You Again

by Ashlee Mallory

  Maria, Jeremy’s secretary, was nowhere in sight when Allie arrived, but she could hear voices coming from his office. The door was partially open. After hesitating for a moment, she went over. The least she could do was let them know she was here.

  She raised her hand, ready to knock, when she heard her name mentioned inside. “Allie should be here anytime. She was a student here close to the time you were, if I’m not mistaken. Allison McBride?”

  “The name rings a bell.” That voice was vaguely familiar…

  “Hey, Allie,” Marie practically yelled from behind her. Allie squelched down a scream of surprise. Somehow Marie had returned without her hearing—which said a lot, considering the height of those heels. “I don’t know if Jeremy’s back or not, have you tried the door?”

  She had no doubt that Marie’s boisterous greeting had reached the men inside the office. Warmth suffused her face. “I was about to try,” she managed, hoping not to sound guilty. She took a deep breath and knocked.

  “Come in.”

  She pushed open the door, and Jeremy rose from behind the desk.

  “Hey, Allie. Sam, let me introduce you to Allison McBride, one of your fellow English teachers here at St. Andrew’s.”

  She felt a terrible foreboding as he stood and turned to face her.

  Time seemed to stand still for a long, horrifying moment as she stared at Sam Fratto’s all-too-familiar mug. The same guy who’d been so rude to her at the airport last night. The same guy she’d spent too many delicious, angst-ridden nights in high school dreaming about. The same guy who’d split town the day after he graduated, never to return.

  Until now.

  This was the new teacher? Sam?

  Oh. Crap.

  Chapter Two

  It was her.

  The blonde whose face had haunted Sam long after he strode from the airport last night.

  Her hair was worn loose around her shoulders today. Her white shirt and khaki skirt were crisp, neat, and far more form-fitting than the previous getup.

  His gaze dropped for a moment to appreciate the slender waist and curving hips the oversized parka had covered. Even last night, he couldn’t deny she was pretty in a wholesome, girl-next-door sort of way, with bright baby blues and honey-blond hair. His instant attraction to a woman with a half a dozen out-of-control kids had irked him to no end.

  Now calling on his years of practice at keeping his facial expressions unreadable, Sam smiled evenly and nodded in greeting.

  “We’ve met,” Allie said curtly, not expanding further. She didn’t need to. He’d been a prick last night, and his rudeness—which he blamed on a flight from hell—was now coming to bite him on the ass.

  He tried to place her. “Allie…McBride. Is that your maiden name?”

  “We worked on the school newspaper together,” she said flatly. “You were a senior.”

  Sam stared at her face. A faint memory stirred of a bright-eyed girl who looked barely twelve as she cheerfully offered to upload the pictures he’d taken for the school paper. Always eager to please everyone. Sweet kid. Cute, but too young for him to pay any attention to at the time. “You had braces then, right?”

  She nodded and smiled stiffly. He waited for her to take a seat before joining her, noting the absence of a ring on her left hand. Single mom to half a dozen kids? Maybe he was wrong. Sam slid into the chair next to her.

  “Good, good,” Jeremy said. He walked to the bank of windows to perch on the ledge, which was an unfortunate choice. Despite the painstaking way Jeremy had combed his dark auburn hair to disguise its thinning, his position permitted the morning sun to highlight the one spot he’d tried to hide. “I know your planning committee tried to reach out to Sam—one of our star alumni—last fall to see if he’d participate in some of the school’s centennial events. A couple of weeks ago, he called to see if the offer still was on the table. I don’t know what the committee had in mind, but I asked if he’d consider helping out as a visiting member of the faculty. Just for the quarter, to give us more time to find Carter’s replacement. I’m happy to report Sam has agreed.”

  Instead of showing a modicum of enthusiasm, Allie was silent. “Okay,” she finally said, and paused, as if thinking how to couch her words. “As thrilled as I am to have Sam come on board, I’m not sure whether having his name connected to the school—from a publicity standpoint—would be the best thing right now. I think there may still be some…bitter feelings in the community from his recently released book, Avenging Saints.”

