Sally had smiled at him, standing up and walking around her desk to sit on the edge of it. “Really? You came all this way to see if I needed someone to carry my books?”
He’d started to nod, but shook his head. “No.” He took a deep breath, knowing he had to get the words out or they’d still just be dating in thirty years, and he’d never even hold her hand. “I came to kiss you.”
Her grin told him it had been the right thing to say. “You did?”
He nodded. “I did, but then I lost my courage and almost left. Three times.” He sighed. “I’m a dork.”
She laughed softly. “Maybe a little, but I really like dorks. Have I mentioned that before?”
He stared at her for a moment, his hands turned up as he wondered what he should do. “Does that mean you want me to kiss you?”
She nodded. “I’d already decided I was going to grab you and kiss you on Friday night if you didn’t kiss me.”
“Oh, you did? Wanna demonstrate?”
“Nope, ’cuz you came here to kiss me. Now you have to do it.”
He’d swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He’d kissed girls in high school, but never one who made him feel as much as Sally did. She was special, and he didn’t want to ruin anything. “I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to kiss me instead.”
She shook her head, walking toward him and putting her hands on his shoulders. “Nope. You have to kiss me.”
In the end, they’d kissed each other. Her arms had gone around his neck, and he’d leaned down to brush her lips with his. He lifted his head and whispered, “Thank you.”
She’d giggled. “Did you just thank me for kissing you?”
“I told you I was a dork, didn’t I?” he asked, resting his forehead against hers.
“You did.” She stroked his cheek with her fingers, liking the feel of his stubble. “I’m glad you came. I was starting to think you were dating me to learn about literature.”
“I just … I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about a woman before, and I’m kind of lost.”
Sally smiled at that. “Those words are better than any kiss. Are you sure you haven’t been sneaking and reading some of that romantic literature you say is so sappy?”
He chuckled. “Well, I’ve rented Cyrano de Bergerac. With subtitles. I’m not sure I think it’s as great as you do, but I watched it a few times.”
“Really? You have?” Her heart fluttered at his words. He’d rented her favorite movie. “The one with Gerard Depardieu?”
He nodded, blushing a little. “You said you love it, so I wanted to see what it was all about.”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him again. “It’s not my favorite translation, but I think that’s awesome!”
“You have a favorite translation? Are you kidding me?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “Nope. I like the one by Brian Hooker. He makes the rhymes work. I took some French in college, just so I could learn enough to read it in the original, but I still prefer that translation.”
“I’m going to have to go find it, aren’t I?”
“Only if you want to. But I’ll tell you a secret.”
He leaned down, sniffing deeply as he did. She didn’t wear perfume, but there was something about her that just smelled right to him. “What’s that?”
“There’s a black-and-white version with Jose Ferrer that uses the Brian Hooker translation. No subtitles.”
He grinned. “And this is why you’re so special. I don’t have to read it.”
She laughed. “Most people don’t enjoy reading plays like I do. I understand that.”
“If it’ll help me understand you better, I’ll read it, but I would rather watch the movie.”
She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “I appreciate the effort.” She rested her cheek against his shoulder, just for a moment. “I need to go home. It’s late.”
After she’d stacked her books, he took them from her. “I never thought I’d be carrying the teacher’s books.”
She’d grinned at him. “I never thought I’d let a man carry my books.”
He carried them to her house, surprised she hadn’t driven. “You don’t bring your car to school?”
“I only drive when it rains. A beautiful day and a beautiful town. Who wouldn’t want to walk?”
He’d left her at her door with a soft kiss and a promise to see her on Friday evening, a date that had never happened. Her sister had died the next day, and a month later, May had moved in, changing everything between them.
His immediate thought had been to marry her and help raise the ten-year-old girl. He’d honestly been surprised when she’d turned him down, feeling like he’d been kicked in the teeth. She’d said it wasn’t a good time for her to marry, but he couldn’t imagine waiting eight years to marry the woman he loved. Eight years was forever.
Now, over twenty years later, he wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking. She was still on his mind day in and day out. She was his other half, the woman he’d never been able to forget.
He had to get her to forgive him. Somehow.
Chapter Two
Sally tossed and turned all night, thinking of nothing but Jay. She’d messed things up with him badly all those years ago, and she knew he probably still hated her. She wondered if he’d married. He probably has a wife and three kids by now. She pictured him with a petite blonde, kids running around him, and her heart ached.
Getting up for school Friday morning was hard. Harder than she’d imagined it ever would be. She wanted to keep Alison after class and grill her about her uncle, but she knew that wasn’t the answer.
When Alison came into Sally’s first-period class, she stopped at her desk, frowning down at her. “Uncle Jay says you’re going to come over to tutor me on Saturday night. Don’t waste your time.”
Sally bit her lip, unsure how to respond. Alison was angry, something she’d noticed in the young girl more than once. “I’ll be there because I promised your uncle. I don’t have a problem helping you.”
Alison rolled her eyes and walked to her desk, pulling out her copy of Hamlet. She hid behind it the whole time they discussed the play. “Why was Hamlet so upset about his mother’s remarriage?” Sally asked the class, trying not to notice Alison’s attitude.
