Just Another Day (Kateri)

[Kateri Rivera]

It was solid truth, although Midori’s Tory might’ve been the exception to the rule. Two year olds were terrible. Kateri only had to remember her little brother at that age to be certain of that fact. She tilted her head to the side. “Now I don’t know if that’s true. You just have to fund a younger woman to give you children, I suppose. I hear they’re very fond of accountants.” She grinned at him, then added more seriously, “Or you could just adopt.” Her mother had been ecstatic when Kateri’d given birth to Meg, even if the circumstances hadn’t been ideal. She’d been worried (and was still worried) that she wouldn’t have the proper number of grandchildren to dote upon. Her father just laughed it off and said his brother had had plenty of kids, and he didn’t see why he had to worry about the family line continuing on too much.

“You ENJOY that?” Kateri was laughing again. “See, as soon as I sleep in, I know I’m doomed. Those children can smell fear, I promise you. You should be grateful not to work on the front lines.” She hadn’t been late too often, as she tended to be relatively awake in the morning, but the few times she had been had taught her it was a harrowing experience.

“Ah, Ricky, no woman in the movies is like me. Watch out now. That mouth of yours will get you into…” She trailed off and sat up, studying him, then grinned. “You know, you do look a lot like him. Not bad. Watch out, though. I had a crush on him when I was a younger woman.” And she went back to trying to free the paper from its position under the fridge. It really was stuck. Kateri sighed and ran a hand through her hair. There had to be an easier way to do this, but she’d be damned if she knew what it was.

“Good thing I don’t file those things,” she said absently. “Those forms are ridiculous as it is. It’s not math, it’s learning legalese—there we go!” She freed the paper and held it up, triumphant, then passed it over to him with a mock-serious look. “There. I think I’ve repaired the damage appropriately.”

[Ricky O'Cassidy]

Well. That was forward. Then again, what about Kateri wasn't that he'd seen? "I don't know, Ms. Rivera," Ricky chuckled. "Not many women out there who get my jokes, and I've been told I'm pretty extroverted for those that do. Apparently, there's an unwritten law that says accountants have to shy and cloistered in order for women to find them cute."

This, of course, wasn't true, but it was pretty funny to be out drinking and watching a game with friends when someone finally asked what he did for a living. Nickles for shocked stares, he'd tell you.

"Thought about it," he mentioned as well, in terms of adopting. "I work some pretty long hours during the week, though, so I'd feel bad leaving a kid in my place with no one there." If he'd gotten married, he'd have switched things around a little; worked on the weekends, maybe, or done a lot of it from home. But especially during filing season, it wasn't quite as feasible. He was unmarried and without dependents - he could stay the extra time where some of his understudies couldn't.

"Hey, with two around, that means fifty percent more sleeping in," the older adult reasoned, grinning again. "Means there's another person to get up and take care of things half the time. I like those odds, myself."

Still, Ricky grinned at the idea of Kateri fawning over an action star, let alone one that looked like him. That was certainly a confidence booster when he wasn't much to look at himself. Idly, he wondered if she liked tattoos, too, but that might be asking for a bit much.

"We're basically glorified math tutors with a course of college linguistics in lawyer-speak," he admitted readily, smiling as he took the last sheet and pushed himself to his feet. He held out a hand to the young woman to help her to her feet, sobering up only from the nose down. "Thank you for your help. I think you've exceeded the tab, though, so maybe I can make it up to you?"

[Kateri Rivera]

Yes, it was forward and yes, Kateri was the queen of forward, but she hadn’t been entirely talking about herself. He was attractive, he was sweet, he was funny and he had a good job. And, in a town heavily represented by the LGBT community, he was straight. He could have a lot of girls with just a beckon of his finger. Or that was Kateri’s opinion. Perhaps she was just slightly biased. “Yes, and all math geeks must be men,” she said. “I don’t like stereotypes all that much. Besides, accountants have jokes. They just tend to be…math ones.”

Which tended to be why she didn’t reveal some of her own geekiness. People tended to react strongly to it. Be a math teacher and a normal, even flirty, human being? Not possible.

“I get that,” she said. “I’m just starting to pick back up on hours myself. Took a lot of time off.” It was a good thing she had Dean to help her out with the rent, or things would’ve gotten very bad very quickly. Her savings were still lower than she would’ve liked, but she’d get there eventually. And she had very good benefits. “It’s hard leaving the little one at home.”

“True,” she agreed. “You have some solid reasoning there, I’ll grant you that. Still, I like the mornings. I’m more productive like that.”

Kateri settled back on her hands and stared at the hand, debating between pride and sense to take it. Sense won. Her knee was killing her and she was very tired. She took it and let him help her up, smiling at the way his eyes crinkled and absently brushing herself off. “I don’t know,” she said. “I knocked you over at first. I think I’ve barely made it up to you. But if you’re offering, I wouldn’t object.”