  Sam managed not to roll his eyes. His last novel, released just before Christmas, hadn’t been well received by many members of the church. In turn, although sales across the country had made his publisher happy, sales in this region had been deplorable.

  “I’m sure the worst is over,” Jeremy said with sincerity. “Sam has written several books that received critical acclaim. Even this last one, once the furor died away, received the same.”

  She smiled sweetly. “Outside of Utah, perhaps.”

  “Notoriety has its advantages,” Sam said and faced her. “People are drawn to controversy. Whether or not some people think my book was an attack on the local culture—which it wasn’t—my notoriety could be useful. From a publicity standpoint.”

  “Excuse me, Sam. I meant no disrespect”—though her tone suggested otherwise—“but I’ve lived here most of my life and know some of the people who found your book offensive. I daresay, if they heard you were in any way connected to the upcoming centennial events, they’d crucify us.”

  “A bit melodramatic don’t you think?”

  Her eyes narrowed, and from the way her leg twitched in his direction, he was certain she wanted to kick him. He bit back a smile.

  Jeremy cleared his throat. “We can work this out with the planning committee in the next few weeks. You both make very good points, though,” he added diplomatically. “In the meantime, Allie, you’ll be happy to hear Sam will pick up Carter’s media class, and he’s also volunteered to help you as an advisor on the Crimson Press.”

  Allie appeared skeptical. She glanced between the two of them, as if waiting for a catch.

  “Which brings me to my next question,” Jeremy said. “The yearbook staff and I were hoping to put together a montage video in honor of the school’s centennial.” He looked at Sam. “Just some photos and film clips collected over the years to give people a feeling for what St. Andrew’s Academy is about. What we’ve accomplished.”

  “Sounds intriguing,” Sam said.

  Jeremy rose from the window ledge and returned to his desk, pushing through papers in search of something as he glanced at Allie. “Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to start the project. Some of the stuff down in our archives is quite old and valuable, and I don’t think I could trust the kids to go through it on their own. Now that your schedule has opened up, maybe you could take over the project?”

  She hesitated, and Sam could have sworn she was eying the gold-plated bookend on Jeremy’s desk like she was going to strike him with it. She smiled instead. “I’d be happy to help.”

  “I knew you’d come through, Allie.” Jeremy pulled a sheet from the pile and studied it. “The deadline to get the final cut to the distributor is…June.”

  Two months away. Sounded like a lot of work and aggravation. If it were up to Sam, he’d tell Jeremy where to shove it, but the petite blonde only nodded. Another memory rushed to him of a younger Allie agreeing to spend a Saturday finishing the layout for Monday’s Crimson Press since most of the newspaper staff was too busy attending homecoming events to help out. She always had been a people pleaser.

  “Oh, and when you have a moment, would you get Carter’s lesson plans over to Sam? I thought he could use Carter’s old classroom for the duration of his visit.” Jeremy smacked his hands together. “I have to say I’m really excited for this final quarter. I think with you on board, Sam, even temporarily, we’ll be able to use the publicity to gain substantial donations.”
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  The morning bell rang and Allie rose to her feet. “That’s my cue. My senior lit class awaits. It was good to see you again, Sam.”

  He somehow doubted that, but he smiled and watched her go.

  Yep. She was still the same, and yet…different. Grown up. And with that maturity, more confident. He couldn’t deny he took almost as much pleasure watching those pretty blue eyes of hers light up with annoyance as seeing her mouth turned up in a smile.

  Good thing, because he had a feeling he’d be provoking a lot of both those reactions in her over the coming months.

  …

  “Now, as you read the first three chapters of A Room With A View,” Allie explained to her senior class, whose furtive glances at the clock warned her their time was coming to a close, “pay attention to the contrasting personalities, particularly between Lucy and Charlotte.” The bell rang, but Allie, not yet finished, raised her hand to stop their instinct to flee. “We’ll be talking about them tomorrow. Be prepared.”

