Saving Ms Gothel, page 2
part #7 of Middleton Prep Series
Tears pricked Zellie’s eyes as she thought of not seeing Tia multiple times a week. No more eating Home Ec leftovers and sharing school gossip. No more hanging out at Tia’s house to get a break from mother. No more ... Zellie’s thought trailed off as she saw a tall, handsome brunette man stride across the grass, heading towards the house entrance.
“Hank,” Zellie breathed. Almost a year ago she had met Hank at Thanksgiving and had to admit that for the first time in many years, she had been tempted to break her mother’s rules of ‘no boys’. Probably a good thing I haven’t seen him since then.
“Zellie!”
Zellie spun her head around to see who had called her. “Oh, hey, Snow.” Zellie discreetly wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
“You ready to go inside?” Snow smiled kindly at Zellie and nodded her head toward the house. “I hear the food is insanely good. Tia didn’t actually bake anything, but I heard she oversaw the whole thing.” Snow grinned and leaned in. “She probably drove the head chef crazy.”
Zellie closed her eyes and giggled lightly. “Sounds about right. And yes, I’m ready.”
When the two women started for the house, Snow put her arm through Zellie’s and pulled her close. “I’m going to miss Tia, too,” Snow said softly.
Zellie nodded but didn’t speak.
“I guess we’ll just have to go to her bakery and make ourselves fat on her treats every weekend.”
A smile finally broke through Zellie’s somber demeanor. She looked over at her beautiful, dark-haired friend. “Sounds good to me.”
They walked into the large mansion and followed the crowd to a room big enough to house hundreds of people. Zellie whistled low. “Geez, this place is huge.”
“I know,” Snow answered quietly. “And to think that Mr. Gruffman lives here by himself.”
Zellie looked over at Snow. “Seriously? Just him in this massive place?”
Snow shrugged. “Well, I heard he has a housekeeper and butler and other stuff, but yeah. He’s not married or anything.”
Zellie shook her head. “I didn’t know people still had butlers, nowadays.” She snorted. “I’m pretty sure my little house could fit inside one of the bedrooms here.”
Snow giggled. “My apartment is probably the size of one of the bathrooms.”
Zellie smiled at that.
Snow tugged on Zellie’s arm. “Come on, let’s grab some food before it’s gone.”
As the two women stood in the buffet line, Zellie let her eyes wander through the crowd. She recognized many people from the school she worked at, but there were equally as many she had never seen before.
“Oh my word, is that the mayor?” Snow whispered in Zellie’s ear.
“Where?” Zellie asked. Following Snow’s finger, Zellie gave a surprised huff. “Yeah, I think it is. I mean, I’ve only ever seen him in the newspaper, but that sure looks like him.”
“Good grief, take a look at the group of people he’s with.”
Zellie frowned but studied the faces in the crowd around Mayor Weatherby. “Some of them look kinda familiar, but—” She cut off when she realized where she had seen them before. “Whoa, that’s a powerful group.”
“Seriously,” Snow said in awe. “CEO’s, newspaper owners, news anchors, a couple are from the town council I think. Makes you wonder how much that group is worth.”
Zellie scrunched her nose before turning back to the food. “More than we’ll ever make.”
“True story,” Snow agreed. “Oh, yum, this looks delicious.”
Zellie nodded. “How to choose, how to choose.” She tapped her finger on her lips.
“Little bit of everything, I think.” Snow smiled mischievously.
“Perfect. And we might have to work together.”
“Done!” The ladies smiled at each other.
Hefting overly-full plates, the women settled themselves at one of the many small, round tables scattered throughout the edges of the ballroom.
“These cream puffs are amazing,” Snow said with a moan.
“So is the cheesecake.” Zellie took another bite “We probably should eat the dinner stuff first, rather than dessert.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Snow teased.
“May I join you?” A pleasant baritone voice interrupted their conversation.
