check the date with your father, let me know.  We’ll make plans from there,” Caroline decided. 

“Actually do you mind if I use your room to finish my homework?  Volleyball practice was cancelled today.  My dad is on his way.  I’ll have him park and come to your classroom.  That way all my work will be done and I don’t have to wait in the parking lot by myself.”

Caroline forced a smile.  She had an open classroom policy.  Students were welcome anytime as long as she was there, which was almost always.  “I do have to finish correcting these tests before I go home.  You’re more than welcome to hang out here, until your dad picks you up.”

“Thanks!  I knew you wouldn’t mind.  I’ll just text my dad and let him know where to find me.”  She picked a desk in the front of the room. 

Caroline got back to work.  She wanted to finish the tests before she went home and she didn’t want to be at the school until midnight.  The two worked in companionable silence until they heard a brisk knock on the door.  Two pairs of eyes glanced toward the door, one with excitement the other with dread.

Just as Caroline expected, Kyle walked into the classroom.  She tried to put on a friendly face and hoped it didn’t look as phony as it felt.  She heard Sarah gathering her things and turned her attention that way.

“Hey dad,” Sarah greeted Kyle.  “I’ve almost finished my homework.  I got a lot done since volleyball practice was cancelled.”  The girl continued with her chatter despite the awkward silence between the two adults.  “Oh and Ms. Johnson is free next weekend.  Is that a good time for us to have our girl’s day out?”