Teaching Ms. Riggs. Stephanie Beck
“Your uncle might have to help you with some of them,” Ben added, and Mark snorted a little. “Not so great with chemistry?”
“Not even slightly,” he replied and sent her a little wink. Ben fought a blush, but didn’t think she succeeded as he continued, “But I do make a hell of an after-school snack. I also stock the drawer with freshly sharpened pencils.”
“His marshmallow crispy squares are awesome.” Thomas’s loyal pledge was ruined when he laughed and elbowed his uncle. “Especially when he wraps them in the little blue foil with the elves on it.”
“Big mouth,” Mark muttered, but he smiled too. “Do I have to sign anything to make the switch?”
Ben was so charmed by the way the two males acted with each other she didn’t realize at first the question was for her.
“Ms. Riggs?” Mr. Kai asked, and she started. This time she didn’t even attempt to stop her blush.
“Ah, thing to sign…nope. We just wanted to okay it with you since the guidance counselor already said it was fine. Oh, Thomas, doesn’t football start soon?”
“Yeah, I gotta go.” He stood, already in his pads and cleats. Ben thought he looked a little like a kid in adult clothes. One day he would grow into himself and he’d be a bruiser. “See ya at home, Uncle Mark.”
“Bye, buddy. Play hard. I’ll get your books and finish up here. Need anything from the store?”
“Gatorade,” Thomas called over his shoulder as he hustled out of the room. “And fruit snacks and peanut butter.”
Ben smiled at his response. Throughout the day food had been the main topic of conversation for most of the young men. If they weren’t talking about the granola bar in their locker, then they were trying to sweet talk the girls out of the fruit snacks they had in theirs.
Ben was still smiling when Mr. Kai took off to pick up his daughter. Alone with Mark, she turned again and tried to find some similarities between lanky Thomas and this hunk of man in front of her.
Mark was thickly muscled across the shoulders. He’d taken off his hat, and his hair was thick and mostly blond. He had to be in or near his forties by the deep lines around his eyes, but those could have been from the climate too. Farmers lived hard. Ben had a feeling though, by the pattern of the lines, that Mark also laughed hard. She wondered if Thomas would be like him eventually. Young men changed so much in only a few short years.
Mark flipped through the chemistry book, not really reading, Ben thought. He might have been looking at the pictures but nothing in depth. He looked up at her with questions in his gray-blue eyes.
He closed the book and stacked it with the other papers. “So? Anything else I should know?”
“Nope. That’s about everything I can think of, but don’t hesitate to call if Thomas is having troubles. I don’t anticipate problems, but if they pop up I’m happy to help with tutoring.”
“That’s nice, thanks.” Mark shuffled the books and papers, a classic delay tactic. Ben bit back a smile as she watched him shift them from back to front again as he made no attempt to leave the room. “I’ll fill out this stuff tonight and send it with Thomas tomorrow.”
“Oh, just a second.” If she didn’t get the numbers she’d be in trouble, so she reached for the books. Their hands collided for the second time. The handshake had been nice, but the casual, innocent touch was much more and she fought herself from blushing like one of her students. “I, um, need to write down the numbers.”
He grinned and slid the book across the table, the back of his hand brushing against hers again, and she shivered.
“No problem, Ms. Riggs. I sure wouldn’t want to cause any clerical problems.”
She quickly opened the book and tried to be professional and efficient as she added Thomas’s name to the inside cover and into her ledger. Mark’s gaze settled on her, and once again she scolded herself for even thinking about flirting or being flattered. She had no business smiling at nice men with the trouble following her.
“Okay, there you go.” Taking special pains not to touch him, she slid the book back. “The other is a workbook he needs to keep close track of because it has a lot of his homework for the year. Oh, and Thomas mentioned his parents are in France. Should I add them to my contact lists or put their address down for sending report cards to or anything?”
Mark shook his head, the sparkle of his smile slightly diminishing. “I take care of all of his school stuff, so don’t worry about his parents. I’ll make sure he knows about the workbook, but I know he’ll take good care of it.”
“I’m sure he’s very responsible,” Ben said, wondering if the flirting had been killed by the subject of Thomas’s parents, which was obviously uglier than she’d thought.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I do have him changing his socks every day now.” His sense of humor was back and with it came the playful feelings that had been bubbling in her since his arrival.
When Mark’s smile deepened again, she at least had the boost of knowing she wasn’t alone in the unexpected attraction. She was ready to put a stop on her bubbles and be completely professional when he winked. It had the same effect as earlier and heat crawled up her neck. She hadn’t been winked at in years, let alone twice in one sitting.
“Um…” What did one say when they were winked at?
“Is there anything else I need to do or have Thomas do? Any first day homework? Maybe we should have him read the first chapter or ten?”
“No homework yet.” She smiled at his impish grin and was thankful for the reprieve from having to respond to the wink. His nature was infectious, and it crossed her mind that he probably winked at all the girls and had a line waiting for him somewhere. That helped her focus on the situation again. “I’m sure he’ll have plenty before long.”
“First two chapters it is,” he replied, tucking the books under his arm. “Don’t worry, Ms. Riggs, the extra work will be good for the boy.”
She laughed out loud and might have let herself forget about the probable gaggle of women falling in his charming wake if a student hadn’t come in with a big basket.
“Hey, Susan. Can I help you?”
The girl trudged over and unloaded her burden. She stepped away and let out a theatric sigh. Ben wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to such drama.
“Ms. Riggs, I’m so glad you’re still here. My mom had this in her room and forgot to bring it down. I was supposed to set it on your desk, but here ya go. All the new teachers get one, kind of a welcome basket. So welcome.”
“Thank you. This is so nice. Did your mother put it together?”
“No way. The school board members bring stuff to add, I just deliver. Gotta go, Mom’s waiting.” The girl took off with energy Ben envied after a long day.
She pulled the card from the ribbon on the top and skimmed over it, stopping short when she came to a typed name. “Hey, you’re on here. Mark Dougstat.”
“Yeah, I help with sports stuff.” His embarrassed tone was a far cry from the teasing he’d been doing only moments earlier. The change was intriguing, but she focused on the card.
“Oh yeah? I guess that makes sense since Thomas is in sports. I love this birdhouse, who makes them?”
“Ah, I do. It’s my hobby.” His cheeks tinged pink in the most adorable way she’d ever seen. “My niece paints them for me.”
“Well, it’s all just wonderful. It’s so good to be home.”
“That’s right, you’re from here, aren’t you?” he asked, making no move to leave. “Daniel and Sarah Riggs’s daughter, right?”
“Yeah,