Her Imaginary Husband (Contemporary Romance) (15 page)

“Who’s the brown-noser that keeps bringing you apples?” asked Josh, eying the fruit on the corner of Nikki’s desk.

“I don’t know. I came back from lunch, and it was there.” Today’s was a perfect Snow White style apple.

His eyebrows shot up. “You got a secret admirer?”

Nikki felt heat rise to her ears, but looked earnestly at her computer screen, trying to remember what she was looking up.

Students, overhearing Josh as they entered, circled around the desk expressing inordinate interest in the apple. She quickly felt surrounded and embarrassed, and the kids picked up on this.

“Ooooh, Ms. F has a secret admirer!”

“That’s so sweet!”

“You gonna eat that?”

Nikki’s eyes snapped up to David. “Pembroke, you crack me up.” Her eyes flicked just past him to a face with five o’clock shadow. “What do you think, Officer Ross? Is it safe to give the apple to Pembroke?”

Ross scanned the circle of students with a grin. “So much excitement over a piece of fruit. Do the lunch ladies know this? They’ll stop serving pizza!”

“No-o-o-o!” moaned Josh with dramatic pain.

“Seriously, you gonna eat that?” asked David again.

Nikki glanced at Ross, received a confirming nod, and said, “Sure David. You can be Officer Ross’ deputy.”

“Huh?”

Ross laughed, and slapped David’s back. “Sit down, kids. Bell’s about to ring.”

As they dispersed, Nikki looked up. “What brings you by, Officer?”

“I saw a crowd gathering and wanted to make sure you hadn’t passed out or something.”

“So, they might be poisoned apples after all?”

He shook his head, smiling.

“Well, the five you’ve eaten haven’t done you any harm, I guess.”

The bell rang, and he jolted. Leaning in, he whispered, “Just warning you that Amanda’s back.”

“Thanks. Be on stand-by in case there’s a fight?”

“You know it.” He winked and headed out the door, giving a high-five to cowboy Adam on his way. “Tardy, Tex.”

Adam rolled his eyes.

“Officer Ross!” called Nikki, suddenly remembering the contents of her bottom drawer.

Adam swirled around. “I’m getting busted for a tardy?”

Nikki laughed, “Sit down, Adam.” She scooped two jars from her drawer and hurried after Ross. Just outside the door, she said, “I forgot to give you these.”

Puzzled, he took the jars, studying their contents. “Is this what I think it is?”

“Apple salsa,” she said, biting her lip shyly.

His eyes searched hers, sparkling with delight. “But I ate all the apples.”

Her mouth fell open as she realized he’d caught her going out of her way to do something for him. “Oh. Well. You know. Smelling them every day on my desk. I just…” She waved her hands in little circles.

Ross cradled the jars to his chest. “That’s very kind of you.”

Smiling at his reaction, she said, “It’s the least I could do.” She could hear the dreaminess in her own voice, and it scared her.
I’m falling. I need to tell him!

“Your husband’s okay with me stealing this much from your stash?”

Gaaaak! But not right now. I have to teach class!
Nikki licked her lips, wishing she could lie more convincingly.
No, I don’t. I wish I’d never lied in the first place
. “He knows you’ve been such a good friend to me,” she said. Her eyes searched his face for emotion even as her heart searched for courage to tell him the truth. She spoke with a tender immediacy, hoping to gauge his response. “I always said that when I got married, it would be the forever kind. The kind where we trust each other. I would never betray the one I love.”

Ross seemed to think about this for a moment before nodding with a half-smile. “Again, thank you. That’s very kind of you both.”

He turned to go, and Nikki felt a piece of her try to follow. Instead, she sighed and went back into the class room to face Adam’s distraught face. “Am I seriously busted? I can’t get detention. My dad won’t let me go on the hunting trip next weekend.”

Nikki laughed and clapped her hands on Adam’s shoulders, turning him around and propelling him towards his seat. “Adam. Sit down. You’re not busted.” She glanced at her roll-taker. “Don’t even mark him tardy today, okay? He might lose a lung hyperventilating, and I don’t want that on my conscience.” She winked at Adam. “Or my floor.”

Cody gave a relieved smile to his friend and turned a sly gaze to Nikki. “So what was with the present for Officer Ross?”

“What do you mean?” Nikki’s heart pounded in her throat.

“You bribing an officer of the law?” asked Adam.

Nikki snorted, her hands on her hips. “Right. With apple salsa.”

“Applesauce? Ew!” said Cody.

