Chapter 13
Thirteen
“ O kay, kids. Let’s quiet down.” Asher waited a moment for the group of kindergartners to look at him. They’d been working on an alphabet activity for the last twenty minutes, and he could tell that most of them were done. The noise level had increased dramatically. “Your teacher left a list of videos for us to watch on learning sight words. Do you want to watch from your seats or sit on the carpet?”
A chorus of “Carpet!” rang through the room, making him grin.
“Sounds good. Come have a seat.”
The group converged on him, settling into spots on the eight-by-ten rug at the front of the room. Asher picked up the remote from the desk and aimed it at the projector to turn it on.
The screen stayed blank, and he frowned. “Is there another way your teacher turns the projector on?” he asked the kids.
“No,” one said.
“She uses the remote,” said another.
He tried again, but got the same result. Heaving a sigh, he let his arm fall to his side, then walked to the projector hanging from the ceiling. Tipping his head back, he looked for a power button. Finding it, he flipped it on. The lights lit up, but nothing appeared on the screen. “Well, fudge.”
Giggles echoed off the classroom’s painted cinderblock walls.
“I’m going to run next door and ask Miss Campbell for help.” He edged toward the door. “Stay seated. I’ll be right back.” Turning, he dashed out the door to Esther’s classroom next door. He didn’t know how he got so lucky to be right next to her on his first day, but he was glad fate was on their side.
He rapped his knuckles on her door, then poked his head in. Twenty-some sets of eyes swung his way, but he was only interested in one. He caught Esther’s gaze at the front of the classroom, where she stood pointing at the screen and talking to her students. “Hey. Sorry to bother you. I need a hand.” He offered her a quick smile.
“Of course.” She looked at her class. “I’m going to let the video play. I want you to pay close attention and tell me which sight words you see when I come back.” She lifted the remote in her hand and pushed a button. The video started up.
Asher frowned. What the heck did he do wrong that his wouldn’t work?
She met him at the door. “What’s up?”
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make your projector work. I found the power button, but it won’t do anything else.” He led her away from her classroom and into his.
“Miss Campbell!”
“Hi, Miss Campbell!”
Several of the students waved, greeting her as they walked in. A wide smile wreathed Esther’s face. Asher stared at her, momentarily forgetting where they were. That bright, guileless smile she bestowed on the kids transformed her entire face. There was no artifice when she dealt with the kids. No barriers thrown up against her emotions. She was completely open and one hundred percent herself.
“Hello.” Esther waved back at his class. “Are you guys having fun with Mr. Horn?”
“Yep!” several of the kids said.
“He’s goofy,” one boy remarked.
“Yeah, he makes silly voices,” a little girl said.
“Oh, really?” Esther shot him a side glance, amusement sparkling in her eyes.
Asher lifted a shoulder, a smile toying with his mouth. He wouldn’t apologize for being himself. He didn’t think she wanted him to, though, judging by the look on her pretty face.
“He made all the animals in the book have different voices,” the same girl said. “We wanted him to read more, but he said we had to do our ABCs.” She pouted.
“We’ll read more later, Violet. We still have hours left in our day.”
Her pout quickly reversed itself.
Asher looked at Esther. “Show me how to work this thing.” He picked up the remote. “You’d think with all my fancy degrees and all the secure computer systems I’ve penetrated, I could best a video projector. Nope.”
She grinned. “In your defense, these projectors aren’t that user-friendly.” She pointed to the remote in his hand. “Aim it at that cabinet and press input.” Her hand swung toward the closet behind the teacher’s desk.
Asher did as she said. “Okay, now what?”
“Press two, then enter.”
He followed her instructions and the screen lit up. “All right, now we’re cooking, kids.” He grinned. “Thank you, Miss Campbell.” He offered her a little bow, making the kids laugh.
She chuckled. “You’re welcome, good sir.” Crossing one leg behind the other, she curtsied. Smiling, she straightened. “If you have any other problems, come knock again.”
“I will.” He walked her to the door. “Thanks for saving me, Essy.”
At the door, she turned her head. The mirth in her eyes faded as they made eye contact. Asher felt the lightness from moments ago morph into the same driving need he’d felt last night when he’d kissed her. He wanted to do it again, but didn’t dare with so many young eyes on them.
The same spark lit her eyes for a moment before she looked away. “You’re welcome. I, uh, better get back to my class.” She motioned to her classroom and stepped back.
“Thanks again.”
She offered him a quick smile, then turned and hurried into her room.
He stared after her for a moment, wishing he could follow. Not because he didn’t want to be in his classroom alone, but because he wanted to be with her. He’d found her interesting the first time they met, but as they spent more time together, he kept wanting to learn more. The kiss last night hadn’t helped. He didn’t think he was alone in that, either.
Asher shut the door, returning to his class. Eventually, they’d have to confront their growing feelings. What that meant for the future, he didn’t know.
He clapped his hands together, getting the kids’ attention. “All right. Who’s ready to learn about sight words?”