[Ricky O'Cassidy]

Oh, he'd tried. A few times. About once a year, someone of potential compatibility came along (or was set up with him, thank you random-female-family-member), but every time something came up. Either their jobs didn't mesh, their interests didn't line up, or he wanted kids and she didn't... it was all about compatibility, and most of the time Ricky just didn't have it. But you know, it'd been a long time since he found someone who'd flirt right back like this without either dropping a drink on his head or demanding to come over and never be seen again.

Then again, he wasn't at a sports bar watching a college game, so that maaay have had something to do with it.

"You do have a point there," he chuckled. "I've got this great one about imaginary numbers and pi, but half the time not even Algebra II students get it."

There was a laugh of agreement. "Babies are a lot of work." He should know - he had something in the realm of thirty nieces and nephews and saw every single one during the holidays. And not just Christmas, either. Thanksgiving, Easter, July 4th, and sometimes even St. Patrick's Day were all considered 'family holidays' and usually had him making the short flight or long car ride (he knew which he preferred) back to New York.

"You have to work earlier than I do, so that makes sense," the blonde replied ruefully, but his smile was kind. Teachers worked earlier than most of the administrative staff; fact of life.

Pulling Kateri to her feet (well, more helping her pull herself to her feet), Ricky kept hold of her hand a little longer than strictly necessary. What? He'd just met the most charming woman on the planet, even if she was at least ten years younger than him (emphasis on 'at least'). Cut him a little slack. "Maybe we can have lunch this weekend?" he asked. "I'd love to see if Meg's as cute as her mother."

Hey, if she could be forward, it stood to reason that he could flirt back just a little, too.

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri grinned at him. “I’d love to hear it sometime, if you don’t mind telling it.” Yes, she’d be just a bit forward. Or…more than a bit forward. She liked flirting and joking with him. It was easy, simple, straightforward and…fun. She couldn’t say that about a lot of guys. And there didn’t seem to be a lot of pressure for it. That was rare too.

“If you have that many siblings, then I’d imagine you have a lot of nieces and nephews.” She winked at him. “You probably have a lot of experience with babies. This was my first one outside of my younger brother, and I didn’t remember it very well. It’s been…quite an interesting experience. Definitely a lot of learning.”

She shrugged. “True, but I leave earlier than you do, I bet. There’s perks to each job. And I like teaching, even if I don’t get much sleep.” She yawned. “Speaking of which, do you know a caffeine substitute? I’m dying for something.”

He was still holding her hand. Well, she’d kind of thought it might be leading to something like this, but it caught her by surprise that, well, it had kind of turned serious. Her heart flip flopped—and yes, she was being silly—then she smiled at him. “What an interesting way of complimenting me,” she remarked, then laughed. “You know the way to a mother’s heart. I don’t think I’d bring her along. I’d be worried she’d be smitten by your charm in five minutes—too young to know better, you know. But lunch would be nice.” Plus, she’d promised herself when she’d first had Meg that she wouldn’t parade men in and out of her life. Date, yes, but only introduce to the daughter when she was sure. That was practical, right?

[Ricky O'Cassidy]

"You can see it if you stop by my office," the accountant laughed. "I've got a poster of it on my wall - gift from an assistant a couple years back." And, you know, offering that up meant a chance to see her at the school again, rather than hoping for a happenstance encounter in the teacher's lounge again. Though, he had to admit, even with the fumble out of the chair, he was still coming out ahead today.

The expression on his face was almost a wince, but was still a bit exaggerated to be anything but comical. "Oh, yes. Lots and lots of babies. New kidlet or pregnancy every holiday for the last twenty-something years, I swear. I know my way around a kid or two."

Not to say that he was fully prepped for being a dad, but he still knew some tricks.

Pondering the caffeine dilemma, the blonde glanced over his shoulder to the cabinets briefly. "Girl I knew in college swore by ginseng tea during finals," he offered. "Can probably brew you a cup without hurting myself if I try, though I have to admit you're awfully distracting." Okay, more flirting, but at least this time he was being a little self-deprecating, too. But that was fine; his bad luck was just a function of how things worked. Murphy's Law, meet your magnet.

"Had to charm my mother into not beating me senseless somehow," he joked, but it was soft and his smile stayed a bit serious. "But lunch it is. How about Saturday? Your pick."

He understood not wanting to bring every guy out there into the house with a kid, especially a little girl. And who knew how serious (if at all) this was going to be? Right now, they were just two coworkers flirting and making a lunch date. Not anything as stressful or demanding as dinner, but a little more adult than just asking her out for a drink after work. Even if they bantered like pros and could share the same jokes about math, kids, and being Irish-Catholic, that still didn't mean it was going anywhere.

So, start as friends. See how that goes. And maybe work into something later.

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri laughed too. “Be careful, now. I would go and steal that from you. Are you in the main office, then? I might have to stop by.” Because she was forward and she believed whole-heartedly that the only way to get anything done was to go for it. Including men. Besides, she did want to see the posters, and even if they did nothing but talk about math jokes and compare equations, she thought she could enjoy this experience.

