Jaded by Varina Denman Read Free Book Online Page A

all the while smiling like Curious George.
    Oh my goodness. He was doing it again. Watching me. Studying me. Talking to me until my defenses were down. And I had fallen for it again.
    I bent over the bottom drawer of my desk, letting my hair fall around my face. “Here’s a folder for your forms.” I said it curtly, refusing to return his invasive smile. “And I’ve included a pamphlet that explains the details of the insurance coverage.” I held the folder toward him, but when it trembled in my hand, I tossed it quickly on the desk next to his hip. “There’s also a website. And you can sign up online if you don’t want to fill out the papers.”
    â€œThank you.” He said the words cautiously as though sensing my mood change, then stood and distanced himself from my desk.
    â€œThat should be everything, Mr. Cunningham.” I lifted a corner of my mouth, not able to muster a complete smile. “Let me know if you need anything else.” I focused on my computer screen, but he didn’t move.
    â€œUm … Miss Turner?”
    The way he said Miss Turner grated on my nerves. “What is it?”
    â€œI apologize, but I haven’t the slightest idea where my classroom is.”
    Shame immediately replaced my tension. Of course he wouldn’t know his way around the school, and it was my job to make him feel welcome. “It’s on the left, past the teachers’ lounge.”
    His eyes laughed. “And where might the teachers’ lounge be?”
    I glanced at the wall clock and stood, giving in. “Sounds like you need the ten-cent tour.”
    He opened the door, then followed me into the hall, where I stood in front of the trophy cases. Only a few minutes remained before the bell, so I would have to make this quick. “The library is on the left halfway down the side hall.” I pointed. “Past the library, all the way to the end, is the gym. The students gather there before the first bell rings, and teachers take turns monitoring them each morning. I’ll add you to the rotation.”
    He nodded. “What’s the high school enrollment?”
    â€œAround two hundred.” I motioned toward the gym again. “If you go out that door, you’ll be headed toward the ag barn and the baseball field. Beyond that is the middle school and elementary.” I paused as JohnScott and Nelson came out the library door and turned toward the gym. “Any questions?”
    Dodd watched the two men. “Nothing to speak of. So what’s down the front hall?”
    He followed me a quarter of the way down the hall as I jangled my keys to unlock a door. “Teachers’ lounge.” When he nodded, I closed the door and motioned to a nook just past the doorway. “Vending machines.”
    â€œScore,” he said under his breath.
    â€œLike soft drinks, do you?” I opened his classroom door.
    â€œIf you cut me, I’d bleed Dr Pepper.” He scanned the room before walking to the teacher’s desk. He pulled open a side drawer, found it empty, and inserted his benefits folder. Next he opened the middle drawer and discovered a lesson-plan book. “Right where Mr. Andrews said it would be.” He laid the book in the middle of the desk and gave it three soft pats before returning to my side. “I feel like I’ve got my security blanket now. So what else is down this hallway?”
    We stood outside his room, and I pointed again. “The Family and Consumer Science kitchen is three doors down.”
    â€œThat could be interesting.”
    I smiled without pausing. “The cafeteria is at the end of the hall, on the right, and if you exit the door at the end, the field house is around the corner. The weight room is in a separate, smaller building adjacent to it.”
    My gaze fell to his bicep, where I noticed a bruise, but his loose shirtsleeves prevented me from assessing his muscles.
    For