Teacher: The Final Act (A Hollywood Rock n' Romance Trilogy #3) (10 page)

Dinner was tense, to say the least.  Nora cooked, served, then fled to her house, choosing to follow the “if you don’t’ have anything nice to say” rule.  I kept my mouth shut, Danny clenched his jaw, Jane’s blue eyes were huge, and Brooke chattered nervously.  I cleaned up so the three of them could talk.  I gathered from their stilted discussion they were choosing to leave out the rehab part of the discussion with Jane.  She excused herself early to go to bed and asked me to tuck her in.  Brooke was wise enough to bite her tongue and just gave a pained smile when Jane kissed her good night.

“Jesse, it’s so weird with her here,” Jane said, sounding wrecked.  

I braided her hair and scratched her back and told her to just focus on what she had control over right now. School.  ”Try to forget about it tomorrow, okay?  When you come home, you’ll have time enough to deal with it.”  I was really at a loss here.  I couldn’t imagine not being able to talk to my mother when I was Jane’s age.  

“Hey Jesse?  Can I ask you something?”  

I kissed her forehead and pushed her a little so she’d move over and make room for me.  ”You can ask me anything if I can lay down next to you.  That photo shoot was pretty exhausting today!”  

Jane sat up and grabbed for my hand. “Oh, that’s right!  Daddy proposed to you!  Did you say yes?”  

I laughed and tickled her, causing her to lie back down, facing me.  ”I did say yes, you little sneak!  You knew all about it, didn’t you?”

She beamed.  ”I told him it would be romantic if he could get pictures of your face saying yes.  I’m so happy!”  Then her smile fell.  ”I just wish…Never mind.  Jesse?  If you had a friend that was doing things you didn’t think were right, would you still be friends with her?”

Uh oh. “It would depend.  I’m sure I would tell them I didn’t like what they were doing, but I don’t know what I would do after that.  Is the person trying to involve you in this something?”  

She shook her head.  ”No. I have told her I don’t like it.  She says I’m just being a baby and I should get over it.”

I didn’t know how much to push, but I wanted her to keep talking.  ”Do you want to tell me what’s happening?”  

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.  ”It has to do with boys.  Some of the girls at school joined this Kik conversation and were playing like truth or dare, but the dares were really icky stuff.  Stuff I don’t even know what they meant, but I know are sexual.  Then there were pictures involved…” She shuddered and made a retching sound.  

“Sounds like these girls are getting in a little over their heads.  I think you are wise to stay out of it. I know how persuasive friends can be, though.”  I also knew a little about Kik since my students were using it.  It had a photo capability similar to SnapChat, and kids were taking nude pictures of themselves and sending them to each other.  They didn’t quite realize that once a picture gets sent, you have no more control of it.  A student I knew even had hers posted on Facebook and shared around until even the teachers at her comprehensive high school had seen it.  It ruined her hopes for a modeling career, among other things.  I was really worried about Jane being involved with any of this stuff, so I shared the story with her.

“See,” she said, “that’s exactly why I didn’t want to get involved.  But one of my friends started calling me names and trashing me to everyone else on the convo.  Ugh!  I hate it!”

I pulled her into a hug and kissed her hair.  ”I know, honey.  Technology sometimes makes it so much harder to get through your teen years.  If it makes any difference, I’m proud of you for not getting involved in something like this.  If it helps, use your dad as an excuse.  Tell them your dad checks your phone every night and will make you take Kik off your phone if you’re misusing it.  And that he reads all of your conversations. That ought to make them back off.”  

She giggled.  ”It would.  I hate to make Dad look like a bad guy, but that would make my life easier.  Okay.  Thanks, Jesse.  I love you!  I can’t wait until you’re my step-mom for real.”  

Damn this girl!  The tears started and I sniffled a couple of times before letting her go, kissing her once more, and saying goodnight.  

I could hear Brooke’s shrill voice from the kitchen and I just didn’t know if I should intrude so I went to the bedroom to wait for Danny.  I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up next, Danny was sitting on his stool in the corner playing guitar.

