A Very Merry Romance (Madaris Series Book 21) Read online

  Marilyn nibbled on her bottom lip. Although she had gotten to know Carolyn and liked her a lot, she was reluctant to share her personal business with anyone. There was no way she could tell her friend that the transfer to Cullers would be a financial burden.

  Even though it was a great opportunity, and she’d receive a slight increase in her salary, it wouldn’t be enough to make much of a difference. Her new school was located across town, which meant she would need a car. And that was something she couldn’t afford to buy right now. She had mailed off half of her paycheck to her parents today. She would have to make do riding the bus for a while, at least until her father returned to work.

  As a result, she would have to get up two hours earlier each morning. Teaching at Parkwood had been so convenient. Not having to make a car payment or pay for auto insurance had saved her a lot of money.

  Her only other alternative was to find an apartment near Cullers, where she could continue to walk to school. Cullers was in a nice area of town and she could just imagine how much more she would have to pay for rent if she were to move. Besides, she loved her apartment and the area where it was located.

  “Marilyn, what has you so uptight about the transfer?” Carolyn asked her again.

  Instead of telling her the real reason, she said, “It’s such a big undertaking.”

  Carolyn nodded. “All eyes will definitely be on you, kiddo. But I’m sure you’ll do fine. Mr. Madaris would not have selected you if he didn’t think so. And what an opportunity! A math coach? Who would have thought of such a thing? You can’t convince me this isn’t one of his babies. Another one of his bright ideas. If you do well, then you’ll make Sanders, Chapman and Mr. Madaris look good.”

  “I guess I wasn’t prepared for the pressure.”

  Carolyn lifted a brow. “What pressure? You’re a math whiz. Word got out the second day of school that you’d turned down a job offer as a human computer with NASA. Mr. Madaris saw a way to use your skills to the school district’s advantage. Like I said, the man is brilliant.”

  One of Marilyn’s neighbors came out to get into his car. Marilyn watched as Carolyn followed the man’s movements with her eyes, while she licked her lips, their conversation temporarily forgotten. Marilyn shook her head. Her friend never missed the chance to admire a handsome man. She hoped Carolyn never got the chance to meet her brother Roland.

  It was only after the man had driven off that Carolyn returned to their conversation. “Like I was saying, Marilyn, you’ll do fine. You’re the only teacher at Parkwood--probably in this entire school district--who has the math skills to pull this off. They selected the right person. You’re worrying for nothing.”

  Marilyn released a deep sigh. “I guess you’re right.”

  Carolyn chuckled. “I know I’m right. Just don’t forget about me. We’re going to have to get together from time to time, especially now that I’ve seen you have such good-looking neighbors.”

  * * * *

  Jonathan was in a good mood when he met his brother for dinner later that day. Robert, who was home on leave from the military, had come into town to do errands for the ranch and called to see if Jon was free.

  “Any reason you’re smiling all over the place?” Robert asked, studying him across the table. “Did you get a promotion at work?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then what is it? Don’t keep me in suspense.”

  Jonathan was close to all his brothers, but he was closest to Robert because they were close in age. According to his older siblings, nobody had expected Robert and Jonathan to become family additions when they had. And none of them had figured on Jake, who’d been born after the oldest Madaris brothers had married and were having kids of their own.

  “I met someone, Robert. A woman.”

  Robert smiled. “Who is she?”

  “One of my teachers. I was attracted to her from the first moment I laid eyes on her.”

  Robert raised a brow. “I’m happy for you. But when did your school get rid of that non-fraternizing policy?”

  “They haven’t.”

  Robert frowned, obviously confused. “Then you’re breaking the rules?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Robert leaned back in his chair and stared at his brother. “Then I think you need to explain what you mean.”

  At that moment a waitress came to take their order. “Let’s order our food first,” Jonathan said. “Then I will tell you everything.”

  * * * *

  Later that evening, Marilyn called her best friend, Traci, to share the news about her transfer to another school...and her concerns about it.

  “I agree with your co-worker, Marilyn. It sounds like your principal has a lot of faith in your abilities,” Traci said. “You should feel honored he recommended you.”

  “I am, but that means I’ll have to break down and get a car.”

  “Then get one. Your parents will understand. They don’t like you sending money to them, anyway.”

  “I know, but until Dad goes back to work, I don’t want them to worry about anything. Dad’s physical therapy isn’t cheap.”

  “I wish your brothers could help more. Maybe not Ro, since he’s in medical school, but Stuart Jr. could certainly pitch in.”

  Marilyn agreed. “I will talk to him. He needs to start helping out.”

  Traci didn’t say anything and Marilyn knew why. Getting any money out of her older brother was like pulling teeth.

  After Marilyn ended her call with Traci, she lay across the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Once she got home, she’d changed into comfortable clothing and fixed something for dinner. Then she’d called Barbara, anxious to tell her about her new position. Like everyone else, Barbara had thought it was a good opportunity.

  Not knowing what else to do, Marilyn took a chance and called Stuart Jr. Only he wasn’t at home and she got Arlene instead. Marilyn spent the next twenty minutes listening to her sister-in-law complain about her brother. When she could finally get a word in, she asked, “Please have Stuart Jr. call me when he gets home. There’s a matter I need to discuss with him.” Then telling Arlene she had a lot to do, she had ended the call.