“Apple salsa,” corrected David, his mouth full of apple. He stood and launched the core into the waste basket near the door. “Score!” he cheered, as it clanged into its mark.

The class erupted in cheers and whistles. Nikki crossed her eyes at Adam and Cody. “Ball players!” she whispered. They snickered conspiratorially and forgot all about the apple salsa for Officer Ross, which was what she’d hoped.



Nikki stared at the girl who entered the class and walked across the back of her room mid-lecture on persuasive writing techniques. With blue and purple fluffy hair, she resembled a dollop of cotton candy on top of a black stick. “Can I help you?” The girl turned angry eyes on Nikki, who flinched with recognition. “Amanda! New hairdo. Very...easy to spot in a crowd.”

Unamused, Amanda sat down, casting a half-smile at Justin. He whispered something to her, his eyes darting to Nikki sympathetically. Amanda’s shoulders relaxed and she faced front.

Nikki realized she’d been standing with her mouth hanging open, so she finished her presentation in abbreviated form and assigned the class to start outlining their next project in pairs. Drawing a deep, fortifying breath, she approached Amanda.

“Can we have a quick chat in the hall?”

Amanda did not look up, but held up a pink tardy slip. Ignoring this, Nikki signaled for Amanda to follow her. When Amanda didn’t move, Justin reached across the aisle and tapped her elbow.

“What?” she hissed at Justin.

Hurt in his eyes, he gave her a meaningful look. “Ms. F needs to talk to you.”

Glancing in Nikki’s direction but still not making eye-contact, she exhaled as if civility were a heavy burden. “Whatever.” She stood up and followed Nikki out.

As Nikki walked, she uttered a silent prayer for wisdom to find the right words. Once the door closed, she and Amanda looked at one another, as if measuring the animosity. Except that Nikki didn’t want to feel animosity.
How do I start this conversation without starting a fight?
She let out a shuddering breath and willed the corners of her mouth to climb up her cheeks a little.

“Welcome back,” she said.

Amanda scoffed. “Real welcome.”

“You don’t feel welcome here?”

“No. Why would I? You’re always on my case.”

“About tardies, or about the drinking?”

“Both.”

“And I’m the only teacher who worries about that?”

Amanda shrugged and looked away. “I’m not late to the other classes.”

Nikki studied the girl’s face in profile. “So, you’re picking on me, then.”

Narrowing her eyes, Amanda turned back. “How do you get that?”

“Word is you get along fine with all your other teachers, show up on time, don’t talk back.” Nikki stuffed her hands in her pockets, hoping she looked unthreatening. “You’re no one’s top student, but I’m the only one whose class you skip or show up intoxicated to.”

Amanda’s eyes showed pain, but her chin lifted with stubborn resolve. “Maybe I don’t like English.”

Nikki bobbed her head as if accepting this. “Maybe you don’t like me.”

Amanda tossed her hair but said nothing.

Clenching her fists inside of her pockets, Nikki said, “I’m not your wicked stepmother, you know.”

Amanda’s eyes opened wide and she seemed to waver between yelling and laughing. “You’re no fairy godmother, either.”

“No. Officer Ross made me check my wand at the door so I wouldn’t stab anyone with it.” A trace of humor crossed Amanda’s face. Nikki grabbed onto the moment and switched gears. “How’s everything with Justin?”

The transformation in Amanda’s stance revealed everything. She softened, and a flutter of a smile brushed her lips. “Better. His dad chilled out.”

“You guys both have rough times with your parents, huh? Good thing you have each other.”

With glistening eyes, Amanda looked at Nikki without hostility for the first time all year. “Yeah,” she said, her voice colored with emotion. “I guess I have you to thank for that one.”

So he took my advice!
Nikki waved a hand nonchalantly. “Sometimes I can do magic without a wand.”

Amanda rolled her eyes, and Nikki feared she’d lost the connection. “Amanda, can we start over? I’ll forget you were ever late or drunk, and you forget that I’m female, okay?”

Amanda squinted in confusion. “Huh?”

Nikki made sure their eyes were focused on each other. “Amanda, I heard about the rotating moms at your place, and I’m sorry. That sucks big time. But please don’t cross off all women from your lists of potential…”
Authority figures? Mentors? Advocates?

“Friends,” said Amanda hoarsely.

They looked at each other for a long moment, and then Nikki adopted the bowing, heel-clicking stance of Officer Ross and extended her hand to shake. “Hello. My name is Miss Fallon. I’m your new American Lit teacher.”

Amanda glanced at Nikki’s outstretched hand with a lop-sided grin. “Amanda Zane,” she said, taking Nikki’s hand and shaking it once.



