Hostile(78)

I stare.

Hailey squeals as she looks around.

The man stands with a bright smile on his handsome face. He probably has a year or two on me, but he’s still pretty young. His light brown hair is perfectly trimmed and styled, cut short on the sides but with thick waves on top. He has a manicured, short beard that is immaculate. And his eyes . . .

Fuck, his eyes.

They actually sparkle. I’ve heard of that but always thought it was bullshit. But his brown eyes? Yeah, they have little flecks of gold that actually sparkle when he smiles. Which so far, has been always.

We’re about the same height, although he might have an inch or two on me. And he’s broad-chested, stretching out his crisp lavender button-down to the max. His muscles strain against the sleeves, and I can’t shake the thought of wanting to see him out of his starched, perfectly fitting dress clothes.

He clears his throat and holds his large hand out for mine. “I’m Mr. Burke.”

“Mister?” My brain finally catches up, and I can feel my eyes widening. “Mister Burke?”

“Yes,” he says, his lips curling with amusement. “I’m sorry about the mix-up. I know the enrollment form said ‘Miss.’”

“You’re a boy,” Hailey says next to me, and I can’t tell if she’s sad or happy about that fact.

Me?

Yeah, I’d rather it was a “Miss” and not an insanely hot “Mister.”

Once again, the universe is fucking with me. I clear my throat and shake his hand firmly. “I’m Rafe Scott. You can call me Rafe though.”

He smiles and nods politely, releasing my hand. “Okay. Then you must be Hailey, right?” He looks down at my daughter with a fondness I didn’t expect.

I know it’s sexist, but I never saw a male kindergarten teacher coming. “Yup! I’m Hailey Eileen Scott.”

Mr. Burke grins at her and holds his hand out, leaning down so they’re eye level. “Well, it’s great to meet you, Miss Hailey.” She giggles, but her eyes are scoping out the classroom and not her new teacher. Unlike her father, who cannot make himself look away. He’s still crouched down at her eye level although he’s released her hand. “How would you like to play with some of the cool toys we have here while I talk to your dad about boring stuff?”

“Yes!” She bounces off, not needing another invitation.

Mr. Burke directs me to a small table and two ridiculously small chairs. “Sit?”

I stare at the chair. “You kidding?”

He chuckles. “I promise, a chair has never given way on me. You’ll be fine.” He takes a seat in one of the tiny chairs, and I shrug, taking a seat across from him.

He pulls out a folder full of papers with Hailey’s name on it and starts going over some of the basics, mostly a mission statement for the year.

“So, this will be her first year in school?”

I nod. “Yeah. She was with my aunt last year. I didn’t think she’d need preschool.” I grip the back of my neck, suddenly embarrassed that I let my kid down or something.

“Not a problem.” He doesn’t seem to be judging me.

“She’s really smart.” I have no idea why I feel the need to defend my decisions. “And I uh, worked nights. So I wouldn’t have seen her at all.”

Those brown eyes meet mine with curiosity but again, no judgment. “Makes sense.” He looks down at the papers in front of him. “And will she be riding the bus? Or will you be dropping off and picking up?”

“The bus in the morning. My aunt’s friend, well, her daughter—she’s going to be putting Hailey on the bus for me because I go to work at five, but I’ll be there to pick her up every afternoon.”

He nods, and I wish I could just shut up. I’ve never had a problem with being quiet before, but something about him unsettles me. Like I need to defend myself. “That’s perfectly fine. I just need to know so I don’t put her on the bus in the afternoon.”

“I’ll be here.” I give him the clipped answer and feel like a dick. That part, I’m used to. Most people assume I’m an asshole from the get-go, and I suppose I can be one.

“Can I ask about her mother?”

My body stiffens. My eyes immediately go to Hailey, who is playing happily across the room.

Every instinct inside me is saying no.

But I know that he’s only asking because he’s going to be her teacher. He should know her background.

No matter how painful.



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