Bad Girlfriend Read online

  Logically it made sense. Financially it made sense. But emotionally? It made no sense. I was being abandoned by yet another person that claimed to care about me. First my mother and father, whoever he was, then the hordes of guys I had dated. Now Gram. In reality, she should never be lumped into that category, but in that moment all I could feel was fear.

  Pushing my chair away from the table, I hurried out the back door to where I always felt free like I did as a child. Sitting on the swing, I buried my face in my hands and let a few tears slip out.

  A moment later, I heard the grass crunching as footsteps approached me. Adam came up behind me and put his hands on the rope on either side of my head.

  "Do you want a push?"

  Sniffling, I nodded and put my hands just under his on the rope. He pulled the swing back and let it go, sending me flying forward. Each time I swung back, Adam gave a gentle but firm push on my lower back. I don't know how long I was swinging, but he stayed with me the whole time, pushing me higher.

  Finally, when the sun had set and the stars were out, I dragged my feet along the ground to slow myself down. When I was almost stopped, Adam grabbed the ropes and brought the swing to a standstill. Taking my hand he helped me stand up. With my heels on he was still quite a bit taller than me, and I had to tilt my head back to look at him.

  "You okay?" he asked quietly, brushing his fingers through the hair at my temple and tucking it behind my ear.

  "I will be. I know she deserves this. She's taken care of me for twenty-three years and her own kids before that. It’s time for her to think about herself for once. And it's time for me to take care of myself." I bit my lip and looked up. "It's just really scary for me to think about being alone."

  Adam placed his hands on my bare shoulders, and the warm touch made me wish his hands were other places. "You're not alone, Brooke. You have your friends, and you have me. I'm not very handy around the house, but I can wield a lawnmower like nobody else."

  I smiled. "Thanks." I wanted to take one step forward and be in his arms, but I held back. "You're probably really sorry you moved in here."

  Adam's thumbs rubbed over the tops of my shoulders, sending little wisps of heat down my arms. "Not at all," he murmured.

  I had to close my eyes and step back before I did something stupid. Something even stupider than having a drunken one night stand with my tenant - repeating said one night stand.

  "I should go talk to Gram," I said.

  "Okay. I'll see you around," Adam said as he walked backwards toward the garage. When he reached his door, he gave a wave and ducked inside his apartment.

  Gram was right where I had left her at the kitchen table. For the first time ever she looked every bit of her seventy-one years. God, was she really seventy-one? Forcing a smile onto my face for her sake, I sat down beside her.

  "Gram, I think it's a really great idea. I'm sorry I had a spoiled brat moment before, but you really do deserve this."

  Gram smiled and hugged me. "Thank you, Brooke. You know you'll never really be alone."

  "I know," I murmured. I didn't really believe that, but I was going to learn to love being on my own if it killed me.

  Later that night I went down to the kitchen to get a glass of water before I went to bed. Looking out the kitchen window, I saw that Adam's lights were still on. I wanted so badly to cross the driveway, climb the stairs and knock on his door. Instead I went up to my bedroom and listened to the sounds of Gram taking her nightly shower. Sounds I wouldn't be hearing for much longer.

  Chapter Eight

  Adam

  I looked up from my computer at the knock on my already open door. I had told Louise several times over the last two weeks that she didn't have to knock, especially when my door was open, but she insisted on maintaining an overly professional relationship.

  "Yes, Louise?"

  She always managed to look down her long pointed nose at me. "Your five o'clock appointment is here. And you've had another cookie delivery," she said with barely concealed disdain.

  "Thank you, Louise," I said pleasantly. "Can you put the cookies in the staff lounge with the others?"

  Apparently the way to welcome a new principal to the school was to try to put him into a sugar coma. No less than nine different moms had dropped off cookies for me this week, and it was only Tuesday.

  Louise huffed out an annoyed breath and stalked off in the direction of the lounge. I finished the e-mail I had been composing and hit Send. Then I went into the lobby to introduce myself to Caitlyn Morris' mother. She had requested a conference with me, though I had no idea why. From my preliminary research, Caitlyn was doing well in school and hadn't had any behavior issues.

