It Started with a Crush by Piper James

Chapter Four

Chase

Everything went smoothly for the next few days. I got Daniel on the school bus every morning, went to work—either at the ranch or to one of the projects I was working on with Belle’s foundation—and made it home before Daniel’s bus arrived in the afternoon. We’d cook dinner or go out, work on his homework, then get him to bed before hanging out with Noah and Ethan…when Noah wasn’t out trolling for ladies.

On Friday morning, my phone rang while I was installing a tile backsplash in the kitchen. My hands were a mess, so I let the call go to voicemail and promptly forgot about it. When I saw the notification that afternoon, I bit out a curse as I saw the local area code. I didn’t recognize the number, but I hoped it wasn’t one of Belle’s clients with a problem. Once we renovated a home, we gave the new owners my number so they could call if anything happened—a leak, electrical issues, etc.—with our repairs. And not getting the message for several hours could seriously exacerbate the problem.

Dialing my voicemail, I listened to the message. A smooth, gentle voice met my ear, putting me instantly at-ease. At least it did, until I heard who it was and the reason she was calling.

“Hi, Mr. Perry. This is Sage Barlow, Daniel’s teacher. He’s fine, but I need you to come in after school today to discuss an issue we had on the playground and the consequences of his…behavior. Can you be here by three-thirty? Please call me at this number if you need to reschedule. Otherwise, I’ll see you this afternoon.”

What the fuck? She needed to discuss his behavior? That didn’t make any sense. Daniel was a good kid who’d never gotten into any kind of trouble, at school or otherwise. What could he possibly have done that warranted a parent-teacher conference?

I checked the time, and I had over an hour before the meeting, so I cleaned up my tools and headed home to shower and change. After pulling on a clean pair of jeans and a collared shirt, I put on my shoes and headed out the door. I was anxious to find out what the hell had happened. Whatever it was, I was sure it had been a big misunderstanding.

I’d wanted to meet Sage Barlow, but certainly not under these conditions.

A nice lady in the office directed me toward Miss Barlow’s classroom, and as I neared, I spotted Daniel sitting in a chair in the hallway, his head hanging low. I stopped in front of him, and when he didn’t look up, I squatted down to bring myself eye-level with him.

“Hey, buddy. You okay?” I asked, my voice filled with gentle concern.

“Yeah,” he said, finally meeting my eyes with a sniffle.

“What happened?” I asked, but whatever answer he was going to give got cut off when the classroom door swung open.

The first thing I saw was a pair of purple Chucks tied with bright white laces. My gaze roamed upward, taking in shapely bare legs, a denim skirt that hit just above the knees, and a white blouse before landing on a gentle, plump-lipped smile.

I stood quickly, and the full impact of Sage Barlow hit me right in the gut. She was stunning, even in the casual attire with her reddish-brown hair tied up in a loose ponytail. Her high cheekbones were sprinkled with a smattering of light freckles, and her bright blue eyes were framed by long, dark lashes. She looked like the girl next door and a Hollywood starlet all rolled into one.

“Hi, Mr. Perry. Please come in. Daniel, will you join us?” she said, her voice just as gentle and soothing as it had been on the recorded message.

“Please, call me Chase,” I said as Daniel skulked through the door ahead of me.

“Nice to meet you, Chase,” she said, shaking my hand before leading the way inside. “Madisyn, can you please wait in the hall?”

I looked to my left and saw a young girl rise from one of the tables. She was a cute little thing, with blonde pigtails and big brown eyes. Eyes that studiously avoided Daniel as she lifted her nose in the air and pranced out.

What the hell is going on?

“Mr. Perry. Chase,” Sage said, pulling my attention back to her. She led me to a large table in the corner and motioned me into a chair. “I asked you to come meet with me because Daniel had a bit of an altercation on the playground today.”

“What do you mean, an altercation?” I asked, my gaze darting from her, to my son’s downturned head, and back again. “Like a fistfight, or something?”

“No, nothing like that, really,” she said quickly, then took a deep breath. In a low voice, she continued, “It seems Daniel might have a little crush on Madisyn.”

“A crush?” I mumbled, my gaze darting back to my son.

He was only eight. Did boys get crushes on girls this young? And why did having a crush require a meeting like this? There had to be more to it. I looked back at Sage, and she gave me a soft smile that did weird things to my insides.

“He approached her at recess, told her she was pretty as a peach, and kissed her cheek.”

My eyes flared wide as her words sunk in. I couldn’t imagine my little boy doing something so brash, but one glance at Daniel’s red cheeks told me her accounting of the incident was accurate. I looked back at her, still feeling confused.

