Read Online Take a Chance on Me by Kate Davies - Free Book Online Page B

office, fully intending to continue out into the cold morning air, both to fulfill his morning greeting ritual and to cool his overheated hormones. But instead he found himself dawdling at the entrance to the school, hoping to run into her one more time.
    This was ridiculous. Was he going to offer to carry her books next? All he’d wanted to do was apologize for yesterday. She made it seem like even that little gesture would be a capital offense.
    He did not do things like this. He didn’t get chummy with co-workers. He didn’t volunteer to help out. And he certainly didn’t make out with bright-eyed new teachers in the middle of the school theater. My God, what if someone had walked in?
    It would have been more than embarrassing—it could possibly have been a career ender. Jessica would be well within her rights to file sexual harassment charges against him, although judging from her reaction to the kiss, that probably wouldn’t happen.
    Tom shook his head and groaned again. Not only was it a stunning breach of ethics to make such a blatant pass at a co-worker, it was completely out of character. Before Jessica had arrived on the scene, he stayed in his nice orderly world, did his job and went home to a life he’d structured around his need for control.
    But with that amazing, mind-blowing, blood-pumping kiss, Tom could feel his hard-earned control sliding down the drain.
    He cinched his jacket a little tighter against the morning chill. A rumble down the street announced the arrival of the first bus. Time to relegate Jessica Martin to a back pocket of his brain and focus on the kids.
     
     
    “I’m not doing this.”
    Jessica looked up from the stack of papers she was handing out and focused on the back of the classroom. “Excuse me?”
    “I said I’m not doing this.” With a toss of her pink-hued head, Fallon dropped the assignment sheet on the floor and crossed her arms defiantly across her chest.
    A low rumble traveled across the classroom as students watched to see what she would do. Jessica schooled her expression to one of calm authority, although inside she was groaning. Fallon had complained about every assignment and activity since Jessica had started, and this was no exception. Frankly, she was sick of it.
    Turning away to hand the assignment sheet to another student, Jessica shrugged. “Okay.”
    “What?” Fallon was staring at her with a mixture of suspicion and confusion.
    The muttering from the rest of the students grew louder.
    Jessica kept handing out papers. “I can’t force you to do the assignment. You’re in high school. You don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.” Voices raised, the class was quickly spinning out of control until she raised her hand for attention. “Don’t forget, however, that there are consequences.”
    A collective groan echoed through the room. Jessica smiled calmly at her class. “You don’t do the work, you don’t get the grade. You don’t get the grade, you don’t pass the class. Don’t pass the class and you get summer school—or take English 9 next year. So, if you really want to be the only sophomore in freshman English, be my guest.”
    The muttering died away as Jessica blithely continued her rounds of the classroom. She kept her head carefully averted as she passed Fallon’s desk, but noted that the assignment sheet was no longer on the floor. She bit back a smile and returned to the front of the room.
    “Ms. Martin, why do we have to do this anyway?”
    She smiled and sat down on her stool, leaning forward slightly. “We’re researching Shakespeare because we are starting Romeo and Juliet next week. It’s important to know some facts before jumping in.”
    “No, I mean, why read Shakespeare? It’s not like it’s relevant to our lives today.”
    “Yeah,” chimed in Fallon, obviously unwilling to let her protest drop completely. “He’s just another stupid DWEM.”
    Jessica looked at her, a puzzled frown wrinkling her brow. “A