  "Mrs. Morris? I'm Adam Branigan," I said, holding out my hand to the scantily clad woman in front of me.

  She placed her hand in mine and smiled brightly at me. "It's Ms. Morris. I'm divorced - have been for two years now. And please, call me Missy."

  "Oh, okay. Missy, come on back to my office and we'll talk about Caitlyn." I gestured for her to walk ahead of me.

  There was a small table and chairs in the corner of my office, and I preferred to use that for conferences. It made it more informal than when I sat behind my desk. I didn't want the parents to feel like they had been called to the principal's office.

  Missy Morris sat and crossed her legs, causing her already short skirt to shift indecently high. Keeping my eyes on her face, I cleared my throat.

  "So, Missy, tell me what your concerns are with Caitlyn's education."

  Missy leaned forward, which caused her boobs to nearly pop out over her low cut top. "You see, Adam, Caitlyn's father isn't around much. Since we've been divorced, I've had full custody. He flakes out on his scheduled visitation most of the time. I'm worried that Caitlyn doesn't have a strong male figure in her life."

  She reached out and placed her hand on my knee. The meeting suddenly moved from unnecessary to uncomfortable. I shifted in my seat, which served to dislodge her hand from my leg. Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my ankle over my opposite knee, hoping to prevent any more knee touching.

  "Recent studies have shown that having one involved parent is just as beneficial as having two. I spoke with Caitlyn's teachers and reviewed her records. She doesn't seem to be having any outward difficulties, Miss Morris."

  As the reason for her meeting was becoming clear, I attempted to keep it professional.

  "I just think having regular contact with a responsible, educated man would be good for Caitlyn," Miss Morris said with a slight pout of her painted lips.

  I was getting the feeling that it was the mother, not the daughter, who would benefit from regular contact with a responsible, educated man. That was not a line I was willing to cross. Ever. Besides, Miss Morris' half dressed state did nothing for me. Knowing the age of her daughter, I guessed she couldn’t be much older than me. But she looked like she’d been around the block a few times.

  "If you think it would help, I can recommend some programs that will pair Caitlyn with a mentor. You also might consider having her see a child psychologist to determine if this really is an issue we need to worry about. The school would be more than happy to work with a psychologist’s recommendations."

  Miss Morris looked less than pleased that I was pushing her in another direction. She leaned even closer, and I worried she was about to fall out of her seat.

  "Adam," she said, trailing her sharp red fingernail over my knee. "Can I make you dinner to thank you for taking time to talk to me?" Her smile suggested she would be serving me much more than food.

  I stood up and waited for her to do the same. "It's my job to be here for my students and their parents, Miss Morris. You don't need to thank me," I said, keeping my expression neutral.

  "You know my number if you change your mind." Now it was my chest she trailed her nails over as she passed.

  I was still standing in the middle of my office, slightly shocked, when Louise came in. She smirked at me, which
was as close to a smile as I ever got from her.

  "You've been here for less than two weeks. I'm surprised it took this long for the vultures to start circling."

  "What?"

  Louise rolled her eyes as she set a thick file on my desk. She spoke slowly like I was hard of hearing or English wasn’t my first language. "You're new in town, Mr. Branigan. You're well educated, gainfully employed, single and you like children. The single mothers in this town will claw each others' eyes out to land you."

  Land me? The parents at my old school were absent and neglectful. I wasn't sure which was worse.

  "You didn't think all those cookies were just because you're new here, did you?"

  Yeah, actually I did. I guess Louise can add gullible to the top of my list of attributes.

  "Do you want me to order dinner for you before the PTO meeting at 6:30?" Louise asked, while I was still trying to wrap my head around being wooed with cookies.

  The first PTO meeting of the school year was this evening, and I had planned on staying at school to attend. As the new principal, I wanted to introduce myself and see what the committee had planned for the year. Now I was a little bit afraid to voluntarily put myself in a room with thirty moms.

  "Uh, yeah. That would be great. Thanks, Louise."

