silver dome from the serving tray. “Porcupine meatballs,” he said happily as he spooned two savory meatballs onto Drew’s plate. I could see Drew’s jaw clench that his progeny was performing such a menial task.
His eyes met mine. “Porcupine? Is this a Texas delicacy?” he asked, his tone laced with a hint of condescension.
“Dad!” Jonathan laughed. “It’s ground beef and rice, not a real porcupine.”
“I couldn’t be sure,” Drew murmured as he glanced down at the plate his son filled with salad and garlic sautéed green beans. “It appears so many things have changed in my absence.”
“I take full responsibility for that, Mr. Fullerton,” I said. “I thought it would be a nice gesture for you to have a home-cooked meal upon your return, especially given that you’ve been gone several days.” I met his gaze directly, proving to him that I could match every veiled insult.
Jonathan’s eyes darted to mine. I could tell that he sensed the uneasiness at the table, and I knew that he was concerned that his father would send me back to Texas over the slightest infraction. “It was my idea, Dad,” he said, throwing himself on the virtual grenade in the room. “Please don’t be mad.”
Drew masked any annoyance as he turned to his son. “I’m not angry, Jonathan. Just surprised. I had no idea that you liked to cook.”
“Me either,” he said with an impish grin. “Rachel taught me how. She says it’s like knowing a magic trick. Right, Rachel?” he asked with a hopeful smile.
I nodded. “Guilty as charged.”
Drew once again offered his son a supportive smile. “Then I can’t wait to taste your magical meal, especially since the first trick was turning beef into a porcupine,” he said, before spearing a meatball with his fork. I could tell that this wasn’t the type of cuisine he was used to eating, but for his son he made the effort.
In that moment, it was the only thing warming me to my prospective employer.
“Delicious,” he praised. Whether or not he was sincere, I couldn’t be sure. But Jonathan beamed under his father’s approval, which somehow cracked my heart even more. “So what else did you learn while I was gone?”
“I went to the grocery store,” he said. “Rachel gave me a budget and I had to make it all fit.”
I could tell this was not good news to the elder Fullerton. “I see. Anything else?”
Jonathan thought about it a moment. “I got a new book from the library. I’m going to do a book report on it.”
That seemed to appease Drew. “Which book is that?” he wanted to know. “A classic, I hope,” he said as he turned to me.
“Nope. J ust brain candy,” I said without a hint of shame.
“It’s called Comic Squad ,” Jonathan supplied. “It’s about these geeks who accidentally set a comic book villain free in their town. They have to use their ingenuity to capture him,” using the big word he had learned over the weekend to impress his father.
“I see,” Drew repeated again. “How else did you spend your time, Jonathan?”
“We went for a walk in the neighborhood,” he answered dutifully. “Other than that, we watched TV, stayed by the pool and talked.”
Drew leveled his cold blue eyes on my face. “I trust you’re enjoying your spring break in California, then.”
My chin tipped defiantly. I knew that was a slam that I hadn’t done more to teach Jonathan the curriculum he had provided for me. No doubt he wondered if I was like the other teachers who had come before me, who got one good look at the house and the man who owned it and aimed for something a lot more profitable than a simple teaching position. I could hear Jonathan’s voice whisper in my ear, “ He thinks fat people are lazy .”
Worse, Alex’s voice was even louder. “ Single billionaire, big, empty Beverly Hills mansion and a lonely kid who desperately needs a mom. Easy pickings for a smart gold-digger .”
As Drew’s hard eyes glittered at me, I
His eyes met mine. “Porcupine? Is this a Texas delicacy?” he asked, his tone laced with a hint of condescension.
“Dad!” Jonathan laughed. “It’s ground beef and rice, not a real porcupine.”
“I couldn’t be sure,” Drew murmured as he glanced down at the plate his son filled with salad and garlic sautéed green beans. “It appears so many things have changed in my absence.”
“I take full responsibility for that, Mr. Fullerton,” I said. “I thought it would be a nice gesture for you to have a home-cooked meal upon your return, especially given that you’ve been gone several days.” I met his gaze directly, proving to him that I could match every veiled insult.
Jonathan’s eyes darted to mine. I could tell that he sensed the uneasiness at the table, and I knew that he was concerned that his father would send me back to Texas over the slightest infraction. “It was my idea, Dad,” he said, throwing himself on the virtual grenade in the room. “Please don’t be mad.”
Drew masked any annoyance as he turned to his son. “I’m not angry, Jonathan. Just surprised. I had no idea that you liked to cook.”
“Me either,” he said with an impish grin. “Rachel taught me how. She says it’s like knowing a magic trick. Right, Rachel?” he asked with a hopeful smile.
I nodded. “Guilty as charged.”
Drew once again offered his son a supportive smile. “Then I can’t wait to taste your magical meal, especially since the first trick was turning beef into a porcupine,” he said, before spearing a meatball with his fork. I could tell that this wasn’t the type of cuisine he was used to eating, but for his son he made the effort.
In that moment, it was the only thing warming me to my prospective employer.
“Delicious,” he praised. Whether or not he was sincere, I couldn’t be sure. But Jonathan beamed under his father’s approval, which somehow cracked my heart even more. “So what else did you learn while I was gone?”
“I went to the grocery store,” he said. “Rachel gave me a budget and I had to make it all fit.”
I could tell this was not good news to the elder Fullerton. “I see. Anything else?”
Jonathan thought about it a moment. “I got a new book from the library. I’m going to do a book report on it.”
That seemed to appease Drew. “Which book is that?” he wanted to know. “A classic, I hope,” he said as he turned to me.
“Nope. J ust brain candy,” I said without a hint of shame.
“It’s called Comic Squad ,” Jonathan supplied. “It’s about these geeks who accidentally set a comic book villain free in their town. They have to use their ingenuity to capture him,” using the big word he had learned over the weekend to impress his father.
“I see,” Drew repeated again. “How else did you spend your time, Jonathan?”
“We went for a walk in the neighborhood,” he answered dutifully. “Other than that, we watched TV, stayed by the pool and talked.”
Drew leveled his cold blue eyes on my face. “I trust you’re enjoying your spring break in California, then.”
My chin tipped defiantly. I knew that was a slam that I hadn’t done more to teach Jonathan the curriculum he had provided for me. No doubt he wondered if I was like the other teachers who had come before me, who got one good look at the house and the man who owned it and aimed for something a lot more profitable than a simple teaching position. I could hear Jonathan’s voice whisper in my ear, “ He thinks fat people are lazy .”
Worse, Alex’s voice was even louder. “ Single billionaire, big, empty Beverly Hills mansion and a lonely kid who desperately needs a mom. Easy pickings for a smart gold-digger .”
As Drew’s hard eyes glittered at me, I
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