Page 43 of My Forbidden Billionaire
“Oh absolutely! I could take a bath in this stuff.” Stephanie jokes.
“Believe it or not, I’m pretty sure this school has the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had in my life.” I laugh.
“Oh I believe it.” Stephanie chuckles. “This stuff is made with real chocolate, imported from Switzerland. It’s one of the many perks of working for a school that charges parents tens of thousands of dollars, per semester, for their children.”
As we make our way back to my office, cups in hand, my mind wanders back to the events from this weekend. “Hey, Steph. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Shoot!”
“I kind of have the impression that Ms. Abadie … doesn’t really like me.”
“She doesn’t like anyone, hon. I think someone saw her yelling at a puppy once.” Stephanie laughs.
“No, that’s not what I mean. I kind of get the impression that she’s got something against me … on a personal level.”
“Really? How so?” Stephanie asks.
“Well, at first there was the whole mess with the dress code, and the email that she ‘conveniently’ forgot to send me. Then at the parent teacher meeting, she made me sit by the restroom door, as if she didn’t want me to be seen as a teacher at the school…” my voice trails off, as I consider if I should mention the cricket match.
Stephanie sips a little more of her hot chocolate. I can tell she’s pondering.
“Yeah, that does seem strange. You know, Ms. Abadie bullies everyone because she wants the—”
“Head Deputy job, I know!” I interject. “Ugh … I’m so tired of that. And if that’s really the case, I don’t understand it because I’m not even remotely interested in the Deputy Director position. In fact, I don’t even think I qualify for it. I don’t have enough years of experience to be given a position like that. I wouldn’t even be able to apply if I wanted to.”
“That’s a fair point,” she replies.
“Plus I’m new here, so if anything, I should be the least of her concerns. Tenured instructors are more likely her competition, right?”
“That’s probably true…” her voice trails off.
“So, then what is Ms. Abadie so worried about?”
“Well … maybe it’s got something to do with the fact that you’re the exact opposite of her in every possible way.” Stephanie grins.
“What does that mean?”
“Come on, Jo. You know what I’m talking about. You’re young. You’re beautiful and kind … all the kids love you. The other teachers—the men I mean—stare at you when you pass in the hallway. Do you really think that a woman like Ms. Abadie can deal with that? I bet she hated you from the first moment you set foot in this school.”
“But that’s … ridiculous,” I say.
“No, that’s Abadie.”
“You know, I’ve seen her staring at me a few times. At the parent-teacher conference she even seemed to be taking notes. Do you think she might be keeping tabs on me?”
I purposefully avoid telling Stephanie about Jacob.
But that doesn’t mean I worry less.
“Honestly, I don’t know. But what could she possibly be writing down?” Stephanie asks, rolling her eyes.
Obviously, my interactions with Jacob, I think to myself.
“I don’t know…”
“Jo, look. I doubt Ms. Abadie has anything to report on you. But you should watch it, nonetheless. She’s not the kind of person you want to mess around with.”
“Thanks Steph. I appreciate you listening,” I say as we finally reach my office. As I open the door, I notice there’s a box on my desk—it appears to be a gift. And I have a hunch I know exactly who it’s from. “Hey Steph, I’m going to grade some papers if you don’t mind.”