Santa's Sweetheart (The Christmas Tree Ranch #4)(55)

Ed Judkins sat behind his desk. He stood as she entered the room, then took his seat again. “You’ll want to shut the door for this,” he said. “Then sit down.”

Grace closed the door, then settled in the chair that faced his desk. Forcing herself to appear calm, she asked him, “Is something wrong?”

“You might say that.” He scowled at her as if she were a misbehaving sixth grader. “I received a disturbing phone call this morning from someone in the office of the district where you used to teach.”

“Someone?” A name sprang to mind. “Can you tell me who it was?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Was it Nick Treadwell?” Nicky had threatened to get even with her for jilting him. It appeared that he was serious.

“Was it?” she demanded.

“Well . . . yes,” Judkins admitted. “I take it you know him.”

“I do.” She would save the details for later in case she needed them. “What did Mr. Treadwell have to say?”

“According to him, you have an arrest record for illegal drug use. As you know, that’s grounds for dismissal from your job here.”

“Wait—what?” And then Grace remembered. She’d been sixteen, going through a rebellious phase. At a rock concert, someone had offered to share a joint—her first. She’d taken a couple of puffs when an undercover cop had busted her. Since it was a first offense, she’d been sentenced to probation. She hadn’t touched weed since that night, and the charge had been expunged when she turned eighteen. But she’d told Nicky about it. Now he was trying to use the story to get her in trouble. Good luck with that, Nicky, you narcissistic little jerk.

“Well,” Judkins asked, “is it true?”

Grace took her time. “Didn’t the district do a background check before they hired me?”

“Of course.”

“Did they find anything, like an arrest record, that might be grounds for dismissal?”

“No. But sometimes these things slip through the cracks.” He leaned back in his chair, his demeanor shifting. “Is it true, Grace?”

“That I was arrested? Yes, it is.” She would save the circumstances for later, after she knew where Judkins was going with this.

“And that you actually used drugs?”

“One time. Yes.” Grace paused. “So, what happens now?”

“You’re aware that, for what you just admitted to, I could have you fired on the spot.”

She nodded. “So, is that what you plan to do?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He leaned toward her, a slight flush creeping over his face. “If you play your cards right, our little conversation doesn’t have to leave this room.”

“I don’t understand.” Grace could feel her pulse racing.

“I think you do, Grace. Be nice to me, and we can pretend this never happened. Your job will be secure for as long as you want it.”

“Tell me more.”

“I shouldn’t have to draw you a picture. I drop a note in your mailbox. You show up at my apartment that night, and we take things from there. You’re a beautiful woman, Grace. I’m looking forward to knowing you better.” He gave her a sly wink. “So, do we have a deal?”

Grace rose from the chair. “Let me offer you a better deal,” she said, taking the cassette recorder out of her pocket and switching it off. “Don’t you ever say an inappropriate word to me, or any other teacher, or I take this recording to the district superintendent. Oh—and that drug arrest happened when I was sixteen, so it’s not on my record. And Nick Treadwell is my creepy ex-fiancé. That’s the only reason he knew about it. So, Mr. Judkins, do we have an understanding?”

His face had taken on the gray-white hue of old-fashioned library paste. He cleared his throat. “Yes, Miss Chapman, I believe we do.”

“Good.” She opened the door. “One more thing. It might not be a bad idea for you to find another job. Meanwhile, this”—she held up the cassette recorder—“this is going into a safe place.”

She walked out, closing the door behind her. Somehow she made it all the way to the women’s faculty restroom before her legs began to shake. She shut herself into one of the stalls and leaned against the metal wall. She could feel the cold sweat on her body. She had faced Ed Judkins and won. She should be congratulating herself. But she felt as if she’d just waded through a slime pit and barely survived. Chalk up one more treacherous, conniving man in her life.

She felt drained of emotion and energy. But she wasn’t finished. She still had to deal with Nicky. She would do that when she got home.

By the time the bell rang to call her back to class, Grace had regained her composure. She finished the story of the Grinch and even managed the voices. After that, she marched her students to the auditorium for a rehearsal of the Christmas program. With the music teacher in charge, Grace’s only job was to keep her students quiet and get them on and off the stage in an orderly fashion. There’d been no sign of Ed Judkins at the rehearsal or in the halls. Maybe he was avoiding her. Good.

Tomorrow would be a dress rehearsal, with her class wearing the star hats they’d made out of picnic plates and yellow construction paper. For now, the school day was over.