  The students scattered into the hallway, but she remained at her desk, deep in thought. Despite the turmoil of seeing Sam back after so long, she’d somehow managed to stay on task during class. She’d even savored a moment of victory when the class had gathered at the back window to watch the activity commence outside on the peace garden construction site. But she had remained aware that Sam was on the other side of the classroom wall the entire time.

  Not that she cared. After seeing what a jerk he could be last night at the airport, she could safely say she had no interest in him. She was almost thirty and would treat him like any other man in her life—without a trace of romantic interest. As she’d been telling her family for the four years since her divorce, she was focused on raising her daughter and molding the impressionable minds of her wonderful students. Nothing else.

  Sam Fratto wouldn’t be interested in her, anyhow. As she recalled, he usually dated the prettiest, most popular girls in high school—girls who oozed sexuality with a swish of their long, silky hair. Allie had come a long way since high school, gaining confidence and losing most of the extra weight she’d carried so miserably, but she’d never be one of those girls. The naturally skinny girls who could wear a Hefty garbage bag and still look good. Girls like her sister Laney.

  Allie was healthy and in better shape now, something running on the treadmill for the past six years had accomplished. Becoming a mom had finally given her the resolve to make the changes she’d always wanted in her life—to ensure she’d always be around for Violet. Growing up without your mother was tough. She should know.

  “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  Allie nearly leapt from her chair at hearing a deep, male voice.

  “Thought I’d grab those lesson plans, if you have them handy.”

  Sam stood in the doorway. Seeing him there again, she was instantly transported back in time. To when her hapless fifteen-year-old self would have drowned in the warmth of those hazel eyes.

  “Sure.” Had she just squeaked? “Just give me a second.” She bent down and dug through her bottom desk drawer. “They’re in here somewhere…” Any other day, she’d have spotted it straight away. But with Sam watching her, waiting, it took forever.

  Outside, the thrum of motors and bustle from the construction site came to an abrupt halt, and the room became eerily quiet. Strange. It seemed early for them to be taking a lunch break. At this rate, they’d never get the peace garden completed in time for the unveiling scheduled for Homecoming weekend.

  “I also wanted to apologize.” He was suddenly standing next to her. She tried not to gulp too noticeably. “For my rudeness last night. It had been a long evening of delays and a flight with screaming kids and…well. I shouldn’t have been so obnoxious. I’m sorry. I hope your son was all right.”

  He sounded sincere and, coming from a family where chaos reigned, she understood the fatigue and frustration it could cause. Particularly in small, confined spaces. “No problem. Thank you.” She dropped her attention back to the drawer, where it seemed nothing was where it should be. “And the little boy? He’s actually my nephew. My stepbrother and his wife have nine kids, if you can believe it. The oldest was the one we welcomed home last night.” There it was. She grabbed the folder and handed it to Sam. “Here you go. Carter hasn’t updated it for a few years, but it gives you somewhere to start.”

  Without thinking, her gaze dropped to his hands. Large, but not burly. Slim. Writer’s hands—dexterous and strong from striking the keyboard, no doubt. She wondered how they’d feel—

  Oh Lord. Was she really staring at his hands? Warmth flooded her face.

  She opened her mouth to say something to ease her embarrassment, but the unmistakable sounds of sirens drawing near caught her attention. And her alarm, when they stopped right in front of the school.

  “What on earth…?” She rose and followed Sam out to the hall and into the open stairwell. They stared down as several fire trucks and a few police cars screamed to a halt at the curb. From the sounds of it, more emergency vehicles were still en route.

  And yet, the fire alarm wasn’t going off.

  “Marie will know what’s going on,” she said, and they, along with several other teachers, ran down to the main office for answers. Marie was on the phone when they arrived, her face white. She looked like she was on hold, so Allie whispered, “What’s going on?”

  Marie put her hand over the receiver, and her bottom lip quivered. “It’s horrible. The workers found a dead body!”

