The Loner's Thanksgiving Wish (Love Inspired)

by Rustand, Roxanne

  “I guess I never really felt emotionally attached enough. They were all nice guys, good friends…but whenever I had to move somewhere else the relationships didn’t survive, and none of them broke my heart when they ended.” Because none of them were ever like you. “I think my destiny is to become a much-feared spinster teacher with a hairnet and wielding a ruler.”

  He laughed. “That I can see because you must weigh all of a hundred pounds.”

  A waiter noiselessly appeared at Mei’s elbow. “Would you two care for dessert? Coffee?”

  Jack raised a brow, but Mei shook her head. “This has been lovely, but I have school tomorrow and you have an early appointment—and we both have the parent open house at school, too. Plus, Moose is probably dying to get outside. I’d better get home.”

  Light snow was drifting like falling diamonds beneath the streetlamps as Jack drove slowly down Railroad Street, then turned up Grosbeak toward Silver Creek.

  He surprised her—and turned her insides to Jell-O—when he got out and walked her to her door. She fumbled with her keys, suddenly feeling as shy and uncertain as a sixteen-year-old on a first date.

  A loud woof echoed from inside the cottage when she slid the key in the lock.

  “I’ll bet that dog registers on the Richter scale when he barks,” Jack said, standing aside when she let Moose bound out of the house. “Does the sound ever break your stemware?”

  She laughed. “Almost.”

  They stood together watching the dog joyously bound through the snowdrifts in the yard, his tongue lolling and tail wagging.

  Jack caught her mittened hand in his. “He has got to be the happiest dog I’ve ever seen. Of course, he chose his new house and owner, and she did agree. Some guys are just lucky that way.”

  “And all it took was sprawling across my porch so I would trip on him on my way to work.”

  “If that’s the way to your heart, it doesn’t sound too bad…as long as a guy has health insurance, anyway,” he said with a wink.

  Did she dare read anything more into his words? She looked up at him and felt a flutter in the vicinity of her heart. If they’d both stayed in town, would he have ever asked her out? Was there a chance that they might have ended up together all this time?

  “I really enjoyed the evening,” she murmured. “Thanks for dinner.”

  Jack smiled down at her. “Maybe we can do this again sometime.”

  “I’d like that.”

  He started down the porch steps. Stopped. Then he spun on his heel and came back to drop a kiss on her mouth, leaving her feeling dazed and giddy and more than a little tingly from head to toe.

  And then he was gone.

  Chapter Sixteen

  By the end of the school day on Friday, Mei felt herself buzzing with anticipation over the schoolwide parent-teacher open house starting at seven o’clock.

  Despite the tumultuous end to the field trip on Wednesday, the students had rallied afterward, working on their data and displays both at home and in class, and they’d all done a wonderful job.

  Even Gina had come up with a minimal effort on the endangered least tern, though she’d been subdued since returning to school the day after the field trip and had kept her eyes downcast throughout class.

  Since the last bell at the end of the day, Mei had been cleaning and rearranging the classroom to best display the projects from the class. Time flew by, and before she knew it, most of her students had filtered back into class, setting up their displays and rehearsing their one-minute presentations for the parents who would start arriving in fifteen minutes.

  Mei floated along the perimeter of the room, armed with a stapler and cellophane tape as she praised each student as they worked on their setup.

  Sensing the girl’s deep embarrassment, Mei mustered up a bright smile when she reached Gina’s haphazard poster board with an internet article stapled in the lower corner and a photocopied picture of a least tern fastened in the center.

  “Did you enjoy reading up on this bird, Gina?”

  The girl was just about as tall as Mei, but she was over-weight and awkward, and her frizzy blond hair added several inches to her height. With her ratty tennis shoes and faded sweatshirt, the complete package was that of a person who had few resources at home.

  She picked at her chipped nail polish. “It was all right.”

