Seduced by Design

Come on, Dad

Jaden

I was running late, and I didn’t have time to spare.

“One, two…three…and four,” I muttered as I made sure all four kids had their lunch packed for the day. “Let’s go!” I yelled as I grabbed my laptop bag, keys, and wallet and set it on the entry table. “NOW!” suddenly the chaos stilled, and I breathed a momentary sigh of relief. The girl's music and the boy's TV were switched off. However, the silence didn’t last long when it sounded like a hoard of elephants as they descended the stairs. “Carrie…Sammy…Mike…and…Will…” I said as I handed over each backpack. The five of us then hustled out of the house and to the van parked in the long driveway.

“Dad! Wait!” Sammy cried out as she made a u-turn and dashed back toward the house. It was a reminder that I hadn’t locked up. I couldn’t quite figure out why I kept forgetting something so important. While Sammy ran back to get whatever she had forgotten, I made sure the other three were settled in the car. Carrie smirked when I saw she was in the passenger seat.

“Shotgun,” she said to me, and I chuckled as I shook my head. Sammy was usually the first one who yelled shotgun, but clearly, she had been distracted. By the time I got to the front door, Sammy was out and complaining about how unfair it was that Carrie was up in front. I paid no attention to their bickering as I locked the door. As soon as I was behind the wheel, I just knew that no matter what, I would be late for work. I had to get another system going because this wasn’t working out.

“Now, remember, do not take your sweet time this afternoon,” I stated as I pulled out of the driveway. “Your mother will be here at four to pick you up,” I added. The boys didn’t say a word, but I noticed that Carrie shared a look with Sammy. “What? What is it? What did I miss?” I asked.

“Dad…we all know that Mom isn’t going to show up,” Carrie whispered just loud enough for me to hear. Not that it mattered, the boys and Sammy were definitely listening. I sighed as I pulled onto the main road that led to Chasea High.

“Sure, she’s missed the last few times, but they just moved to Nuport…so, she should be here,” I said. I knew they were probably right. When Kathy had filed for a divorce, I hadn’t argued with her. It had been pointless. Not only had she met someone else, but she’d been having an affair with the guy for a long time. On top of that, our marriage had fallen apart long before she met the guy. In fact, things had been bad since the twins had been born.

“I wanted to go to Dillen’s party,” Sammy remarked from behind me, and I sighed. “Come on, Dad…can’t you just tell her that we’ll see her next weekend?” she then asked.

“Yeah, come on, Dad,” Carrie chimed in.

“And what? You want to go to Dillen’s party too?” I asked Carrie as the school came into view. “Or is this about Rochelle?” Dillen was Sammy’s best friend and Rochelle was Carrie’s best friend. And it just so happened that Dillen and Rochelle were brother and sister.

“Well, yeah…duh,” Carrie remarked and while I couldn’t see it, I knew she had just rolled her eyes at me.

“Look, I’ll call your mother later and hear what her plans are…” I said as I looked for a parking spot. I saw one just up ahead, and I quickly made a move for it. I parked the car and turned in my seat so that I could look at all of them. “But do not make plans. If she does come, I don’t want you to be disappointed,”

“Come on, Dad!” Sammy groaned but I quickly shot her a look. “Ok,” she then muttered.

“Have a good day, I’ll be here at three,” I said. One by one they got out of the van and headed up to the school. I checked the time on the dash and groaned. I was so late. I then proceeded to get stuck behind another van, which then caused a bit of traffic. It took me a further twenty minutes to get out of it and back on the road. The kids could take the bus, but since it was on my way to work, I hadn’t seen the point. I was starting to regret that decision. Another fifteen minutes later, and I was finally pulling into the parking lot at Billora. Since no one had called me, I had to hope that my presence wasn’t missed. Yet. I just about ran up to the building and signed in before I headed up to my office. Unfortunately, the second I spotted Erik standing in my office, I groaned.

“Before you apologize, don’t,” he said with a smile. I hated that this guy was so cool, calm, and collected. “In fact, I think we should just change your working hours,” he added.

“Now, there's the snarky asshole we all know and love,” I remarked sarcastically. However, I then realized that I had forgotten my laptop in the van. I groaned as I sat down and looked up at Erik. “Fine, change it,”

“Sure, I’ll just consult with HR,” he shot back, and I rolled my eyes. f**k, was I a teenager now? “Look, sorry…I didn’t mean to piss on your battery…but we have a problem,”

“What’s the problem?” I asked curiously.

“Corey walked in on Byron stealing from the supply closet,”

“Again?!” I exclaimed. Byron had been caught stealing from the supply closet just a week ago. After a quick hearing, he had been issued with a first written warning.

“Yup, so when you get situated, check your emails. Corey sent you everything. Including the security footage,” Erik said before he spun on his heel and left my office. I sighed as I hung my head. The day had barely started, and I was already tired.