Unexpected Admirer

by Bernadette Marie

  “How was the concert?”

  Melissa let out a long breath. “Loud. Crowded. And, Will, you should have seen Jonah’s face.” She felt her own cheeks tighten as she smiled.

  “He was pretty excited.”

  “I don’t know how he’s going to make it through today, but I tell you what…that kid is pumped up.”

  William nodded his head and sat down in the chair behind his desk. “He deserved a nice night.”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “And he met Jesse Charles?”

  “Yes. Mr. Charles took very good care of him. He loaded him down with posters, shirts, and a hat.” She sipped absent-mindedly at her coffee again and swallowed hard at the bitter taste. “I didn’t want to go, but it was an amazing night.”

  “I’ll bet.” His words were short, and his gaze narrowed.

  “Is something wrong?”

  William opened his top desk drawer and pulled out a newspaper. He threw it on the desk for her to see.

  Right there, big as life, was a picture of her and Jesse Charles lip locked on stage.

  “Oh, my!” The words caught in her throat with a laugh.

  William stood and rested his hands on the top of his desk. “This is funny?”

  “It’s hysterical.”

  “Are you kidding me?” He stood straight and walked around the desk. “I thought you were going to that concert for Jonah. I thought you won the tickets.”

  “I did.”

  “Then how does my best teacher end up in the newspaper kissing some kid?”

  She didn’t like how that sounded at all. Melissa tossed the paper back on the desk and turned toward William.

  “Listen, I didn’t want to go. I went for Jonah, and you know it. The man sent for me so he could sing to me. He saw me in the crowd.”

  “You?”

  “Well, don’t act so surprised. Martin thought I was good enough.”

  William ran his hand over his hair. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  She knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with. “I went on stage. He sang to me and then he kissed me. End of story. Backstage he showed Jonah around and kept him by his side. It was just what Jonah needed.”

  William reached for her arm and lingered his hand there. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Jonah deserved such a great night. I’m out of line.”

  “You’re looking out for us. You always have.”

  “I promised Martin I would.”

  Melissa nodded reached down to pick up her bags. William moved in quicker. “I’ll get these.”

  “Thank you.”

  He picked up the bags, and together they headed toward the science lab.

  Melissa unlocked the door and stepped inside the room. William followed her as she turned on the light.

  “How are we going to deal with this?” he asked as he set her bags on her desk.

  “Deal with what?”

  “The kiss? The paper?”

  Melissa laughed. “Nothing is going to come of it. And if it does, it’ll be over by the end of the day and old news by Monday. Let it go.”

  “Dinner Sunday?”

  The man was all over the place today.

  “Why don’t you come by. Mom is making spaghetti.”

  His cheeks rose when she mentioned it. “I’ll be there. I haven’t had Patty’s sauce in a long time.”

  “Not since last month.”

  He chuckled and started for the door when the first student nearly pushed him over as she ran into the classroom.

  “Mrs. Mathews, O-M-G you kissed Jesse Charles!”

  Melissa sucked in air, but it stuck in her lungs as she saw William’s eyes narrow as he walked out of the room.

  She let the breath out slowly. It was going to be a very long day.

  When the last student walked out of Melissa’s room for the day, she dropped her head on the desk. If she could just make it to her car without one more person mentioning the fact that they had either seen her pulled on stage and kissed, or read it in the paper—or worse, heard about it on the news—then life might feel normal. She was exhausted, and the day had certainly not held any educational merit.

  Melissa lifted her head, ready to leave and go home, only to find the art teacher standing in her door, grinning widely.

  “I thought maybe you’d fallen asleep.”

  Melissa forced a grin, but looking at the petite and very young teacher who stood in front of her, she’d rather just growl.

  Emmy Lou Grant was a free spirit with a flowing skirt and arms full of D.Y.I. bracelets. Every ounce of her screamed beautiful on the inside and out, and at that moment, Melissa hated that very charming trait.

  Melissa stood from her chair and blew a wayward curl from her eyes. “I think I’m going to head home and curl into a ball under a blanket until Sunday.”

  Emmy Lou nodded, but the grin on her face said she had more to discuss.

  “I saw you at the concert last night,” she whispered as if she didn’t know the entire world knew about her flash stardom.

  Melissa took another look at her, and envy sliced through her. How was it they were at the same concert, taught the same kids, and yet Melissa was sure she looked as disheveled as she felt and Emmy Lou Grant still had a fairy’s glow to her?

  “You were there, huh?” She began to pick up the papers on her desk and stuff them into her bag.

  “Oh, I don’t miss a Jesse Charles concert if it’s within two-hundred miles.”

  Now the thought of age crept into Melissa’s head. How young was this spirited woman before her?

  Emmy Lou walked fully into the room and right up to her desk. “I’ve never seen him do that before.”

  “Do what?”

  “Pull someone up on stage.”

  “And you’ve seen him a lot?”

  Emmy Lou tapped her fingers together in a self-applause. The bangles on her arms clamored together. “I’ve seen him twenty-seven times.”

  Melissa couldn’t help it. She choked out a laugh. “You’re a big fan, huh?”

