“Why don’t you stand on the front of the rug over there,” she pointed, “and I’ll get you a chair while the kids get ready.” Having his attention on her softened her stance like butter melting.Focus, Ava, you have to focus.
Matt watched her walk away and tried not to stare at the classic beauty. Her hair shimmered like midnight and the green sweater she wore fit her perfectly and made her blue eyes dance. She handled the children with firmness, yet saturated in affection and kindness. They seemed in awe of her, and he could see why. She possessed a special kind of gentleness toward them, and in the simple task of giving directions her words encouraged the kids whenever possible. That simple trait could only be natural, not learned.
He took the moment he had to scan her room and get a feel for what made her tick. The room displayed bright colors and her handwriting emerged neat and precise. She had different learning stations set up that appeared in good condition, but if he got close enough he would probably see the wear and tear of daily use from tiny hands.
It didn’t take long for the kids to follow her directions and sit on the carpet in front of him. He took the chair she offered and sat down while Ava introduced him.
“All right boys and girls, thank you for listening so well. Today we have a very special guest with us. This is Sergeant Matthew Thompson from the Rockford Police Department and he is here to share with us about his job. So, I will need everyone to sit quietly and listen.”
She gestured toward the children and walked to her desk.
Ava moved from his direct line of sight which allowed his focus to go where it needed to be. He couldn’t deny the draw he had toward her and didn’t need the distraction while giving his presentation.
“Hi, I am Sergeant Matthew Thompson, but I would really like it if you called me Matt. I have been a police officer for almost eight years. Being a police officer is a big responsibility. I work to keep you safe. I have a police car that I drive around whenever I am working. I have certain areas that I’m in charge of patrolling. Patrolling means that I drive around making sure people are obeying the rules and staying safe.”
While looking around at the children he took note of how well-mannered they were. They sat in silence and no one moved. A good reflection on their teacher, he decided.
“When people drive too fast, I have to pull them over and give them a warning to slow down, but if they were going really fast, I have to give them a ticket. Drivers need to know that they must follow the speed limit. It’s there for their safety so they and other drivers don’t get hurt.
“When there is an accident, either on the road, at a house, or in the city, I’m called to come and help. If there is a fire, I go and help the fire fighters by making sure no one comes close to the danger.
“Sometimes when there is someone doing something naughty, I have to go find them and take them to jail for their punishment. It’s kind of like when you disobey your mommy and daddy; you might have to go into time-out for a while.” A few of the kids nodded their heads. “Time-out is another way to look at jail. They have to sit there until the judge says they’re done.
“Now, I’m sure you have heard this before, but I want you to hear it from me. If there is ever someone hurting you or making you feel uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to tell someone, whether it be your parents, Ms. Williams, or you can even tell me. But it’s very important for you not to be afraid to say something.” It was could-have-heard-a-pin-drop quiet.
“I like my job because I enjoy helping people,” Matt continued. “The best thing for you is that you don’t have to be a police officer to help someone. Every day you have a chance to be kind to someone. It doesn’t matter if it’s helping your parents around the house or your teacher at school,” he looked over at Ava and smiled, “or just being kind to everyone you meet.”
How well he communicated with the kids impressed Ava. He obviously enjoyed talking to children about his job and easily spoke at their level with uncomplicated words for them to understand. “Well, that’s all I have for you today,” he announced. “Do you have any questions?”
A dozen hands shot up and his laughter erupted.
“Okay, how about you in the red,” he pointed at Nick.
“Can I see your gun?” he asked with eyes wide.
“Well,” Matt stood and pointed to the gun in his holster, “I can show it to you this way, but I’m not going to take it out. I always wear it right here.” He patted the gun and then sat back down. “How about you?”
“Hi, my name is Kelly. Whenever my mom gets pulled over she always plays with her hair. Do you know why she does that?”
“I’m not sure,” he answered while suppressing a laugh. He looked over at Ava as she covered her own smile with her hand. “Maybe you should ask your mom.”
He kept the questions moving.
“How about you?” He pointed at Mikey.
“Sir, what is your favorite part of your job?”
“I love turning on the lights above my car and driving real fast.”
The girls giggled and boys’ voices called out, “I want to be a cop.”
Once they settled down, he pointed to Alex. Ava slowly closed her eyes, fearful of what words would escape from his mouth. Alex entertained her daily with his loose cannon presence in class and she often wondered what went on in that cute head of his.
“My dad mows our yard. Who mows yours?”
“Oh, well I live in an apartment so I don’t have a yard. But if I did, I would mow it.”
“How about you?” he asked Carrie who sat holding one arm around her knees with the other slightly in the air, timid.
Carrie looked down shyly and then asked, “Are you married?”
He smiled. “No, but I’d like to be some day.”
Ava knew where these questions would continue to go. She stood up quickly, stopping the downward spiral before they embarrassed him. At the same time, she realized she was relieved by his answer. For the past two years, dating became the furthest thing from her mind, so why did she care if he was married or not? She pushed the foreign thoughts aside, not willing to pick at the scab that covered her heart.
