Can't Help Falling in Love

8

"Miss Grey, Miss Grey!" Meg giggled as she ran towards her teacher. "We're twins!"

Meredith smiled as she reached down to pull Meg's cowboy hat back from her eyes. "That we are," she said, pushing her own hat to rest on her back. "I like your cowgirl hat there, partner."

Meg giggled as she held up a gold plastic star. "My daddy gave me a sheriff's badge," she said proudly.

"Well, then you're a much better cowgirl than I am," Meredith sighed. "Why don't you go and look at everyone else's costume and we'll start the parade soon."

"Okay!" Meg grinned as she turned towards the rest of her members.

Meredith smiled as she turned back to the pumpkin shaped cupcakes as she laid them out on the table in the back of the classroom. All the kids were already pretty excited, and they'd returned from lunch in their costumes and excited to walk through the school to show the rest of the classes their costumes.

She sighed as she turned to the doorway, smiling when she saw Meg's mom walk into the room. "Dr. Scott," she said, briefly wondering whether Derek had told his family about her. "Thanks for coming to help. I know you're really busy."

"Well, I have to put Meg first," Kathleen smiled, holding out a plastic shopping bag. "I didn't have enough time to bake, but I figured you'd need juice."

"Perfect," Meredith smiled, reaching for the offered juice. "The kids are still getting their costumes on, so maybe you could just help make sure all their parts are in the right places? I've got a couple more parents coming in soon, and I think your brother mentioned he might stop by too."

"Derek's coming?" Kathleen frowned.

Meredith smiled slightly, hoping she looked conspicuous enough. "He was here for the picnic last month and the kids really liked him," she said. "He's great with them."

Kathleen nodded, but before she could say anything else, Meg ran up to her. "Mommy, Mommy, Miss Grey's a cowgirl just like me!" she cried.

"She is," Kathleen nodded. "Are you ready for your party?"

"Yeah, come see the pumpkin I colored!" Meg cried, pulling her towards her desk.

Meredith sighed as she pulled the juice out of the shopping bag, glad that Kathleen had gotten distracted from the conversation about Derek. She just had to make sure that she didn't say anything else about him until he got there.

She continued to set up the table of sweets as a few more parents came in, deserts in tow. When the food was all set up, she moved quickly towards the bulletin board in the corner, reaching up to staple the Halloween drawings the students had created that morning. As she pressed the stapler into the wall, she heard a deep voice whisper in her ear, "Hello there, little lady."

Meredith raised her eyebrows as she turned to face Derek, finding him uncomfortably close to her in the middle of her classroom. "That was the worst western accent I've ever heard," she giggled as she pushed past him to moved towards her desk.

Derek frowned as he followed her. "I think I'm insulted."

"Okay," Meredith hissed, glancing around the classroom. "You can't flirt with me."

"What?" Derek frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I'm at work," Meredith replied. "And there are a million six year olds running around on sugar highs. And your sister is about twenty feet away."

"Sister?" Derek frowned, looking up with wide eyes when he saw Kathleen on the other side of the room. "Oh."

"I told her you were coming," Meredith sighed, grabbing a box of doughnuts from her desk. "And I don't think she has any idea that you're dating me."