  “Card carrying.” Emmy Lou picked up a bobble head frog from the edge of Melissa’s desk and bopped the head. She grinned as it danced in her hands. “Anyway, what made him do that?”

  Melissa shoved another stack of papers into the bag. “I don’t know. Maybe he was high.”

  Emmy Lou’s expression changed immediately. Her eyes widened and finally Melissa saw a line form between her brows as Emmy Lou quickly set the frog back on the desk.

  “He doesn’t do drugs.”

  “Oh.” How was she supposed to respond to that? This girl was as crazy as the kids when it came to this man.

  “He’s very anti-drugs, and that is why he’s sort of a joke to other artists.”

  Melissa wanted to laugh at how serious this conversation had turned. The point was, she didn’t care. All she wanted was Monday to roll around so she could just be the mean science teacher with a test and not the girl Jesse Charles kissed.

  “I’m sure he’s a great guy. I don’t know what motivated him to pull me on stage. A joke, I assume. But, it’s over now and I can get back to my life.” She hoisted the bag over her shoulder.

  “All I wanted to say was you’re a very lucky girl. From where I was perched, he looked really into you.”

  Really into her? Maybe Emmy Lou was high. The thought made her chuckle.

  “Maybe he changed how he does things.”

  Emmy Lou shrugged her shoulders and walked back across the room toward the door. “Well, I just wanted to tell you that you looked beautiful last night, and he must have noticed. It must feel nice to have the attention of two very nice looking men.”

  “Two?”

  “Jesse Charles, of course.” Emmy Lou looked down the hall as if to make sure it were clear and then she turned back to Melissa. “And William Scott.”

  She could feel her face drain of color as Emmy Lou waved and walked away.

  What was that to have meant? O
f course, she had William’s attention. He was Martin’s best friend. He’d taken on a father role to Jonah and—oh!—and a very supportive husband-like role to her.

  Dear Lord, did the entire school assume they were involved?

  The day escalated from horrible to catastrophic.

  Melissa hurried to shut her door and lock it. Just as she turned around William turned the corner, and she ran right into his chest with her face.

  She dropped the bag of papers, and they scattered all over the floor.

  She couldn’t help but stomp her feet like a child before she knelt down to gather them back into the bag.

  William dropped to his knees and began to help. “Is everything okay?”

  “Lousy day.”

  “Tell me about it.” He reached for a paper at the same time she did.

  Their hands touched, and she flinched. She dropped the paper and went to another, but she caught the edge and reared back. “Ouch!”

  “Paper cut?”

  She nodded as a small dot of blood surfaced on her finger. She wiped it clean and gave it a shake.

  “Let me see.” He took her hand, in the same manner he would have yesterday or the day before. He looked it over and then placed a kiss on the cut.

  Melissa sat back on her heels and stared at him. She’d never seen it. She’d been an idiot, and now she knew that there was some underground rumor mill brewing.

  William stuffed the last of the papers into the bag and looked at her. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Fine.” She jumped to her feet and grabbed the bag from his hand. “I have to go.”

  She tried to dart around him, but he caught her arm. “Are you up for dancing tomorrow? We haven’t done that in a long time, and there’s a great band playing in Aspen Hills tomorrow.”

  Her heartbeat kicked up, and she could feel the sweat on her brow. This wasn’t what she wanted. William was a friend. Why had she never seen this?

  “No. I have a lot of work. In fact, I think I’m going to be very busy all weekend. So maybe we can reschedule dinner on Sunday for some other time, too. I have a test to write and…”

  She was trying to walk away, but he was following her.

  “I could help you grade.”

  “Nope. I’m fine. I have to go.”

  She all but sprinted out of the school, leaving behind the man who had never been anything but nice to her and had taken care of her.

  Melissa hurried to the car and threw her bag in the passenger seat. She slid in behind the wheel and started the engine. When she looked up, William was still at the door to the school. He gave a wave, and she sped out of the parking lot.

  She was tired. That was all it was. She needed a full night’s sleep and then maybe things would make more sense because, as it was, she wasn’t sure, but she might have dropped into some parallel universe. Nothing made sense anymore after that kiss from Jesse Charles.

  Chapter Four

  As Melissa had expected, things had eased up over the weekend.

  She’d graded papers on Saturday and helped her mother with the sauce she was going to can. They’d taken a trip to the nursing home to visit her grandfather, and after church on Sunday, she and Jonah sat down to watch the Bronco game.

  She didn’t much like football, but Martin had. It had been one of those father and son bonding things that she’d taken over when Martin died.

  Jonah enjoyed trying to explain the game to her. She had to admit she was getting it, slowly. But it was more important that they were making their own memories and carrying on in Martin’s memory.

  Monday morning Melissa had convinced Jonah that if he hurried out of the house a few minutes early, she’d take him by Molly’s coffee shop for a muffin. She knew it was a sure fire way to get him moving, and it had worked. In reality, she wanted to get situated in her room and have a few minutes to prepare before her students filed in.

  Molly’s was already bustling, just as it did every morning. The residents of Aspen Creek appreciated the quaint gathering place as well as the fantastic coffees and baked goods.

