The drive home was far quieter than I was used to.
My grandmother met me at the front door when I came home.
She was wearing one of her favorite aprons, the white and blue checkered one, and her glasses were perched on her nose. When I made my way up the drive, she pushed them up onto her head and studied me carefully. “How did it go?” she asked.
“It sucked.”
She stepped aside to let me pass and followed me down the hall. “Can I do anything?”
“No.” I sighed heavily. “I just need to get over it, I guess. I didn’t expect it to be so hard. That’s all. But it was. And now I have to wait six whole hours before I can see her again and make sure she’s okay.”
We stopped in the living room, and I turned to find my grandmother smiling knowingly at me. “I knew it would be hard on you. Maybe I should have come with you. For support.”
“I don’t think it would have mattered.”
She put her glasses back on. “It would be easier if you had a wife.”
This conversation came up more often than I would have liked. I sank down onto the sofa and pinched the bridge of my nose. “You and I both know that’s not my situation.”
“It could be.” My grandmother sat down on the opposite end of the sofa from me. Silence hung between us for a minute. “If you tried and put yourself out there, you might meet someone. It would be good for you. And for Olivette.”
I peered at her out of the corner of my eye. “I have enough on my plate without worrying about dating.”
“A good woman will help take things off your plate, Mav. That’s what you’re missing. A partner. Someone to share the load.”
I shook my head. “No, not now. The timing is off. Maybe when Olivette is older. When she understands what happened to her mother. Maybe then I can consider it. But now… now is not the time.”
My grandmother sighed and got to her feet. She muttered under her breath while shaking her head, and I let her go before pulling out my phone and checking my emails.
There was one from Rinehart at the top of my inbox. The subject read, “New Lieutenant Position at Searing Station: Please see details for application attached”.
Yet another thing people wanted to pile onto me. More responsibilities. More commitments. More time demands.
With a frown, I clicked the little box beside the email and then hit the trash bin. The email slid out of my inbox with a little whooshing sound, and I leaned back in the sofa and watched the clock above the fireplace tick through the minutes to when I could go and pick Olivette up from school.
12
Allie
The first hour of the day went by in a blur.
We started with introductions, where I kicked things off by bringing the children to sit on the mat by the back door that led out to the playground. We sat cross-legged in a circle, and I told them my name, as well as some things about me, like my favorite color, hobby, and game to play. Then I handed the reins over and let the children introduce themselves.
It descended into chaotic madness within minutes. But I’d expected that. I had no intention of getting a room of fifteen four-year-olds to sit nicely and introduce themselves. I encouraged the side conversations that broke off and let the kids wander to the far wall under the murals where all the learning toys were.
It didn’t take long for me to start spotting some early friendships forming.
Two little boys and a girl started playing with a barn and its accompanying animals. They made animal sounds while one of the boys pretended to be a cowboy, and I marveled at the children’s ability to not worry about fitting in.
Yet.
At this stage, they were all open and vulnerable. They were immune to worries of bullying and not being accepted. They were free to be themselves, to play how they liked to play, to color how they wanted to color, to make friends with who they wanted.
I envied them.
I kept a close eye on Brady, who did a full circuit of the classroom, inspecting every toy and station as he made his way around the outer perimeter. At the cubbies where the children’s personal items were, he got a little nosy and started rifling through some bags.
I pushed myself to my feet and made my way over to him.
“Hi, Brady. What are you up to?”
He looked up at me. Brady was a cute kid. I’d give Mrs. Tully that much. He had his mother’s perfect lips with a sharp cupid’s bow and a natural pout. His eyes were deep brown, his hair blond, and his dimples charming.
No wonder he got away with murder.
“I’m exploring,” Brady said innocently.
“Exploring other people’s things?”
He frowned at the cubby in front of him.
I reached up and rested a finger on the name above the cubby. “This is Emory’s cubby. Which means this is his backpack and his lunch. Your things are there, three cubbies down. See your name?”
Brady nodded.
“You can play with your things, but we all have to respect the items in this room that don’t belong to us and keep our hands to ourselves. So that means other children can’t go rifling through your items. That sounds fair, right?”
Brady pursed his lips thoughtfully. “But I want to explore.”
I crouched down and rested my hands on my knees. “Exploring is the best. What are some of your favorite places to explore?”
He cocked his head to the side as if he was confused. “I don’t know.”
“Well,” I said slowly, “I really like exploring old places. Or libraries. Or parks.”
“I like exploring my backyard.”
“Oh my gosh, that sounds like so much fun. Do you have a big backyard?”
Brady nodded vigorously.
I grinned. “That is awesome. Have you ever found any treasures?”
“I found some cool rocks. But Mom wouldn’t let me bring them inside. So I keep them in a bucket under the porch.”
I gasped. “You have a whole bucket of rocks you found all on your own in your yard?”
Brady’s smile was wickedly cute. “Yep.”
