Fan the Flames (2 page)

Chapter Three

Early Monday morning, Ja’Nael finished placing the colorful storage bins on the top of the shelves while an upbeat song played softly in the background. Yesterday, she had bought sets of flashcards of different shapes and animals for the children to learn from. Sure it was very old school, but it was still a good teaching tool for kids and taught them how to interact better when being asked questions. After work today, she would buy some extra toys, books and other teaching items. She wanted the space to be educational, but also a fun place for the children.

She had fixed the nametags for each child a few nights ago when she got emailed her class list from the director. They could have their own personal space to hang up their coats and backpacks. It would give them something to be responsible for each and every day when they got to class.

The tattered school bus rug on the other side of the room had seen better days, like most of the other things items around here. The rug she’d bought at Teacher’s Aide last night while out looking for supplies would look perfect in here.

“Excuse me,” a male voice called out above the music.

Startled, Ja’Nael spun around, and her eyes widening at the sight of the gorgeous blond Adonis standing a few feet behind her. She couldn’t help but notice his tall, athletic physique along with the powerful set of his shoulders. He looked very commanding with his broad chest and muscular bare arms covered in fine blond hairs.

She slowly allowed her gaze to move up the rest of his amazing body. His ruggedly handsome face with his five o’clock shadow gave him even more of a manly aura. His lips were firm and sensual, and for some reason he looked very familiar.

She realized that both he and the adorable little boy next to him were watching her with a curious expression. Her face grew warm from embarrassment, and she hurried over the CD player to shut it off then made her way over to them.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, walking up to him. “How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for the three- to four-year-old preschool classroom,” the hunk answered, still staring at her.

“You’ve the right room. I’m Ms. Ja’Nael Haughton,” she said, extending her hand for a handshake.

“Good morning. Ms. Haughton,” he said, shaking her hand.

A tingling of excitement shot through her body the moment their fingers touched. Shocked by the contact, Ja’Nael eased her hand away.
What was that
? She glanced at the guy, wondering if he felt the same thing, but she couldn’t tell if he had or not from the blank expression on his face.

“I was hoping I hadn’t gotten lost. This is my first time bringing Reid to preschool,” he told her.

“Who are you, exactly?”

An irresistible, devastating grin pulled at the corner of his mouth, making his bright blue eyes shine even more. “Sorry, I should have introduced myself. I’m Brody Wagner, and this little guy is my nephew, Reid. I believe he’s in your classroom, but I’m not sure.”

Brody Wagner… Could there be any connection to Timothy Wagner? she wondered.

“Wagner…I went to high school with a Timothy Wagner. Are you related to him?”

Brody stared at her for a few minutes before answering. “Yes, he’s my brother, and Reid is his son, but I have full custody of him. So I will be the only one picking him up.”

Ja’Nael glanced down at the little boy, and she could see the family resemblance to his father. Out of all of the children to have in her class, she would have to get her high school bully’s son. She refused to allow the bad memories of how Timothy treated her to affect her ability to teach his child.

“Yes, Mr. Wagner, your nephew is in my class. I’m very happy to see him today.” Bending down, she smiled at the adorable little boy who stepped back and moved closer his uncle while his big gray eyes stared up at her with inquisitiveness.

“Hi, Reid. I’m Ms. Haughton. I’m going to be your teacher. I’m very excited to have you in my class. Would you like to play with some of the toys while I talk to your uncle?”

Reid shook his head and moved farther behind his uncle’s leg. It looked as if separation anxiety might be an issue.

Standing back up, Ja’Nael looked at Mr. Wagner, trying again to ignore how handsome he was. “Will this be his first time away from you?”

“No. I have a babysitter that watches him while I’m at work, but he hasn’t spent too much time playing with children his own age. I realized that was a mistake on my part, so that’s why I and enrolled him in preschool. I’m hoping it will get him to open up a bit more and not be so shy.”

She was worried the transition from a babysitter into a classroom full of loud kids wasn’t going to be easy on him, but she would help him through it. However, the worst part for him was about to happen in a few minutes when his Uncle Brody left him. The longer Mr. Wagner stayed, the more difficult it was going to be on Reid.

“Mr. Wagner, I think it might be for the best if you go ahead and leave in a few minutes after you get Reid settled. I’m hoping I can get him used to being here with me while no other kids are around. I know it might be difficult for you to just walk out the door if he starts crying, but I think it will help him more in the long run. Oh, did you remember to bring a backpack for him?”

“Yes, it’s the Superman backpack on your desk. I wasn’t sure where to leave it when I got here.”

“Reid has a cubbyhole by the door with his name and a hook on it. You can hang it there tomorrow,” she said, pointing across the room.

He looked at the corner and then back at her. “Okay. I’ll remember that for tomorrow. I did pack his favorite lunch to make it a smoother day for him.”