“Okay, I’m sure Sergeant Thompson has a busy day, so let’s have one last question. How about you, Luke?” His hand flopped around in the air, demanding attention.
“Sergeant Thompson—I mean Matt. Could you stay and have lunch with us?”
Matt glanced over at her. The question threw her off guard. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, leaving the decision up to him.
Matt looked back at the kids. “I’d like that. Thank you for asking.”
Everyone jumped up excitedly. Ava couldn’t hide her unexpected smile that amplified from his decision. She came out from behind her desk and stepped toward the children clapping to catch their attention. “Okay, let’s not forget to be polite and thank our guest for coming.”
“Thank you!” everyone chimed in unison.
The bell rang for lunch shortly after and the students filed into a line. She decided to join the class and Matt for lunch today. It wouldn’t hurt to help the other staff out on cafeteria duty. Being the first day back from break, the kids would still be riding high on adrenaline, which would produce a few glitches in routine.
Today’s menu boasted chicken nuggets, fries, and peas.
Yay, lots of food that’s easy to throw. Here we go.
Between the handsome guy walking beside her and embracing the job ahead, Ava had the strange urge to bounce up and down on the balls of her feet and punch her fists in the air while humming theRocky theme song.
Entering the cafeteria, she surveyed the battlegrounds and headed to the sidelines to get a better view of the entire room. After the students made it through the line, she and Matt found a pair of seats amongst the kids. They received a lot of looks, more from the adults than kids, but she chose to ignore them. He asked some questions about the school, but the kids kept asking him more questions—thankfully not too personal—
and frequently interrupted them.
Halfway through lunch a little girl started crying because someone had taken one of her nuggets, and shortly after Ava had to talk down two boys trying to see who could make milk come out of their noses first. Overall, lunch time transpired with a lack of tension. She’d had worse.
The kids went to recess after lunch. Ava took her few minutes of freedom and walked with Matt back to the main entrance. They took the time they had away from the earshot of the students to finally laugh together about some of their questions. To tell someone about these moments never measured up to experiencing it with someone.
It felt nice.
She extended her hand to him, “Thanks again for coming. You did a great job and I appreciate you taking the time to help me out.”
“You’re welcome. It seems like you never have a dull moment.”
She shook her head back and forth. “Nope, never.”
He started toward the door but stopped short. It looked like he wanted to ask a question, but nothing came out of his mouth except, “It was nice meeting you, Ava.”
“You too, Matt.”
They waved good-bye and went their separate ways.Maybe dating isn’t such an appalling thought after all. Scary, but not appalling.Too bad I’m never going to see him again.Ava stopped, her legs paralyzed by the shocking thoughts that trickled in.His presence and smile had just become more than she could handle right now.
She walked away relieved for the distance.
In attempts to stay ahead of schedule before the final bell rang, Ava helped the kids with their jacket zippers and saw to it that all the backpacks were off the hooks and onto little backs. She noticed Alex off by himself and realized that he’d been unusually quiet all day.
The boy held an adorable look that constantly had her fighting the impulse to pinch his cheeks. He had spiky blond hair, a chubby face, and glasses. He reminded her of the little boy from the movie,Jerry Maguire. He stood at the back table making sure he had all hisCars pencils in order. She took a moment to talk with him one on one.
“Hey, Alex, do you have all your pencils?”
“Yep, I just counted all five.” He pushed his glasses up with his pointer finger and smiled. “Now I am making sure they are all safe in my pencil box.”
“That is a very good idea,” she agreed. “How was your spring break?”
“Well,” he started slowly, “it was really sad because my grandma went to a better place.” His frown and elongated sigh displayed how upset he was over the situation.
“Oh no, I am so sorry.” She put her arm around him. “When did she pass away?”
Concern for him and frustration at herself filled her. She had not heard and would have talked to him about it earlier had she known.
He looked confused. “What?” Then he grinned. “Oh no, she just moved to Ohio,” he said while making a fist with his thumb out and thrusting it over his shoulder, demonstrating that Grandma had hit the road, moved away.
It took everything in her not to laugh out loud. “Oh, well, Ohio is very nice.”
He gave her a hug and then ran up to the front of the room to find his spot in line.
On the way back from sending kids home, she decided to stop at her friend Kate’s room to catch up. They had both started working at the school the same year and their friendship blossomed instantly. As she approached Kate’s room she couldn’t help but giggle at the horrible sound escaping from the room. She stuck her head in the open door to find Kate erasing her board and singing some lovey-dovey song from the eighties. Kate held no distress over the fact her life would start a new season by getting married this weekend. It was cute, a little sickening and off tune, but cute. Ava shook her head and then sang the echo part to let her counterpart know she had company.
Kate laughed before she turned around, “You caught me,” she swooned.
“I still can’t believe you’re getting married this weekend. It feels like just yesterday that Kyle proposed to you,” Ava said as she stepped inside and sat on the edge of Kate’s desk. “Did you get everything worked out with Principal Hunt about all of your time off?”
