It Started with a Crush by Piper James

Chapter Five

Sage

Holy shit, Chase Perry was hot. I had to take a few moments to calm my nerves after he and Daniel left, because my libido had gone a little haywire the moment I laid eyes on him. I managed to pull off a calm and professional appearance, though, until he shook my hand.

The second his skin brushed across mine, my fucking nipples started to tingle and harden. And the look of worship he gave me when I cheered Daniel up about being rejected by Madisyn? I may have needed to change my underwear.

I had a feeling he’d be good looking. How could he not, with a brother who looked like Ryder? That man was sex on a stick, so I’d been sure all the Perry brothers were handsome. But there was something different about Chase. He was gorgeous, yes, but there was also something magnetic about the way he carried himself. Confident, but not cocky. He seemed gentle and kind, but he was obviously no doormat.

And the love he had for his son was written all over him. I’d seen all kinds of parents during my six-year tenure at Red River Elementary, and he was definitely one of the good ones.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I had a firm rule, and I needed to remember it—no dating students’ fathers. My reputation would suffer, and my impartiality would come into question. And that shit would never go away. Rumors and gossip lived forever in Red River.

Madisyn’s parents would be here any minute, so I pulled out my phone and shot Belle a quick text.

Me: Finally met your brother-in-law, Chase.

Her reply came quickly.

Belle: He’s gorgeous, right?

I rolled my eyes as I tapped out my response.

Me: Yes, not that it matters.

Belle: I think you two would be cute together.

She punctuated the text with a couple of heart-eyed emojis. That woman could be so exasperating.

Me: I don’t date my students’ parents. You know that.

Belle: I know, I know. Geez, wonder why you’re being so defensive, huh?

Me: Goodbye, Belle.

Belle: Bye! Love you!

She’d been telling me for weeks that she thought I’d like Chase, and I’d even been intrigued. Eager, even, to meet him. Belle had known me forever, and she knew my type. But all of that ended when I found out his son would be in my class. And now that I’d met him? I almost wished I hadn’t made that one hard and fast rule for myself.

Almost.

A knock sounded on my door before I could examine my feelings further. I stood and hurried over to open the door and invite the Turners inside. Before I could utter a word, though, Mrs. Turner rudely pushed her way past me.

“I want to know what you’re doing to rectify this situation,” she demanded, tapping the toe of one high heel against the carpet.

Madisyn shuffled past me, her father right behind her. His facial expression was tight, and the tips of his ears were red. My gaze moved from him back to Mrs. Turner, who was still tapping her foot incessantly.

“Excuse me?” I said, my brow wrinkling. “What do you mean?”

“Madisyn told us what happened. That boy sexually harassed her, and I want to know what his punishment will be.”

My eyes widened as I stared at her. She wasn’t joking. Sexual harassment? These were third graders.

“I’ve spoken with Daniel and his father. He understands that he crossed a line and realizes that he shouldn’t do it again. I also had a talk with Madisyn about her behavior.”

“Her behavior?” Mr. Turner all but growled. “She was the victim in all this.”

Victim? Are they fucking serious right now?

“She hit him. On the face,” I said, fighting like hell to keep the censure out of my voice.

“She was defending herself against his assault!” Mrs. Turner shouted.

“I’d hardly call a compliment and a kiss on the cheek an assault,” I said before I could stop myself. Before she could blow up again, I held up a hand. “He was wrong. He knows that now, and it won’t happen again. He’s a sweet kid who made a mistake.”

“So, that’s it?” she demanded, her face turning an unattractive shade of red. “He gets a talking to and let off the hook?”

“Yes,” I said firmly. “As with any broken rule, the first offense is a warning. The same goes for Madisyn. She physically attacked another student, I talked to her about the proper way to handle adversity, and she won’t be punished further if the behavior doesn’t continue.”

“This is unacceptable,” Mr. Turner said. “If you’re not going to handle this properly, we’ll go over your head. We’ll go straight to the school board, if need be.”

My eyes darted over to Madisyn, who looked like she was about to cry. I could tell she was embarrassed, being talked about like she wasn’t even here.

“Madisyn?” I called out. When she looked up from the floor, I asked, “How do you feel about all of this?”

She shrugged, and her gaze dropped. “I don’t know.”

I could see she was struggling between saying what she wanted to say and what her parents expected her to say. Honestly, I thought she hit Daniel out of embarrassment, because her friends were circled around them, giggling. Not because she felt harassed.

“Don’t pressure her to say what you want to hear, MissBarlow,” Mrs. Turner said, saying my name like it was a derogatory term.

“I’m not—”

“Enough,” Mr. Turner said, cutting me off. “Madisyn, let’s go.”

“We’ll be speaking to the principal,” Mrs. Turner warned. “That boy will be suspended, at the very least.”

My mouth fell open as they stomped out. They were fucking serious. They wanted to have an eight-year-old suspended for showing a girl he liked her. Sure, he shouldn’t have kissed her without permission, but suspension? That was over the top.

I called our principal, leaving a voicemail describing the situation and that he should expect a visit or a call from the Turners. Then I pulled up Daniel’s parental contact form on my computer. I’d called him from my desk phone when I set up our meeting, but this time, I wanted our communication to be on a more personal level. This time, I was contacting him more as a friend of a friend, not his son’s teacher.

Plugging Chase’s number into my cell phone, I took a deep breath and composed a text message warning him of this development. I didn’t want him to be blindsided by a call from the principal, or worse, the school board.

Not that I thought it would get that far if the Turners got to Principal Walsh first. We had a very clear process for handling issues between students, and I followed it to the letter. He would have my back. I didn’t doubt it. But those parents were a wild card, and Chase needed to be prepared.