  “I’m really happy that you’re here tonight. I know a lot of the students live a long ways out in the country, so it’s quite a trip back into town for something like this.”

  “I stayed.”

  “You stayed in town? That was a good idea.”

  She picked at her nail polish with even greater intensity, and Mei thought she saw a teardrop fall on the girl’s sleeve.

  “Did you stay here, at school?”

  Gina nodded.

  “Did you have supper?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “You know, I brought a sack lunch for tonight, but I didn’t finish it all. I still have a yogurt and an apple, and if you’d take them off my hands I wouldn’t have to bother taking them home.”

  Gina flashed a quick, almost hostile sideways look at Mei. “Why would you be nice to me?” she mumbled.

  “Why not? You’re one of my students, and I’d guess you’d prove to be one of the brighter ones, if you applied yourself. It would be fun to see you bloom. If not in my class, then in one you really like.”

  Mei started on to the next display, then had an uneasy feeling and turned back to Gina. “If by chance your parents are really busy and can’t come tonight, let me know. I’m sure we can arrange a ride home for you.”

  At the next table, Jon was carefully gluing prairie grass in a graceful arc over the top edge of his plains sharp-tailed grouse display. Mei suppressed the impulse to whistle in appreciation. If this boy didn’t end up in advertising or some aspect of the art world, he would be hiding his light under a bushel.

  “Very nice, Jon,” a deep, familiar voice came from behind Mei.

  She turned and came face-to-face with Jack. “I’m so glad you came! The students all loved having you involved in our class.”

  He smiled. “I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.”

  “Have you looked at all the displays?”

  “Just got here.” He followed her around the room, talking to each student, asking questions at each stop as he admired their work.

  By the time they got to Gina’s spot, she was nowhere to be seen.

  “She’s really uncomfortable with me,” Mei whispered. “So she may feel even more shy with you. If she comes back, let’s just give her some space.”

  The parents started flooding in, reviewing the projects from their own children’s classes and then moving through the endangered species displays. She’d seen many of the parents at church or the grocery. She spied a taller man and tried to place him, then realized he was one of Zach’s deputies.

  “I’ll just get out of the way,” Jack said as he moved to a corner of the room and leaned a shoulder against the blackboard.

  Most of the parents introduced themselves and peppered Mei with questions about the classes and how their children were doing—even though it wasn’t an evening set up for individual reviews.

  She didn’t see trouble coming until she finished answering a parent’s question and turned to find Barbara Meier forging through the crowd, followed by a husky, bald man sporting tattoos covering the side of his neck.

  “I know,” she said loudly. “It’s just a miracle that my daughter is with me after that field trip. No one was watching out for her—no one cared. My poor baby was lost for hours.”

  The other parents shifted uncomfortably, most trying to avoid looking her way as she continued to make a scene. Some quietly slipped out the door with an apologetic nod in Mei’s direction. Some frowned, obviously believing every word.

  Mei looked over at Jack and shook her head firmly, then closed her eyes briefly for a quick, silent prayer, hoping he wo
uld stay put and not make things worse by coming to her rescue.

  But Barbara slid a smug look in Mei’s direction and then raised her voice even more. “I don’t understand why they don’t hire competent, experienced teachers who care about their jobs. I mean, how hard is it to keep track of a few teenagers and—”

  A soft wail came from the open doorway. Every other noise in the room stopped as everyone turned toward the door.

  It was Gina, her face reddened with embarrassment, her mouth open in horror. She looked over at Mei as tears started to fall down her cheeks. “It isn’t true,” she whispered. “None of it’s true. I-I’m so sorry, Ms. Clayton.”

  Her mother shoved her way through the other parents. “Gina, you’re overwrought. Let’s go to the bathroom and cool down. A little splash of water on your face and—”

  “No.” Gina shook her head slowly, her jaw trembling. “You made me leave the field trip so you could get Ms. Clayton in trouble.” Her voice rose. “And it was all about money. I-I’ve never been so embarrassed in my whole life!”