Zellie stiffened, recognizing who it was immediately. Hank. Schooling her features, she turned to the handsome man standing behind her shoulder. She sighed internally at his appearance. His suit fit him to perfection and his slightly too long hair had been styled into submission, but his eyes ... well, his eyes betrayed his carefree personality as they twinkled with humor and amusement.
“Of course,” Snow answered when Zellie remained silent. Snow elbowed her friend as Hank took the seat next to Zellie.
Zellie jumped, then blinked rapidly as she pulled herself out of her daydream. “Hello, Hank. Fancy meeting you here.” Oh my gosh, did I really just say that?
Hank grinned, his dimple winking flirtatiously. “Well, it would have been hard to sit this one out, since I was the best man.”
Zellie felt heat crawl up her neck and knew her blush was giving away her embarrassment. “I guess that would pretty much guarantee your attendance, huh?” She tucked a piece of hair that had fallen out of her signature bun behind her ear.
Snow cleared her throat and Zellie felt the blush kick up a notch “Oh, sorry. Snow, this is Hank. Hank this is Snow, she works at Middleton Prep with Tia and I. Well, with me. Tia has left us for greener pastures.” Zellie smiled to let Hank know she was teasing.
Hank tilted his head. “Snow, huh? That’s an interesting name.”
Snow rolled her eyes. “It’s not my real name. My real name is Willow White, but all the lovely ladies at Middleton call me Snow because my skin is so fair.”
Hank nodded his head. “Great friends ya got there.”
Snow smiled. “The best,” she agreed.
Zellie pushed back the tiny leaf of jealousy that was trying to take root as she watched Hank study and interact with her friend. Snow can’t help the fact that she’s gorgeous and attracts attention. Black hair, white skin, and red lips are a stunning combination. Plus, it’s not like Hank is mine anyway ... he can never be mine.
“What have you been up to?” Hank asked Zellie as he took a bite of his own plate of dinner.
“Nothing much,” Zellie replied coolly. “Teaching, of course, and then I had the summer off.”
“Do anything fun for summer break? I’m guessing it’s about over by now, huh?”
Zellie shrugged. “Nah. My mother doesn’t like to travel, so I mainly stick around town. I usually volunteer with some of the summer sports programs.”
“That’s cool,” Hank said. His eyes shifted to Snow. “What do you teach?”
Snow smiled. “I’m a second-grade teacher.”
“And did you also have the summer off?”
“No. I helped out with the summer school reading program. But it’s only a couple hours a day, so it’s still like having a vacation.” Snow took another bite of creme puff.
“Wow. That’s impressive.” Hank said with a nod. “Oof!” Hank fell forward a little when a meaty hand slapped him on the shoulder.
“Why do I always find you surrounded by ladies, Hank?” A deep, gravelly voice said.
Hank’s grin was lopsided as he shifted to look at the giant standing behind him. “Hello, Quentin. How come I never find you surrounded by ladies?”
Quentin snorted at the snarky response.
Zellie’s eyes were wide as she looked at the man. It was obvious he was Brody’s brother, but he was massive. He must be at least six-foot-six. Good grief, he’s built like a linebacker. How do you get to be that big when you sit behind a desk all day?
Quentin’s voice boomed. “Are you going to introduce me?”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on it, didn’t want the competition, you understand.” Hank grinned. “But since you asked so nicely.” Hank turned to look at the two women, who were both staring at the newcomer. “Zellie, Snow, this is Quentin Gruffman, Brody’s oldest brother.”
Another snort came from the large man.
“Quentin, this is Zellie Gothel and Willow White, known to her friends as Snow, for her fair skin.” Hank put out his palm to indicate Zellie and Snow respectively.
Quentin raised an eyebrow, which made him look even more intimidating than he already did.
Does he ever smile? Zellie wondered.
“So you’re only a friend, huh?” Quentin said to Hank.
Hank rolled his eyes. “At least I can say that.” He shot back.
Quentin leaned over Hank with his hand out. “Ms. Gothel,” Quentin’s large hands were surprisingly gentle as he gave her a small handshake. “Ms. White,” Quentin’s eyes and hand lingered long enough that Zellie and Hank exchanged a look.