“Hey,” I said quietly.  He put the guitar down and came over to my side of the bed.  ”Your hives look better, are you still itchy?”  

He shrugged and put his head in his hands.  ”Jesse, I don’t know what to say.  We should be celebrating tonight, and instead, I’ve got this fucking…”

I sat up and crawled behind him, massaging his rock hard shoulders.  I needed to call Connie tomorrow. ”Danny.  We’ve been through this before.  It’s just a bump.  We’ll deal with this, and when we get past it, we’ll celebrate.”  I kissed the side of his neck and felt him relax substantially.  

“Thank you so fucking much for saying that.  I’m so afraid of losing you, honey.  I don’t want to do anything to fuck this up.”  

I wrapped myself around his back and rested my head on his shoulder.  ”Just keep talking to me, okay?  And be cognizant of Jane.  She’s really wigged out by Brooke being here.  While I know she’s got to learn how to deal with her eventually, having her staying here is a strain on her.  She was okay when I tucked her in, but she’s—”

“God, I know.  Poor baby.  She’s been through so damn much.  Fuck.  All right. I called Patricia and she’s going to come over in the morning so we can get Brooke taken care of.”  

Thank God for Patricia. If anyone could fix this, she could.

“Okay.  Tomorrow’s Wednesday, so I’ve got work, then I’ll pick up Jane and take her to the ranch and meet you back here for dinner.  You leave Friday, right?”  

He exhaled a stream of curses so graphic I barked out a laugh.  That got me a small smile.

“Yeah.  Fucking New York.  I think we’re back Monday or Tuesday, then home for a couple days and then we’re heading to London for interviews and a couple of shows, then back…” He tensed up again and I kissed his neck again.

“Babe, we’ll get through it, okay?  I love you.”  

He turned and pulled me to him to kiss me sweetly.  ”I fucking love you, you fucking gorgeous woman.  It’s killing me to not be inside you right now, but I just… Dammit. I don’t know what’s more of a boner-killer…These damn hives or having my fucking ex-wife down the hall! This whole situation sucks big hairy donkey balls.”  He pouted so adorably. I couldn’t be upset.

“Well, I hate to be more of a boner-killer, but I have an OB-GYN appointment on Friday and I wanted to talk to her about permanent birth control.”  

Danny’s face fell.  He cradled my jaw in his hands.  ”Oh, honey.  But you’re feeling so much better! Can you wait?  Like, see how you’re doing?  You’re so young and…”

I smiled at him.  ”I’ll just ask her about it, okay?  I won’t make any decisions yet.”  

He knew me so well now. He knew to not push me, but I could also tell that he wasn’t ready to be done with this conversation.  I couldn’t imagine adding a baby to this mix!  

We talked for a bit more and fell asleep in each other’s arms.  He felt so good there, I was beginning to dread the part of his life that was going to have him travelling and being away from me.

I was in such a hurry the next morning to leave for work that I forgot to take my medication.  I knew I’d have enough time if I jammed home on my lunch hour, so I let Gloria know that I was going to be gone.  When I pulled up, I was surprised to not see Patricia’s car.  I figured she must have already left.  I went in and checked the kitchen first and found no one, so I figured they must be outside.  I hurried down the hall, checking my watch to be sure I had enough time.  And I heard giggling.   Female giggling.  Then I heard Danny’s voice.
What the
—

“Come on, Danny! You can’t tell me you don’t miss it.”  

My stomach turned to acid.  I couldn’t make my feet move.  

“I do, Brooke.  But things are different-”  

I came around the corner to see Danny in a towel in the doorway of the bathroom.  He must have caught the motion out of the corner of his eye.  

“Jesse!  What are you doing here, honey?”  He acted completely innocent, just confused. I tried not to hyperventilate.  

I stepped further into the room and saw Brooke sitting on the settee next to the closet, thank God, and fully clothed.  She, however, had a knowing smirk, as if she knew exactly what I was going to think of this scenario.

