Chapter Two: Parallel Lives
Author's note: Thanks for the response, it was awesome. I hope you guys like this one just as much. Or more, preferably. I'll try to update again this weekend.
Nathan listened as his daughter chatted happily about her new teacher, who was apparently young and pretty and let them have class outside when it was warm out.
He listened indulgently. He had always been aware that Celia, who had been without a mother since birth, was extra enthusiastic about potential role models. He wished that he and Lucas had been more able to provide for her, but neither had been able to keep a relationship going since the death and abandonment of their respective wives.
Celia continued to chatter as they walked up the walkway to where she and Cassie would be spending the evening while Lucas and Nathan tackled Parent Teacher night at school. The two were to be babysat but one of Lucas and Nathan's single parent friend, Jake Jagielski, who had an eleven year old daughter of his own. They'd met him in a support group when they'd decided to move in together, and had found him to be a good friend and a solid babysitter. This was particularly useful on nights such as this – it was rare that they went out together without the girls, but Parent Teacher night was something they'd decided was better to tackle together.
Lucas was waiting in Jake's living room with Jake when Nathan and Celia entered. Shrieks coming from upstairs informed them that Cassie was upstairs with Jake's daughter Jenny, and she ran up to join them. Nathan dropped onto a sofa.
"You don't have your interview today, Jake?" asked Nathan of their friend. Jake shook his head. Though there were many single mothers at the elementary school, they remained the only single fathers.
"Tomorrow. You guys will take Jenny?" he asked. They nodded. Jake was younger than them, having had Jenny with his then girlfriend during high school.
"Of course. The girls want to go to the movies, so maybe Jenny should stay over?" suggested Nathan. Jake nodded. Nathan absently wondered what Jake would do with his evening alone. Jake, who had been left by his girlfriend years ago and had had to go through a messy custody battle, had even less of a social life than the Scott brothers did.
Lucas stood abruptly. Nathan glanced at his watch and stood as well.
"We have to go. Interview's in twenty minutes."
"Just remember that Celia's lactose intolerant, and Cassie isn't but will pretend to be to get out of having to drink milk, and..." Nathan spoke hurriedly to Jake, but Lucas cut him off.
"Dude, you're such a woman. Come on."
Nathan playfully shoved his brother but then followed him agreeably to the car.
"Do you know her name?" asked Nathan, as they walked through the familiar halls of their daughters' school. Lucas frowned to himself.
"Miss James? She didn't say," he said.
Nathan nodded and followed his younger brother into the classroom. As Lucas went to go greet the teacher, sitting behind a desk, Nathan looked around the classroom. It was fairly standard. Several maps on the wall, a whiteboard with markers. He picked out where Celia and Cassie sat by the supplies that were on their desks. After and Lucas had finished exchanging pleasantries, he walked toward her. When they finally met eyes, his widened in amazement.
He remembered vaguely that Lucas had met this woman, but was astonished that he'd never spoke of her in greater detail.
She was younger than any teacher Celia and Cassie had ever had, significantly so. He estimated her to be younger than even he and Lucas. She was wearing a knee length pencil skirt and a simple white blouse, but did not look particularly teacherlike. Her hair was long, straight and blonde, but was tied in a matronly style at the nape of her neck. His eyes fell to her left hand as he shook her right. No ring.
"Hey. I'm Nathan Scott," he said, smiling flirtatiously. Briefly, he felt as he had as a teenager, the biggest stud on campus.
"Haley James," she said. Haley. Now they knew. "I already met your partner, Lucas."
Nathan and Lucas exchanged glances as they sat down together. It was an interesting way of phrasing their relationship.
Haley shuffled through some papers on her desk.
"So are the girls doing okay?" asked Nathan. He hated Parent Teacher interviews – it always made him feel like he was back at school, as if he were being graded again.
"They're great. They seem to be really close to one of the other girls, Jenny Jagielski. Cassie plays a lot of soccer with the boys on the playground, but Celia seems to be more of a social climber," said Haley with a giggle.
"We're hoping to curb that before she gets to high school. I remember the popular girls in high school," said Nathan jokingly. Haley smiled.
"The twins everyone about their two Daddies. They're remarkably well adjusted," said Haley. Nathan and Lucas exchanged looks once more, this time startled.
"Wait, what? Cassie and Celia told you they were twins?" demanded Lucas.
"And that we were what, married?" asked Nathan. He refrained from cracking up, guessing that it was not the best idea.
Haley, a new teacher, looked utterly lost. She floundered for a moment.
"I'm sorry. I assumed. Celia told me you were one of her fathers on the first day, and you're all called Scott, and you came in together. I just assumed..."
"It's fine," said Nathan. He held up his left hand. "We're brothers. Not married."
"What?" asked Haley.
"We've lived together ever since Lucas became a single parent, years ago. Celia's mother died when she was born so I was raising her alone, but I wasn't doing so well. We figured we'd do better if we tackled it together. So far it's working out pretty good, except for now they're getting so smart they think they can pull stuff like this. Sorry for the confusion, Miss James," said Nathan. They met eyes.
"Call me Haley, please. They totally got me, I can't believe it. They don't cover stuff like this in teacher's college," she said. "So Celia is your daughter?"
Nathan nodded. "And Cassie is Lucas'."
Haley nodded, digesting this. After a moment, she seemed to realize that she was being unprofessional.
"So let's um... Cassie's great with English, but her math skills are not so hot..." began Haley uncertainly. Both men relaxed and listened as the meeting progressed.
Having had to park a distance away from the school, Lucas determined that he would go get it and call Nathan when he was ready for him to come out. Haley began to pack her bag, apparently having finished her meetings for the day. Nathan watched her appraisingly.
Her hands found the pins that held her hair in place and she pulled them out, letting her hair fall down past her shoulders. He watched as suddenly she became less professional looking, became even more breathtaking. He wondered vaguely what his daughter would think of him developing a crush on their teacher.
"I have to say, I think it's amazing what a good job you've done with the girls. It sounds like they've been through a lot, but they're extremely well adjusted."
"Thanks. It was hard for a while. Lucas was clueless as well as being heartbroken. I was just clueless. We got into a pretty good rhythm a while back. We swap days making lunches, dropping them off, carpooling with the Jagielskis. I'm not surprised you thought we were married, we practically are," he joked. She laughed appreciatively and perched on the end of her desk, swinging her legs and now bare feet. He moved to stand closer to her.
"I have to say, Celia and you don't look much alike," commented Haley.
"Yeah. Celia's beautiful, like her mother," he said. The moment he said it he regretted it, though there was nothing essentially untrue about his statement – Celia did look her mother, and her mother had been beautiful. He felt guilty, thinking about his wife while he flirted with another woman. Daytona had been beautiful, and his true love for a time, but he knew she would have wanted him to move on.
"She seems pretty happy with what you've got going," said Haley.
"We all are."
Nathan cursed inwardly as his phone rang. He wished he'd thought to put it on vibrate so that he could let it ring and continue to talk to her. He knew Lucas would understand. She stuck out her hand to shake, and he did so.
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Scott," she said formally. The schoolteacher once more. He studied her loose hair for a moment, her deep brown eyes.
"Nathan. Please. I'll be seeing you, Haley," he said. He casually winked to her as he exited, forced himself not to look back as he walked down the hall. He envisioned that he'd be making more visits to the school in future.