  Melissa placed her order and stood to the side of the counter to wait for it to be served up. When the door to the shop opened again, the man who walked through gave her a gracious nod.

  She returned the gesture. “Hey, Cade. Heading in early too?”

  “Yup. Big game coming up on Saturday. I have a week to pull together some good plays.”

  She watched him as he ordered his coffee and another, decaf coffee to go. No doubt for his wife.

  Melissa had grown up down the street from Cade Carter and his wife, Olivia Baker. They never ran in the same crowds, but her memories of growing up in the small town certainly included them. Wouldn’t Martin be surprised to find that Cade and Olivia had actually married. Even more surprising would be the fact that Cade had come back to the small town he’d abandoned when he became a professional football player.

  “How is Olivia feeling?” Melissa asked as she picked up the bag with Jonah’s muffin and handed it to him.

  “She’s feeling very done with being pregnant,” he laughed. “Otherwise, she’s feeling great and Gage is ready to meet his brother.”

  “I heard you’re going to name him after your father?”

  Cade nodded. “Yep. He really raised us both and made sure we found each other. It only seems right.”

  “It sure does.” Molly handed her the coffee she had ordered. Melissa lifted it to her nose and took a sniff. It was just what she needed. “Give Olivia my best.”

  Cade walked off and Melissa looked around the enormous parking lot. All three schools sat in the same corner of Aspen Creek. The elementary teachers had parked and the kids were beginning to arrive. The middle school lot was filling up and soon the high schoolers would begin arriving in their own cars.

  There was a time when martin would sit out front of the school in his patrol car just to keep absent minded teenagers in check.

  The memory stung and Melissa’s heart ached. She missed him.

  Three years hadn’t eased the pain of him being gone. She twisted the band of gold which still adorned her finger. He was too young, she was too young—Jonah was too young to be without him.

  “Mom, Todd is already at school. Can I run over there?” Jonah pleaded.

  Melissa looked across the parking lot and Sandy Sharp, the town’s most loved kindergarten teacher, waved back. She signaled to them to send Jonah over.

  “Go, but you stay out of Mrs. Sharp’s way. And get to your own class on time.”

  “Got it.” He turned to run off.

  “Oh, no you don’t. Give me a kiss.”

  Jonah turned back to her and narrowed his eyes. “I’ll see you in like six hours.”

  “Yep, and this will get me through my day.”

  Reluctantly he kissed her on the cheek and then took off in a flash to be with his friend. She gave Sandy a grateful wave and headed into the school.

  The office was quiet, and William’s door was closed.

  Melissa hurried to fetch her papers and get to her classroom. There were going to be eighty students who would be facing a test today, and she knew she’d be on the least popular list. This was a place she was more comfortable. All the silliness and wasted time of Friday was over. It was time to move on—back to normality.

  The last bell of the day rang, and as the students hurried out of her room, Melissa laid her head on the desk.

  “That test must have been as bad as I heard,” William’s voice rang through the room.

  Melissa lifted her head to see him leaned up against the door jamb.

  She’d avoided him for an entire weekend and the whole school day. It had been stupid to think that he’d never try to talk to her again just because she gave him the cold shoulder. William Scott was her friend. Perhaps it only made sense that maybe he had feelings for her.

  “Not only did I give them all a test and they grumbled about it, but now I have to grade them.” She ran her hands
through her matted curls.

  William walked into the room and right toward her desk where he sat down on the corner of it. “I’d love to help you with that.”

  Before Emmy Lou had walked in last week with her accusations, this would have been normal. She would have accepted his generosity and never have noticed the gaze he gave her.

  Melissa shuffled the papers together and stacked them. “I think I’ll be fine.”

  William stood, but he was still much too close to her. He touched her arm. “Is everything okay? I feel as though I’m being brushed off. I’m not sure what I did.”

  Melissa let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m just a bit out of sorts this week.”

  He reached up to her hair and ran his hand over it. “You’re still tired from your concert night.”

  She reached for his hand. Again, it shouldn’t have been awkward. This man had been by her side for three years and a dear friend long before Martin had died. Why only now did she notice how he looked at her? Had there never been any personal boundaries? Did he always touch her like that? It was no wonder people talked.

  “I think you’re right. I’m just tired.” She shoved the stack of papers into her bag. “I’d better get home.”

  “My offer still stands. I don’t mind grading biology papers.”

  “I’ll call you if I get in a bind.”

  As she pulled away from the school she could see the high school football team up on the field. She smiled when she saw Cade on the sidelines, his son Gage on his hip.

  Sadness enveloped her again. Jonah would miss all of that. William had stepped in and done everything he could for Jonah. He’d taken him to Cub Scouts and to the auxiliary’s father/son spaghetti dinners. But it wasn’t the same. Jonah had a father and in one moment that was taken away.

  The ache in her chest deepened.

  She too missed having someone hold her at night, make plans with, and just happily exist side by side. She and Martin had had plans. They’d wanted a house full of children. There had been trips to take and parties to throw. How had it been taken from her so quickly?