  She ordered me a sandwich from the deli down the street, and I ate it at my desk. As I polished off the delicious Italian club and a bag of chips, an e-mail popped up reminding everyone in the school district that the high school's first home football game was on Friday. I should probably go, as an employee of the district. And I always enjoyed a good football game.

  I wondered if Brooke would be there. She seemed close to Poppy, more than the other two girls, and Poppy was Ford's girlfriend. It was no surprise I found myself thinking about Brooke. She had dominated my thoughts since last Friday night. Each night when I came home from work, it was harder and harder to go straight to my apartment. I hadn't seen her since Saturday night after her grandma had dropped the bomb of moving to Florida on Brooke.

  I wanted to make sure she was okay. I wanted to see her again. I wanted to kiss her soft lips and feel her lush body against mine. It was the single biggest regret of my life that I couldn't remember what it felt like to be with her.

  Outside my window I could see women arriving for the meeting. I quickly slurped down the rest of my soda and went to the cafeteria where the meeting was being held. Several of the teachers had stayed, and I chatted with the second and fourth grade teachers while we waited for everyone to arrive.

  "Are you enjoying all of your cookies, Mr. Branigan?" asked Mrs. Harris. The way she said cookies made me think she meant more than the baked goods filling the staff lounge. Mrs. Harris was a married woman in her fifties, so I felt safe from attack with her.

  I grimaced, "Ah, yes. Louise just informed me this afternoon that the abundance of cookies has absolutely nothing to do with my professional reputation."

  Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Rabin, the second grade teacher, laughed.

  "I'm glad my predicament amuses you ladies," I joked.

  By 6:30 the cafeteria was half full and the meeting was called to order. I took a seat near the front of the room. The PTO President was Becky Larkin, the mother of one of our fifth grade students. Apparently she had held the position since her oldest son began Kindergarten. That was twelve years ago, and her youngest son was now in fifth grade. I had learned all this from Louise earlier in the day. Besides being completely unfriendly, she was a wealth of knowledge about the school and all the people associated with it. If I accomplished nothing else this year, if I won over Louise, I would consider the year a success.

  With a less than friendly expression on her face, Mrs. Larkin stood behind the table at the front of the room. She had an actual gavel, which she rapped loudly against the cafeteria table to get everyone’s attention.

  “Welcome everyone to the first PTO meeting of the 2012-2013 school year. We have a lot to get through tonight, so I would appreciate it if you would pay attention and keep the chit chat to a minimum.”

  There was a quiet murmur that rippled through the crowd and immediately silenced when Mrs. Larkin narrowed her eyes and looked around. Uh, I think someone takes their volunteer position a little too seriously.

  She smoothed down her short hair and directed her eagle eyes in my direction. “Before we get started, I would like to introduce our new principal, Mr. Branigan. He is replacing Principal Edwards, who has retired.”

  Again a murmur rose, louder this time. I caught bits and pieces of gossip concerning the reason Principal Edwards “retired”.

  Mrs. Larkin pounded her gavel so hard I almost jumped out of my seat. “The circumstances surrounding Principal Edwards’ retirement were…unfortunate. I don’t think we need to spend valuable meeting time discussing this. Instead, please help me welcome Principal Branigan.”

  A round of applause accompanied me as I walked up to shake hands with Mrs. Larkin. There was even a whistle from somewhere in the crowd that earned a steely glare from Mrs. Larkin.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Larkin. I am glad to be here in Penn Yan, and I have enjoyed meeting the staff and students. I’m excited that we have such an active PTO, and I am available to help in any way I can. My door is always open.”

  I took my seat again as Mrs. Larkin said, “Thank you, Principal Branigan. Your professional reputation is immaculate, and I expect we will have none of the drama surrounding Principal Edwards now that you are here.”

  This woman must be related to Louise with the way her words were spoken like a warning and from the harsh look she was giving me. I felt like I was the student being sent to the principal’s office. I simply nodded though I had no idea what she was trying to convey to me.