“Oh my God.” Kateri shook her head. “You weren’t kidding about the large family. Ten siblings and so many grandchildren. Fun, but terrifying.” She couldn’t imagine. Neither sides of her family had been that large. What would you do with so many people…?

“That sounds wonderful,” she sighed, then giggled and nudged him with her shoulder again. “Oh, sure, blame me. Maybe if we try it together we could manage it without getting into trouble. Try to keep your eyes forward, though. What do you think?” She knelt and fetched out the tea flat, then pulled out the teas and rummaged through them. “Ginseng, you said?”

Kateri flirted, but was rarely self-deprecating. Just another one of her quirks.

“I’d like Saturday.” She let her look soften a bit, and her smile become more sincere. “I don’t know yet, but, uh…” She fetched a napkin, scribbled on it, then offered it to him. “Here’s my number. I’m sure we can figure something out.”

Yeah, start as friends. See how it went. And if she was sure of him—sure of them—then introduce him to Meg. Even if it was just as friends, she thought he’d be great with--

No, start slow. Math jokes and lunch. They were two adults. They could handle that, right?

[Ricky O'Cassidy]

"In the administrative wing," he confirmed with a grin. "Gotta have someone watching my every move some days, and it may as well be the Headmistress."

"Holidays are always a little of both," the blonde man laughed. "And that's not even if all the cousins come to town." His family was huge - seeing the extendeds was pretty rare unless they planned a big reunion. Which they did every five years or so, just to keep in contact. And boy, was that a mess to organize, but somehow his mother managed it every time.

Grinning, Ricky added, "Maybe we might just." Lifting one of the generic mugs from the cabinet above the counter, he filled it with hot water from the coffee machine, and then set it down very carefully as Kateri rifled through the teas. "Yep - ginsing. Personally, I think it tastes weird, but I've always been a coffee guy. No taste for tea at all."

Taking up the number, the smile broadened again. "A phone number without even a first date? Today must be my lucky day." He tucked it into the inside pocket of his jacket, where he kept his business cards for the school, and took out the small case. Better to have things things someplace waterproof, after all. Taking out one of the cards, he quickly wrote his own house and cell phone on the back and handed it off. "Only fair, though I'm pretty sure you can hunt me down now without it."

[Kateri Rivera]

“And a truly terrifying supervisor she’d be.” Kateri shuddered, sympathetic but also honest. Yvette frightened her, and Kateri was not a woman who was afraid of much in her life.

She laughed with him and shook her head. “This was the first time in years my family came to visit instead of me visiting them. That was fun and terrifying as well. My parents are good people but they haven’t been to America very often and found everything very interesting.” That, and they’d hardly given Kateri any time to spend with her daughter. Aside from feedings, Meg had been whisked away to spend time with her grandparents, who giggled and cooed over her like they were teenagers again.

Not a spill. He wasn’t quite as clumsy as he appeared to be. How interesting. Her lips curved up, and she nodded her thanks before she finally emerged with one held up triumphantly over her head. “There we go!”

She grinned. “Didn’t you hear? This is how all the kids are doing it these days.” She blinked as he took out the case, then took the card and glanced over it. “So official. And two numbers. Now I’m a lucky girl.” She smiled at him and took the card with a nod, then moved and slipped it into her briefcase. “Yes, I can. I’ll try not to. I scare people on the third date only. So how do you make this tea? Just put in the bag and move on?”

[Ricky O'Cassidy]

When he was actually paying attention to things, Ricky was a very careful and coordinated guy. It was only when he took something for granted or didn't look around thoroughly before acting that things tended to make a big mess. There was something to be said for deliberation and care, after all, and when he was trying things went... well, at least relatively smooth.

With a slightly crooked grin, the blonde man took the tea bag and settled it into the cup, sliding the set over (once again) very carefully. "So they live on the other side of the pond, huh?" he questioned. "Where abouts?"

"You never know when my cell will die or the power will go out at my house," he replied, almost grave save for the constant humor crinkling the edges of his eyes. "Better to be prepared. As for scaring me off, don't worry - you're going to have to try a lot harder than stalking me at work, I promise."

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri had to admit, she was enjoying watching him. That probably made her messed up, but she couldn’t make herself care. She wasn’t being a mother right now, she was just enjoying herself. She wasn’t going to think about the fact that she was being inappropriate, nope. She’d just enjoy it.

“Thank you.” Kateri grinned at him. “And all without a single spill. Very well done.” She nodded. “I lived in Ireland until I was 18. Well, and Kocher a time before that.”

Kateri’s lips crinkled up. “Or a girl spills tea all over the number? No, I’m not nearly so cruel as that.” She winked at him. She liked how his the wrinkles around his eyes crinkled up when he smiled, or even when he didn’t. Yup. She had a problem. “Why thank you.” She glanced at her phone, then sighed and straightened. “Well, I guess I should go to class,” she said. “It was nice to talk to you, Ricky. Hope to see you….later?”