Trusting You (Second Chances #2)(19)

I smiled. “Yes, Kacey, you do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have put it on there. As long as you know how to answer those questions you’ll ace the test. I promise.”

The whole class groaned as they glanced over the pages, and it took all I had not to laugh. I remembered being their age and doing the same thing, but I always cracked open the books and made straight A’s. That was how I became valedictorian and student council president.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, I saw that we had about ten minutes before my guest speaker was to arrive to talk to the class. His name was George Hastings and he was an author and college professor from Duke University who also happened to be a good friend of my parents. I thought my students would be enlightened by his expertise in the Biology field, but by their bored expressions I was starting to rethink that anything could get them interested.

I only had a few minutes left, so I was trying to get all of my students quizzes graded. That way I wouldn’t have to take them home and do them. Once I started on the last quiz a knock sounded on my classroom door.

Keeping my face glued to the test in front of me, I called out to one of my students, “Jacob, do you mind opening the door for Mr. Hastings, please?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him get up and amble over to the door.

My pen flew across the page in front of me, but when I heard the voice of my guest speaker greet the class my hand froze on the page and I sucked in a sharp breath. Quickly, I lifted my head and my gaze instantly collided with the man before me. What was he doing here?

“Good morning, Ms. Ashford. Are you ready for me to begin my speech?” he asked.

My students, especially the girls, were all anxiously awaiting his next words like love sick puppies. Standing up from my desk, I quickly announced to the class, “Everyone, if you’ll excuse me I’ll be right back.” Taking Brett by the arm, I guided him out of my room and into the hall, shutting the door behind me.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered. “Did you sign in at the front desk?”

Brett chuckled. “Of course I did. I said I was here to see you and they said they thought I couldn’t make it. I didn’t know what the hell they were talking about, but apparently, your speaker isn’t coming and the office neglected to tell you. I said that I was his replacement and they let me right on through.”

“Hmm …” I grumbled. “I can’t believe they let you back here without asking you more questions.”

“It must be the suit. The ladies can’t resist me,” he joked. “So how about it?”

I furrowed my brows and asked, “So how about what exactly?”

“You had a speaker planned for today right?”

“Yes … and your point?”

He opened his arms and winked at me. “Well, here I am,” Brett insisted. “I’ll be your speaker for the day. What are you teaching them right now?”

It just so happened that the branch of Biology I was skimming over could very easily be something Brett knew a lot about. “I am going over a little bit of environmental biology this week,” I informed him.

His eyes lit up. “Well, it just so happens that I had to study that at Columbia.” Grabbing me by the hand, he pulled me to the door. “Come on, this should be fun.”

I snickered. “Yeah, I can’t wait.”





Twelve


The whole time Brett spoke, the class was enamored by him, given the exception of a few of the guys who didn’t like the reaction the girls were giving Brett. I wasn’t shocked to see that he was an amazing speaker and very charismatic. He had a vast knowledge of environmental biology and he even went into detail about his times at Columbia and what it took to study architecture. When the class was over, a couple of the guys in my class pulled Brett aside and asked him numerous questions on how they could pursue a career in architecture as well.

I was amazed at the level of influence he had over my students. Maybe I should have him speak again, I thought to myself. When all of the students left the classroom, I took a seat back at my desk while Brett leaned against it.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I inquired, “Honestly, what made you come by today? It couldn’t be that you missed me considering that you saw me just a few short hours ago.”

He beamed. “Well … of course I miss you when I’m not with you, but I actually have some good news.”

“What is it?” I asked excitedly, perking up.

He took my hands in his and pulled me up against his body. “I just landed a huge account today and I couldn’t wait to tell you. This is going to be big, Melissa.”

Squealing, I jumped in his arms and wrapped my arms tight around his neck. “Oh, Brett, that’s awesome news, but aren’t you doing West Coast accounts?”

He nodded. “Yeah, it’ll be out in California.”

My face fell just a tiny bit and I tried to hide it. If he had a big account in California I knew what that was going to mean; he was going to be spending a lot of time out there. Instead of raining on his parade I did my best to appear cheerful.

“We should celebrate,” I told him. “Tonight will be all about you. What do you say to that?” And I will make it a good night for his sake.

With a devilish grin, Brett said, “I say yes, baby. I look forward to it.”