I pushed past Danny and into the bathroom.  ”I forgot my medication,” I muttered and grabbed for my pill tray.  Danny stepped up behind me and tried to pull me into a hug, which I resisted.  ”I’m going to be late getting back.  I’ll see you later.”  I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.  

Danny was faster. “Hey,” he called out from the doorway.  I turned and glanced back down the hall.  ”I love you,” he said, sounding a little unsure.  I shook my head and raised an eyebrow.  ”What?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes.  ”I’ll see you tonight.”  I slammed the door behind me and ran to my car, running out of time.  I dialed Nora and put it on speaker.  

“Jesse, what’s up?” she answered, sounding concerned.  

I groaned.  ”It’s probably nothing, but I just ran in to grab my meds and found Danny in a fucking towel and Brooke sitting in the room with him.  Does he not get it!?”  

Nora cursed. “No, he most certainly does not.  Don’t worry.  I’ll head in there and create a diversion.  I’ll let him know in no uncertain terms that he’s being a jackass.”  

I thanked her and downshifted as I hung up and flew back down Sunset.  I prayed for no traffic.  My phone started buzzing as I pulled into the lot at school.

you ok?

There were so many reasons I wasn’t okay. Texting was only going to make things worse.  I went into my classroom.  I dropped my phone into my file cabinet so I wouldn’t be distracted, and had only seconds before my first afternoon student arrived.

Two hours later school was over and I grabbed my things.  On my way out I felt buzzing in my purse, so I pulled out my phone.  Danny had texted me ten times.  The messages ranged from ‘are you mad’ to ‘I’m sorry’ to ‘please fucking answer me, I’m freaking out,’ to finally ‘Jesse, you’re scaring me, fucking answer me!’

I drove over to Jane’s school and arrived in time for her to get out of her after school music club.  She’d decided to join this year and was playing her guitar with some other kids.  I texted her that I’d arrived. She came out moments later, smiling, with two other kids. She waved to them as she neared the car. She seemed so grown up. She’d changed so much since I’d met her just a few months ago.  She put her bag and guitar case in the trunk of my car and hopped in.

“Hey, Jane!  Have a good day today?”  

She nodded and immediately started texting.  ”I did have a good day, and I took your advice. Sasha and I are both babies now and it’s awesome.  We started our own nerd version of truth or dare on Kik and our dares are totally nerdy.”  

I laughed.  Leave it to this girl to make me feel better and be nerdy at the same time.  

Jane had a lot of homework and asked if we could skip the ranch tonight. I agreed, although I was not looking forward to the reception I’d get at home.  We pulled up in the driveway and Jane took off running into the house.  I took my time gathering my things from the trunk, again, not in any hurry.  Apparently I was taking too much time. Danny came looking for me.  

“Hey,” he said, looking irritated.  

“Hey,” I said, closing the trunk.  

He stood there with his hands on his hips.  ”Why didn’t you answer me?”

I sighed.  ”And say what, Danny?  That it was pretty awful walking in on you in your towel with Brooke in your bedroom? That’s not something I wanted to text.”  

He looked confused.  Then pissed.  ”You didn’t actually think something was going on, did you?  After everything we’ve talked about? After—”

“Danny, it was just weird seeing her in your room.”  

He crossed his arms over his chest.  ”Our room, you mean.”  

I nodded, dropping my bag down.  ”In our space.  With you in a towel.  I didn’t know what to think.  I mean, I didn’t think you… I know how you feel about…I just… It was icky, okay?”

Danny looked down at his feet.  ”Yeah, you’re right.  I’m sorry.  We had just been talking. I went for a swim and then I needed a shower. She was just sort of following me.  I didn’t even think—”

“I know. You wouldn’t.  But she did.  She gave me a look, Danny.  She wanted me to think something was going on.  I’m sorry, I know she’s in a bad way, but—”

“No. You’re right.  I should have… I just don’t think of her that way so I wasn’t thinking about it.  I’m sorry.  I won’t have her in our space again.”  He stepped forward hesitantly, touching my waist.  