  Mei eased to the side of the room, grabbed the intercom mike and spoke quietly into it, thankful that the office staff was here for this event.

  Most of the parents had now filtered out of the room, taking the students and their displays with them. The deputy, dressed in street clothes, stood at the door with his cell phone at his ear, eyeing Barbara with considerable interest.

  A second later Mrs. Baker, the principal, arrived and gently rested her hands on Gina’s shoulders. “How are you, dear?” she murmured. “Is everything all right in here?”

  Gina turned into her embrace, crying.

  Barbara spun toward Mei, her eyes flashing with contempt. “It’s all your fault. I never should have let my daughter sign up for this class. Because of you—”

  “Enough.” The deputy gave Barbara’s companion a searing look that made him stumble back a step, then he turned back to her. “I have a patrol car coming for you so we can go down to the sheriff’s office and get to the bottom of this. If I were you, I wouldn’t say another word to this teacher, much less stand in public and make unfounded accusations.”

  Her heart breaking for Gina, who was still sobbing against Mrs. Baker’s shoulder, Mei went to the doorway and laid a hand on the teen’s arm. “I’m so sorry about this. But I want you to know that the other kids will realize that none of this was your fault. And I know we’ll all be glad to have you back in class.”

  Mei looked over her shoulder at the deputy. “What about Gina? I don’t know if she’ll be okay going home if her mother is this…um…upset. Or with that guy, either.”

  “Her boyfriend,” Gina whispered brokenly. “But m-my aunt and uncle live in town. I go there a lot. I can go to their house.”

  “Good—we just want you to be safe.”

  Long after the deputies took Barbara and Gina away and all of the parents were gone, Mei stood slumped against her desk, talking quietly to the principal.

  Jack watched from out in the hallway, affording them privacy, but what he really wanted to do was to walk in there and whisk her out to her SUV because she looked utterly exhausted.

  When the two of them finally came out, Mei had pulled on her cranberry jacket and held her purse. She locked the door behind her.

  The principal nodded to Jack, then strode away toward the central offices, her heels clicking against the polished terrazzo floor.

  “I’d be happy to sweep you off your feet and carry you out to your car,” he offered. “You look worn-out.”

  “I am, but I’m going outside on my own power. I don’t even want to think about all the rumors that would fly if you did that.”

  He fell into step as she walked toward the exit. “Might keep life interesting.”

  That earned a short laugh. “Believe me—my life has been way too interesting lately. I’m starting to crave boredom. Preferably following twelve hours of sleep.”

  “What did your principal have to say?”

  Mei sighed. “It has been a little rocky for her around here. Dozens of agitated phone calls from parents who are worried about security. Questioning why I was hired. Some demands that I ought to be fired immediately.”

  Jack didn’t have to guess where some of those calls had come from. “I’m sorry it went that far.”

  “Me, too. She understands the situation. I explained in depth about how a lot of people could profit greatly if I left town. But she also has to be concerned about a safe, healthy school environment. Another ruckus like this one would probably make her seriously consider whether the benefits of having me here would outweigh the costs.”

  “There might be other jobs.”

  “And other opportunities for someone like Vincent to strike again.” She sighed. “I just wish I was independently wealthy and didn’t need to have a job here. It would make things a whole lot easier.”

  Jack walked beside her for a few moments, thinking. “I understand there used to be a part-time secretary at the wildlife biologist’s office here. Maybe I can find some funding.”

  She smiled up at him. “I know where you’re going with this, but this isn’t your obligation. So far, I still have my position at the high school. If something changes, then I’ll just look around until something else turns up. Who knows—maybe I can get a job bussing tables at the Cowboy Café.”

  They walked out of the building and into the chilly darkness toward the parking lot, where a single security lamp cast a pool of light on the sidewalk.

