#that reminds me i need to get pet insurance i said id do it this month

[trendfag]

we had to tell a patient today that his insurance is shit and fucking him over and wont pay for at least one of the bridges he needs and he was understandably upset but he was like “well we just had to pay $4000 for my dog to repair his ACL. and i was at the vet and i was like how the hell can you justify charging that much for surgery!” i was like are you hearing yourself?

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Teacher’s Pet

Chapter One

Pairing: Chris Evans x OFC  |  Word Count: 3638 Warnings: None.

Summary: Annie Erikson and her daughter Teddy have always been a family of two. When a job opportunity arises Annie just can’t pass up, she and Teddy leave their small town of Dillon, Texas to move to Boston, Massachusets. Maybe the hot kindergarten teacher at Teddy’s new school will make them a family of three.

“Baby girl, everything is gonna be okay. You're gonna love you're new school. I'm sure your teacher is gonna be just wonderful. There ain't nothing to worry about,” Annie assured her daughter for the third time.

The move from Texas had been rough, but Boston was where her job opportunity had arisen, so Boston was where they went. That didn't mean Teddy liked it, nor had she understood why suddenly they had to move away from their little yellow cottage in Dillon and into the stately brick house in Boston's North End.

Theodora “Teddy" Erikson clutched Annie’s hand like a lifeline as they walked down the hall of her new school toward her kindergarten class. Principal Dickson was supposed to accompany them but had been called away last minute by a phone call which couldn't wait.

In the end, Annie preferred it this way as Teddy was too nervous for Annie to contend with the man trying to flirt with her. As a single mom, Annie had to deal with flirty men more often than she liked. But she and Teddy had done alright on their own.

Her husband Jack had died in a car accident shortly after Annie had learned she was pregnant with Teddy. It had been devastating, but Jack had come through for them in the end. His life insurance had set them up handsomely, but there wasn't much call for an Art Restoration expert in a town like Dillon.

Jack had coached football there, and Annie had given up her career to teach art at the local high school. She'd only stayed as long as she had after his death because Jack’s family insisted.

But when Annie had started painting again, it had reminded her of her love of art. After five years of wallowing in Jack's memory and legacy, she needed a change.

The Museum of Fine Art in Boston had offered her a lucrative position she couldn't say no to, Jack's life insurance and her savings from before their marriage allowed her to buy the house of her dreams, and see Teddy got into one of the best-rated schools in Boston.

And all it took was ripping her child away from the only home and family she’d ever known. Fresh guilt soured her stomach.

“Do I have to go?” Teddy whined.

Annie squeezed her hand. “Yeah, baby. But you're gonna make tons of friends and have the best time,” she promised, praying to God she wasn't lying to her daughter.

The principal had given her directions to Mr. Evans’ class, and Annie prayed a second time the man wouldn't terrify her daughter.

At the door, she paused for it was covered in colourful cutouts of different breeds of dog. The noise coming from the slightly ajar door was loud but lively, and she pushed it tentatively inward.

Mr. Evans had his back to the door and hands on his hips as he looked down at the grinning boy before him. “Really, Chris?” Voice laced with amused exasperation, the man shook his head. “I highly doubt your turtle ate your toes.”

“It's true!” the boy giggled.

“And if I were to turn you upside down and tickle your foot, I'm pretty sure they would wiggle around in your sock. Go on now. Play nice with Julie.”

“Mr. Evans! Door!” cried another little girl sending Teddy scurrying behind Annie’s leg.

The teacher turned around, and Annie tried very hard not to whimper. It was wholly unfair for a man who looked like him to teach kindergarten.

Broad shoulders beneath a white button up. Trim waist and muscular thighs in fitted jeans. Fluffy blond hair neatly trimmed, and a light scruff of facial hair. It made Annie’s mouth bone dry.

“Hi,” he smiled kindly, making his way closer. “You must be Annie Erikson.”

He held out his hand you somehow managed to shake. “Yes. Sorry to just barge in, but Principal Dickson got held up.”

“Not a problem. I'm Chris Evans. Welcome to Eliot Elementary School.” His handshake lingered a moment too long before he crouched and smiled at Teddy, peeking past Annie’s skirt. “And you must be Theodora.”

Again he held out his hand, but Teddy only hid her face.

“I'm sorry. She's pretty shy with new people, and the move has been hard on her.”

“That's okay,” Chris smiled. “Robin?” he called into the classroom and had a girl with pigtails skipping over.

“Yes, Mr. Evans?” she said with a slight lisp.

“Robin, this is Theodora-"

“Teddy,” Teddy whispered.

