by Angel Smits
What was he seeing inside his mind? She wanted to ask, but refrained from uttering another question.
The sun was setting, and the shadows reached out. At the next corner, they both turned left. “Go ahead. I know you want to ask.”
This time she laughed. “Am I that easy to read?”
“Yes, and no. Remember, I’m a teacher, too. It’s in our nature to see the ones who want to ask but won’t.”
“True. Okay, so why was your dad gone so much? What did he do?”
“I’m not totally sure.” He kept walking for a good half a block. “He was career military, and even after his official retirement, he still contracts with them.”
“That must have been rough.”
“We weren’t used to him being around.” He shrugged. “When he came home, it was worse than when he was gone.” Again, he looked at the horizon—watching the clouds? Or his memories?
“I’d have loved to have more time with my dad,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry. Tonight wasn’t very upbeat.” Marcus rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. He lifted the shoulder that had the backpack on it. “I think this book is influencing my mood.”
They’d reached her house, and she paused at the end of her walk, just outside the white picket fence that had attracted her to the house in the first place. “This is it.” She waved at the house, then faced him. “It was a lovely evening. Really.” She meant it. He seemed honest and sincere. She liked that. She hadn’t found those qualities in many of the men she’d met in the past few years. “Thank you for sharing with me.” She paused, then grinned at him. “And for walking me home. I don’t think anyone’s done that since I was, like, fourteen.”
He laughed, a deep, heavy sound that warmed her from the inside out. “And I’ll bet your dad, or one of those brothers, stood at the door making sure nothing went on, too.”
“Yeah.” She smiled at him. “My brother Wyatt.”
“You’re welcome.” He stood there, not moving for a long minute. Finally, he stepped back. “I’m just a couple blocks over. Have a great night, Addie.”
“You, too.” She wanted to say more. Wanted to know a whole lot more about him. The silence stretched out, awkward all of a sudden, full of expectation, until he resumed walking.
She watched until he reached the corner. He turned to wave before making that last turn. He was heading toward the street Mom used to live on. She couldn’t remember which of the houses, other than Mom’s, had been for sale recently. Of course, she hadn’t gone over there much.
Maybe that needed to change.
* * *
HIS HOUSE WAS dark when Marcus finally reached it. He’d have rather gone into Addie’s house, where he saw a light, inviting and warm, just inside that big front window. He made a mental note to leave a light on next time.
Next time? Next time he went to the coffee shop in the evening, he told himself. Nothing more than that.
Her house was similar to this one—the hazards of a planned development. Somehow, though, he liked it. For an instant, he pictured her. Moving around, locking the doors, checking the windows, closing everything up for the night.
Did she have a dog or a cat that’d run to greet her? Or was her house silent, like this one?
Shaking his head, he tried to cast thoughts of Addie out of his mind, but it wasn’t easy. Her comments, gestures and expressions were too strong. Despite his attraction to her, he couldn’t be interested in a relationship with anyone. Not now. Maybe never.
He had enough to worry about. Walking through the big house, he headed to the kitchen. He’d thought to grab a sandwich at the coffee shop, but hadn’t felt hungry. Nothing had looked good, so he’d settled for just the coffee. Now, surprisingly, he was hungry.
Tossing his backpack onto the kitchen table—covered with dozens of books—he headed to the counter. He hadn’t expected this room to become his makeshift office, but something about it drew him, made him feel comfortable.
A jar of peanut butter sat on the counter, right next to the bread—where Ryan always left it. Smiling, Marcus made himself a sandwich. Biting into the thick peanut-buttery goo, he grinned. Ryan had no clue what he was talking about. Peanut butter did not taste like crap without jelly.
It tasted just right.
CHAPTER FIVE
WHEN RYAN VOLUNTEERED him to chaperone the eighth-grade, year-end dance, Marcus knew exactly what his son was up to. Ryan had noticed—and commented on—the wave he’d sent Principal Hawkins that day he’d picked the boys up after school. Ryan had read way too much into a simple gesture.
Now he was determined to put Marcus in close proximity to his pretty school principal.
Which was why Marcus hadn’t mentioned meeting her at the coffee shop the other night. Though he had to admit, Addie was definitely eye-catching, and talking with her had been challenging and interesting.
But mostly, she’d made him laugh. Something he couldn’t remember doing in ages. She’d popped into his thoughts so many times since then.
But he’d found, and lost, the love of his life. He wasn’t going to find anyone else like Carolyn, and he’d worked hard the past couple years to reconcile himself to that.
The problem wasn’t his. It was Ryan’s. The boy was determined that Marcus would not spend his life alone, and put considerable effort into finding someone to replace his mother.
Somehow, that made Marcus sad.
Carolyn might not have been Ryan’s biological mother, but she’d loved him, wanted him and created a life that had been everything they could hope for. It wasn’t anyone’s fault that it hadn’t lasted.
Marcus forced himself to focus on the room around him instead of on the world that had been. If his son was any example, a room full of thirteen-year-olds could get into plenty of trouble.
Even with half a dozen chaperones around.