  Jack hesitated, then draped an arm around her shoulders as they walked. Even under her bulky jacket, she felt so delicate, so vulnerable that he wished he would never have to let her go. “You’re wrong about the obligation, Mei. Maybe I’m not related to Vincent and the others, but I was once pretty close to them. If they try to harm someone I care about, I’m going to step in.”

  She looked at him in alarm. “You won’t do anything rash.”

  “As in ‘armed and dangerous’? No. But they’re a crafty lot, and they’ve gotten away with far too much over the years. It’s time that someone stood in their way.”

  Twelve hours of sleep had sounded wonderful yesterday evening. But with a massive dog standing at the side of her bed at seven in the morning, its head resting on her pillow, that wasn’t going to happen. “Woof.”

  The soft sound ruffled Mei’s long hair, tickling her nose.

  “Woof.”

  She opened one eye and found herself looking into Moose’s massive jaws as he yawned. “If you’re tired and I’m tired, why aren’t we both sleeping?”

  Knowing he wouldn’t give up because he needed to go out, she scuffed into her slippers, shouldered into her heavy robe and trudged blearily out to the kitchen. “Here you go,” she called out as she opened the door.

  Lisette stood there with Albert in her arms, her hand poised ready to knock.

  Mei blinked. “Good morning.”

  “I’m here because I just couldn’t sleep. We need to talk.”

  There would be no going back to bed, Mei realized. She let Moose back inside, then went to the counter and started a pot of coffee. “Toast? Eggs? Oatmeal?”

  Lisette hung her coat by the door and slipped off her snow boots, then picked up Albert and held him close. “Nothing, really. But thanks. Later on I’ll have a Saturday morning brunch with Maude, from church.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I…I haven’t been completely truthful with you all these years. It was for the best. I think any parent would agree. But now I realize—” She took a slow breath. “I realize from our last conversation that unspoken feelings can be taken in the wrong way and lead to pain one never intended. If I don’t speak up and try to save you from what I went through, you and I will both come to regret it.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve seen you with Jack McCord a number of times, and I am worrying so much about you making a terrible mistake. It disappoints me that you haven’t listene
d when I’ve tried to warn you about him.”

  Mei couldn’t believe they were having this conversation again. “He’s a nice man, Mother,” she said defensively.

  “You must listen to me. You can’t trust him…he’s a liar. He showed it time and time again, running with Vincent’s pack of friends as a teenager, and people don’t change. Character doesn’t just come out of nowhere when you grow up.”

  “He doesn’t need to change. He wasn’t like those other boys.”

  “Why do you think I’m so concerned?” her mother persisted.

  “I—”

  A foggy image flitted through Mei’s memory.

  Awakening late at night to the sound of raised voices. Her mother pleading. Intense, heated words.

  She’d forgotten. Pushed the memories far away because they’d threatened everything that made her world seem safe and secure.

  “Your father was unfaithful, Mei. Your upstanding, righteous, pillar-of-the-community father was unfaithful for years and years before I found out, and he never changed once I knew. The lies could trip so easily off his tongue and they would be so believable that I second-guessed myself all the time.” Her words were tinged with bitterness. “There was always a reason—a good excuse. And because I was afraid of losing my home and losing you and Lucas, I didn’t have the backbone to make it stop.”

  Mei felt everything she’d known about her father start to crumble. He’d been the parent to reprimand, the one to establish rules and an iron-clad moral code for what it meant to be a Clayton. He was the one who marched the family to church every week and made sure they were in their Sunday best. He’d been intolerant of deceit.

  And yet, if Mom was right, his own life had been a lie.

  “I wanted to explain because I don’t want you to risk following in my footsteps. And I wanted to explain, in part, why I might have seemed…distant…when you were growing up. It was never about you. You have always been loved beyond measure, even if I failed to show it.” Her mouth twisted. “It was all about me. Of course, Vern had pills for everything, and clearing up a little problem with depression was easy enough. And I figured that if a few worked, a few more might be better. So many of those early years are just a fog to me now.”