“Yes, he has been great. He’s even letting me take Friday off to decorate the church and prepare for the rehearsal.”
Kate was busting at the seams with delight. Ava had a twinge of jealousy—or was it nausea—for just a split second and then pushed it out of her thoughts.
Kate must have seen something in her face because she kindly brought it to the surface. “I’m sorry if this is hard to talk about. I haven’t seen or talked to you in a week. I’m sure there is something else we can discuss.”
Ava regretted her selfishness on mentally turning their conversation back on her. “Kate, I love talking about your happiness. I am so glad that you and Kyle found each other. Your wedding is going to be wonderful and I’m looking forward to being a part of your special day,” she replied with sincerity.
Kate’s smile confirmed her contentment with the answer. “Thank you. So since you are okay, do you want to hear about where we’re staying on our honeymoon?”
“Absolutely.”
After finishing up a few more things at her desk, Ava headed out to her car, a red Honda Accord, clearly dated by the rust that covered the bumper. Nothing fancy, it got her to where she needed to go and that’s all that mattered. Ava stayed simple when it came to vehicles. She wanted to look around for something different, but her finances just didn’t allow it at this time. Her brothers constantly nagged her to buy something newer and cooler, but so far she held firm and ignored their digs.
As she reached her car something caught her eye at the corner of the building. It looked to be one of her students, Tessa Davis. She threw her books into the car, shut the door with a loud slam and jogged over to the small child. Tessa was one of her students that walked home after school and she recalled watching her head home earlier that day.
Tessa was a shy and introverted child. Ava continually questioned her home life. The girl’s father left awhile ago, but her mother always seemed nice and invested in her daughter’s life. During the last few weeks, though, something just didn’t seem right.
“Hi Tessa, why are you not at home? Is everything okay?”
“Well, I did go home, but my mom wasn’t there and I didn’t know what to do.”
Concern jumped first into Ava’s mind, since this had happened before.
“Okay, let’s go see where your mom is together. I’m sure she is very worried about you.” Ava directed Tessa into the office to call her home. Ava smiled when Tessa reached for her hand while they walked. These little moments made the long exhausting days a little brighter. Ava asked her a few questions to brighten the mood and had Tessa giggling by the time they reached the office.
Tessa’s mother answered, quite upset about the situation and apologized for the mix-up. Ava sent the little one home, frustrated that her hands were tied. She decided to mentally keep an eye on Tessa and observe her more carefully, maybe even prod her into answering a few questions that swirled around in her mind.
Ava drove to the store to pick up some groceries needed to make dinner, trying to fight the distraction of Tessa in her mind. Jules would be at her apartment soon for their weekly meal together. Between the two of them, Jules was the better cook, which wasn’t saying much. At least her critic didn’t have a high scale to judge from. Grilled chicken salads … she couldn’t screw that up too badly.
Hectic traffic and a packed grocery store put Ava behind schedule. By the time she got home the clock showed six. She threw the chicken on the George Foreman grill and ran back to her room to change clothes. Sweat pants, a comfy shirt, and slippers—her girls’ night wardrobe.
As she opened the bag of salad Jules knocked and stuck her head in. “Hi. Sorry I’m late, traffic was horrible.”
“I know. I just got in myself. My downfall started when I got caught up talking with Kate after school.”
“Is this the weekend she’
s getting married?” Jules asked as she plopped down at the kitchen table, resting her head on the back of the chair. Her autumn colored hair spilled down onto her shoulders.
“Yep, it’s Saturday night.”
“You’re still planning on going, right?”
Ava rolled her eyes when she recognized the hope in her friend’s voice. “Yes. I know my record of attending weddings hasn’t been very good the past couple years, but I’m looking forward to this one.”
“Good. I’m glad. So … are you planning on taking someone?”
“Ha ha, very funny, Jules.”
“You’d have a great time.”
“No.”
“I know this guy.”
“Quit.”
Julia’s grin started wide and ended mischievous. She obviously enjoyed herself, a little too much for Ava’s patience.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Come on, Ava,” she pouted, “just hear me out.”
If Ava didn’t have twenty years of history with Julia, she might have been a little annoyed at the badgering. They met in early grade school and had been best friends ever since. They grew up on the same street, riding bikes together and having sleepovers. Besides family, there wasn’t anyone else she trusted more. Julia only brought up the matter of her dating again because of concern for Ava’s happiness, but even after two years, the subject stayed one that Ava did not like to discuss. Being left at the altar continued to not only be embarrassing, but deeply scarring.
Dating for her was off the table at this point. It joined the same category as skydiving and bungee jumping … it terrified her.
The thought of Matt popped into her mind, and she became frustrated with herself because this wasn’t the first time today the handsome officer had invaded her thoughts. Ava quickly dismissed the idea of bringing him up to Julia. She didn’t want the drama that would ensue.
Ava waited, debating if she could handle this conversation Julia pushed. “Fine,” she conceded as she grabbed the plates and joined Jules at the table. “You’ve got five minutes.”
A Rescued Heart (Rescued Heart Romance) Page 2
