Take a Chance on Me by Kate Davies Read Free Book Online

going to succeed on her own terms, because of her own strengths and abilities. Maybe teaching wasn’t the most glamorous job in the world. Maybe she’d never get rich working in a high school. But she would succeed at it because she had the drive and the desire. Maybe once she’d shown her parents that she was a success, they would pay attention to her for who she was, not what they wanted her to be. Until then, she couldn’t afford to have any relationship get in the way.
    With that in mind, she turned her attention back to the stack of play scripts on the corner of her desk. If she was going to make a good impression directing the spring play, she had to find the perfect script.
    She’d spent the better part of lunch searching the classroom for information about the spring play—a list of drama-club participants, a folder of directions, maybe an already-selected script. But though the teacher out on leave had left her plenty of material for classroom work, as far as the drama program went, she was apparently on her own.
    She sat down in her chair and propped her elbows on the desk, cupping her chin in the palm of her hand. To her left was the pile of scripts; to her right were five file folders bulging with today’s student assignments. Both represented hours of work. She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. Evenings, weekends and summers off? Yeah, right.
    Jessica stood and began dumping paperwork into her overloaded book bag, straining the seams and assuring her chiropractor additional income. She needed to get out of this dungeon of a room before she completely missed what little daylight was available this time of year.
    She checked her watch. The building should be mostly cleared of students by now. It was probably a good time to scout out the theatre and see what she was up against. Jessica switched off the lights and pulled her classroom door shut behind her. Checking to make sure it was locked, she adjusted the book bag over her shoulder and set off down the hall.
     
    The main parking lot was largely empty by the time Tom left his customary post at the entrance to the school. Most students were on their way home or busy in after-school activities. Still, just to be sure, Tom made it a habit to walk the halls of the school every day after school. You never knew what might be going on in the dark recesses of the old building.
    He started in the basement, peering around corners and testing doors. Everything was locked up tight as a drum. Evidently, the art teacher had finally taken his advice and started locking her classroom.
    He’d collared some not-so-bright students there after school one day, apparently under the impression that the smell of art supplies would mask the odor of their marijuana. They hadn’t counted on the smoke drifting under the closed door and out into the hall.
    Everything checked out downstairs, so he headed back up. His pace slowed a bit as he reached the Language Arts wing. She’d probably gone home already. And even if she was still there, he wasn’t about to disturb her again today. No, he’d just check the door and keep walking.
    Still, he felt the briefest letdown when he reached her classroom and saw that it was already locked and dark. Against his will, his mind dredged up an image of Jessica from this morning, the professional cut of her dark blue jersey dress doing little to hide her curves.
    Even weighed down with paperwork, she had a look that put his libido on simmer.
    He shook his head and turned around, heading for the next hallway. She was a fellow staff member, and therefore off-limits. Tom didn’t date co-workers. Not even co-workers as attractive as Jessica Martin.
    To be honest, he didn’t date anyone, co-worker or not. Oh, his sister occasionally took her life into her hands and accidentally invited a female to dinner on the same night he came over, but nothing ever came of it. He wouldn’t let it. None of them were worth lowering his guard