“Wow. Do you think you could bring one or two into class tomorrow? I would love to see them.”
Brady nodded again. “Okay.”
“Don’t forget now, because I’m excited. I want to see these treasures of yours.”
“I won’t forget. I have a good memory.”
I smiled. “That’s good to hear. So, just to make sure your memory is as good as you say, what’s the rule in the classroom about going through other people’s things?”
Brady chewed the inside of his cheek. “Don’t do it?”
“Good job, Brady. Thank you for listening. And for telling me about your exploring adventures. Come on. Let’s go join the others.”
Brady and I made our way back to the other children. Most of them were playing, immersed in imaginary games and laughing amongst themselves. With friendships forming quickly, I wanted to do my best to make sure Brady got in with some stable, good, well-tempered children. The last thing I wanted was for them to feed off of each other and make issues for me and the other children.
I hoped optimistically that I would make a difference in his life and turn the tide. He didn’t have to be the troublemaker this school had already labeled him as. He didn’t have to be the bad kid his mother expected him to be. He could be good. And honest. And kind.
I was sure of it.
As the children played, I turned my attention to Olivette Cantone.
She was sitting at the corner of the mat by herself. Her legs were crossed, and her hands rested in her lap as she looked around the room at all the other children who seemed to be having much more fun than she was. Maybe I’d been wrong. Maybe some children did worry about fitting in.
I went and sat beside her, copying her position and tucking my legs under myself. Then I leaned back on my hands and let out a sigh. “Wow. Today is a big day. I can’t believe how fast it’s going by.”
O
livette picked at a loose thread on the hem of her jeans.
“I remember my first day of school,” I said. “I was shy. And so nervous. All the other kids were so loud and got along so easily. I felt out of place.”
Olivette glanced up at me. As soon as I looked down at her, she looked away.
Smiling, I continued. “But I got really lucky because I had an awesome teacher who made sure I was included. And as soon as I started talking to the other children, things became so much easier. I made friends. And I had so much fun that when my mom came to pick me up at the end of the day, I didn’t want to go home. Can you believe that? Not wanting to go home?”
Olivette shook her head.
“I know. It’s crazy. But it’s true. I loved school so much. And I think, with a little time and a little push, you will too. Do you want to like school, Olivette?”
Olivette chewed her bottom lip. “Yes.”
“That’s good. Because I know your dad really wants you to have fun when you come here too. And so do I. I want you to know something, Olivette.”
Mav’s daughter stared up at me. “What?”
“You can take your time. There’s no rush to do what the other children are doing. You just go at your own pace, okay? And if you need help, I’m always going to be here for you.”
Olivette nodded.
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. “Do you like coloring, Olivette?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think it might be fun to get everyone something to color?”
“Yes.”
“Can you help me pick some pictures?”
Olivette stood up. I followed her, and she walked a couple of steps behind me as I took her over to a cubby filled with loose-leaf papers with various pictures to color in. I pulled out a couple of samples and showed them to her. “Which one do you like the most?”
Olivette pointed at a picture of a princess in a big dress.
“Good choice,” I said. I handed her the sheet. “Here. Go put this on your desk. You can color this one. And then can you come back and help me hand out the others?”
“Okay.”
Olivette shuffled away with her picture, and I took the moment to rally all the other children together and get them sitting in their desks. It took some time, but once they were all seated, Olivette and I walked around handing out the papers.
Olivette did what I had done for her and offered for the kids to pick their favorite. When she ran out of the princess one and another little girl wanted it, she came and asked me for another one. “If you don’t have another one, she can have mine, and I’ll pick something else.”
I blinked down at her. “Oh, sweetheart. You don’t have to give yours away. I have plenty. But that is very, very kind of you.”
The little girl’s generosity and kindness were a direct reflection of how good of a father Mav was. That made him infinitely more attractive in my eyes, and that was the last thing I needed. It was already difficult enough for me to keep my game face on around him when all I wanted was to melt into a puddle of desire.
So unprofessional, I thought sharply, shaking my head.
Olivette handed out the last of the papers, and I grabbed another princess one for Alice, the little girl Olivette was going to give hers to. Once everyone was in their seats, I handed out packs of crayons. “Okay, you guys, color away. When you’re done, bring it to me, and we’ll put them up on the wall to show off your art.”
While the children colored, I walked up and down the aisles and marveled at their work. It was a great bonding exercise. Some of the kids finished quickly, like Brady, and I gave them a second sheet, telling them they could take this picture home to put on their fridge.
Brady frowned at his second sheet. “Mommy doesn’t like to hang things on the fridge.”
“Oh,” I said, hiding my frown. “Well, if you want, you can make it for me, and I can take it home and put it on my fridge? I’d love to display it and tell anyone who comes over that my student, Brady Tully, colored it for me.”
Brady beamed. “Okay.”
I grinned back. “I love the color blue, just so you know. The more blue, the better.”
