Before heading to the break room for coffee, she stopped at the office to check her mailbox and talk to Allie.
Meg hadn’t had time with her friend since their girls’ night, which felt like a lifetime ago, and she wanted to rectify that. She paused at the wall of small mailboxes and pulled out a few colored papers, notices, and other items before turning to her friend.
“Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” Allie sat behind a metal desk and always greeted everyone with a warm smile.
“How are you feeling?” Allie gestured to Meg’s stomach.
Meg blushed and grinned. “Pretty good, thanks. You?”
Allie shrugged. “Not bad. Listen, I need to talk to you,” she said, lowering her voice.
“And I’d love to grab lunch sometime soon,” Meg said. Allie was aware of the situation with Mike but not that Meg was living with Scott. They definitely had catching up to do.
“Great! I’ll text you. I’m going to visit my parents this weekend, so maybe the next. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about . . .”
“What is it?” Meg asked, concerned.
“Parents have been calling about a sedan in the parking lot with a driver sitting behind the wheel. Mr. Hansen went out to speak to the driver.” Allie glanced over her shoulder at the partially open door, as if assuring they wouldn’t be caught talking.
Meg’s stomach cramped. “What happened?”
“The guy showed him an ID card from a protection agency and explained he was on the job for someone inside the school. He didn’t mention names but . . .” Because Mr. Hansen, as well as Allie, knew Meg no longer wanted Mike allowed into the school . . .
“He put two and two together and came up with me as the person who needed protection,” Meg said.
Allie inclined her head. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Meg drew a deep gulp of air. “Does he want to see me?”
“Right away.”
“Okay.” Meg straightened her shoulders, ignored the nerves bouncing in her stomach, and strode around her friend’s desk to the principal’s office, knocking with her knuckles.
“Come in,” he called.
She stepped in to find Mr. Hansen sitting behind his desk. He was a bland man in personality and appearance. With his thinning black hair and plaid suits that had seen better days, it was obvious to Meg why she hadn’t wanted to date him. There was zero attraction between them. The sun streamed in from behind him, the bright Florida sunshine in stark contrast to Meg’s darkening mood.
“Good morning, Meg,” he said, as always using her first name instead of the formality most principals preferred. “Please have a seat,” he said in a serious tone.
She chose one of the two uncomfortable hard-backed chairs across from him.
“I’ll get right to the point. I’ve had some phone calls from concerned parents about the man sitting outside the school in an unmarked car.”
Meg gripped the edge of her chair harder. Of course she could comprehend why parents wouldn’t be comfortable with a large man sitting in a black car, parked in the school lot for the entire day.
“I can explain.”
“Then it does involve you?”
She closed her eyes and nodded.
“It was only conjecture until now.”
Meg had known that, but she believed in owning up to her issues when confronted. “You already know I put my ex-boyfriend on a list of people I don’t want to be allowed inside the school. The truth is, I have a restraining order against him,” she admitted. She glanced down, noticed that her hands had begun to shake, and shoved them beneath her legs on the chair.
“Is the man dangerous?” Mr. Hansen asked. “Do I need to be concerned about the children?”
“Umm, he’s only interested in me.”
The other man narrowed his gaze. “What if the kids get in the way of him getting to you?”
Meg’s mouth grew dry. “I didn’t think . . . I wouldn’t put the kids at risk.” She couldn’t vouch for Mike’s stability if he was drinking.
“I know you wouldn’t do it deliberately, but that may be the end result. One of the parents who called is on the school board. She wants to call a meeting. She feels you should be suspended without pay, and frankly, given the situation, that’s very likely how the board will vote.”
Meg dipped her head, knowing what Mr. Hansen was getting at. She could go through with the farce of the board hearing, but the result was almost a given. If Meg was in their situation and had children in the school, knowing what she did about her ex, she’d vote to suspend her. What if Mike did become totally unhinged and was drinking and made a scene outside school? What if he went after her and the children were there? She shook her head, surprised she hadn’t thought of this before. But she’d been so overwhelmed with things, she hadn’t thought beyond her own problems.
“I understand,” she whispered, her fear folding in on her because she knew what was coming.
“Then we’re in agreement. You’ll take a voluntary suspension, and I’ll explain things to the board.”
Meg managed a nod as tears sprung to her eyes. Now she wasn’t just an unwed mother, she was an unemployed, unwed mother with no income coming in. She’d counted on saving her money between now and when this school year ended for the new and unexpected baby-related expenses.
Somehow she rose to her feet on shaking legs and started for the door.
“Meg.”
She turned and glanced over her shoulder. The sympathetic look on his face surprised her. “I really am sorry. I know how you feel about the children and they about you.”
“Thank you.”
She turned and headed out, walking past Allie with a half wave, unable to find the words to speak. Not without bursting into tears.
Scott spent the morning with Tyler, in a meeting with Lola Corbin. She came alone, no handlers or other band members with her. She
