Chapter 321

The next second, Jonathan explained, “I don’t even know who she is. It’s just a boss and spokesperson thing.”

Teresa shot back, “Since when does signing a spokesperson mean the boss has to personally suck up to them?”

Jonathan’s frown disappeared, and he was in a great mood. He asked Teresa, “Can you smell that? The air’s thick with jealousy.”

Teresa fired back, “Jealous my foot,” and she turned to leave.

Jonathan laughed, “Let me give you a ride.”

“No, thank you,” Teresa replied.

Jonathan, still in high spirits, spoke to her gently, “Benny told me you were threatened and that’s why you won’t go back. If it’s just this stalker, or if there’s anything else, just tell me.”

“I’m fine. Nothing else going on,” Teresa insisted.

Jonathan stared at her. “So stubborn.”

Just as Teresa was about to argue, her stomach growled loudly. She hadn’t eaten yet.

Jonathan said, “Come on, I’ll take you to get some pork chops. I found a deli here in Everport that’s right up your alley.”

Teresa actually knew the place too, and it turned out Jonathan was taking her to the exact one she was thinking of. He’d called ahead, so they didn’t have to wait in line. He picked up braised pork chop, soy-braised pork chop, and some tender, flavorful sliced pig ears.

The smell made Teresa’s mouth water, but she still tried to act tough. “I’m not eating anything you bought.”

Jonathan started the car. “As long as you like pork chop, that’s all that matters.”

“I don’t,” Teresa muttered.

Jonathan shot her a look, rolled down the window, and pretended he was about to toss the food out. Teresa stopped him, clutching his arm. Jonathan raised an eyebrow, amused. “Still acting tough? Didn’t you say you didn’t want it?”

“Fine, you win,” Teresa snatched the food from him. Jonathan just let her eat, not caring if she made a mess in his car. Teresa grabbed a piece and started eating, finally satisfying her craving.

While driving, Jonathan handed her a napkin. “Wipe your hands.”

“Thanks,” she said.

Watching her devour the food, Jonathan sighed. “Come back to Nareigh. The pork chop there is even better.”

Teresa shook her head. “No.”

“What are you being so stubborn about?”

Teresa didn’t answer, just shook her head.

Jonathan didn’t say anything either, just waited to see how long she could keep this up.

The next day, when Teresa showed up at school, Tina started buttering Teresa up, fussing over her, asking if she was cold or hungry, and even tried to give her some brand-new makeup she’d just bought.

Teresa smiled politely. “Thanks, but I don’t need it.”

Tina said, “Ms. Johnston, I really didn’t know who I was dealing with. I had no idea your ex-husband was such a big deal. I even called you stuck-up before. Guess I was just running my mouth.”

“Actually, about Ryan’s job, Ms. Johnston, could you maybe talk to your ex for him? Just put in a good word? Ryan’s too embarrassed to ask you himself, so I’m doing it for him. He shouldn’t keep bothering you.”

“It’s okay. We’re all just coworkers here, and I help when I can. But with Ryan, I really can’t help,” Teresa said. “I’m divorced. What my ex does is none of my business now. I can’t ask him for favors or anything.”

Tina sighed. “I get it, but Ryan’s my brother, and you and I get along so well.”

Teresa thought, ‘Get along well? We’re just coworkers. The only colleague I’m actually close to is Ivy, not this Tina who gossiped about her.’ Teresa stayed firm. If Tina wanted something, she could go ask Jonathan herself.

Tina’s face darkened. “So that’s it, Ms. Johnston? You’re just going to leave a colleague hanging?”

“Sorry, I really can’t help. I have class now, so I’m heading out.” Teresa turned and left.

Tina was fuming. All that sucking up for nothing—she’d just embarrassed herself. She thought Teresa was easy to deal with, but she was dead wrong.

It was around noon when the teachers were told they had to head out for a training session. Teresa hadn’t heard anything about it beforehand. Normally, only the homeroom teacher would go, but since hers was on leave, Lysander told her to fill in.

Teresa hadn’t even figured out what to do with Michael yet, so she refused.

But Lysander said, “It’s settled, Ms. Johnston. We’re all waiting for you. The training will only take two hours, and then we’ll be back.”

Teresa thought, ‘I’ll be back before school’s out in the afternoon, so I can still pick up Michael from kindergarten,’ and agreed.

But the training ended up running straight into the evening, and Lysander even arranged for everyone to stay overnight.

Stuck out of town with no way to get back, Teresa realized it was time for Michael to get out of school. She didn’t know anyone else in Everport she could turn to for help. Taking a chance, she reached out to Jonathan.

[Sherry’s kid is at kindergarten here. Christian’s mom’s cancer came back, so they went with her to Harrisburg for treatment. She’s not home and asked me to look after their kid, but I’m not in Everport right now. Can you pick him up?]

Teresa typed out the message because she was worried she’d mess up if she called.

But Jonathan called her and asked, “Where are you?”

It was really noisy on Teresa’s end. “I’m—”

“Ms. Johnston, we’re waiting for you! Your room’s ready, come over!” someone called out.

“Oh, okay,” Teresa replied.

“I can’t make it back today. Can you pick up the kid and let him stay at your place tonight?”

Jonathan was silent for a few seconds before agreeing. He thought he heard a man’s voice and wanted to ask her about it, but Teresa had already hung up. Picking up the kid was the least of his worries. He cared way more about Teresa.

When Tina saw Lysander assigning rooms, she noticed he’d given Teresa a single room, while all the other female teachers were paired up, and the male teachers were sharing too. That arrangement made it obvious to Tina what Lysander was up to. Everyone knew he was a creepy old man who loved to ogle pretty women, and with Teresa’s looks and figure, he’d been after her for ages.

Even though Tina usually couldn’t stand Teresa, this time she thought of her brother, Ryan, and decided to help. It took quite a bit of effort to finally get Jonathan’s contact information. She called Jonathan several times before someone finally picked up. “Hello, is this Mr. Lynn from Horizonlead Group?” she asked, a little nervous.

“This is the secretarial department at Horizonlead Group. May I ask what business you have with Mr. Lynn?”

Tina thought, ‘It’s never easy to get through to a big boss.’

She said, “Well, I’d like to speak with Mr. Lynn. It’s about Teresa. I’m not sure if he knows her, but could you please transfer me, or at least let him know?”

As soon as she mentioned Teresa’s name, the person on the other end paused for a few seconds. “Alright, please hold.”