“When you flaunt it around town it becomes everyone’s business.” Mrs. Henry’s voice was low and full of ice. “He’s twelve years your senior at least. You’re young and naïve. You don’t know what he’s been through. He’s damaged. Margaret will tell you herself. I know you hang around with these veterans and your class writes these soldiers you adopt, which is another matter all on its own. You’ve fallen in love with one of the soldiers you’ve adopted. That’s a line the school administrators will not stand by while you cross it. It’s a disgrace.”
“That’s your opinion but let me enlighten you to a few facts. My class doesn’t only adopt Army soldiers. We adopt all branches of service. Daniel is in fact a Marine not a solider. There is a difference. Also, there are less than eight years between us. He’s not damaged. Now before you call me young and naïve maybe you should learn about me before you judge. I’m a veteran myself. During my career with the Marines, I was deployed three times. On the last one I received an injury that left me unable to continue my duties to my country. Last but certainly not least, I did not cross this imaginary line you mentioned because he was not one of the service personnel the class adopted.”
“I asked her to write him.” Hazel stated as she came up behind Mrs. Henry. “Daniel was finishing his last tour of duty and I thought hearing from another Marine who had transitioned into civilian life would be beneficial.”
“None of this changes the situation.” Mrs. Henry looked from Emily to Hazel. “I’m not surprise you’d stand up for your brother, but it doesn’t change anything. This is not acceptable behavior for an educator and if Emily wishes to remain one here she’ll have to made changes in her behavior and her life.”
“What do you mean by that?” The unsaid threat was enough to cause Emily’s voice to raise a notch as she eyed the older woman.
“You’re an elementary teacher and you need to be maintain a certain image. I’ve already spoken to Mr. Kline and the school superintendent about this unfortunate incident. If you’re planning on returning to Blessing Elementary, you’ll leave this nonsense behind you before break is over. That means having him move out.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Hazel snapped.
“Ladies…” Daniel strolled over to them, two glasses of eggnog in hand. “Um…am I interrupting?”
“No, we’re finished.” Mrs. Henry glanced back at Emily. “Remember what I said dear. Merry Christmas.”
“Who do you think you are?” Hazel ranted. “You can’t come in here, make demands and threats, then walk away.”
“Hazel…” Emily grabbed her friends arm. “No, not here. Not now. You’ve put too much work into this event. Don’t ruin it.”
“I can’t help but feel like I’ve missed something huge.” Daniel turned to the table behind them, sat the glasses down, and turned back to Emily. “Sweetheart…”
“That bitch threatened to take Emily’s job from her if she”
“Enough.” Emily snapped, not willing to do this in the middle of the Christmas Eve party. “Daniel…I…” She glanced around the party. Some were already glancing in their direction to see what the commotion was about.
“Come on.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and grabbed their coats, before leading her toward the door. “Tell Grandma we’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Daniel, Emily, wait. You can’t leave like this.” Hazel followed them.
“I’m sorry Hazel, I just can’t…” She shook her head. “Not tonight.”
Everything had been going so perfectly and now it all seemed to fall apart. She loved her job and her students, but as the former mayor’s wife, Mrs. Henry had power in the community. Power she liked to use to get her way. Without tenure in the school system, Mrs. Henry’s influence could cost her the job she loved. Mrs. Henry said she’d spoken with the administrators and that was enough to know she could be doomed. It might not get her out of her position this year since she had a contract, but if they felt she acted unprofessionally they could place her on leave. Even if she made it through the last semester it didn’t mean she would keep her job. All they had to do was not extend her a contract next year and everything she worked to establish in Blessing would be over. It seemed like it was coming to an end.
Even knowing the cost, the idea of ending things with Daniel hadn’t crossed her mind. She wasn’t willing to do that. She could find a teaching job in another area. If not in Montana, then somewhere in the United States. There were plenty of areas in dire need of teachers. She’d move. She only hoped Daniel would follow her.
“Miss Sharp.” A familiar voice called from behind them bringing her attention back to the moment.
She blinked realizing Daniel had not only lead her from the gym, out to the parking lot, toward his truck but had also wrapped her coat around her shoulders. She had been in too much of a fog to even notice.
“Miss Sharp. Wait.”
She turned back to the school to find a man jogging toward them without a coat on. “Mr. Kline.”
“Miss Sharp, I’m glad I caught you. I need to see you inside for a moment.”
“I know what you’re going to say…I just can’t. Please, Mr. Kline.” The pain in her chest forced her to take a deep breath.
“I take that to mean Mrs. Henry got to you first.” Mr. Kline shook his head. “That woman needs to be brought down a few pegs. Her self-centered spoiled child routine is getting old.”
“As much as I agree with you on her attitude, I think Emily needs to go home. Whatever was said has clearly upset her. Considering the holiday festivities are just getting started I believe we’ll take our leave now.”
“You don’t know?” Mr. Kline raised an eyebrow at Daniel.
“When Mrs. Henry asked for a minute alone, he went to get eggnog for us.” She placed her hand over his. “I’ll explain everything at home.”
“Miss Sharp, you need to hear what I have to say. I think both of you do.” He glanced up at the sky. “As it’s starting to snow again, let’s take this inside to my office.”