  Chapter Three

  A dead body?

  Allie shivered at the thought of some poor soul dumped in the empty lot next to the school. How many times had she walked across that very area? Ironic how the body had been found in the same spot they hoped to turn into a place of reverence and prayer.

  “Do they have any idea who it is? What happened? How long has the body been there?” she asked, stunned.

  Marie shook her head. “They said it’s been there a while, from the looks of it. One of the guys spotted a shoe in the dirt, and when he went to pull it out, he saw there was a whole skeleton down there. They’ve stopped everything until the police tell them otherwise. Jeremy is meeting with the officers outside, so maybe we’ll know more soon.”

  Allie crooked her head to look out the window. But there wasn’t much to see other than the flashing of lights out front. A few more teachers swept into the crowd already gathered in the office looking for answers, and soon the room was abuzz with the news.

  “I’m going to head back upstairs, ladies,” Sam said after a moment. “Thanks for this.” He waved the folder Allie’d given him earlier. She nodded and watched him go. Might as well head back to her classroom, as well. After all, school still had to go on.

  And she’d also have a better view from her classroom window on the second floor.

  But after forty minutes of trying to get a glimpse of anything interesting, Allie gave up. They hadn’t moved anything looking like a body. Just a lot of people crouching around on the ground, taking samples and pictures. Not even close to a scene from Bones or CSI.

  Half an hour later, her next class started, and she got back on topic.

  It wasn’t until after the last bell of the day that she and the other teachers were able to gather in the lounge to discuss the news in detail. People milled from the coffee pot to the windows and back to the tables. It was a full house. Even Sam stuck around. Being a true-crime writer, this kind of stuff must be right up his alley. He leaned against the wall between the table where Jon Cavin, the school’s Latin teacher, and Señoras Sanchez and Pena were engrossed in conjecture and the adjoining table where Allie, Claire, Brother Luther, and Janine were sitting.

  “Poor soul,” Brother Luther murmured as if saying a prayer. “Probably some unfortunate transient who fell asleep and froze to death.”

  “I’m betting it was gang related,” Janine offered, her eyes gleaming. “Maybe a drug deal gone wrong. They offed the guy, then
buried the body.”

  “I doubt drug dealers would’ve taken the time,” Claire said. “The body was buried, not left for discovery. It’s probably something far more nefarious.”

  Allie had to agree with her. Why bury a body unless you wanted to hide it for as long as possible? Heck. It would still be buried if the centennial committee hadn’t approved the proposal for the peace gardens. Which had been a near thing, after the initial reaction people had when it was first announced. Fortunately, Allie, who’d come up with the idea, had the foresight to get the chairwoman of the committee, Meredith Sanders, on board—mainly by letting her consider the idea hers. Only Meredith would have had the tenacity and bullheadedness to drive the proposal home.

  Jeremy came in with another man who identified himself as Detective Johnson with the Salt Lake City Police Department. Probably a few years older than Allie, the detective was attractive with sandy brown hair and compassionate blue eyes. Janine looked like she might swoon at any second.

  “We were able to salvage some identification from a wallet found near the body,” Detective Johnson said, keeping his gaze on the faces in the room. “Before the media makes the announcement, we thought you should know the name since, if the ID is correct, some of you may have known him.”

  A few chairs creaked as people fidgeted. He was certainly taking his time giving the name.

  “The identification was for a Jackson Archibald Williams. He taught English here nearly fifteen years ago.”

  The sudden quiet in the room was deafening. Allie’s ears buzzed, and she took in some deep breaths.

  Mr. Williams. One of the best teachers Allie’d ever had. A teacher, a mentor, a confidant…and a friend. A man whom she’d mourned when he disappeared.

  Who now, it appeared, had been murdered.

  …

  Sam pulled into the familiar driveway at his parents’ home and sat for a long moment, the engine still running. This day had not gone as he’d expected. Not by a long shot. Good lord. And he had thought the cute blonde in Jeremy’s office would be the surprise of the day.