Charmed (Contemporary Romance) by Inés Saint Read Free Book Online Page A

left.
    At least they’d gotten awkwardness out of the way, though it was obvious she really did think he had a huge ego. Should he let it go, or prove her wrong? Proving her wrong would be more enjoyable.

Chapter Four
    With everything that had happened the day before, Jamie forgot to pay tuition. She arrived early to pay because the kids were going to the dentist right after school, but Claire wasn’t in the front office.
    Outside, there were other parents and grandparents milling around, but she only knew the people she’d gone to school with.
    People from her past always wanted to know what she’d been up to the last twelve years, since graduating from high school. But it was hard to talk about Scott, and strange to leave him out of the conversation. She always ended up being too brief. It was one reason she avoided just standing around.
    A group of five moms she didn’t know was gathered in front of her, but there was something formidable about them. They were all perfectly groomed, their faces made up a little too flawlessly. They all had good posture and wore expensive-looking clothes.
    What was up with that?
    “Excuse me!” a voice with a twang called. Jamie turned to see a plump blonde with a head full of curls waving at her. She was sitting next to a woman who looked like an older version of the moms she was just thinking about. Jamie walked over to them as the dimpled blonde made room for her on the bench.
    “Hi, I’m Charlene, and this is Mrs. Kirkpatrick,” the blonde spoke.
    Mrs. Kirkpatrick gave Jamie one of those womanly, barely touching handshakes, and Jamie sat on the edge of the bench next to Charlene.
    “I’m Jamie Sullivan.”
    “You’ve got twin boys in kindergarten, right?” Charlene asked and Jamie nodded.
    “I’ve got a daughter in second grade; she gets out at two-thirty, and another girl in Pre-K. Mrs. Kirkpatrick here has a grandson in Pre-K. You should come and sit with us in the afternoons.”
    “And it’s a lot more fun over here with us than with the Stepford Wives over there,” Mrs. Kirkpatrick remarked.
    Jamie was surprised by the woman’s candor, especially since Mrs. Kirkpatrick looked like an older version of the “Stepford Wives.”
    “Mrs. Kirkpatrick here likes to pretend she’s a grouch,” Charlene explained.
    “Well, don’t be fooled by Charlene’s sweet twang and dimples — the woman swears like sailor.”
    “I do not! Now, let’s find out about Jamie. We’re not letting her talk.”
    The three women chatted a bit, until Jamie explained she had to go inside and pay. She left them with the promise of meeting them and another parent for coffee next Friday. A little more adult conversation in her life sounded great, especially if the conversations didn’t involve catching up.
    Jamie walked into the reception area, and was greeted by Claire. A tall, blond man at the counter turned around and smiled, and Jamie smiled back. She’d seen him picking up a little boy from kindergarten a few times.
    “I’ll be with you in a moment, Jamie,” Claire said, before taking a credit card from the man’s outstretched hand. “By the way, this is Alex Rhodes. His son Jason is in Michael and Timmy’s class.”
    “Nice to meet you,” Jamie said, and they shook hands.
    “Same here.”
    They were silent while Claire waited on an approval for his credit card. When the machine signaled acceptance, Alex turned her way again. “You know, I don’t know how you manage two five year olds. I’ve got my hands full with just one, part-time.”
    “I actually think two is easier than one because they keep each other entertained. I mean, they argue on a daily basis, but they play together for hours, too.”
    “That makes sense.”
    Nick walked in from the side door of his office and the atmosphere in the office immediately changed, as if it had been infused with new energy.
    He greeted both Jamie and Alex before addressing Jamie, “Are you waiting on Claire?” She nodded.