Turning Thirty-Twelve (6 page)

You can take the teacher out of the school, but you can’t take the school out of the teacher.

Mark helped me get my feet straight enough so he could stand behind and push me. Even with his help, I was a little pigeon-toed. He put his hands on my hips and skated behind me as I tried not to let my knees buckle from the sensations this guy sent ripping through me as he pushed me around the rink. I tried desperately to keep my frightened squeaks to a minimum.

I couldn’t remember any man smelling as good as he did when he leaned over me and rested his chin on my shoulder. He was wearing my favorite men’s cologne. The combination of Mark and Polo Black was warm, strong, and almost as intoxicating as alcohol.

I’d been living like a nun in a cloister for far too long if I was reacting to this guy like a cat in heat. I liked the way his hands didn’t grip my hips, but instead they moved around, almost like simple caresses.

The guy was making me hot. Damn hot. And he wasn’t even trying.

He distracted me so much I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. I suddenly tripped over my own skates. I fell to the ice and sprawled out face down in the most unladylike pose one could imagine. My dignity fell with me.

I braced myself and waited a split-second for the impact of Mark falling on top of me. He caught himself over me as if he had been doing a pushup. His groin was pressed hard into my backside.

I was mortified at my clumsiness.

He was laughing as though he’d heard a particularly witty comedy monologue.

Mark pushed himself to his feet as I rolled over to stare up at him. He smiled and reached down to offer me a hand. I grasped his and was thoroughly amazed how easily he pulled me back onto my feet, skates and all. Had to admire that kind of strength. He used the opportunity to pull me a little closer until our chests touched. I looked up into his big brown eyes and wanted to drown in them. I was sure he was going to kiss me again, and this time I planned to be ready when he did.

Then his stupid cell phone rang.

The silly thing played the theme from
Dragnet
. At least I was pleased to notice that he didn’t appear very happy about the interruption, either.

He popped the phone off of his belt clip and glanced at the caller-ID. “Sorry. Gotta take this one.”

Trying not to eavesdrop, I groped for the wall of the rink so I wouldn’t fall again.

After what seemed like a short, intense conversation, he clipped the phone back to his belt and skated next to me. “I’ve gotta go. I need to get you home first. I’m really sorry to cut things short.”

I nodded and tried not to look too disappointed, even though I was. It wasn’t as if I was entirely stupid. I knew the phone call had to have come from his “rescuer”—the person who was scheduled to call at a certain time. This way he had an “out,” a way to get the hell away from the person he was stuck with as a blind date. Mark had engaged his safety net.

Then it dawned on me that I had wanted to go out with him so badly I hadn’t even made the same contingency plan. I suddenly wanted to cry because I knew I had been right all along. Men who looked like Mark really didn’t want to go out with women like me. Suzanne had probably twisted the poor guy’s arm. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry in front of him, but damn it was tough. I knew I’d be weeping like a willow when I was safely home.

I wanted to die of embarrassment when I realized it might have been Carly who bailed Mark out of the date. How was I ever going to face her again?

That’s what I have coming for dating a student’s parent.

Hands were suddenly waving in front of my face. “You did it again,” Mark said with a chuckle. “You’re thinking too hard again.”

“I can get a cab.”

“Where the hell did that come from?” he asked, looking a bit confused.

“You need to go, remember? Just trying to expedite matters for you.” I tried not to sound too hurt, but I was.

Shit. I’d already let the guy in.

“I need to go to a crime scene, but I can drop you off first,” he insisted.

“Fine. Whatever.” I flippantly dismissed him with a wave of my hand.

I tried to be nonchalant as we took off our skates and put our shoes back on. My ankles ached enough I’d be sucking down Tylenol the instant I got home. Since it was Friday and my pride was aching from the smacking it just received, I’d be drowning it in a wine cooler or two.

Mark didn’t say anything, but he acted a little angry. I seriously heard him growl.

We dropped our skates off and walked back out to the parking lot. When we got to his car, he reached to open the door, but suddenly seemed to change his mind. He grabbed his cell phone and punched the screen. Then he held it up to me and showed me the list of incoming calls.