Fifteen minutes later, Mr. Geoffreys walked in. “Miss Fallon, I need to speak to you and Amanda for just a moment, please.”

Nikki and Amanda exchanged apprehensive looks and followed the principal out to the hall amidst whispers of “busted!”

In the hall, Mr. Geoffreys crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Amanda. Nikki tensed, realizing he was about to undo what she had accomplished earlier.

“Miss Zane, we were supposed to have a meeting with Susan Black today, but she’s out with the flu, so let me make something very clear. You need to show respect to Miss Fallon. I don’t want to hear about any trouble with you. Not even a tardy slip.”

Amanda flashed Nikki an angry look. Nikki shook her head almost imperceptibly, horror etched on her face at the bombastic way Mr. Geoffreys was handling this.

Nikki tried to intervene. “Sir—”

Mr. Geoffreys raised a hand to silence her, his eyes still boring through Amanda’s skull. “I’ve already made arrangements so that if there’s a problem—any problem at all—you’ll be transferred to Mr. Dustin’s class.”

“But—”

“No, buts, Miss Zane.” He wagged a finger between Nikki and Amanda. “You two get it sorted and end the conflicts.” He gave a satisfied nod to Nikki and strode off down the corridor.

Nikki and Amanda looked at each other, faces long with discouragement.

“I thought we already did work it out,” said Amanda.

“We did.” Nikki glanced in the direction Mr. Geoffreys had gone. “Just book it here after P.E., okay? Let’s make this work.”

“I don’t want to go to Mr. Dustin. He’s boring.”

“I don’t want you to go to Mr. Dustin, either.”

“Would I really have to—for just one mistake?”

“Really,” said Nikki. “Not my rule. His. Even I have to follow it.”

Amanda grunted. “That’s dumb.”

“I’d really rather not have any reason to draw his attention to us,” said Nikki. “Can we pretend like we like each other enough to stay off his radar?”

Amanda ran her fingers through her blue hair. “I’ll try not to be too noticeable.”

“At least Halloween didn’t fall mid-week this year,” said Gayle. “I hate that. Then they all come the next day either puking sick and tired, or bouncing off the walls. They’ll have had two days to recover. This should be tolerable.”

Katie popped a bite-size Snickers in her mouth and shook her head. “It’s the sugar crashes late morning that’s the real problem. Third period is going to look like a morgue.

Nikki gave a fist pump. “That’s my prep period! I can take a nap!”

“Lucky,” said Gayle, unwrapping a mini Hersheys bar. “Hey, I’ll see you at lunch and we can go over how to fill out the mid-term report cards, okay?”

“Okay,” said Nikki less enthusiastically. She leaned on the counter and addressed Katie. “Don’t you wish there were no grades? Then we could just focus on teaching instead of all this dumb paperwork?”

“Aren’t new teachers cute?” said Katie with a wink to Gayle.

“This one sure is.” The women turned to see Will sorting through the stack of papers in his inbox. His wry grin was the only clue that he’d just spoken.

“Hi Will,” said Gayle.

Nikki turned back to face Katie, crossing her eyes. Katie, on the other hand, could barely hide her amusement. “Will, do you have a hard time with grading?” she called out with exaggerated nonchalance.

“Huh?” He looked up, distracted, and then sauntered over, positioning himself where he could lean an elbow against the counter and look at Nikki.

Katie snapped her fingers to get his attention. “Down here, Willy Boy.”

“What are you harassing me about now, Katie?”

“I was wondering how you handled grading all your students. You have so many more than most of the other teachers. Do you just sort of…” She fluttered her finger across her lips. “B-b-b-b-b-b..?”

“You inflating grades again, Will?” asked Gayle. “Giving the kids all B’s?”

Will stood taller. “I’m not inflating grades. How hard is it to get a B in P. E. anyway? Show up and try. Boom. That’s good enough for me. Who needs to put a whole lot of emphasis on grades?”

“For once, I’m inclined to agree with you, Mr. Carlin,” said Nikki.

A smile burst onto his face. “Really? Maybe we could negotiate some more agreement,” he said, with a dangerously suggestive lilt.

“I don’t even want to know.” Gayle slapped the counter by way of dismissing herself.

“Probably not,” agreed Katie, tapping the Bluetooth in her left ear. “Riverview High, this is Katie speaking. How may I direct your call?”

Meanwhile, Nikki seethed. As she stepped away to leave, Will leaned closer. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Not. Cool.”

“What?”