I shook my head when the gimme smile made an appearance. “You’re unbelievable,” I said against his lips as he claimed mine.  

He pressed his body against me. That tether between us pulled like crazy. I wanted him so bad!  I didn’t care that the whole neighborhood could be watching.

“Danny,” I whispered.  ”As much as I’d like to continue—”  

His tongue plunged into my mouth and his hands tangled in my hair.  ”Don’t talk.  Don’t say anything about anything.  Just fucking kiss me.  Let me just pretend for thirty more seconds.  Just thirty more seconds.”  At the end of that thirty more seconds I was ready to divest him of his clothing and—

“Danny!  Patricia’s on the phone,” Nora called from the front door.  He groaned and pulled my hips to him one last time.

“Fuck, I want to taste you so bad right now.  This fucking sucks!  Coming Nora!”  

I giggled, “Or not.”  

He bent down and picked up my bags before jogging into the house.  I trudged behind reluctantly.

“Jesse, can I talk to you for a minute,” Nora said.  

I followed her out onto the back patio where Jane was playing with Legs.  She turned her back to them and spoke in a low voice.

“I can’t take it, Jesse.  I’m going to stay at Connie’s until she’s gone.  I’ll tell Danny when he’s off the phone with Patricia, but I wanted you to know.  I cooked all day, so there’s plenty of food for you guys in the fridge and freezer.  I’m sorry to leave you like this, but I’m going to sock her in her pretty little mouth if I have to spend one more minute with her.”  

I snorted out a laugh and shook my head. “I don’t blame you.  We’ll be fine.”  

She hugged me and went inside to talk to Danny.  I sat down next to Jane and gave Legs some ear scratching.  

“So Nora’s going,” Jane said, looking sad.  

I nodded.  ”Just for a few days.” I brushed her hair back.  

Jane gazed up at me with the saddest expression on her lovely face. “You think my dad would let me go stay with Sasha?  At least for the weekend?”  

I sighed, thinking that was probably a good idea.  Without Danny here this weekend, Jane would only have me as a buffer between her and Brooke, who came out just then.  

“Hey, Jane!  How’s school?”  

Jane immediately turned sullen teenager.  Brooke sat on the lounge chair facing Jane and tried to engage her in conversation, but Jane was down to one-word answers.  This was a nightmare.  I didn’t want to leave Jane alone with her, but I needed to pee like mad.

“I’ll be right back,” I said.  

Jane’s eyes shot to mine and I did a little pee pee dance to show her why I was leaving.  She laughed a little and went back to petting Legs.  

Brooke wasn’t going to let things lie.  ”Oh, Danny’s dressed now.  You’ll find him in his office this time.”  

I raised an eyebrow at her, glanced at a surprised Jane, and hurried into the house before my bladder burst, feeling the need to take deep cleansing breaths.  

I heard shouting from down the hall.  I hurried to the library door and found Danny and Nora facing off.  ”I don’t give a fuck if she’s the Queen of England!  I’m not waiting on her!  I don’t work for her, and if you keep making a stink, Danny Black, I won’t be working for you!”  

I rushed to intervene. “Whoa, whoa, what is going on?”  I could not let Danny screw things up with Nora.  No way.  ”Danny, I think it’s a good idea—”

“What the fuck do you want me to do, Nora?  I’m doing the best I can!”  

Nora crossed her arms.  ”Enabling that wench to keep messing with your daughter and fucking up your relationship is what you’re doing.  It’s up to you, but I’m not staying.  Either you give me leave, or I’m quitting!”  

Danny looked like he’d been slapped in the face. “I can’t believe… Fine.  You do what you have to do.”  He turned on me, furious.  ”You leaving, too?”  

I blanched.  ”No,” I said calmly.  ”I’ll stay with Jane.  I can handle it.  But Jane asked if she could stay at Sasha’s this weekend.  I think it might be a good idea if Brooke is still going to be here.”  