The last one read, “Police HQ.”

Detectives are too damned smart for their own good.

I had no idea what to say to him, so I chose to babble incoherently instead. “Mark, I’m sorry... I didn’t... It’s been so long...”

He actually laughed. “It’s all right. I’d have been suspicious too.”

By the time we got back to my house, I’d blown the chance to get to know Mr. Yummy any better. After all, who wanted to date an obviously neurotic forty-something?

Mark walked me to the door. When I retrieved my keys from my purse, he gripped my arm and turned me to face him. He leaned over me and put his hand on the door behind me. I felt as though I couldn’t breathe as his face hovered close to mine.

“I’m sorry I have to go, Jackie,” he whispered, his lips inches from mine. “Would you like to go out tomorrow?”

I couldn’t have been more surprised if someone had told me I was going to be a mother again. “You want to go out with me again?” slipped out of my mouth before I could stop the question.

He leaned in a little closer and ran a warm finger down my cheek to my chin. “Of course.”

My body started to tremble.

As he pressed his lips to mine, every bit of tension fled my muscles. I leaned in as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him.

It was one of those movie kisses that seem to go on forever, and you know it will make you sigh when it ends. The man did magic with his lips. When his tongue slid into my mouth, I feared my knees were going to give. It had been years since I felt the kind of warmth Mark’s kiss sent racing through me.

Hell, I didn’t think David
ever
kissed me like that.

Mark didn’t seem to want to pull away. His face lingered in front of mine for a moment. “I’m sorry I have to go,” he said again as he brushed his knuckles across my cheek.

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

I nodded again.

He quickly brushed his lips against mine one last time before he turned and jogged back to his car.

As he drove away I stood on the front porch and waved.

Good God, I could be so damned lame sometimes.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Mom? You okay?” Patrick asked.

I shifted the cordless telephone to my other ear. “I’m fine. Why do you keep asking me that?”

“You seem kinda...distracted for so early in the morning. So are you coming?”

“Yeah. I appreciate you calling to let me know. I know Nate probably won’t. Then again, it’s not until October. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’ll call before then.”

It was almost Parents’ Day. Even though I had gone to the event when Patrick was a freshman, I’d forgotten all about it. It dawned on me that if Patrick hadn’t bothered to call, Nate would’ve hidden the occasion. He wanted his independence as badly as I wanted to hold onto him. Realizing how Freudian the whole situation seemed, I wondered if Nate would be angry if I went down to visit uninvited.

I’d have to think about that one.

Shit. I’d have to call David to see if he was aware there was a Parents’ Day and if he and the “little woman” were going.

Call-waiting sounded, so I said my farewells to my oldest. Knowing it had to be Julie checking in to get the scoop on my date, I sarcastically greeted the new caller. “You’ve reached The Sex Emporium. Dominatrix Mistress Jackie speaking. How may I punish you?”

“Um. Okay. I’ll bite. Sex-slave Mark here. I prefer black leather and a light spanking.”

I slapped my forehead with the heel of my hand. Why hadn’t I even bothered to check the caller-ID?

Now what, Ms. Sarcastic? Get yourself out of this one gracefully
.

“Can we please forget that I just said that?”

Mark chuckled, warm and kind despite my
faux pas
. “A greeting like that? I seriously doubt it. Did you mean it last night when you said you wanted to go out tonight?”

Why did I always feel the need to nod when no one was around to see me? “Yeah. I meant it. But if you’ve made other—”

“Stop thinking, Jackie.”

I had to laugh at that. “All right. And just where are we heading tonight? We could always play nine holes. How about a good game of ‘horse’? Maybe toss a football around?”

“I was thinking something a little more...relaxed.”

“Relaxed?”

He chuckled again. “Yeah, relaxed. Do you like movies?”

Quit nodding, moron.
“I love movies.” I went almost every weekend. The paper was already open to the entertainment section when I’d answered Patrick’s call. “What do you want to see?”

“Doesn’t matter. The girls have collected just about every DVD known to mankind.”

“You mean you want to stay in?”

Why was I in such a panic over the idea of an intimate evening alone with Mr. Yummy?

