And Back Again

Chapter 5

For lunch, on her first day of work in the new year, Zara had sushi with Emily Galindo.  They'd been distant since the Nestor break up but for no other reason than thinking the other woman was feeling awkward.

"How was your Christmas?" Zara asked as she and Emily sat on opposite sides of her desk with their lunches.

Emily beamed. "It was wonderful. Cristobal is understanding more and more, so he was much more excited. He made it a lot more fun this year. How was yours?"

"Mine?" Zara scoffed. "I spent it in a hospital room with eating Chinese with a miserable, whiny Angel," she pulled a face. "At least we were together this year."

"It sounds like they're getting progressively better," Emily remarked, "Maybe next year you'll go on some tropical vacation."

"Or, better yet, be engaged, married or have a baby," Zara said sadly.

"You guys just got back together," Emily said. "Maybe the slow route is better?"

"I know he's it and we've come so close to the whole family thing I'm just impatient," Zara explained. "I'm getting close to the older side of young too."

"No you're not," Emily rolled her eyes."Besides, you have a gorgeous house, a good job where you're trusted with multiple responsibilities and are well-liked by staff and students," Emily said cheerfully. "Just because you're not married with 2.5 kids doesn't mean you haven't done things, Zara."

"I'm such a bad feminist," Zara groaned.

"Do you know who I married?" Emily laughed. "Sure, he could be much worse but there's an archaic side to the family."

"I've seen it," Zara told her. "I'm just feeling shitty this week," she explained. "I'll get over it."

"Zara?" The assistant principal poked her head into the classroom. "There's someone here to see you."

Surprised, Zara seemed confused for a Kinney before she got to her feet. "Uh. Okay. I'll be right there."

"I should go anyway," Emily said, clearing her trash. "We'll catch up this weekend."

"For sure," Zara said as she hugged Emily. "Wish me luck," she grumbled with a bit of apprehension.

They walked down the main hall together and split with Emily turning toward the exit and Zara stepping into the office.

"Am I in some kind of trouble?" Zara asked adding a small giggle to seem less anxious than she was.

"Only if you dislike handsome men," the secretary whispered with a smirk. "That Bastian Botha man is here to see you."

"Oh," Zara was dreading this meeting now that there was a club task involved. "Great." Tapping her knuckles on the door, Zara could hear two voices in the office.

"Ah, Miss. Osbourne," Bastian beamed as he saw her behind the door. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Me?" She swallowed hard. "Why me?"

"I have a place for you," he started. "I cleared it with the Principal first, I wanted to make sure there are no conflicts of interest and that he knew I wasn't trying to poach his staff."

Zara's face showed her displeasure over being dismissed as the first person Bastian should have spoken to. "Okay so maybe it's time you clear it with me."

Bastian smirked at that, seeing her annoyance, and nodded. "I'm starting a committee, local business owners, teachers," he said with a wink, "To help point me in the right direction with my charitable contributions."