“So, how did he con you into doing this?” The woman’s voice came from behind him. Since the music wasn’t nearly as loud as at the dances when he was a kid, he could actually hear her. Marcus looked over his shoulder to find Addie standing there, a plastic cup of punch in one hand, the other hand shoving the riot of blond curls behind one ear.
Maybe she was the one controlling the volume of the music. He heard the half-dozen metal bracelets clatter as they fell along the length of her forearm.
“He said it was mandatory.”
She laughed. “We do push for each parent to do their turn, but we don’t use that word.”
“Apparently, my son does.” He stared into his own cup of overly sweet punch.
“We’ll work on that.” She moved beside him. “Look at the positive side. You’ve done your turn once this is over.” She smiled, and her face transformed, softened, sweetened.
He smiled back, unable to resist her infectious optimism. “How do you do this every day?”
“Do what? We only have two dances a year.”
He laughed. “No. Do this.” He pointed at the room. “Survive all this teenage energy. Just being around Ryan wears me out. You deal with it most of your day.”
“I guess I’m used to it. Being the principal gives me less student contact than when I was a teacher.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Sometimes.” She glanced toward the center of the gym floor. A grand total of two couples were dancing. “This is my first year as a principal, so it’s all new. I’m learning.”
New challenges. He understood that. He tried to find his son’s familiar blond head in the crowd. He’d been over by the basketball backboard with Dex, the neighbor kid who’d become Ryan’s new best friend. And while Ryan thought Dex was the next best thing, Marcus wasn’t convinced.
His concern must have shown on his face. “Don’t worry.” She leaned toward him. “We have a dozen parents here tonight. They can’t ge
t into too much trouble.”
“Have you met my son?” Marcus looked at her askance. “He doesn’t need five seconds to find trouble.”
She laughed. “I’d say that’s pretty normal for his age. He’s a very inquisitive kid.”
“That’s for sure. From the minute he could talk he was asking questions.” He saw Ryan and Dex appear out of the crowd, chasing each other and laughing.
The silence between Marcus and Addie wasn’t quiet, but it was comfortable. They stood there through the length of a couple of songs, listening, watching, waiting. For what, he didn’t have a clue.
“Did you ever get around to reading your book?” she asked.
“Book?” Then he remembered the coffee shop. “No, I haven’t had time.” Nor the inclination. He was still waiting for his parents to appear on his doorstep as his sister had predicted.
A man came over shortly after the song ended, his smile too wide. “Hello, Addie.” The man stepped in too close to her. “How are you?”
“Hello, Mr. Wilson. How’s Bethany doing tonight?” Addie leaned around the man to observe the kids, despite the man’s attempts to dominate her attention.
“She’s having a good time. So glad you still have these types of activities for the kids. Keeps them off the streets and out of trouble.”
“We do what we can.”
Marcus watched, noting her forced smile and the way she leaned away from the guy. She didn’t like him, but she did a fairly good job of hiding that fact. The man stepped closer, and if it weren’t for the table directly behind them, she’d have probably stepped away. She was trapped, and the realization flashed in her eyes.
“Hello, I’m Marcus Skylar.” Marcus moved closer as well, sticking his hand out as a barrier between her and the other man. He actually looked surprised to see Marcus there. Addie looked relieved, and Marcus pushed Wilson to interact with him.
“And you are?”
The stranger looked perturbed, but shook Marcus’s hand. “Jack Wilson.” He stepped back, and Addie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Excuse me.” She stepped away, granting Marcus a faint, thankful smile before she headed toward a couple of boys who seemed to be heading toward the door.
“Which kid is yours?” Marcus asked.
“My daughter’s over there.” Jack pointed toward a group of girls huddled along the bleachers, ignoring everyone around them. “The pretty one on the end.”
Marcus wasn’t sure which girl he meant. There were half a dozen of them, and all of them were dolled up. A sense of dread hit him. Thankfully, Ryan was still oblivious to girls. A reprieve...for a while at least.
But someday, and probably soon, Ryan was going to notice.
* * *
ADDIE ROAMED THROUGH the gym. The boys were mostly on one side, the girls on the other. She liked this age. They weren’t yet single-minded. The operative word being yet. She smiled and took another trip around the room.
A girl’s voice came from around the corner of the bleachers. “Boys are just stupid.”
“Oh, you’re just mad because Peter broke up with you right before the dance.”
“Am not.” She was definitely pouting.
“Are, too.” The girl laughed. “Come on, Jill. There are lots of other guys here. Look around.”
“I don’t want to. Guys suck,” she repeated.
“Did you see him?” The second girl’s excited, breathy voice perked up Addie’s ears.
“Who?” the first girl asked.
“The dark-haired guy,” she whispered.
There was a bit of shuffling. “The old guy?”
“He’s not old. He’s gorgeous.”
“You’re crazy, Malory.”
That narrowed it down to just a few girls in the school. Addie leaned against the bleachers, following what was obviously the girls’ gazes. Marcus stood there, chatting with Jack Wilson.
