Chapter ONE-AVERY

“Nurse Brown!”

I cringed inwardly—and probably outwardly, too, if the way Casey, the newest addition to the school nursing staff, arched an eyebrow was any indication.

She looked at me with a mix of amusement and pity. I just couldn’t help it.

The man had a way of making my skin crawl, always teetering on the edge of inappropriate with his overly familiar tone and invasive demeanor.

I’d done everything in my power to steer clear of our new assistant principal, but avoiding Mr. Dryden felt like trying to dodge a heat-seeking missile.

Somehow, he always managed to track me down whenever I was at work.

“Nurse Brown, there you are!” he exclaimed, his voice carried across the hallway like nails on a chalkboard. “I was hoping we could take a coffee break together.”

His grin spread wide, revealing teeth that were yellowed and streaked with tobacco stains.

The truth was, he stunk like an old ashtray, the kind my Paw Paw used to have overflowing in his old Buick.

Ew.