Read Charmed (Contemporary Romance) for Free Online Page B

and settled into their new school. Timmy actually got used to the new routine faster than Michael.
    Jamie enjoyed spending her days pouring herself into her business. There was an old woodshed on her property that Justin had turned into a small studio for her. There, she worked on her craft, letting her imagination reign free. She hadn’t had this much time to herself in five years.
    The hours would fly by, from the initial sketches and blueprints to the final, more elaborate details. But by the time one-thirty rolled around each day, she was already longing for Michael and Timmy’s hugs and eager to hear about their day.
    When she glanced at her calendar one Thursday, she was surprised to see that it was already the last day of September. The first month of school had flown by.
    The phone interrupted Jamie’s thoughts. The caller ID flashed the school’s number.
    “Mrs. Sullivan?” a voice that sounded like Claire’s asked.
    “This is she.” Jamie tried not to sound panicky. The school had never called her and she wanted to blurt out are my kids okay?
    “Your boys are both fine.” Claire read her mind, but added, “However, there’s been an incident with Timmy. It’s nothing for you to worry about, but Nick would like to talk to you in person. It’s really not an over-the-phone matter. How soon can you come in?”
    Jamie was standing in front of Claire twenty minutes later.
    Claire ushered Jamie into Nick’s office. “Can Claire stay?” she asked, after shaking Nick’s hand. He looked taken aback by the request, but Claire answered for him.
    “It’s the last day of the month and parents are paying tuition. I’m sorry, sweetie, but I can’t leave the front office alone.”
    Jamie nodded as Claire left, and Nick motioned her to the chair in front of his desk.
    “What happened?” Jamie asked in a polite tone that didn’t betray her impatience.
    “Well, Miss Dwyer was talking about seatbelt safety today. She was explaining how seatbelts save lives, and Timmy burst out in tears, saying it wasn’t true, that seatbelts didn’t save lives. Miss Dwyer really didn’t know what to do or say, and Michael just stopped speaking altogether. She brought them here, and I had Claire call you, but the school counselor and I managed to calm Timmy down, playing a few games. Michael eventually got into the games, too, and they appear to be fine now.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me what happened over the phone? I could’ve calmed them down. Where are they?” Jamie felt sick, knowing the boys had been thinking about their dad.
    “We called you so you could come in, talk to them, and take them home if they were still agitated. I guarantee you wouldn’t have been much help over the phone. But you need to trust me when I tell you they’re fine now, and they’ve both settled back into their daily routine. It’s best if you talk to them when they get home and you’ve all settled into your routine. The school counselor agrees with me. It’s your choice, of course, but I hope you take my opinion into consideration.”
    Jamie put her hands over her face and tried to think straight. Her impulse was to gather them up and take them home right now. But her instinct told her they might feel they did something wrong if she pulled them out of class early. What she couldn’t seem to do was trust Nick and the school counselor’s opinion. What did they know about her kids?
    “Can I take a peek at them and make sure they’re all right?”
    “Of course. Come around.” He motioned to the larger of two flat-screen monitors on his desk. Jamie came around as Nick typed, and a bunch of little boxes with different classrooms gave way to a full view of Miss Dwyer’s room.
    The children were all smiling at something Miss Dwyer was holding up. Michael put his hand over his mouth and laughed, and Timmy took the opportunity to lean forward and pull on a little girl’s pigtails.
    The girl looked back, and Timmy looked up at the