She didn’t like Jack much, though, as the principal, she wasn’t supposed to like or dislike parents. Specific parents anyway. But Jack was one of those guys who just—how did she describe it? He was oily. Like a salesman who didn’t know when to take no for an answer. In her case, he was always selling himself.
He was divorced, and if the tales his daughter shared were true, not amicably. The idea of actually taking him up on any of his offers made Addie’s skin crawl.
Marcus Skylar, on the other hand... She thought about that night at the coffee shop. She’d found herself thinking about their chat, about the book he wasn’t reading and the enjoyable walk home several times since.
Just then, Jack said something that made Marcus smile. He had a nice smile, though he didn’t often use it. She’d managed to coax a few smiles from him so far. She recalled the girls’ comments and was pretty sure her voice would sound as breathy as the girls had if she were to say anything.
“I heard he’s the dad of the new kid.” The girls were speculating again.
“What new kid?”
“The computer whiz. Didn’t you see him in class last week?”
“I’m not sure.”
“He’s blond. Talked about the computer camp he went to last summer. He was bragging about how he met some famous hacker who could break into anything.”
“Oh, him. He’s kinda cute.”
“For a nerd.”
“Hey, that’s not very nice.”
“I’m going to go talk to him,” the girl said, and Addie almost reached out to stop her. Then realized that would let them know she’d been eavesdropping. She was the adult in charge, so, while eavesdropping was expected, it wasn’t how Addie liked to deal with the kids. Even though it sometimes was the only way she knew what was going on.
“The nerd?” The girls continued their conversation.
“No, his dad, silly.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Mike said he’s a widower. He looks lonely, right?” There were a chorus of giggles, and Addie decided to come out of hiding.
“Okay, ladies. Let’s get out and join the party.”
Several of the girls shared uncertain glances as they hustled away from Addie. She smiled, only slightly enjoying the power she had over a bunch of teenage girls who thought they ruled the world.
“Well, well, well.” Lindy stepped out of her own set of shadows. “Wasn’t that fun to watch?” She laughed, and Addie realized she was looking farther down than normal. She was wearing heels and Lindy had hers in her hand.
“What was fun?” Addie kept her same pace, moving around the room, watching and checking on everyone.
“Why, seeing this side of you.”
“What side of me?”
“The woman who’s interested in someone, who doesn’t want anyone—especially the person who she’s interested in—to know she’s interested.”
“Thank God you don’t teach English.”
“Yeah, not my best subject.” Lindy fell into step with her. “But you got my point.”
Addie huffed. “Yeah, I got your point.” There wasn’t much reason to hide anything from Lindy. They knew each other too well.
Lindy also knew why Addie would never act on her attraction.
“You know I’m right.” Lindy was always right—or so she believed.
“Maybe.” Addie wasn’t giving her the credit that easily.
“Okay, must I sacrifice myself for our friendship?” Lindy sighed and stopped to slip her feet into her shoes. She put a hand on Addie’s shoulder for balance. “You, my friend, need a nudge. You’ll thank me. And I expect wine with that thank-you, thank you very much.”
Addie cringed, glad that gym class seldom required papers that Lindy had to grade. “Where are you going?”
“Watch and learn, sister. Watch and learn. Follow my lead.”
With a swagger t
hat did all womankind proud, Lindy headed straight toward Jack Wilson. The man was talking loudly, with his hands flying in the air, explaining something to Marcus. The instant he caught sight of Lindy heading toward them, he froze. Hands in midair. For an instant, he actually looked shocked, maybe even frightened.
Then Lindy must have smiled—Addie couldn’t see Lindy’s face from here. But the man—both men—smiled. Marcus’s looked a bit more like relief than joy, but Addie wasn’t sure. She didn’t know him that well yet. Whoa. Wait. Reverse that thought. Delete yet from that statement.
Addie couldn’t hear what Lindy was saying, but the way she looked at Jack, and the way she curled her hand around his arm, said plenty.
They started to stroll away, Lindy guiding him through the crowd of kids. She turned and winked at Addie as they left, as if to say, “Go for it.”
Marcus stayed where he was, watching Addie. Their gazes met, and something flipped in her stomach. She continued slowly the rest of the way around the gym until she was once again at the punch table.
“Your friend seems to have distracted your, uh, admirer,” Marcus said, leaning close. The music had gotten a bit louder. She’d given specific instructions on how loud the music could be, as much to protect everyone’s hearing as the ancient walls that had been built well before the advent of rock and roll. She didn’t have the budget for repairs.
The guys in the sound booth were definitely pushing it right now.
“Yeah, she’s a good friend.”
He laughed, and she wished the music wasn’t so loud. She wanted to hear him.
“Hope she doesn’t have to be very often.”
Addie shook her head. It wasn’t as if they had too many of these functions throughout the year. Thank God her path crossed with Jack’s only a couple of times a year. His ex took care of most of their daughter’s school interactions. Addie and Marcus stood there for several long minutes, not saying anything, watching the strobe lights match the beat of the music. Again, the silence between them seemed comfortable and neither seemed inclined to break it.