  She didn’t understand her sister-in-law. Until Arlene put her foot down, Stuart Jr. would continue to carry on the way he was doing. And all the complaining in the world wouldn’t change that.

  Deciding to clear her head of family matters, Marilyn’s thoughts drifted back to her meeting with Jonathan Madaris. She was beginning to accept that leaving Parkwood was probably a good thing. She’d found Jonathan Madaris way too appealing for her peace of mind. And getting interested in a man was the last thing she needed. There were too many other important things on her plate right now.

  Her phone rang and she reached out to answer it. “Hello?”

  “Arlene said you called.”

  It was Stuart Jr. “Yes. I’m going to need to buy a car.”

  “And?”

  “And I was wondering if you could help out with the folks until I get my finances adjusted again.”

  There was a pause. “I’ll have to get back with you on that.”

  She sighed in frustration. “When will you let me know?”

  “In a few days.”

  Marilyn could hear another voice in the background. A woman’s voice that wasn’t Arlene’s. “Where are you?”

  “At a friend’s house.”

  “How did you know I wanted to talk to you?” she asked.

  “I called home to remind Arlene to take the dog for a walk. She told me you called.”

  “You got a dog?”

  “I’m keeping him for a friend who’s out of town.”

  Marilyn rolled her eyes. “Sounds like Arlene is the one keeping him.”

  “Whatever. Is there anything else?”

  Marilyn frowned when she heard the woman in the background demand, rather loudly, that her brother end the call and come back to bed. Suddenly, she couldn’t stop the anger surging through her
. “You are despicable, Stuart Jr. Need I remind you that you have a wife?”

  “Stay out my business, Marilyn.” Then in a muffled voice, as if he didn’t want the woman to hear, he said, “This is the game all men play. Keep living and you’ll see for yourself.”

  She was fuming. “Why are you even married?”

  “Good question. I’ll give you the answer when I figure it out for myself.” And then he hung up on her.

  Marilyn hoped that one day her brother would regret what he was doing, and that when he did, it wouldn’t be too late.

  * * * *

  “So, how are you getting around that non-fraternization policy at your school,” Robert Madaris asked his brother, after the waitress had taken their order and left.

  “I transferred Marilyn to another school,” Jonathan said.

  “And she agreed with that?”

  “I didn’t ask her. She has no idea how I feel about her. Hell, we’ve never even held a conversation that wasn’t work related.”

  Robert leaned back in his chair. “Let me get this straight. You met this woman two months ago and decided you want to start a relationship with her. And without finding out if she was even interested in you, you had her transferred from your school?”

  Jonathan wasn’t sure he liked the way Robert had worded it, but everything his brother said was true. “Yes, that’s about it. This will give us time to get to know each other better.”

  Robert picked up his glass and took a sip of water. “I don’t want to play devil’s advocate, but I can see this blowing up in your face, Jonathan. I learned years ago that you should never go behind a woman’s back. How do you think she’s going to feel when she discovers you manipulated the situation?”

  “I’m hoping that by then, she’ll have fallen in love with me and will understand my motives.”

  “And if she doesn’t?”

  Jonathan waved off his brother’s words. “I’ve got everything figured out. I’m backing off for a few weeks so that when I show up, she won’t suspect anything. That way, we can date like normal people. I will get to know her and she will get to know me. When I feel comfortable that our relationship’s going in the direction I want it to go, I will tell her everything. By then, it won’t matter.”

  “I hope for your sake it doesn’t. I can understand love at first sight. I felt the same way when I met Diana. And I can even understand that at times a guy has to be strategic about capturing a woman’s heart. But I think you’ve gone a little too far. For all you know, she might have liked Parkwood and didn’t want to go anywhere else. Making changes in her life the way you have, just for your benefit, doesn’t seem right.”

  Suddenly, Jonathan wasn’t smiling quite as brightly. “You’re thinking too much about this, Robert. I’ve figured it out. Everything will fall in place.”

  Robert released a deep sigh. “For your sake, I hope they do.”

  The waitress returned with the appetizers they’d ordered and Jonathan tried to push his brother’s words to the back of his mind. Like he’d told Robert, he had a plan. He’d give Miss Bannister time to adjust to the fact that he was no longer her boss. Once that happened, he’d convince her that it would be perfectly fine for them to be together.

  The hardest part for him, in the coming days, would be not seeing her around school. However, he’d be patient. He had already accomplished step one, which was to get her transferred. When he felt the time was right, he would implement step two. At that time, he would find a way to make her see him, not as Principal Madaris, but as Jonathan, the man who intended to capture her heart.

  7

  A month later, Marilyn was glancing around a huge ballroom filled with people. Everyone was at tonight’s gala to offer their support to Senator Barbara Jordan’s election bid to the United States House of Representatives. Her opponent had already started hitting hard with negative ads, but everyone knew Barbara was someone who’d always put the people of Texas first. She would get things done if sent to Washington.