He exhaled like a defeated man.  ”You’re probably right.  I’m sorry, Nora.  Please, go stay with Connie.  I’m sorry…”  

She stepped forward and hugged him briefly, uncomfortable with the whole crying thing she was trying not to do.  ”I’m sorry, too.  I’ll be back when she’s gone.”  She turned and started for the door.  ”But Danny, I meant what I said.  Don’t let her ruin your life again.”  He gazed at her for a long time and then nodded.  She was gone. I was left with a very emotional Danny.

“What happened with Patricia?” I asked him, praying she’d come up with a solution.  

He shook his head.  ”We found a program for Brooke, but she can’t start until Monday.  I’m gone until then, so Patricia said she’d take her Monday morning.  I’m afraid that leaves you here with her for the weekend.”

Great.  ”Okay.  We’ll make it work.”  

He pulled me into his arms and kissed me.  ”Thank you,” he whispered.  ”I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I promise I’ll make this up to you.  Once this is all said and done, let’s start talking wedding plans.”  His eyes twinkled at the thought, but the worry lines on his face told me he had way too much on his plate to be thinking about any of that.

An hour later, Danny put dinner together for us and we had another tense meal.  Nora was gone, Jane was brooding, and Brooke appeared oblivious to the commotion she was causing.  

The guys came over after dinner and they all greeted Brooke coolly, especially Bronson.  The guys set up their instruments in the great room off the kitchen and practiced for their performance on the Tonight Show, opting to play their soon-to-be-released single “Teach Me.”  It was a not-so-veiled reference to my relationship with Danny and I loved hearing it, usually.  Not with Brooke in the room.  

When they finished, Jane and I clapped.  Brooke laughed, “I like it!  Just wait until he writes the ‘I hate you’ songs, Jesse.”

The room went quiet and Jane stood up quickly.  ”I’m going to bed,” she announced.  She stopped and kissed my cheek and then walked out the door.  Danny frowned at Brooke and took off after Jane.  I moved to finish the dinner dishes and the guys started packing up.  Except Bronson.

“Brooke, you need to learn to quit fucking with people’s lives.  You know?  You are so fucking lucky Danny took you in.  I would have put your ass on the street where you belong.”  

I heard Alex curse under his breath and I fought the urge to turn around.

Brooke laughed.  ”Bronson you never did have any manners.  I’m bored.  You guys still sound like shit.”  She stood and walked out the door, smacking into Danny’s shoulder on her way by.  

“What the fuck was that about?” he asked.  

I heard Brooke call out, “Your little friends seem to think I’m causing problems.”  Danny looked back to her, into the room, and then to me.  I gave him a sad smile and shook my head.  

“You need to get her out of this house, Danny.”  Bronson slung his guitar case over his shoulder and walked past Danny. “She’s a fucking disease.”  

Julian gave Danny a bro hug, followed by Alex, who said, “Call me if you need anything.”  

Danny looked confused, upset, frustrated, angry…I wished I could make him feel better.  He stared at me from the doorway, helpless.

“Want to join me out back?” I asked quietly.  

He followed me through the slider.  We sat on the sofa in front of the fire, which he turned on.  It wasn’t freezing, but it
was
November, and the air was quite chilly.  It was close to eleven and the city lights twinkled brightly in the valley below us.  Danny looked pensive.  I sat with my back to the arm of the couch and pulled him back to rest his head on my chest.  I cradled him with my arms and legs, knowing he needed to be grounded tonight.  

Danny started to talk a couple of times and then stopped.  I grazed my nails through his super short hair and across his chest under his shirt.  He gave up on trying to speak. Instead, he rolled over and pulled me under him.  In seconds he had my panties off from under my skirt and his pants undone.  He gazed into my eyes pleadingly.  ”I need you, Jesse.”  

I smiled, knowing exactly how he felt.  For a little while I did what I could to ease him, to love him.  I wanted him to feel as safe as he made me feel.  Well, before Brooke showed up.  I tried to keep those negative thoughts out of my head and surrendered my consciousness to the passion Danny brought out of me.  He made love to me slow and tender, his entire body quivering.  He whispered to me the whole time how much he loved me and needed me, and begged me not to ever leave him.