The class discussion was good that day, something Sally was thankful for. There were only ten students in the honors classes, so sometimes the conversation lagged more than she’d like.
After class, Sally tried once more to talk to Alison. “I’ll see you on Saturday evening.”
Alison shrugged and left the room, obviously not caring what her English teacher did.
At lunch that day, the new math instructor sat next to Sally in the faculty lounge. “Any big plans for the weekend?” he asked.
Sally shook her head. “Just the usual. Grading papers. I’m having dinner with my niece and her husband on Sunday evening.”
“Your niece married Bob Bodefeld, right?”
Sally nodded. Everyone in town was hoping to get invited to the set, and she was sure Mr. Ward was no different. “She did.”
“That’s really cool. What’s he like?”
“Just like everyone else. He’s completely head over heels in love with my niece, which is fun to watch. She’s pregnant, and he’s almost got her convinced the baby should be called Bob or Bobbette.”
“Bobbette? Are you kidding me?”
Sally shook her head. “She’s a romance writer, and she says she’s tired of naming characters, and if he’s willing to choose, she’ll put up with anything he wants.”
“That’s awful.”
“I know! I keep telling her that, but she just smiles and goes on her merry way.”
Mr. Ward shrugged. “To each his own, I guess.”
“I don’t exactly have a say in the matter. I feel like the baby is my grandchild, but it’s really not.”
He cleared his throat nervously. “So, if you’re spending Sunda
y evening with them, you’re free on Saturday evening?”
Sally looked at him, startled. She hadn’t realized he was interested in her. “No, I have a student I’m going to tutor.”
“Really? Do you usually do private tutoring?”
She shook her head. “No, there are extenuating circumstances.”
“How about Friday night, then?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Ward. I’m really not interested.” She hated to be so blunt, but she was sure it was better just to let him know. Her heart still belonged to Jay Graber. She hadn’t dated another man since he’d left town all those years before. What was the point? Her feelings weren’t going to change.
“Oh? Is there someone else?”
She started to say no, but nodded instead. “Actually, there is. My heart’s been taken for a very long time.”
Mr. Ward stood, crumpling the wrapper from the sandwich he’d brought for his lunch. “Sounds like it’s time he put a ring on it. Don’t you think?”
Sally didn’t respond. She had no idea what to say to that. Jay had tried to put a ring on it, and she’d told him no.
* * *
Pulling into Jay’s driveway on Saturday night brought back another rush of feelings. Sally hadn’t spent much time with him at his house because they’d preferred to be in public places for the most part. She didn’t believe sex should happen before marriage, and they decided it would be smarter not to tempt themselves by spending much time alone.
She had gone out one afternoon for a picnic shortly after May had arrived, and the three of them had ridden together and even shared a picnic lunch. Sally had been thrilled with how well May got along with Jay. It was less than a week later that he’d proposed.
Sally shook her head, refusing to worry about the past, and walked to the back door, where she knew friends and family were expected to go. She rang the bell and waited.
Jay opened the door for her, and her heart skipped a beat. Why couldn’t she look at him and not feel so much? It was like she walked around only half alive when he wasn’t there with her.
“Thanks for coming. She’s in a mood.” He wasn’t sure why he bothered with the warning because Alison was always in a mood.
Sally nodded. “I tried to talk to her a bit at school yesterday, and she just got mad. I’m willing to try, but I can’t promise I’ll get through to her.”
“I appreciate the effort. Maybe we can talk when you’re done?”
She looked at him for a moment, wondering what he wanted to talk about. “Sure.”
He turned. “Alison! Miss Jackson’s here!”
Alison came from the hallway where Sally knew the bedrooms were. She didn’t say anything as she walked to the dining room table, slapping a spiral notebook down and grabbing a pen.
Sally walked over and took the seat beside her student. “The papers you missed were both on Cyrano de Bergerac. Was there something you didn’t understand about the play? Or the assignment?” She felt Jay’s eyes on her, knowing he was remembering her obsession with Cyrano. She hadn’t read the play in years outside of her sophomore English class because it always reminded her of Jay now. Of course, just about everything did.
“I don’t know.”
Sally sighed. “Alison, I’m more than willing to help you in any way I can. You can catch up on the work, and I’ll help you do that, or I can request that you be transferred into a regular English class. The choice is yours.”
“You just want me out of your class! You hate me!”
“Why on earth would I hate you? I barely know you!”
“Everyone knows you and Uncle Jay were a couple, and he dumped you ’cuz your niece moved in with you.”
“What?” Sally shook her head, beckoning Jay to come closer when she saw him listening. “That’s not what happened at all.”
“My mom told me he left town because you two split up over your niece.”
Sally closed her eyes, trying to find the right words. How much should she tell the girl?
Jay took the seat across from them, looking at Alison. “Did you think I didn’t want you here because of that?”
Alison shrugged, a tear rolling down the side of her nose. “You don’t want me, and she doesn’t want me in her class. I know it.”
He looked across the table at Sally. “Do you mind if I tell her exactly what happened?”
Sally shook her head. “I don’t mind at all. I think you need to.”