Oooh. Zellie felt a grin creep across her face. Looks like Snow has an admirer.
“Mr. Gruffman,” Snow’s sweet voice was soft and she too couldn’t seem to pull away.
“Please call me Quentin.”
“Only if you call me Snow,” Snow said with a smile.
An orchestra started up in the background of their little meeting and Quentin must have noticed. He shifted his hand on Snow’s until he held underneath her fingers and then guided her to her feet. “We’ll start with that,” Quentin said confidently as he led her away from the table and to the dance floor.
Silence reigned at their little table for a moment as both Hank and Zellie watched Quentin put his arms around the tall, slender Snow. At five-ten, Snow stood much taller than most women, but it was nothing compared to Quentin’s height and bulk. She nearly disappeared in his arms.
“Whoa,” Hank said in awe. “I have to say I’m impressed. I’ve never seen a man work so quickly.”
Zellie let out a light laugh in an attempt to hide the sorrow inside. Another one bites the dust. “It was pretty spectacular.”
“Well, shall we?” Hank looked expectantly at Zellie.
“Shall we what?” Zellie’s brows were scrunched and a frown crossed her face.
“Dance, of course!” Hank said as he stood and extended his hand.
Zellie chewed her lip for a moment. Does this break mother’s rule of ‘no boys’? She was so full of conflicting emotions at the moment, Zellie wasn’t sure where to turn. She thought Hank was attractive and nice, for the most part. And she was feeling exceptionally vulnerable at the moment as her friends seemed to be pairing off at an increasing rate. But she had worked hard to be obedient to her mother’s edict most all her life. It’s just a dance! It doesn’t matter! Shoving aside the chaos of her thoughts, Zellie put her hand in Hanks and stood up. “I would love to,” she said with feigned confidence.
HANK STUDIED THE PETITE, athletic, blonde at his side. She’s even prettier than I remember. And geez, those big, green eyes are enough to floor a man. Does she still not date? Tia said Zellie’s mom is super controlling but is that really it? She’s got such an innocence about her.
Letting go of his mental wanderings, Hank pulled Zellie into his arms as they reached the dance floor.
“Are you excited for school to get going again?”
Zellie smiled up at him. “Sure. I love teaching P.E. It’s fun and active and the kids are really entertaining.”
“So you hope to have your own kids one day?”
Zellie’s face fell and she looked at the other couples.
Way to go, bro. You barely see her again and you’ve made her uncomfortable.
“I would love to have children,” Zellie finally answered softly. “But I doubt it’s in the cards for me.”
“You still on that ‘no man’ kick?”
Fire flashed through Zellie’s eyes as they came back to Hank’s. And dang, if it doesn’t make her even more attractive.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
Hank smirked. “Maybe not, but if a man was going to ask you out, then it probably is his business.”
Zellie paled.
Sheesh. Am I really that bad?
“You’re going to ask me out?”
“I don’t know. From the look on your face, I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Here,” he leaned close. “I’ll tell you a secret.” Zellie’s eyebrows scrunched as Hank leaned next to her ear. “No man likes to be rejected,” he whispered.
Hank smiled when he saw a shiver go through Zellie’s body. Well, well, well, she’s not as opposed to me as she says.
Zellie threw her shoulders back and put a confident look on her face. “Well, no woman wants to be seen as an object.”
Hank raised a brow. “Asking a woman on a date makes her an object?”
“Well, no, not exactly.” Zellie chewed her lip. “But eventually it always comes down to that.”
Hank scowled. “Look around you, Zellie. Do you think Brody sees Tia as an object?”
Zellie deflated. “No,” she whispered softly.
“Your mother seems to have filled your head with all sorts of junk. Seriously, you need to live a little. You’re a grown woman. Act like it.”
That fire was back and Hank worked hard not to smirk.
“That was uncalled for.”
Hank shrugged. “I probably could have said that in a nicer way, but my guess is your friends have already done that.”
Zellie looked away.
“How about this,” Hank started.