“Great, it should help. I should let you know that he’ll probably beg for you not to leave, but assure him that you will be back.”

Brody nodded at her as his gorgeous blue eyes never left her face. “All right,” he replied, bending down until he was eye level with his nephew. “Hey, little man… I have to go to work, so I’m going to leave you here with Ms. Haughton. But you are going to have so much fun today at preschool. I want you to be a good boy for me until I come back and pick you up later.”

“No,” Reid cried. “I wanna stay with you, Uncle Brody. I can go to the fire station with you. I promise I’ll be good. I won’t run around like I did last time.”

“Sorry, buddy. You can’t go there with me today. You have to stay here and make some new friends. I know you’re going to have a great time. I promise I’ll be back to get you later.”

Reid threw himself against his uncle’s body, wrapping his tiny arms around his neck. Big, fat tears poured down his face as the sounds of his innocent cries filled the classroom. “Don’t leave me, Uncle Brody. I don’t want to stay here with her.”

No matter how many times Ja’Nael saw it, the sight of a child’s tears always pulled at her heart strings, but she had to help get Reid away from his uncle so he could get to work. Slowly, she made her way over to Reid and gently pulled his arms away.

“Sweetheart, you have to let your Uncle Brody leave. I swear he’ll be back to get you later.”

Mr. Wagner stood up, eyeing her. He took a step back from her and his crying nephew, while Reid struggled to get away from her. “Are you sure he’ll be okay?” he asked. “I’ve never seen him so upset before.”

“I promise he will be okay. All he has to do is calm down. I’ll make sure to keep an extra watch on him today.”

Uneasiness smoldered in his bright blue eyes as Mr. Wagner continued staring at her. “All right, I will leave, but I wrote my contact information on a sheet of paper and it’s inside his backpack. If he doesn’t calm down after a while, please call me and I’ll come to get him.”

“Please don’t leave me here, Uncle Brody,” Reid cried louder as she held him next to her body. “I wanna go with you.”

“I promise I’ll be back later to pick you up.” Mr. Wagner looked at her one last time before touching his nephew on the head and walking away from them.

All while she was attending high school, she never knew Timothy had an older brother who looked like
that
. For a spilt second, she had been attracted to his amazingly good looks, until he introduced himself. She hadn’t been around her tormentor in years, and now she was surrounded by two of his family members.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of sniffing next to her.

Glancing down, she saw Reid was still crying and staring at the open doorway. Thank God, at least he hadn’t run out after his uncle. It broke her heart even more to see the little boy so heartbroken because he didn’t realize that Mr. Wagner was coming back.

“Reid, do you want to play with some blocks or trucks until the other children get here?” she asked, gently.

“No,” he shouted, jerking away from her running over to the window at the other side of the room.

She started over to him and then stopped herself. She needed to take a step back. Today was his first day, and she didn’t want to overwhelm him by getting in his face. She would give him a little space while she finished getting the classroom ready for the other children’s arrival.

Moving around the room, Ja’Nael hung up Reid’s backpack while getting the room the way she wanted and keeping an eye on Reid all at the same time. About ten minutes passed before other children started piling in and filling her classroom as their parents dropped them off for the day.

Ja’Nael was surprised that none of the children were taken back by seeing a new teacher in their classroom. Besides Reid’s crying about being left alone with her, she hoped her day would run pretty smoothly and all of the kids had a good time. However, a person could never tell when it came to the changing moods of three- and four-year-olds. They were like the weather; sunny one minute and cloudy the next.

“Okay everyone, will you get into a circle for me on the school bus carpet? We’re going to have some fun today with shapes. Remember to place your toys back first,” she said, hoping they would follow her directions.

Standing on the rug, she watched as little feet ran around the room putting things back on shelves and joined her on the rug, but Ja’Nael noticed one lone child standing by himself, staring out the window, looking for his uncle. She laid the cards down on the counter next to her.

“No one moves off this rug and I will be right back,” she told the classroom.

Walking across the room, she stood next to Reid. “Sweetheart, don’t you want to join the rest of the class on the rug?” she asked, softly. “You’ll have a lot more fun over there with us than over here by yourself.”

“I want my Uncle Brody,” he said without looking in her direction.

“Reid, I know you do, but your uncle is at work. He left you here with me to learn and make some new friends. All of the other kids are waiting for you to join them.”

“I don’t want to go over there,” he whined, taking a step away from her.

Ja’Nael realized she would have to use another tactic to get Reid away from the window. “I’m sorry to hear that. I wanted to be able to tell your Uncle Brody you had a good time your first day of preschool. He wanted you to play and make friends with your classmates. He’ll be so sad that all you did was stand here staring out the window,” she said before turning away and going back over to the rug.

Grabbing the first card, she sat down in the chair. She held up the first flash card while watching Reid from the corner of her eye as he inched his way closer to the rug. Ja’Nael tried not to smile as he sat down on the very edge. He wasn’t exactly in the circle, but he was no longer staring out the window. She was more than pleased to accept this tiny step on his part.