“Don’t you dare flirt like that in front of everyone. I won’t have them thinking we have something going on.” She banged open the office door and stormed out into the hall. She was fumbling with her keys at her classroom door when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around and spat, “Leave me alone!”

Ross raised his hands and eyebrows. “Whoah. Sorry.”

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. No. I don’t know.” She shoved open her door and flipped the light switch. Her gaze rested on the corner of her desk and her hand went to her mouth.

Ross closed the door behind them and stood by her. “Well, look at that!”

Nikki moved swiftly to her desk and lifted a clear cellophane bag containing a beautifully decorated caramel apple, drizzled with chocolate and sprinkles in lacy patterns. “Wow,” she muttered. “That is so sweet.” She glanced up at Ross. “Cool, huh?”

“Very festive,” he said, smiling. “I take it you like caramel apples?”

“Love them.”

“So…I won’t get to taste test this one?” he teased.

“Lock the door,” she said. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

He turned the lock and stepped closer. “It’s almost too pretty to eat, isn’t it?”

“It is. You don’t have a knife or something to cut it with, do you?”

Ross patted his chest and retrieved a Leatherman utility tool from one of the pockets. “Will this work?” He unfolded a two-inch blade.

“It’ll get your army knife all sticky.”

He shrugged. “I can wash it off. Are you sure you want to share? You don’t have to. Someone obviously wanted you to have it.”

Nikki’s face darkened. “You don’t think it was Will, do you?”

Ross rocked his jaw back and forth in thought. “Coach Carlin? I somehow doubt it. Why would you guess him?”

“He’s been…” Nikki sighed, shaking her head sadly. “Attentive. Too attentive.”

“Given that you’re married.”

“Right.” She realized that this was her opportunity to set the record straight. Slicing the apple carefully, she chewed her lip and tried to think of how to broach the subject. Handing him a slice, she looked up into his eyes.

“Trouble in newlywed paradise?” he asked. His face was suddenly very hard to read, his broad smile replaced by a thoughtful look.

I can’t lie to this man.
Nikki felt weak-kneed. “I guess it all started too fast. I didn’t really know what I was getting into.”
That’s true.

A brisk knock sounded on the door, and Sammi’s cheerful smile appeared in the door’s window.

“Ah, must be time to get back to work,” said Ross with a heavy sigh. He waved the slice of apple. “Thanks for sharing.”

“Thanks for listening,” she answered, and then realized he meant the caramel apple.

Ross opened the door and let Sammi and Robert barge in before waving good-bye to Nikki.

“Oooh! That looks good!” said Sammi, eying the remains of Nikki’s caramel apple. “Did Officer Ross bring you that?”

Nikki stared at the apple. “I have no idea.”



Janna’s voice faded to a squeak, and Nikki could hear her blowing her nose. With her friend in crisis, Nikki had to steer the rebellious shopping cart one-handed. She had decided to stop by the Eastmont Safeway on the way home, but couldn’t find her way around the store after years of shopping only at Main Street Market.

“Hang on, Jan. I’m trying to read the—dang, this stupid cart!”

Janna continued, as if unaware of Nikki’s albeit minor dilemma. “I just really thought he was different.”

“Well, honey, it’s not like you knew Tony very long.” She tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder so she could stuff onions into a bag.

“Troy!” Janna sounded angry for one second and then resumed unrequited misery. “How could he leave me hanging like that? I felt like an idiot.”

“Wasn’t there a Tony recently?” Nikki eyed the broccoli skeptically, fingering the tan bristles.

“Nikki, be serious.”

I am serious!
She reached for the carrots just as the automatic mister sprayed all over her designer non-water resistant watch. “Gaaahh!”

“What!”

“Nevermind.” She sighed and tried to conjure a sympathetic tone, but today, she just felt tired and overwhelmed. “Janna, I don’t know why you assumed this was anything more serious than the last guy.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I’m trying to, Janna.” Nikki went back to the one-handed driving. The cart would not cooperate, so she backed up to redirect it. “But you’re not going to find some deep, meaningful relationship if you keep picking up half-drunk guys at the dance club.”

“He picked
me
up.” Janna blew her nose again, and Nikki used the time to switch ears.

“Okay, he picked you up. What were you wearing?”

“What does
that
have to do with it?”

Nikki silently chastised herself. I must be tired if I’m saying stuff like that.
I hate it when meetings eat up all my prep time, and why did I assign essays in all my classes to be due today?
Pulling the cart backwards and scanning the fruit, she realized Janna had stopped talking. She checked the phone.
Did my ear hang up on her? No.
“Janna, you there?”