Zellie’s eyes came back to him.
“I’ll quit trying to stage an intervention if you give me your phone number.”
Zellie’s eyes widened before she tilted her head back and laughed.
Hank’s chest warmed at the sound. What the heck is that? Must be heartburn.
“Is that how you get a girl’s number nowadays?” Zellie asked after she had calmed down.
Hank shrugged. “If necessary.” He smiled. “I want to help. You seem like a nice person and I’d like to get to know you more. Plus, we’re practically related since our friends got married.”
Zellie’s right eyebrow shot up. “Related, really? That’s a bit of a stretch.”
“Tomato, tomahto. At least, we can agree we’re friends. And friends don’t let friends miss their entire lives because of crazy mothers.”
Zellie bristled and Hank regretted his words.
“Sorry. Maybe I should have said overbearing? Or weird? Or ... different?” Hank smiled as he spoke, trying to tease Zellie out of he anger.
“Alright, alright. I get it. And truth be told, my mother is definitely most of those things.” Her shoulders slumped. “It would be nice to have another friend since all mine seem to be starting their own lives.” Zellie’s eyes wandered around the room, eyeing the couples.
“Perfect!” Hank walked Zellie back to their table and grabbed his phone, handing it to Zellie for her to program her number in. “Awesome. Now, I’m starved. Wanna finish eating?” Hank held out Zellie’s chair.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile as he pushed her in.
“Anytime.” Hank rubbed his chest where it had grown warm again at her smile. Stupid heartburn.
CHAPTER 3
“RAPUNZEL! ARE YOU UP?” Cassia Gothel shouted down the hallway.
“Yes, Mother!” Zellie answered back while pulling on her athletic shoes. She let out a huff of exasperated air. Every morning it’s the same old thing.
“Don’t use that tone with me, miss. If you’re late to work, those corporate bohos will get rid of you faster than you can blink. Know why?”
“Because you’re a woman in a man’s world,” Zellie mouthed the words as her mother shouted them down the hallway.
“If there’s anything I’ve learned in my life, it’s that men think they can do and take anything. Can’t trust a one of them.”
Zellie rolled her eyes at the lecture she heard every day. Her mother never missed a chance to teach Zellie about how horrible men were and how her failed life taught her so much.
“Are you going to fix breakfast before you leave?” Her mother called out once again. “You know how I am when my blood sugar gets too low in the morning!”
“Yes, Mother,” Zellie sighed. You’re a grown woman, why not just feed yourself! Zellie knew better than to say those words out loud. She was only ever rebellious in her mind, but sometimes it was a challenge to keep inside. Her mother had the incredible ability to make her life absolutely miserable and she always managed to turn it up a notch if Zellie got fed up with her mother’s antics.
Zellie glanced in the mirror in the bathroom before walking to the kitchen. After making sure her extra long hair was tightly wound into a secure knot on top of her head, she walked to the kitchen to make breakfast.
“There you are. It’s about time you got yourself out of bed. It really shouldn’t take you so long to get ready, darling. You’re only a P.E. teacher after all. It’s not like you’re going to be impressing anybody.” Cassia sniffed and continued scrolling through her phone as she waited at the breakfast table.
Zellie made sure her back was turned before she rolled her eyes again. She’s only trying to help... She’s only trying to help ... She repeated in her head, doing her best to stay calm as she scrambled some eggs for them to eat. Stepping away from the pan for a minute, she tossed some bread into the toaster and then hurried back before the eggs could burn.
“Watch those eggs, dear. I don’t like them overcooked.”
Zellie grit her teeth but didn’t answer her mother. Someday ... she promised herself.
“Finally,” Cassia exclaimed as Zellie set a plate of eggs and toast in front of her mother. “Sit down, dear. Don’t just stand there.” Cassia ate in silence for a moment. “Really dear, I don’t know why you don’t cut your hair.”
Annnnd here we go ... again.
“Women having long hair is an archaic and old-fashioned tradition. You should cut it into something modern and short. Something that will make you look independent and like your own woman.”