“Okay, does anyone know what this animal is?” she asked, holding up the first white card.

“A bird,” a blond-haired girl called out, sitting directly in front of her.

“You’re right, Cindy. Now, can anyone tell me what this one is?” Ja’Nael asked again showing the class another card. She secretly hoped that Reid would do more during the day, but he seemed very content to keep to himself.

Chapter Four

“Wagner, you are awful quiet today. What’s going on with you?” Sheldon asked, joining him on the couch.

Brody glanced over at his closet friend at the fire station. Sheldon started working at the Number 13 about a year before him. They became instant friends in less than two weeks. They practically did everything together until Sheldon got married two years ago. So his friend’s priorities changed a lot, and Brody hated to admit it was for the better. Sheldon had dated a different girl almost every other week, so much that he’d had a hard time keeping up with their names.

“This morning I dropped Reid off for his first day of preschool, and he was crying when I left him with Ms. Haughton. I mean, hearing his tears broke my heart.” Brody tapped the remote control against his thigh. “I almost went back to get him, but I couldn’t bring him to work.”

“Do you think Reid will be able to handle being around other kids? I know how close he is to you. I mean, he’s like a tiny version of you in every way. I would think you’re his father instead of his uncle. How is Timothy doing, by the way?”

Tossing the remote down on the table in front of him, Brody leaned back on the couch. “Hell, I don’t know what’s going on with him. Timothy is out there trying to reach for his dreams of fame and success. The last time I heard from my brother was about a year ago. He had enough nerve to call and ask me for some money.

“I tried telling him about Reid, but he wasn’t a bit interested in hearing about his son. How can my own brother be so selfish? I thought he might have matured enough to want something to do with his only child.” He sighed.

“Does Reid ask about his daddy anymore?” Sheldon asked. “I know you told me was asking a lot of questions for a while back there.”

Brody shook his head. “He did for a while, until he turned four or so and figured out his daddy wasn’t coming back to see him. I was hoping Timothy would at least send Reid a birthday card, but of course that didn’t happen.

“I’m really hoping with Reid being in preschool it’ll open up a new world for the little guy. When I met his teacher, Ms. Haughton this morning, she was pretty hot—I—uh—mean
nice
.” Brody corrected his slip of tongue, hoping Sheldon hadn’t heard it.

Sitting up straighter on the couch, his best friend gave him the look. It was something that he knew all too well. “This is the second time you have mentioned Reid’s teacher. Don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me what she looks like.”

Brody recalled how stunning Ja’Nael looked in the black skirt that hugged her full hips and thighs. The fitted yellow, short sleeved top molded her full perfect breasts. She possessed all of the womanly curves he loved.

Standing at six-feet-six inches, Brody’s own body consisted mostly of muscle because he worked out five times a week at the local gym. He wanted to keep his body in top shape for his job as a firefighter. He liked when a woman had a little more meat on her bones. He wasn’t into the ultra skinny females. He
never
took a second look at them even when they went out of their way to flirt with him.

He didn’t think there was anything wrong with a skinny female, but he was more attracted to the fuller woman with curves, especially when it came to sharing his bed, because he loved making love to a woman, and sometimes he might want to get a little carried away.

“She’s a very attractive woman,” he finally admitted. “I wasn’t trying to imply anything else about Ja’Nael—I mean Ms. Haughton.”

“Sure.” Sheldon chuckled, getting up from the couch. “I’m sure she was only attractive. I know you, and this Ms. Haughton must have the perfect curves you’re constantly looking for or you wouldn’t have even remembered her name.”

Brody wanted to deny the truth, but he couldn’t do it. In the past, Sheldon tired fixing him up with several women who weren’t his type. It never worked out no matter how hard he tired.

“You don’t know me all that well,” he said. “I wasn’t checking out his teacher. She’s not even interested in me. I only wanted Reid to enjoy his first day at preschool because if he doesn’t it will only make it harder for me to make him go back there.”

“I’m sure. You only want Reid to have a good day. Quit lying to me. I know Ms. Haughton caught your eye. You won’t be able to stop thinking about her until she agrees to go out on a date with you,” his best friend teased before walking away and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He wasn’t even sure Ja’Nael noticed his interest in her. She hadn’t been anything but courteous when he dropped off Reid. The only time he noticed a little hesitation on her part was when he had introduced himself, but she quickly schooled her features.

Was it possible she would hold what Timothy did to her all those years ago against him and Reid?

For some odd reason, Ja’Nael had always stayed in the back of his mind even after she moved away. He had wondered if Timothy’s cruelty had followed her through her life. He hoped that it hadn’t, and seeing her today he couldn’t help but noticed how Ja’Nael had grown into a beautiful, confident, eye-catching woman.

Why did she have to be Reid’s teacher
?