“Teddy, my apologies,” the teacher smiled. “Robin, would you like to be Teddy's buddy and show her around our class? Help her find her cubby and hang up her coat.”

“Okay, Mr. Evans!” Robin grinned. “C’mon, Teddy.” She held out her hand.

Teddy looked up at Annie in fear. “It's okay, baby.” Annie crouched and hugged her tightly. I'm gonna stand here and talk with y’alls teacher for a few minutes before I have to go to work. You go on and get settled.”

Reluctantly, Teddy released her to hurry after Robin and take the child’s hand. “Bye, mama," she whispered, breaking Annie’s heart.

Chris pushed to his feet then held out his hand to help Annie up. “Don't worry. This happens all the time. She’ll be fine,” he said kindly.

“Will I?" Annie asked, wiping away a tear. “I feel like I'm abandoning my baby.”

“Your first?” he asked.

“My only,” she sighed. “And without her daddy around, it's all the harder.”

“Mr. Erikson works away?”

“Jack died before Teddy was born.” Annie’s phone beeped, and she dug it from her purse. “Shoot. I've really gotta go. It's my first day too.”

“Give me your phone,” Chris said. “I'll put my number in it and text you a couple of pictures to show you Teddy’s doing great.”

Annie handed it over even as she frowned. “Do you do this for all the parents?”

A bit of a cocky grin flashed. “Not at all. But you're new to Boston, Teddy's all you've got, and I know what anxiety can do to a person.” He sent himself a text and handed back your phone just as a T-Rex appeared to roar from his pocket. “Got it. Go. Good luck on your first day. Teddy’s going to do great.”

She sent a glance at Teddy, already playing with a group of girls and sighed. “Thank you, Mr. Evans.”

“Call me Chris,” he smiled, shutting the door as she walked away.

Annie made it to her car before murmuring, “Chris. Least he’ll be easy on the eyes this year.”

***

Thirty minutes later, Annie was finishing up with security, getting her ID badge and passwords for the lab and computers when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Excusing herself for a moment, she pulled it from her suit coat and turned it over to find it was from Teddy’s teacher.

He’d put his info into her phone as Chris Evans, but her immediate thought was hot teacher. Then she unlocked the message and giggled for Mr. Evans was wearing a fuschia feather boa and sparkly tiara, while Teddy had on a pair of aviator shades which could only belong to the man crouched and smiling at the camera with her. Arms crossed, Teddy was giving her best sassy face as she leaned into her teacher's shoulder.

“Damn that’s cute,” Annie whispered, smiling at the image.

Teddy had insisted she had to wear her favourite dress, a red one with white polka dots, and her cowboy boots. Annie had given in on the boots but only because Teddy had agreed to let her braid the strawberry blonde mass of unruly curls the girl had inherited from her father.

A second image came through as she was admiring the first. This one was the same, but instead of smiles both student and teacher were making faces.

Annie snickered and typed out a quick reply.

A: Thank you for those.

C: No problem. She’s a sweet kid.

A: Takes after her father.

C: Pretty sure there’s a bit of her mother in their too.

Annie felt a blush burn her cheeks.

A: I would certainly hope so. She added a laughing emoji and put her phone away when Mark St. Pierre, her new boss arrived.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

In his mid to late thirties, the man wore tweed with leather elbow patches, had receding dirty blonde hair, and was round of face and waistline. He leered a little, and Annie made a mental note to wear shirts with higher necklines to work from now on.

Not that what she had on was in any way inappropriate. The peach blouse was comfortable, easy to work in because of its short sleeves, but the v-neckline did show a little cleavage. Her pencil skirt was beige, her heels short and sensible. A dark green suit jacket rounded out the ensemble and complimented the sleek chignon she’d managed to use to tame her chestnut locks. But just because she looked professional and put together didn’t seem to matter to her boss when his eyes lingered on her breasts.

“Fine,” she clipped the word and let her disapproval show on her face when his gaze darted up.

He only smirked. 

Great. She was working for a lecher. Fabulous.

“We’ve got her sorted, sir,” Stanley the older security officer said, giving Annie a sympathetic look.

Evidently, the museum’s curator was known for his roving eye. As long as he didn’t have roving hands, Annie could live with it. She was about to start her dream job. Nothing was going to take that away from her.

“Excellent! I’ll show Mrs. Erikson through to the lab and get her squared away with Anton.” Mark held out his arm for her, but Annie shrugged and held up papers, purse, and ID badge.

Mark frowned. “Here let me clip that on your jacket for you.”

“I’ve got it,” Annie said, pulling her hands away when he reached for the badge.

“It’s no trouble,” he insisted.

