First Meeting from New at Love by Dellani Oakes

Amanda Bitterson works as a substitute teacher. This particular day, she's subbing at the high school. She has a problem with one of the students, but another teacher, a handsome man, intervenes. At lunch, they meet up again.

She sat on a planter in the courtyard, enjoying the sunshine on her shoulders. Someone approached from her left, but the sun was in her eyes, so she couldn't see details until he sat down. It was her rescuer from earlier.

"Hi." He smiled, extending his hand. "Large pizza, extra cheese, pepperoni, bacon and pineapple. I'm Derrick Butler."

"I thought you looked familiar! I'm Amanda Bitterson. Do you work here?"

He laughed, tossing his blond hair out of his eyes. "Not exactly. I'm visiting from Australia. Might have noticed?" He put on an exaggerated Aussie accent.

"No, not really. We didn't talk much last night."

"True, that. So, shit for brains giving you trouble, eh?"

"He would have, except for you. Thank you. He had me pretty scared."

"Never show fear of the enemy," he said with a chuckle.

"I was more afraid I was going to break something," she laughed. "It's reflex to knee a guy in the balls for grabbing a boob unless I want him to. I don't want to lose my job."

"Can't say I blame you. Besides, little shit's not worth it."

"So, you never said if you worked here or not."

"I'm mostly an observer." He shrugged, eating one of her potato chips. "It's an exchange program for instructors. Kind of like foreign exchange students. I've come for a semester to teach a class while a teacher from here works in mine. I hope he's having more fun than me."

"What do you teach?"

"History, mostly. Though, mind you, I'm only here for the surfing and the hot chicks."

"I see."

"I'm team teaching with a guy who's near retirement. He doesn't even notice if I'm there or not, so I wander around having lunch with beautiful women after rescuing them from horny football players."

Amanda laughed, covering her mouth with her fingers so she wouldn't spew her food.

"Though there's no one to save them from horny Australian history teachers. Pity that."

"Who says they want to be saved?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You drink coffee?"

"What?" She was puzzled by his abrupt subject change.

"Do you," he pointed at her. "Drink coffee?" He mimed drinking from a cup.

"Yes."

"Want to have coffee with me later? My treat. I even have American money."

"I'd like that. Thanks."

"Cool! Can we make it right after school? I have to deliver pizzas again this evening."

"Sure. That'd be great."

"I'll meet you by your classroom then." He was gone as suddenly as he'd arrived.

Amanda had never met anyone quite like Derrick Butler before. He completely took her breath away, bouncing in and out of her life like a beach ball. He was unlike any other men she knew. Somehow that was comforting.

The last two hours of school passed Amanda in a blur. As soon as the last student handed in the essay, she set out what she would need for the next day, waiting for Derrick. He tapped on her door a few minutes later.

"Got hung up in the classroom. Mr. Snooze wants me to teach tomorrow."

"He's not really named Snooze, is he?"

Derrick laughed, placing his hand at the small of her back as he opened the outer door, letting her precede him.

"No. His name is Murray, but he's a real snooze. I'm actually looking forward to class tomorrow. I get to talk about my favorite subject."

"What's that?"

"Besides myself and beautiful blondes? I wax virtually poetic on the subject of my homeland. He's asked me to talk about the settling of Australia by the Brits."

"I see. Fascinating! I'd like to hear that."

"Sweet! Come by during your free period and listen in."

"I'd like that. I know very little about Australian history. Ned Kelly and prisoners, that's about it."

"Oh, love, what I could teach you!"

Amanda laughed, thinking there was a lot more than Australian history couched in that remark, but she didn't draw attention to it. She liked Derrick a lot, finding his boyish enthusiasm refreshing. She wasn't all that experienced in love, but her last boyfriend had burned her badly before dumping her for someone new.

© 2019 Dellani Oakes

To Find All Dellani's Books