A sob rattled the phone, and Nikki grimaced.

“Oh honey, I’m sorry. That wasn’t very nice of me. You’re beautiful. If I had legs like that, I’d show them off, too.”

“I’m not like you, Nikki. I can’t stand being alone night after night.” Janna’s tone was not malicious, but Nikki felt the sting.
I don’t like it. I just don’t know how to change the situation.
She closed her eyes and focused on Janna. “So, how bad is your ankle?”

“Given that I had to hobble all the way to bus stop, not great.”

“You’re right that he’s a jerk to have left you there like that after you fell down the stairs. You’re too good for Tony.”

“Troy.”

“Both of them. How about you come over to my place tonight and we’ll pass out candy to the beasties at the door?” Nikki listened for a response, trying to decipher what Janna was doing over the cheesy, Musak version of “Thriller” piping through the store.

“You’re right, you know,” said Janna.

“Of course I am.”

“There was a Tony. Three weeks back. Why do I have such bad luck with—?”

“Shaboobaloo!” The phone slipped off her shoulder and crashed to the floor. Nikki stooped to pick it up, silently cursing at all the little pieces. As she stood, she lost balance in her spiky heels—so not designed for grocery stores—and knocked her hip against the endcap display of Granny Smiths and caramel dip. The unhappy thudding of produce followed. Down on her hands and knees, aware that her nylons would surely have a run by the time she stood up, she scrambled to pick up the mess she’d caused, all the while muttering, “I didn’t hang up on you. Please know I didn’t hang up on you! I’m sorry, Janna!”

“You name your apples?”

Nikki looked up to see Ross crouched beside her. He handed her one of the green apples. “Did you still want this?”

Tears fell even as she gave a breathy laugh. “Um, no.”

He made swift work of cleaning up the falling goods, keeping his eyes on her. She realized she must look terrible. A knot formed in her stomach.
I don’t want him to see me like this.

As if to confirm her fears, he said, “You don’t look yourself. You okay?”

Nikki stared at the shattered phone. “My friend is having boyfriend troubles, and I was just trying to shop quickly so I could get home to a mountain of grading, and I’m just so dang tired, and—”

“And the school won’t burn down if you don’t get them graded tonight.” His tender smile warmed her, and she stood straighter. “Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.” He demonstrated, making her giggle and then snort.

“
That
was attractive,” she said, covering her nose with the back of her hand.

“Yep.” His eyes sparkled, never leaving her face.

Nikki’s cheeks flushed.
He looks happy to see me. That’s so cool. Too bad I’m such a klutz.

“Do you need to call her back?”

Nikki surveyed the cracked mess and picked it up. “I’m thinking this isn’t going to work.”

Ross retrieved a phone from his jacket pocket, giving Nikki a chance to watch him move.
He even looks good under fluorescent lights. How’d I miss that jawline before?

“I’ve still got about 50% charge left. Here, you can borrow it.”

She looked at the phone in his hand. “Seriously?”

He nodded, taking her empty hand in his and placing the phone in it. His touch sent a thrilling jolt through her arm, and she was glad that he didn’t let go until she wrapped her fingers around the phone.
Warm. It’s been close to his heart.
She turned and dropped her crunched phone into her purse, hiding her blush.
Good grief, I’m acting like a dweeb
. She slid her thumb over the screensaver, a beautiful, rugged ocean view much like the poster in her room. It made her smile.

“Here, you need to press this,” he reached to release the dial pad, and his arm brush against hers, his body close.

Can he hear my heart? No, not over the Musak.
She flashed Ross a smile and punched in Janna’s number.

It rang twice. “Hello?”

“It’s me, Nik. I dropped my phone, honey. I’m so sorry. Where were you?”

Janna launched into a rehearsal of her injuries, emotional and physical, from the night before, but Nikki didn’t remind her that she’d heard this before. Her mind was elsewhere.
His phone feels nice on my cheek.
She glanced at him sideways, noting the shadow line where the stubble had begun to show. Her eyes followed up his cheekbone to the laugh lines, the thick curls, the…
I’m staring!
Her eyes widened.

Ross signaled for her to continue shopping, and he placed his own handheld cart in the child-carrier spot on top of her purse.

He’d also bought the carrots and passed on the broccoli, she noticed.

Nikki listened to Janna work through her love life, murmuring sympathetic syllables and validating her friend for any rational thoughts. As she moved through the produce section and then headed over to the cereal aisle, Ross followed along, pushing the cart. She paused in front of the sugary cereals, suddenly embarrassed at her mental shopping list.