Chapter Two

Sasha

SASHA took a last look around the middle-school classroom that had been his domain for the past year. Of all the jobs he’d bounced around to and from, this was the toughest to leave. Damn, he missed these kids already, and he hadn’t even walked out the door yet with his pitiful box of personal belongings. If ever he was the kind of guy to cry, now would be the time, but as always, he wouldn’t allow it. He hadn’t allowed it when his parents had routinely abandoned him as a child. He hadn’t allowed it even when he’d caught his boyfriend, Drew, getting it on with another man in their shared apartment.

In the latter case, though, maybe it was his anger toward Drew that kept his sharpest emotions at bay. If Drew weren’t a tenured teacher at the middle school, Sasha could have happily fought to keep his job here. But Drew and his boy toy were in the same math department as Sasha. It also didn’t help that their apartment was in Drew’s name, even though Sasha paid most of the rent. This all left him without a job, without a home, and utterly alone. Always alone in the end. And this time right before the holidays.

Considering his admittedly abundant list of friends, none of them were the kind to turn to in times of trouble. They were the ones to call to party or go drinking with. Wouldn’t getting drunk be peachy? In his drunken stupor, he’d end up trying to go to a home he no longer had. Nope. His new to-do list involved cramming what few possessions he owned into his beloved truck, heading for a hotel, and hoping it didn’t rain. The way his life was going, there’d probably be a downpour before he’d gone ten miles.

As he reached for his box of belongings, his phone rang. Ah, what the hell. There wouldn’t be a class coming in until next period, and he didn’t work here anymore. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at it, a Seattle number. He answered before it went to voicemail.

“Hello. I’m calling for Ms. Sasha Lindsey.”

Sasha chuckled. It never got old how everyone assumed he was a female. “That’s Mr. Sasha Lindsey, and you’ve got him.”

There was an awkward pause. “Oh, uh, I’m so sorry. I called to schedule your interview for the nanny position you applied for. Was there a mistake? Perhaps you didn’t apply for the job?”

More like she was hoping he hadn’t applied for the job. He wasn’t about to let her off the hook, and he had nowhere else to be anyway. May as well make the drive from California to Washington to have the interview. Seattle was as good a place as any to make a fresh start.

“I did apply, and I’d love to interview in person. You’ll find I’m highly qualified and have exceptional references. As I’m a school teacher, you’ll also find I pass rigorous background checks.”

The woman stuttered a few times, but eventually they worked out a time and date that would allow him to make the drive and have time to find a hotel before he had to be there. After he hung up, he grabbed his box and headed out to his truck. After sliding behind the wheel, he pulled his phone out again. To be honest, he didn’t remember which job he’d blindly agreed to interview for. Not that it mattered. He’d sent out about thirty applications trying to get anywhere but here, where his guts wanted to spill on the pavement to match the pain in his chest.

Blowing out a hard breath, he tried to let the negativity go while he looked up the job in his email. Ah, this was a good one, though it wasn’t exactly in Seattle like he’d assumed. He’d be working in Vashon, an island in the Puget Sound across from Seattle and accessible by ferry. The posting was for a live-in nanny with room and board provided, a driver, and a discretionary fund on top of a salary.

Living on an island would be different, but otherwise, the job was perfect. He’d have a place to live and food to eat so he wouldn’t have to worry about stretching his money or living in his truck until his first payday. Yes, his beast of a Silverado was his life, the only extravagant thing he’d allowed himself, but he wasn’t ready to make it his home address.

If only he hadn’t paid the rent on Drew’s apartment this month already. Come to think of it, he’d always been the one to pay for Drew, and even their friends, when they went out. While Drew had been saving his money. Or spending it on his side guy. Fuck.

A knock on his window startled him from his thoughts. He looked up from his phone and rolled the window down when he saw one of his students—former students.

“Mr. Lindsey? Are you really leaving?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Mark. I wish I’d had enough time to say goodbye to all my classes.”

The kid’s shoulders slumped. “There’s no way they could replace you.”

Sasha gave him a broad smile, trying to keep his real feelings from showing. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure the new teacher will know his stuff.”

“Maybe,” the kid said, “but he won’t make it fun. I don’t think anyone can make math fun like you do.”

“You don’t know that. Even if he’s not fun, remember all those websites I gave you if you get to stuff you don’t understand. They’ll make it easier for you. They make games out of it. You can make anything fun if you get creative and put your mind to it.”

Mark stared at the ground as he spoke. “You never treated us like we didn’t matter.”

“Because you do matter. You all do. Look, you’re fourteen. Only a few more years and you’ll be a young adult. If people want to treat you like a little kid, it’s their problem. It’s not because you aren’t capable of being more mature, and it doesn’t mean you have to act the way they treat you.”

“We’ll miss you.” Mark did look up then, and it drove the pain through Sasha’s practiced numbness. His smile fell away.

“I’ll miss all of you too. Very much. I’m honored to have met you, Mark.”

The conversation echoed in his head on repeat as Sasha packed his belongings that afternoon. So many times, he’d had to leave jobs like this over failed relationships. He should have learned not to make attachments at work that would compromise his job. This was a dose of the consequences, and he wasn’t throwing this lesson away.

If he got this job in Vashon, it wasn’t only for financial security and a place to live. It was a chance to make a difference in kids’ lives, the entire reason he’d become a teacher. He’d be taking care of a twelve-year-old boy and a sixteen-year-old girl, and for once, he had every intention of staying until they didn’t need him anymore.

Should be a piece of cake. The parents were probably a middle-aged married couple who worked high-powered jobs somewhere that kept them away from home a lot. Maybe they’d be surprised to find he was male, but it was an ideal position. At least there was no chance the dad would find Sasha attractive and start banging the nanny.