  Don’t strike up an illicit and illegal relationship with an underage girl? Yeah, I think I can handle that one.

  The meeting lasted the full scheduled hour, and it was jam packed with business items. I was glad I was just observing and not on the receiving end of Mrs. Larkin’s impressive delegation skills. It seemed as if every member of the PTO left with a lengthy To Do list. When the meeting was adjourned I stuck around to meet some of the mothers and the lone brave dad who was a PTO member.

  As I was walking back to my office, I caught a few snippets of conversation. It seemed Mrs. Larkin’s dictatorship and my “nerdy hotness” were the hot topics of the evening. I wasn’t sure whether to take the latter as an insult or a compliment. With a shake of my head I decided to go with compliment. I had never exactly been a hot commodity before. This was all new to me.

  When everyone had left, I locked up the school and headed home. I was lounging on my bed, which also served as my couch, reading a book a couple of hours later when I heard the garage door open below my floor. I hadn’t seen Brooke since Saturday night, which was only three days ago, but I hoped for a chance meeting in the driveway every time I left for or came home from work. Working in a hair salon, her hours were probably much different than mine.

  Lifting the blinds next to me, I didn’t see anything except for lights on the first floor of the house. Then a light flicked on at the back of the house on the second floor. Because the curtains were wide open, I could see it was Brooke’s bedroom. The walls were a vibrant aqua color, which suited her perfectly. Brooke walked through the room to stand in front of her dresser. Her back was to me, but I could see she was removing her earrings and necklace. She wore her hair up, piled on top of her head with dark red curls spilling over. My eyes honed in on the curve of her long neck as she tilted her head to the side. Not sure if it was a memory or just wishful thinking, I thought of kissing my way along her neck and sucking on her delicate earlobe.

  Turning around she reached for the hem of her white t-shirt, pulling it up. I caught a glimpse of the smooth taut skin of her stomach and let the blinds fall. That’s not how I wanted to see her. If I was lucky enough to see her naked again, it would be because she wanted me to. Not because she was clueless
enough to undress in front of her open window.

  Her room was at the back of the house, and the backyard was surrounded by tall trees. But anyone could be walking by on the sidewalk. At just the right angle they could get an eyeful. Forget about hoping for an accidental run-in. Tomorrow I was straight out knocking on her door to tell her to close her curtains. As for right now, I was headed for a cold shower.

  Chapter Nine

  Brooke

  When I left for work on Friday morning, I glanced up at the garage apartment knowing it was empty. I knew Adam had already gone to work. I found out what time he leaves for work on Wednesday morning when he knocked on my door bright and early. At least I was already up, though still in my pajamas. He had nervously explained that it might be a good idea to close my curtains at night, because someone might be able to see in. After several minutes of him swearing he had not seen anything, I thanked him and he left. It was a strange and awkward interaction, but when weren’t our interactions strange and awkward?

  No time to get lost in my thoughts today. I had a full day of appointments, starting with Leah and Lindsay. They liked to schedule their appointments together so they could chat. Grady’s dad watched the kids while they enjoyed a morning away. After getting their hair done, they always stopped in at the nail salon down the street for manicures and pedicures too.

  After work I was planning to go to the high school football game with Poppy. It was the first home game of the season, and Ford’s first home game as a coach. Football didn’t really interest me, but I was going to keep Poppy company.

  I got to the salon before Loraine, which was rare. While I waited for Leah and Lindsay to arrive, I gathered my supplies and brewed a pot of coffee. Sitting down in the chair, I twirled around and took in the dated décor. I had given up on making suggestions for bringing this place out of the '80s. Loraine liked what she liked.

  I had never had any big extravagant dreams. Growing up here, I was content to stay. School was never something I loved or excelled at, so choosing to go to cosmetology school over college was an easy decision. Besides dreaming of having a husband and a family, the only other thing I dreamed of having someday was my own salon. I wasn’t very financially savvy, so I had no idea if that was even a remote possibility or what I would do to get started. Like the husband and family dream, it was something that I wished for but wasn’t at all confident would ever really happen.