  Marilyn checked her watch. There was no way she would leave before Barbara gave her speech. Carolyn, who’d agreed to attend this event with her tonight, had canceled at the last minute. Marilyn’s neighbor, the guy Carolyn had ogled that day she’d taken Marilyn home, had finally made his move and asked Carolyn out on a date...tonight. So Marilyn had been kicked to the curb.

  Marilyn drew in a deep breath. Although she understood Carolyn’s excitement, her friend’s last-minute cancellation meant Marilyn had to rush and call a cab in order to make it on time. But it was worth it. She was glad she was here to support her friend. As far as she was concerned, Barbara’s opponent didn’t stand a chance.

  Deciding she might as well grab something to eat, Marilyn headed for the food table. Apparently, standing alone without a date gave some of the men here tonight the idea that she was looking for male company. So far, three had approached her, making small talk that centered mainly on themselves. She’d pasted a smile on her face and done her best to feign interest.

  First there was the doctor who’d introduced himself as Carlton Graft. He’d then proceeded to brag about his degrees. But what really got to her was his admission that even though he’d voted for Barbara for the Senate, he wasn’t convinced she was the right person to send to Washington, her being a woman and all. Marilyn had to bite her tongue to stop herself from showing the arrogant jackass just what a woman could do, especially with a well-aimed kick. But she managed to control herself...barely.

  Then she’d met Bentley Fields, who played with a local jazz band. She thought it was rather nice of him to invite her to come hear him play his trumpet tomorrow night at the Pullman Club in downtown Houston. She’d heard it was next to impossible to get in on a Saturday night, unless a person had connections.

  But she’d immediately rejected the invitation when she’d discovered it came with a price--a sleepover in his apartment after the show. She told him, as politely as she could, that she wasn’t interested. He moved on, and was quickly replaced by John Stanhope.

  John also worked in the Houston school system, but by the end of their conversation, she wondered why. It was obvious he didn’t like his job and was only teaching until something better came along. Considering his attitude, she felt sorry for his students. They were definitely getting short-changed.

  Marilyn loved being a math coach at Cullers, especially because she got to work with Helen Chapman. Carolyn had been right--the woman was a jewel with a wealth of experience and knowledge under her belt. The older woman had pretty much given Marilyn free rein to set up the program however she saw fit and already, Marilyn had noticed improvement in her students’ math scores. She’d learned that making math fun was the key to success. That was the way it had first been presented to her, and so, she offered it to her students in the same way. She had her own classroom, and every hour, she’d get a new group of kids who needed some help in math. Her students ranged from grades two to six, and she had a “fun with numbers” program with the first graders every Friday. Even Principal Chapman seemed amazed and pleased at the progress she’d made so far.

  It would be the perfect situation for her, if only she’d managed to get a car. But she hadn’t found one she could afford. So instead, she was having to get up hours early to catch a bus that would take her to the other side of town. And if she stayed at school after hours to meet with parents, it was dark when she arrived home. That made for long days. But she was making it work.

  This week she’d received some good news from her parents. According to the doctor, her father was progressing well and would be able to return to work soon, maybe even the first of the year. Stuart Bannister Sr. was a proud man and she knew he hadn’t liked receiving money from her, although the funds had been needed.

  In other family news, Arlene had finally taken enough and decided to ask Stuart Jr. for a divorce. Marilyn knew Arlene was making the right decision. Arlene was a beautiful person and had a lot to offer a man who would appreci
ate her. She hoped that one day Stuart Jr. realized just what he had lost.

  Her parents believed he was already feeling the effect. According to them, he was in shock, not able to believe that Arlene had actually left him. He’d come home one afternoon and found her gone, all traces of her presence wiped from their home. Marilyn thought about a saying her mother often preached, ‘You don’t miss your water until the well runs dry’. When it came to her older brother, she wasn’t sure he’d ever grasp the concept, but she would wait and see. If and when he ever did, he had his work cut out for him. Arlene had moved back to her home town of Baton Rouge. That meant he would have to run after her, something he claimed he would never do.

  Stuart Jr. hadn’t called her, other than once a few weeks back to find out if she knew where Arlene had gone. She hadn’t known at the time, but even if she had, she wouldn’t have told him. Marilyn had no tolerance for men who played games the way he did. As much as she loved her brother, she felt he’d gotten just what he deserved.

  As she helped herself to several mouthwatering treats from the buffet, she felt a presence beside her. She could only hope none of her previous companions had returned to try again. Bracing herself, she glanced up and her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes met those of a very handsome Jonathan Madaris.

  * * * *

  Jonathan gazed down at Marilyn Bannister and wondered how any woman could be more beautiful. There hadn’t been a day that passed that she hadn’t been in his thoughts. He no longer walked the halls hoping for an encounter he knew wouldn’t take place. Nor did he stand by the window at the end of every school day to catch a glimpse of her leaving. Instead he’d kept himself busy, fighting not to lose sight of the big picture. He believed that the longer they were apart, at this stage of his plan, the easier it would be for him to achieve his goal. He had to think outside of the box and not see Marilyn Bannister as a problem to be solved, but rather as an asset to be gained.