“Mr. St. Pierre,” she said sternly. “I am perfectly capable of pinning on my own badge, but I would appreciate directions to the lab.”

He looked taken aback before an angry flush filled his face. “Well, then. Right this way.” He turned on his heel and marched from the security office.

“Have a good day, Annie,” Stanley murmured.

“Thanks, hun,” she gave him a wink and a smile, having enjoyed her time with him. He’d been pleasant company and had grown up in a town not too far from Dillon. It really was a small world.

“Annie?” he called before she went out the door. “You be careful now, ya hear?” He shot a sharp look at the door.

“Ain’t nothing new, Stan,” she murmured, tilting her head in understanding.

***

Anton LaRoche, her direct supervisor, was beautiful, French, flamboyant, and very, very gay. Annie adored him.

He’d taken one look at her, shot a glare at Mark, and began to fawn, flutter, and touch the Museum’s curator in a way which clearly made the other man uncomfortable.

Mark muttered something about being needed elsewhere and hurried out of the sterile white lab.

“Annie, ma petit chou! You look très chic!” Anton complimented, taking her purse with one hand and raising her hand to his lips with the other. “Come, come. Anton will show you to your office, and then we will drink. Tea because these Americans frown when I drink wine at work,” he huffed indignantly. “Then, you can tell me all how you and your darling Teddy are settling into Boston. Oui?”

She laughed and let him lead her where he would. Anton had been the one to interview her, both via teleconference and then again in person. She’d liked him then, but after he’d rescued her from Mark, who had again tried to take her arm on their way to the lab, she was utterly in love with him now.

“Hun, if you weren’t happily involved and played for the right team, I would snatch you up for myself outta thanks for that timely rescue,” she giggled.

“Bah! That man is a chauvinistic pig!” he spat. “But he is good at what he does. Brilliant even. Still, if he gets out of line, you will tell Anton.” He pushed open the door to her new office.

Annie smiled in relief. While she loved the sterile white of the lab and its clean room, her office had been decorated in soft tans and dark woods. Walls of shelving were top-lit to highlight whatever art or items she chose to display. A large and sleek computer monitor sat on the wood and glass desk, and Annie made her way over to it.

Setting her papers down, she opened the monstrosity she called a purse and pulled out the picture of Teddy on her last birthday. An eight by ten of her with cake on her face and a smile the size of Texas, and a smaller five by seven of Jack standing on the fifty-yard line smiling at the boys he coached.  Both were set with pride beside the monitor before she turned back to Anton.

“She’s a beautiful girl,” he said, his smile soft.

“She’s my angel,” Annie agreed, touching the frame.

“And she likes her new school?” Anton asked.

Annie tugged her phone from her pocket. “Seems too,” she chuckled, showing Anton the first photo Chris had sent her.

“Mmm, bella! Is that her teacher?” He fanned his face. “Do not tell my Travis, but rowr!”

He made a clawing motion, and Annie burst out laughing.

“I know that feeling, hun,” she chuckled. “He’s even prettier in person.”

Laughing together, they went to have tea in Anton’s office, while Annie made a mental note to bring a few of her as of yet unpacked boxes to the Museum.

“I still cannot believe our good fortune of snatching you up, Annie,” Anton smirked as he pushed open the door to his office and made his way to the sideboard.

“I still can’t believe I’m back working,” she sighed. “But… I couldn’t stay in Dillon any longer. And I miss it. The work.”

“You were the best. When I heard you’d left the Louvre seven years ago, I will admit I shed a tear at your loss.”

Annie shrugged and smiled sadly when he came to sit in the chair beside her. “I fell in love. And Jack was never gonna leave those kids. It didn’t matter that I made four times as much as he did. Dillon was home. Those kids were his life, and for a while, the school and teaching art was enough.”

He reached out and patted her hand. “Well, I am most excited you are here. Tell me, are you painting again?”

She shook her head. “Not like I used. Maybe now with the house and all, I can have my studio again, but…” she sighed. “It hurt too much after Jack… and setting up at the school used to irk the parents who thought their son or daughter had so much talent and my work would upset their delicate feelings.” Annie rolled her eyes. “It was a crock of shit because the kids used to love to watch me work.”

“Bah!” Anton huffed. “People are assholes! Is why we work behind the scenes in the lab, non?”

Annie chuckled and nodded. “Oui.”

***

Three hours later, Annie had discarded her jacket in her office and was bent over staring through a magnifying glass at a horribly yellowed varnish on a Greco canvas when her phone buzzed.

A quick glance had her heart jumping when she saw Chris’s name again. Was something wrong? Did Teddy need her?

