Page 21 of The Headmaster’s Rule

I glance up to find Mr. Fells, smiling broadly.

“How are you?” he asks, not giving me time to answer before lowering his voice. “How is it working with Theo on the fundraiser?” He and Margaret share a look as Mr. Fells drops into the chair beside me.

Theo. So that’s his first name. It suits him.

“Miss Hart actually has a fundraiser proposal she’s about to show Mr. Wright,” Margaret says, and Mr. Fells’s face lights up.

“Fantastic. Can I see it?”

“Uh…” I shift in my seat, glancing at the headmaster’s closed door. Something doesn’t feel right about showing it to Mr. Fells before Headmaster Wright sees it.

Mr. Fells rises from the chair, motioning for me to follow. “Come into my office and we’ll chat,” he says kindly.

I look at Margaret uncertainly, and she waves a hand. “I’ll call for you when Mr. Wright is available.”

Exhaling slowly, I stand and follow Mr. Fells into his office beside the headmaster’s. I don’t feel anywhere near as nervous to share my proposal with Mr. Fells. If anything, I think he’ll be on board with it, and I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have a practice run presenting it. He might even give me some tips to help it go over better with Headmaster Wright.

“Have a seat.” He motions to a pair of chairs opposite his desk, plopping into one himself.

“Thanks, Mr. Fells.”

“Please, call me Danny.”

That feels unbelievably informal, but given everyone else here seems to do it, it would be weird if I didn’t, right?

“Danny,” I say awkwardly. “Thanks. So, um…” I open my folder, gut tightening as I turn to the first page.

“I’m sure whatever you’ve got is great,” Danny says, and my gut settles.

I smile. “Well, what I’m proposing is—”

There’s a knock at the door, and Headmaster Wright enters the room. “Margaret said you were looking for me, Miss Hart?”

“Theo!” Danny grins, gesturing for him to join us. “Perfect timing. Nora was about to show me her idea for the fall fundraiser cause.”

Headmaster Wright looks at me, expression inscrutable. My stomach flips under his gaze, and not only from nerves. God, he’s handsome. Tall and sharp and powerful in a way that makes my knees weak.

“Was she?”

Crap. Does he think I’ve gone behind his back?

“I wasn’t, uh, I mean—”

“Well then, Miss Hart.” He crosses the room to stand in front of Danny’s desk, leaning back against it. He folds his arms, jacket stretching over his shoulders as he does, a movement that’s far too distracting. “Let’s hear it.”

He’s close now, close enough for me to catch the scent of his cologne, something crisp and clean, with a hint of sandalwood. It makes my mouth dry. His muscular frame looms over me, calm and commanding, and it takes all my strength not to shrink into myself.

This is not how I planned it at all. I was going to stand and project confidence, maybe pace a little as I spoke.

But what choice do I have? He’s here, he’s listening, and having Danny beside me is actually a good thing. His presence feels more supportive than threatening.

Here goes nothing.

With a deep breath, I square my shoulders, look Headmaster Wright dead in the eye, and begin.

CHAPTER 9

Theo