The Principal's Office by Jasmine Haynes Page A

reimbursable,” Erin said, nodding, “but we’ll have to look at the course descriptions for the accounting ones. However, we’ll be supportive in any way that’s reasonable. It’s great you want to go back to college.”
    Back? Rachel had never started in the first place. She’d graduated high school, gotten a job just to have a job, but all she’d ever wanted was to be a mother. That was all good, and she didn’t regret the decision, but now she needed more. “I can’t afford to remain a receptionist.”
    She almost added that teenage boys were too expensive, but she didn’t want to remind Erin about her son. True, Erin had started putting out pictures of Jay, and once in a while she’d suddenly remember something and tell Rachel a little story about him. That had only started happening in the last month or so. Before that, no one even said Jay’s name.
    Erin’s computer pinged. She glanced at the monitor, read a moment, smiled, a funny sort of secret smile, as if she was reading something sexual or seductive. Then she turned back to Rachel. “By the way, Dominic and I are taking a couple of days off next week for Valentine’s. Can you hold the fort down in case there’s a crisis?”
    Rachel realized Erin was offering a vote of confidence in the offhand comment.
Here, I know you can do this.
And Rachel could. “Sure, no problem. Heading somewhere special?”
    Erin merely nodded, her smile even bigger, but she didn’t mention where they were going.
    That was another thing Rachel had noticed happening in the last month or so, how much more affectionate Erin and Dominic had gotten. Secret smiles, more touching, and now this, a romantic trip for Valentine’s. Good for them.
    Rachel stood. “I’ll get to work. Thanks, on the education thing. I’ll let you read the course descriptions when I’ve actually signed up.”
    “Good.” Erin’s computer pinged again. And again, she read, then laughed softly to herself and started typing.
    Rachel had the oddest urge to rush into engineering and see if Dominic was typing on his computer, too. She was sure they were chatting. She was also pretty darn sure it wasn’t anything in the least bit work related.
    That made her think of Rand. For the first time ever, she wished she had unlimited texting. Because she’d send him a text right now, something naughty, something provocative. Something that would make him think about her all day long.
    THE WEEK WAS INTERMINABLE. RACHEL NEVER THOUGHT SHE’D BE dying for Sunday night when she dropped the boys off at Gary’s. But it was only Thursday, with seventy-two hours still to go.
    She was definitely having withdrawals. What you couldn’t have, you simply couldn’t stop thinking about, and she wanted Rand badly. He was so right; desperation peaked when you couldn’t get what you needed. She was desperate for him now, sexually frustrated, and snapping at everything.
    “Principal Torvik is a dickhead.” Nathan tossed his backpackon the kitchen table. He’d gone to another basketball game with his friends. Justin was already in his room doing his homework.
    “Watch your language.” There, she’d snapped at him, without even a
please
. When disciplining, she strove to be neutral, not angry, but she’d failed.
    “Well, he
is
.” Nathan pouted.
    “What did the principal do this time?”
    Principal Torvik was the bane of Nathan’s existence. She imagined the man resembled the short, bald principal on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
, who barked loudly to make up for his lack of stature. She’d only made it to a couple of parent-teacher days this year and hadn’t gotten a chance to meet the new principal yet. In years past, she hadn’t missed a single school open house or meeting and had made a point to talk to each of her sons’ teachers. She’d also known all the boys’ friends, met their parents, mostly because of all the carpooling. There were so many things she didn’t get a chance to do since going back to