She swiped the lock screen away and breathed a sigh of relief when the short video played. Teddy and a group of three other girls were playing hopscotch laughing and giggling away. Then the camera turned, and Chris was there, wearing the aviator shades from earlier. “I wanted you to know she’s made a few friends. See you soon, Annie.”

He smiled, and she felt it on a visceral level.

“Ma petit Annie. That man has a wee crush, I think,” Anton chuckled.

“After a five-minute conversation in which I blubbered a little?” She snorted. “I think you’re romantic side is slipping.”

“We shall see. When the hot teacher asks you out, and that is a when not if, you will owe me lunch,” he teased and wandered off to continue cleaning the statue he was working on.

***

Promptly at three, Annie was waiting outside the school for the bell to ring. It had been a bit of a hassle to get out of the building when Mark had, again, caught her in the corridor and asked her to dinner.

Annie had tried to be nice, let him down with a simple, “I’m sorry, but I really need to pick up my daughter,” but Mark had continued to follow and hound her and ask after different dates and times until Annie had come to a stop a few feet away from where Stanley and another security guard stood watching. At that point, she’d had enough. “Mr. St. Pierre. I am not now, nor at any time in the future will I ever be interested in dating you. Please do not ask me again, and I would thank you to keep your hands to yourself from now on. Good day, sir!”

She stalked off fuming and still had not calmed sufficiently to be dealing with her excited five-year-old. When her phone rang, and she glanced down to find Janice, Jack’s mama and Teddy’s grandmother calling, Annie sent her to voicemail.

That was the last thing she needed to deal with right this second. Janice could wait until after dinner, giving Annie time to gird her loins and Teddy time to calm down after the excitement of the day.

When her phone rang a second time, Annie sighed, shut off the ringer and rubbed her forehead before pulling her hair out of the sleek updo. Janice was going to be impossible to deal with after ignoring her twice, and her hair was giving her a headache.

The mass tumbled down to the middle of her back, and Annie breathed a sigh of relief.

When the bell rang, Annie pasted on a smile and walked closer with the other waiting moms, or in some cases, nannies she was sure, but then the doors burst outward, and all the troubles of her day vanished in the light of Teddy’s smile.

“Mama!” she cried, arms out as she raced toward Annie.

“Hey, darling! How was your day?” Annie asked, crouching down to hug Teddy so tight the girl giggled.

“It was great, mama! Mr. Evans is so nice!” She leaned closer and whispered in Annie's ear, “Don’t tell no one, but he let me wear his sunglasses.”

“Did he now?” Annie smiled and glanced up to see Mr. Evans making his way through the sea of children and adoring women.

They all touched him, a hand to his arm or shoulder, but he excused himself each time, stating he would have to speak with them later, avoiding everyone with skill.

“Teddy! Wait!” he called, a package of papers in his hand. “Annie,” he said with a slightly crooked smile.

“Mr. Evans,” she smirked.

“Chris, please,” he murmured, holding out the papers. “We need you to fill out these forms for Teddy’s school record. Health insurance, emergency contact, all that.”

“I'm pretty sure I already did that,” Annie said, cocking her head. Damn the man had the sexiest blue eyes.

“Really?” he asked, the surprise almost passing as genuine. “Must be some mistake at the office. Would you mind filling them out again?”

A dimple appeared with his cheeky grin which had Annie reaching for the paperwork. She’d always been a sucker for dimples.

He crossed his arms over his chest afterward, causing his shirt to stretch when his incredible pecs seemed about ready to tear straight through the cotton. “How was the first day?”

She licked her lips and lifted her gaze back to his, the boyish grin stating he knew exactly what she’d been admiring. “Had its ups and downs,” Annie said cryptically. “See you tomorrow, Mr. Evans.”

“Chris,” he said, his grin never wavering. “See you tomorrow, Teddy.” He held out his hand, and she gave him a high five.

“You betcha, Mr. Evans!” Teddy chirped and skipped toward the car.

“Annie.” Chris tilted his head, his smile softening.

She arched a brow as she turned away. “Mr. Evans.”

He only laughed and watched her walk away before wading back through the sea of women and kids on his way to the school.

As the door was open, Annie heard him say, “Now, Ms. Cooper. There's no need for a private chat when Duncan is doing just fine. And while I'm flattered by the offer of dinner, Ms. Jones, I'm afraid I'm going to be busy for the foreseeable future.” He smiled, but dismissed them both with a curt nod and headed inside.

Annie made sure Teddy was buckled in before pulling away from the curb, allowing her daughter's cheerful chatter to wash over her on the short drive home.

Annie. Chris hadn't called her by her last name, not once. He always called her Annie.

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