“I…” Divided she stumbled over her words. Refusing to speak with her boss would only make things worse still if he was going to let her go she really didn’t want to hear it. She needed time to digest the threat before she could even begin to assemble a game plan.
“Please, Emily.”
Mr. Kline’s use of her first name was enough to have her nodding. She had always been Miss Sharp, even when they met at a veteran affair or outside school. This change threw her off balance. As they made their way back into the school, she focused on Daniel’s touch on the small of her back. Having him there with her gave her the strength she needed not to break. If she snapped she wasn’t sure what emotion would win. Anger or sorrow. Would she charge back into the gym and tell Mrs. Henry exactly what she thought of the old bat? She wanted that more than to break down and cry, but it would ruin any chance she had of fighting this.
It’s not over yet, don’t give up.
Inside Mr. Kline’s office, he directed them to the two chairs in front of his desk and shut the door. “We’ve all had a long day and I know you want to get home, so I’ll keep this brief.”
“I’m sure whatever this is about is important. Otherwise I doubt you’d be in here working on Christmas Eve instead of being at the party.” Daniel nodded toward Mr. Kline’s suit jacket draped over the back of his leather chair.
“Observant.” Mr. Kline sat on the edge of his desk and held his hand out to Daniel. “We haven’t officially met. I know who you are but let me introduce myself. I’m Zander Kline.”
“Sorry.” Emily glanced between them. “I should have”
“Don’t worry, we’ve got it.” Daniel took the other hands hand. “It’s good meet you. Both Emily and Hazel speak highly of you. I wish our meeting was under better circumstances.”
“As do I.” Mr. Kline nodded. “Mrs. Henry has made my Christmas Eve rather chaotic.”
“Wait…” She glanced at Daniel. “You shou
ld know Mrs. Henry cornered me tonight with the intention of intimidating me. She doesn’t believe I’m fit to teach the Blessing youth because of our relationship.”
“What?” Daniel’s eyes widened. “She can’t do that. What grounds does she have?”
“None.” Mr. Kline said, drawing their attention back to him. “She made a call to the superintendent last night. Which is why the superintendent and I met with her this morning. Unsatisfied with how the meeting went, she decided to take her demands a step further. She showed up at the president of the Board of Education’s house, demanding he take action.”
“If you’re going to ask for my resignation, you’re underestimating me. I’m not giving up my job without a fight. I’ve worked”
“I would have been surprised to hear anything else from you.” Mr. Kline reached back to his desk and grabbed a package of papers. “We called an emergency board meeting this evening. The vice-president was out of town, visiting his daughter, but we were able to include him with a video conference.”
Her heart rate sped until the sound of it nearly drowned out his words. This was it. Before she even had a chance to come to terms with what Mrs. Henry was doing or put together a plan of action, everything was being swiped out from under her. She was gaining romance at the cost of her career.
“Emily…” Daniel’s voice broke through her thoughts and she turned toward him.
“I’m sorry, Daniel.” She took a deep breath and let it out again. “Everything was going perfectly and now this. She’ll win in the end but I can’t just stand aside and do nothing. I have to stand up for myself and for what she’s doing. My students”
“Did you not hear what Zander said?” Daniel reached across the chair and took her hand in his.
“We’re extending you a continuing contract now. It’s unusual to do it mid-year but the board of education has made an exception due to the circumstances.” Mr. Kline held out the papers he grabbed from his desk. “You’re an excellent teacher, one I can’t afford to lose. Test scores are up since you’ve taken the position. The students and parents within this community love you. No one wants to lose you and this contract will end Mrs. Henry’s fight before it gets off the ground.”
“Tenure contract?”
“It gives you extra job security and will protect you against unfair termination. I fought to get this for you now because we both know anything can happen. Three members of the board of education are up for election in May. I doubt the members will change, but it’s a possibility, and because of that I wanted this in hand now.” Mr. Kline held it out to her. “Mrs. Henry believes people will bow to her on this as they have on other things, but that’s not the case any longer. Most don’t see her as a community member so much as a visitor. She spends most of her time in Florida with her son and his family. She doesn’t realize what changes have happened here since she’s left, and I don’t think she understands the community support you have behind you.”
“Me? Why?” With shaky hands Emily took the contract.
“You’ve done a lot for Blessing since you’ve joined our community. Not only for the veterans, but for everyone. The students love you and adopting military personnel has gone over well with both the students and their parents.” He turned back to his desk, rifling through the papers spread along the surface before finding the one he wanted. Turning back, he held it out to her. “Twenty-two parents. That’s how many who have already requested their son or daughter have you next year. Next year’s fourth grade class has only thirty-eight students. They already had a fifty-fifty shot of having you as a teacher, yet these parents felt it was important to contact me before the holidays. I have no doubt I’ll receive more requests in the new year. This is proof that you have the support of the community.”
“What if it changes? I mean…my relationship…”
“The age difference issue.” Mr. Kline let out a halfhearted chuckle. “That didn’t come up until she found out she wasn’t getting anywhere with her main issue. Which was that you developed a relationship with what she thought was one of your adopted service members. Once she was told Daniel wasn’t one of military personnel assigned to the class, she went with the age difference. She was grasping at straws and now we’re putting an end to it.”