“Is that it?” I asked, knowing there had to be more to it.

No way could a compliment and a peck on the cheek warrant a parent being called into discuss it like this.

“I’m afraid not,” she said, her own cheeks brightening, a little. “Madisyn responded to his unwanted attentions by slapping his cheek.”

“What?” I roared, hackles I didn’t even know I had raising at the idea of someone physically assaulting my son.

“Please,” Sage said, motioning for me to calm down, her eyes darting from me to Daniel and back again.

Some of my ire faded as I caught sight of Daniel flinching in his seat. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself further. I didn’t want him to see me furious like this, and I certainly didn’t want him to think I was angry with him.

“I understand your anger,” Sage said softly, “but unsolicited physical contact—whether it be a slap, a punch, or a kiss—is against the rules. I spoke with Daniel about boundaries, and he’s apologized to Madisyn for his actions. She apologized to him, as well.”

I could tell by the change in her tone that the girl’s apology left a lot to be desired. She seemed to shake herself slightly, then looked at me with sincerity in those blue eyes.

“Daniel is not in any trouble. I’ve handled the matter and consider it over and done. I just wanted to bring you in so I could relay the information and let you know it’s been taken care of. The girl’s parents will be here soon, and I’ll tell them the same thing.”

She stood, and I pushed myself to my feet and shook her outstretched hand. Her skin was soft and smooth, her palm warm against mine. I had the strangest urge to refuse to let go, but I shook it off quickly and released her.

“It was nice to finally meet you,” she said, her smile widening. “I just wish it had been under better circumstances.”

“You, too,” I said honestly. “And I’d like to thank you for making Daniel’s transition to a new school so pleasant…until today, that is. He really likes you. A lot.”

“I really like him, too,” she said, raising her voice slightly.

She walked over to where Daniel sat and squatted down in front of him. He lifted his head, staring at her with glassy brown eyes as he sniffed loudly.

“Remember what I told you?” she asked gently, and he nodded.

“Always ask a girl’s permission before touching her,” he mumbled. “Consent is key.”

“Right,” she said, nodding firmly. “And what else?”

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. “I’m a good, caring person, and one day, Madisyn Turner is going to seriously regret shooting me down.”

“That’s right,” she said, holding up a palm.

Daniel slapped his palm against hers. His face brightened considerably with the action, and I felt my heart swell, a little. Sage was…amazing with him.

Sage stood, her cheeks pink as her gaze landed on mine. She gave me a slight smirk, and I had a strong feeling those final words weren’t exactly official school protocol for handling this type of situation. No, those were just for Daniel, to make him feel better after his first crush shot him down so forcefully. And publicly.

I smiled back at her, mouthing the words “thank you.” She nodded as if to say, “of course,” and led Daniel and me toward the door. With one last goodbye, we headed out into the hall, Daniel giving the little blonde a wide berth as we passed by her. I fought the urge to narrow my gaze at her, opting instead to keep my eyes on the hallway ahead.

Once we were out in the truck, I turned to Daniel. He flinched slightly, and I smoothed a hand over his brown hair.

“Hey bud, you’re not in trouble. You know that, right?” I asked gently.

“Yeah,” he said, nodding slightly.

“I just want to know where you got the idea to say what you said and kiss her,” I said, already having a fairly good inkling exactly where he got the idea.

It sounded just like something—

“Uncle Noah told me to do it.”

Yep. Fucking Noah.

“Why would Noah tell you to do that?” I asked, keeping my voice gentle and even.

“I asked him,” he said. “I liked Madisyn, and I wanted to know how to tell her to see if she liked me, too.” His little head drooped. “I guess she doesn’t like me.”

“Hey, kid,” I said, ruffling his hair. “Remember what Miss Sage told you?”

“Yeah,” he said, straightening back up. “I remember.”

“Good,” I said, then tilted my head. “But why did you go to Uncle Noah? You could’ve asked me.”

“Because Uncle Noah is always saying he knows everything about women,” he replied.

A laugh barked out of me. “Trust me, kiddo. Uncle Noah doesn’t know nearly as much as he thinks he does.”

“Obviously,” he sighed, slumping in his seat.

“Did it hurt when she hit you?” I asked.

“Nah,” he said. “It hurt my feelings more than anything. And embarrassed me.”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. My boy was growing up so fast. And the fact that he was so up front and honest about his feelings at such a young age was a testament to the job my brothers and I were doing, raising him on our own with no mother figure.

“How about we stop for ice cream on the way home?” I asked.

“Yes!” he shouted, his hurt feelings completely forgotten.

God, I loved that kid.