“I was dating Miss Jackson when her niece moved in with her, but I didn’t leave town because I didn’t want to help her raise her niece. On the contrary. I asked her to marry me, and she said no. I couldn’t deal with being close to her after we split, so I left town. I wouldn’t have come back if it wasn’t for you. You were worth coming back for.” He kept his gaze on his niece’s face until she met his eyes, hoping she’d be able to read the truth in his.
Sally nodded. “Most of that is true. I didn’t say ‘no,’ though. I said, ‘Not right now.’ I was hoping he’d give me a year or two and then we could get married, but he left right away.”
Alison looked back and forth between them. “You really asked her to marry you?”
He nodded. “I sure did.”
“So why do you hate him, then?”
Sally shook her head. “I don’t. I’ve never hated him.”
“Then why do you hate me?”
“I don’t. I didn’t even realize you were Jay’s niece until he came to see me at school the other day. You don’t even have the same last name.” Sally looked intently at the girl. “Why do you think I hate you?”
Alison shrugged. “Hailey Marx said you did. Her mom was in your class when you guys broke up.”
Sally leaned back, astounded. “I had no idea any of my students even knew I had dated your uncle. It only lasted for a few months.” She sighed. “I don’t hate you at all. I worry about you, because I know your parents died, and I know what a tough time my niece had when she went through the same thing.”
Alison stared at her. “You really never hated me?”
Sally shook her head. “I’ve never hated a student. Actually, I probably would have given you preferential treatment if it had occurred to me who your uncle was.”
“Really?”
Sally frowned. “I hope not, but probably. I always did have a soft spot for him.”
Alison looked at her uncle as if seeing him for the first time. “I guess he’s not hideous.”
Sally laughed at her words. “No, I’ve never thought he was hideous.”
Alison shrugged. “I guess we need to talk about Cyrano, huh? I kind of think Roxane was an idiot for thinking Christian was able to write letters like that. He’s such a dweeb.”
“Yeah. Pretty much. Cyrano, no matter what he looks like, is the perfect hero. I mean, who wants a man that all the other women are going to be after anyway?”
“So that’s why you liked Uncle Jay, because all the other women weren’t chasing him?”
Sally blushed, nodding at the book on the table. “Let’s talk about Cyrano and leave Jay out of this.”
Alison made a face. “I’d rather talk about real-life love than fictional love. Now that Uncle Jay is back in town, are you going to go out with him?”
“I think we really should concentrate on Cyrano.” Sally had no answers where Jay was concerned, but she knew if he asked, she’d go out with him in a heartbeat. She wasn’t sure how that would work out with Alison being her student, though.
Alison looked at Jay. “Well, are you going to ask her out?”
Jay stood up. “I think I’ll go feed the horses. Study hard.” He quickly left the house, and Sally couldn’t hold back a giggle.
Alison looked at her. “You giggled!”
Sally shrugged. “I am human, you know.”
“Everyone says that you’re the hardest teacher in school, and that you’re always serious.”
“I’ll own up to being the hardest teacher. Always serious? Do people really say t
hat?” Sally knew she was tough because she expected each student to give their all. She didn’t like hearing that people thought she was always serious, though. Had she forgotten how to laugh?
“Everyone says that you only love literature, and that you’re so in love with Cyrano, you’ll never settle for a real man.”
Sally sighed. “I have been in love with Cyrano since I was your age. I admit it.”
“What about Uncle Jay?”
“I loved him too. Now, let’s talk about your homework.”
An hour later, Alison had outlines written for both essays, and the first one partially done. Sally wondered where Jay was hiding as she got to her feet. “I think you’ve got this. I’ll expect your essays first thing Monday morning.”
Alison frowned at her for a moment as if unsure what to think. “Thanks for helping me, Miss Jackson. You’re not the ogre everyone thinks you are.”
“Thanks, I think.” An ogre? Do students really call me that?
“I think you’d even be pretty if you wore your hair down sometimes.”
Fashion lessons from a fifteen-year-old honors student? She needed to leave. Quickly. “G’night, Alison.”
“G’night, Miss Jackson.” Alison stayed seated, looking back down at her essay, her pen poised.
Sally walked to the back door to let herself out, glad to be out from under the scrutiny of the teen. She was almost to the car when she heard her name.
Jay stopped her before she got into her car. “How’d it go?”
“Really well. I think she’s going to be fine. She just had it in her head that I hated her. Once we worked everything out, she knew the material and was ready to work. I think she thought I was going to mark down her grade just because I used to date you and it didn’t end well. Apparently, I have the reputation of being an ogre.”
He looked at her for a moment, studying her. “You handled her really well.”
“I’m good with teens. I teach them every day, and I even raised one.”
“Was May angry? Alison seems so mad all the time. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with that.”
Sally shook her head. “No, May was sad, not angry. I wasn’t sure she was going to pull through for a while, but she did. Alison is a very different girl from my May.” May had been easier to handle because all her anger had been turned inward. There’d been no fights, but there had been a long process of trying to build up the girl’s self-esteem. Sally wished she’d done a better job of that because May still didn’t believe she was worth much. She hoped that was changing with Bob in her life.
Lost Love (Lazy Love Book 4) Page 2