“Okay,” he said, already running back to his desk.
The rest of the day went fantastically. The kids and I chatted and played and bonded, and I kept an eye on Olivette the whole time. I checked in on her every half hour or so, and she was content to follow along with whatever activity we were doing.
When the day came to an end, I helped all the children at their cubbies to put their backpacks on and make sure they had all their things. I was with Olivette when Mav stepped through the door. I looked up as he did a sweep of the classroom, and she waved him over.
“Daddy!” Olivette cried.
He dropped to a knee, scooped her up, and stood with her in his arms, giving her an epic hug as she giggled gleefully in his ear. “It’s good to see you, kiddo. I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too, Daddy.”
He set her down, and she hugged his leg. His blue eyes swept up to me. “How was she?”
I smiled. “She was great. So polite and nice to the other children. You have a very kind little girl, Mav.”
He grinned down at his daughter, and the look they shared melted my heart.
“Thank you, Allie,” he said. “I appreciate this.”
“My pleasure.”
Olivette let go of her father’s leg and stepped forward bashfully. She was looking at her feet when she spoke. “Thank you, Ms. Branson.”
I looked up at Mav, but he was looking at Olivette. I crouched down and looked up into her face. “You’re so welcome, Olivette. Thank you for coming to school today. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”
13
Mav
I didn’t bother covering my mouth as I yawned. My boots thudded across the pavement of the station driveway as I marched toward my truck, shoulders slumped with fatigue, eyes heavy, heart eager to see my daughter in the short amount of time we had between my night shift ending and her start of school at eight-thirty.
“You’ll swallow a fly, yawning out here in the middle of summer like that,” a deep voice said from behind me.
Recognizing Rinehart’s cool drawl, I glanced over my shoulder. “Sorry. I thought I was alone.”
His eyes crinkled in the corners with amusement. “Don’t apologize. You had a long night. Do you have a moment?”
I didn’t. Not really. I wanted to get home and pick up Olivette and take her out to breakfast before the start of class this morning. Working several night shifts in a row meant I didn’t get to spend as much time with her as I wanted, especially having just come off days last week. I missed her.
“Sure,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. There was tension in my shoulders from a long day of sitting around. I’d pumped some iron at the station gym earlier, but the endorphins had long since worn off, and my muscles were nothing but tired now.
Rinehart pulled me aside to the shade cast by a maple tree near the curb. The leaves above our heads rustled softly in the early morning breeze, and the sun caught the beads of dew clinging to the blades of grass all around us. It was only a matter of time before they dried out completely in the sun and the gleam disappeared.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Did you see the email I sent out a couple of weeks ago about the open position?”
The email I’d deleted as soon as I’d opened it? “Yeah, I saw it.”
“And?”
“And what?”
Rinehart smirked and shook his head at me. “You’re good at beating around the bush, Mav. I’ll give you that. The lieutenant job. I want to talk to you about the lieutenant job.”
I almost asked, what about it? But I held back. If the words escaped my lips, I feared Rinehart would call me difficult, throw his hands in the air, and give up on me. “Right. Yes, I’m sorry, Chief. It’s just not in the cards for me right now.”
“Then what is in the cards for you right now?” Rinehart folded his thick arms over his chest.
I stared dubiously at him. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you so hellbent against accepting a promotion? I know you say you need time with your daughter, but I’m not some tyrant who wants to keep you from her. If anything, I want to make things easier.”
“Easier?”
Rinehart nodded. “Yes, easier. With this job, I can give you a more consistent schedule, if that’s what you want. I can give you two extra weeks of vacation. And it’s not like things would change drastically. If you ever needed to leave to be with Olivette, you know I’d let you go. The same rule applies now. She comes first.”
I ran my hand over my head. My hair prickled my palm. “I don’t know, Chief. There’s been a lot of changes in my life recently. I kind of like that things here are staying the same.”
“A comfort zone is made to be broken, Mav.”
“Chief, I—”
Rinehart held up a hand. “Don’t worry. I understand. I’m going to draft a proposal letter for you.”
“What? No, I don’t—”
“Hear me out. I’ll draft the proposal. You review it. If you still feel the way you do now, then I’ll leave it alone. If you’ve changed your mind, we can discuss compensation and an increase in your benefits. Sound fair?”
How could a guy say no to an offer like that?
The chief was always looking out for me and the other guys on the crew. He wanted success and stability for all of us, and he knew firsthand how hard things had been when Olivette was born. In fact, of the entire crew, he was probably the only one who really understood how dark of a place I was in.
And for how long I’d stayed there.
I kept the others at a safe distance, not wanting to let anyone in. Not wanting to share the pain and the grief and the burden of losing Olivette’s mother.
So now, standing there with him staring expectantly at me, there was nothing else I could do but agree. “All right.” I nodded and rubbed at my shoulder. “All right. I’ll review it.”
Ignite The Spark Between Us: Searing Saviors #4 Page 8
