Mateo rubbed the back of his neck as he walked through the sunshine and whistled low under his breath. That woman was gorgeous! Her blonde hair nearly glowed in the sunshine and her olive skin was a nice contrast. He couldn’t see her eyes behind her sunglasses, but her lips sang a siren’s song. The bottom one was plumper than the top, creating a slight pout to her mouth. The mauve color of those lips was just as inviting as their shape.
He thought back to when he had approached her, his knees had been shaking and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. It was like being a freshman in high school all over again. It wasn’t until she had spoken with that froggy voice that he had snapped out of his nervousness. Somehow, her inability to talk made it easier to approach her.
I wonder what her real voice sounds like ... soft? Low and husky? Light and airy? Whatever it was, he was sure it would sound like music to his ears. Mateo gave himself a hard shake. It wasn’t right to be thinking about the woman at the park when he was a on a mission to find another woman.
L.G.’s latest email had let slip the name of the school she worked at, just like he had hoped it would. Middleton Prep. He had looked it up online and found that it wasn’t that far from his house. Today’s errand was to go and see if he could get a glimpse of her in action. Although his hopes were high that her emails were sincere, he had been burned before and refused to take things at face value.
Walking the few blocks he had memorized from his phone map, he found himself across the parking lot from a large, brick building. “Nice,” he muttered under his breath. As a commercial real estate agent, he could appreciate the well kept structure and landscaping. There were only a few cars in the lot and he quickly walked up to the front entrance.
Pulling open one of the doors, he searched his brain for what to say. I doubt they will just let me walk straight through their school, but what excuse can I give, especially when I don’t even know her name?
The front office lay directly in front of him and he knew he was going to have to come up with something quick. A plump, older lady sat at the desk and looked up as he walked inside.
She eyed him with a raised brow. “Can I help you?”
“Uh, yeah, I mean yes.” Mateo stammered. “I—” Suddenly a plan formed. “I have a child in school here and was hoping to catch a glimpse of her in class.”
“You want to catch a glimpse of her in class,” the secretary repeated in a deadpan voice. Obviously she wasn’t buying his story.
Mateo rubbed the back of his neck and stuffed his other hand on his front pocket. He could feel heat rising in his cheeks and hoped that his dark skin covered the blush. “Yes. She had mentioned to me how much she is enjoying her teacher and I was just hoping to sneak a small peak.”
“Who is her teacher?”
“Well ... see ... that’s the thing. I don’t know,” he stammered.
“You don’t know your child’s teacher?” Once again, that accusatory brow shot up.
“No ... but I know her initials are L.G.” Mateo winced, knowing he sounded like an idiot. Who doesn’t know their child’s teacher?
The woman eyed him narrowly for a few moments. “I’m sorry sir. But I don’t think I can help you. If you wish to visit you will need to get the teacher’s name from your daughter and then come back and fill out a visitor’s pass. “
Mateo felt his shoulders slump. Shoot. Now what? “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll do that.” Turning he headed out the office doors, pausing just outside the entrance. Turning to the left would lead him out of the building, but turning to the right would take him further inside. He glanced over his shoulder seeing that the secretary was watching his every move.
With a smile, he waved over his shoulder and turned towards the outside doors. Keeping an eye on her in his periphery, he saw her look away as his hand grabbed the handle. She went to the telephone at her side, answering an incoming call. Now! He pulled the door open and then ducked down, so the secretary couldn’t see him. Hopefully the closing door makes her think I left. Crawling down the hallway, he worked his way around the corner before standing and straightening his clothes.
“You’ll be lucky if they don’t call the police,” he mumbled to himself. Better move or you’re going to get caught. He scurried down the hall, noting how quiet it was. “Maybe this is the wrong school ...” The lights of the building were on, but most of the classrooms were dark and obviously empty. His heart sank as he continued to walk, causing him to almost miss the classroom to his right where a handful of kids were being taught.
Ducking to the side, he peered into the classroom as carefully as he could. The kids looked to be bored teenagers. Wrong one. Straightening up, he continued on.
Twenty minutes later he was in his third wing of the school, hoping it was his last. This is getting ridiculous. Spotting a couple of bright classrooms in front of him, he headed towards them. Finally! He had reached classrooms with elementary age kids. The first classroom had a male teacher and Mateo moved on. As he neared the door, he saw a flash of blonde hair. Of course it would be the very last classroom. Why didn’t I think of that before? He grumbled internally.
Staying as out of sight as possible, he peered into the room. An average sized blonde woman stood in the front, showing the kids letter combinations on a projector screen. That’s got to be her! He stood watching her for a few more minutes. She seemed kind, she smiled at the students, but he noticed the students weren’t very enthusiastic back. Probably because they don’t want to be in summer school.
She’s pretty enough. He thought, as he studied her. Her blonde hair was pulled back away from her face. She wore bright, red lipstick on thin lips, which stood out starkly against her fair skin. She had little to no curves, in fact, she was a little skinnier than Mateo normally preferred, but he wouldn’t hold that against her. Her lips and curves aren’t nearly as nice as the woman at the park ... He shut those thoughts down quickly. This isn’t about her looks, it’s about making a deeper connection. He scolded himself. That was the whole reason behind the dating site.
While he was standing at the door window, he heard one of the kids yell from the back of the room. “Ms. Gresham?”
“Gresham?” He whispered. That solidified it. The woman’s initials were L.G. Gresham was a perfect fit. Stepping back he began to walk away, trying to find an exit. Once outside, he worked his way back to the street, thinking as he went.
He hadn’t been instantly attracted to her the way he had the woman at the park. Seeing Ms. Gresham hadn’t sent his blood rushing or his heart speeding, but did that really matter? Their emails had definitely shown a connection worth exploring.
Sighing, he headed home. Best to stick with the teacher and forget Lucy at the park. He thought. I’m already invested in L.G. and I’ve already learned that looks usually mean no depth. Time to write another email.