Probably because I’d have a hard time keeping my hands off him.

“Sure. We can pop some popcorn, grab some Twizzlers, and watch a good show or two.  I know.  We’ll get pizza.”

“Um... All right, I guess. My place or yours?”

“Maybe we better come here.” He laughed, the rumbling sound so deep and so obviously sincere it was heaven to my ears. “I’m not sure I’m up to the Sex Emporium.”

“Coward.”

“Do you mind if Carly sticks around? I miss Kathy, and I think Carly does to—although she’d never admit it. I think she’d like the company.”

“I’d love to spend time with Carly. She’s a nice kid.”
And I think she’s on my side
.

“Thanks. Give me your email address and I’ll send some directions.”

***

“What was I thinking?” I asked Julie for the hundredth time. “I can’t go to his house. Carly will be there. What if he kisses me again or...or...something?” I threw more dirty clothes into the washing machine and poured in some detergent.

“Jackie, you’re being silly.”

“Gee, thanks. That helps a whole heap,” I replied before realizing how snotty I probably sounded. “I like this guy, Julie. I really do.”

She sighed. “Then quit acting like you’re terrified of him.”

I slammed the lid on the extraordinarily small load of clothing. With the boys gone and very little laundry of my own, I was going through some kind of withdrawal. I used to spend most of every Saturday in the laundry room, buried under piles of sweaty socks, gym shorts, t-shirts, and jeans. “But I
am
terrified. I don’t want to like him. I don’t need this. I have a great life. He’ll just be...I don’t know. A...complication.”

I could tell Julie was quickly getting exasperated with me. The sound of her fingers drumming on some surface was easy to hear. I couldn’t really blame her for being irritated. I’d probably talked to her ten times already, and it was only two o’clock. I was supposed to be at Mark’s around six. Julie could probably anticipate at least a dozen more calls including the one from my cell phone when I finally drove over there.

“What are you going to wear?” she asked.

“Nice diversionary tactic.”

“Thank you. Look, I’m sorry, Jackie, but I’ve got to go. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just nervous. Tell me again.”

“You’re doing the right thing.”

“Thanks, sweetie. Love you.”

“Love you too.” The sound as she hung up echoed through my brain like the chiming of a gong.

I was alone again.

I walked out of the laundry room and peered around for something to do. The emptying of my nest had thrust so many changes into my orderly world. Saturday had always been the day when I spent quite a bit of time making my house look like something other than a landfill. I’d yell at the boys to pick up their stuff as I used an old pair of ratty underwear to dust the furniture. Then we’d move on to the “who’s-going-to-have-to-vacuum” dance. Of course, I usually ended up leading.

No matter which room I checked, the house was clean. It didn’t really appear any different than when I’d cleaned it the day after Nate left.

Funny. This was what I’d always wanted. Now my pristine house made me sad.

I decided that I needed to get another pet—like a puppy or a kitten. Maybe then I’d have someone to clean up after.

***

I couldn’t believe I’d found his house so easily. Mark gave really good directions. And really nice kisses.

Grow up, Jacqueline.

I grabbed the cell phone I’d propped up in the cup holder and slipped it in my pocket. With a deep, steadying breath, I left my minivan and walked to the front door. It opened before I could even reach my finger up to push the doorbell.

“Ms. Delgado!” Carly squealed. “Come in! Daddy’s been pacing around waiting for you. And he’s been running around picking stuff up all day. And he even shaved. On a Saturday!”

I smiled. The fact that she was so glad to see me warmed my heart. When Mark walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, I warmed up a little more.

“Brat,” he said as he squeezed her arms. “You’re tattling on me.”

She grinned at him over her shoulder. “Can we order pizza now? Please?” She turned back to me and gave me a smile that showed all of her silver braces with tiny purple rubber bands. “What do you like on your pizza, Ms. Delgado?”

“Pepperoni.”

“Me too!” She turned back to her father. “That’s your favorite too, isn’t it, Daddy?” Her attention flipped back to me. “Daddy likes the same stuff you do. Pepperoni pizza.” She stopped, laying her index finger against her cheek as if in deep thought. “Oh! And he likes biology, too.”