“It sounds like you don’t have to fight this.” Daniel ran his thumb over the back of her hand, caressing along each knuckle. “If you want to keep your job this is your chance. If you want to leave Blessing because of this, I’ll support you.”
“What about your job with Ink Security? Your family?” She stared down at the contract she had sitting in her lap.
“None of it ties us here if you want to leave.” He scooted to the edge of his chair. “I’ve been away from Blessing for so long it doesn’t faze me to consider leaving again, as long as we’re together. What do you want Emily?”
“I love it here. I love my job, my students. Everything.” She glanced over at him. “Even if I sign this she’s still going to try to make us miserable.”
“She’s leaving the day after Christmas.” Mr. Kline clasped his hands in his lap. “I think she’ll realize this is a losing battle. Either way she isn’t here but once a year and only for a few days. She’s not going to convince the residents they shouldn’t keep one of their best teachers. Margaret Fitch has a much bigger influence in this town than Mrs. Henry. With Margaret, Hazel, Daniel, you, and me, I have no doubt we can show her how much this town needs you.”
“I know the veteran community will stand behind you as well.” Daniel added. “Everyone I spoke to this evening spoke highly of you Em.”
“They’ve done enough.” Emily shook her head before turning back to Mr. Kline. “May I use a pen?”
“You know that’s not how this works.” Daniel reminded her. “No one is going to stand by while you deal with this alone.”
“Here you go.” Mr. Kline handed her a pen.
She read over the contract, before flipping to the last page and signing her name on the line. This was it. She had additional job security and while it wouldn’t take away the problem it would help to ease the burden she carried.
“Thank you, Mr. Kline. I appreciate you going to bat for me, especially on Christmas Eve.”
“No thanks needed, I wouldn’t lose one of my best teachers.” He took the contract from her outstretched hand. “Now get out of here. Don’t let this put a dent in your holiday celebration.”
“Come on.” Daniel rose from the chair and with her hand still in his, gently pulled her up. “I look forward to seeing you again under better circumstances.”
“Me too.” Mr. Kline nodded. “I’m going to catch the last bit of the party before heading home. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Kline.” She let Daniel escort her out of the building, back to his truck.
The Christmas party hadn’t gone as smooth as she’d have liked but with the new contract signed, she could only hope to put the whole event behind her. Tomorrow was Christmas and she’d see Hazel and Margaret, who would both no doubt have questions about what transpired. Instead of worrying about that she paused next to the passenger door and glanced at Daniel.
“Would you have really moved for me? You just came back to town.”
“I’d go anywhere with you.” He pressed his lips to hers. “I love you, Emily.”
Chapter Thirty: Christmas Morning Surprise
Early morning sunlight cast a glow around the room, as Daniel opened his eyes. It was Christmas morning and for the first time since he was a child he was excited. For so many years Christmas had been just another day. Today however was special, it was their first holiday together. This was the day he was waiting for, the day he decided would be perfect to start their future together. Determined he plucked the box off the bedside table, where he had hidden it behind the stack of books she had there before they went to bed.
Sliding his hand up Emily’s naked hip, he scooted closer. Kissing along her arm, working slowly up to
ward her neck. He hoped to wake her in a way that she’d always remember. A soft moan escaped her throat as his lips met her curve of her neck.
“Daniel…” Her voice soft and full of need.
“Morning sweetheart.”
“Seeing you look at me like that is better than waking up to coffee.” She rolled onto her back, her hand reaching up to caress along his bicep. “It’s Christmas morning and with that cheesy grin you’re looking like a boy anxious to see what Santa brought him.”
“I already know what Santa brought me.” He leaned in closer so his lips hovered above hers. “You.”
Before she had time to reply he claimed her mouth. Her lips opened to him as her fingers dug into his skin, drawing him closer to him. The way her body arched into him made him want nothing more than to climb on top of her and give them what they both wanted. Instead he pulled back, breaking the kiss.
“I need you.”
“Soon sweetheart.” He rose up onto his elbow and stared down at her. “Since the moment you came into my life you’ve occupied my thoughts constantly. Even now with you by my side I still carry your letter with me. I’ve tucked it into my wallet, so I’ll always have it with me. That first connection was the start of our relationship. It bound us together, just as I hope this will.”
Pulling the diamond engagement ring from the box he looked her into the eyes. “You’re the bright spot of my day and waking up to you each morning sends a thrill through me. You own my heart and I couldn’t imagine spending a single day without you in it. I love you, Emily Sharp. Will you be my wife? Marry me.”
“You have no idea what you’re getting into.” A grin stretched across her face as she nodded. “Yes!”
Without his gaze leaving hers he slipped the ring on her finger. “I know I’m going to spend the rest of my life falling asleep with you in my arms and waking up to your beautiful smile. That’s all I need to know.”
“Remember that when Margaret and Hazel are driving us batty with wedding plans. Or when Mrs. Henry is back in town causing yet another fuss.”
Touch of Home (Blessing Montana Book 2) Page 16
