Holiday Classroom Crush

Chapter 12 Rosa

Saturday December 15, 12:57 p.m.

Rosa pulled up to the school parking lot and waited in her car smiling. Hunter was on his way with the finished set piece for the school p lay. She was excited to see it, but even more excited to see him.

A lot could happen in a week, and even more could happen in two weeks. And though Rosa didn’t exactly know where her life was heading, the one thing she knew was that she had never felt so free. Free to make her own choices, heal from her past, open her heart a little.

Last Saturday after the hike, the minute she and Brad cut ties, a weight fell from her. Yes, Saturday had been amazing. On her way home, she had called Aunt Lucia who cheered so loud Rosa swerved off the side of the road a little.

Monday after school, Rosa called HR in Seattle to turn in her official resignation, but apparently Brad had already laid her off. And despite how angry and terrible he’d been, he had left her with a severance package. She could stay at her current rental for quite a while on that alone. Or, she could do something completely different.

Last Saturday, up on Icicle Ridge, Hunter had been distant at first , which was totally understandable given he had seen her with Brad at the restaurant. She hoped that her explanation had been enough. More than anything, she didn’t want to hurt him. But then Hunter had hugged her and helped her feel good about herself. And saved her from dealing with Brad. Thank heavens.

There was one thing she hadn’t told him, though. That being with Brad made her realize how amazing Hunter was. Rosa laughed. Hunter and Brad were polar opposites in every way. She smiled thinking about Hunter driving Brad back to the hotel. What would they even talk about? Should she care or worry?

A quick glance at the clock and her heart skipped a beat. Hunter would pull up any minute.

All week, as soon as the last bell rang, Hunter would come to pick up Emily, but instead of waiting for her outside, he’d come into the classroom, greet Rosa, and update her on the progress of the set.

It was like Rosa’s reward at the end of each school day. She knew he was there to get Emily, but the extra step of him coming inside was different. He had forgiven her, or so she guessed. Plus, he was taking a risk and opening his heart. Even if just a little.

And yet, Rosa held back. She stayed seated at the desk when he came, being the teacher and not the hoped for potential girlfriend. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay in Leavenworth, and she would make that decision independent of Hunter. Because if they dated and she stayed here for him, what happened if it didn’t work out?

But she was getting ahead of herself. Yes, Hunter was being friendly again, but she still wasn’t sure what he wanted. They had a little time to figure that out, though. After they installed the set piece today, there would be one practice next week and the performance. And Hunter said he’d be there to help move the set piece around.

Knowing he’d be there for her was calming. Hunter made her feel safe. Like she could do anything, and he’d cheer her on.

The sky was the limit, more than ever. Rosa had only ever lived in the Seattle area, but now it felt like the world had opened up to her. Maybe she didn’t want to get settled just yet. Plus, once this sub gig ended, it wasn’t like there was a teaching job waiting for her halfway through the year. She was open to just about anything at this point. Stay? Leave? She wasn’t sure.

Rosa’s heart leapt as Hunter’s truck pulled up to the school, a big cloth covering what was in the back. He stopped two spaces away from her and got out. She took a deep breath and exited.

“So, it’s finally done, huh?” She approached the back of his truck. “Can’t wait to see this masterpiece.”

Hunter smiled. “It’s taken a lot of work. And I mean a lot of work. So much time and effort, and–”

“All right. I get it. But it’ll be worth it, right?”

Hunter rubbed the right side of his beard. She loved when he did that. Meant he was nervous. Or stalling. Or both.

Tate pulled up in his car and got out, waving a quick hello to Rosa, and standing at the back of Hunter’s truck. Hunter hopped onto the truck and grabbed the edge of the cloth. “Ready?” He yanked it off. “Tah dah.”

Rosa’s eyes opened wide. “Woah. What? Are you serious right now? It looks even better than your drawing!” It was one big piece with three sides, the bottom a triangle with front doors on each of the three sides. One side was brick house with a wood door, the second was stone house with a metal door. The third had a Bavarian flair, much like the slat designs on his boot shop. So much detail.

“This is amazing. How did you do this?”

Hunter smiled, his cheeks reddening a bit. “Let’s get it inside and I’ll show you.” From the front of his truck bed, he pulled out a flat triangle with castors. “This is how it moves. Here.” He handed the refrigerator mover to Rosa, who set it on the ground behind the truck.

Tate and Hunter carefully moved the set piece from the truck and onto the mover. The three of them held a side while they wheeled it in the gym, the janitor holding the door open for them.

Rosa stood in front of the stage as Tate, Hunter, and the janitor heaved the set piece off the spinning triangle and set it on the gym floor. Hunter grabbed the spinning triangle and set it up on the stage, then then three men lifted the large set piece up onto the stage and then onto the spinning triangle. It was quite a process, but in the end, the piece moved seamlessly into a circle.

“Wow. It’s so perfect,” Rosa said. As the janitor left, Rosa called after him, “Thank you so much for your help.”

Hunter stayed on stage, disappearing behind the set piece while Tate hopped off the stage.

Tate approached Rosa. “Sorry to run off so quick, but I gotta go. We closed the shop for a few minutes so I need to hurry back.” He turned to leave. “Thanks for this, by the way. Last year during Christmas, Hunter was very lost. You gave him a purpose. He’s loved every minute of this project.”

Her heart warmed and she smiled. She was happy to be a small part in helping him reconnect with the holiday. “Oh. I’m glad. And thanks for your help. Hope you’ll come see Emily in her debut next Friday.”

Tate smiled back. “Wouldn’t miss it. It’s all she’s talked about, you know.”

Rosa beamed. “Bye. Tater.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Hey now…” Then he chuckled and left.

Rosa walked up to the stage as Hunter rounded the corner toward the front of his creation. She held up her hand, and Hunter extended his hand to pull her up. As she grabbed his hand, a jolt of electricity coursed through her. He pulled her up, and she landed right in front of him close enough to see the brown specks in his eyes. She swallowed. He quickly stepped away. Like he didn’t want to be near her.

“So, uh, this is a little different from your original plans, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yeah, same concept, but I decided to make the houses all one unit. So then all we have to do is turn it. Here, I’ll show you.” He led the way to the back of the piece “See? I can stand back here and spin it.” He pushed the side of the unit and it spun easily on the castors.

Rosa shook her head. “Genius. I love it so much. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” She touched the side of the set piece, her hands tracing the details of one of the doors.

“You know I’d do anything for Emily,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Of course, he did this for his daughter. Not for Rosa. She knew that.

“You’re a good dad.” And a good person in general. And with those full lips, probably a great kisser. Would probably be an amazing boyfriend. Sheesh, Rosa. What happened to figuring out her life without getting attached?

“Well, I should get back,” Hunter said. “Busy day at the shop today.”

Rosa nodded. “Yeah. I mean, totally.” She wanted him to stay, or to ask her to do something later. To ask for her number finally. Her emotions caught in her throat. Hunter hopped off the stage, in a rush to leave.

“Can you come by the school for a special practice next week? Say, Thursday afternoon?” she called after him.

He stopped and glanced back at her. “Of course.” He waved, then hurried away.

As good as it was to see him, and as amazing as his creation was, Rosa felt deflated when he left. Like she was missing an opportunity right before her eyes.

She got back in her car and called Aunt Lucia as she pulled out of the lot, passing the boot shop on the way out of town.

“Aunt Lucia. What do I do if I like a guy but I’m not sure if he likes me? And I’ll probably be leaving soon anyway, so what’s the point?”

She could almost see her aunt’s disdain through the phone. “What are you, in middle school? The women of our family don’t wait. We go for what we want.”

She rolled her eyes. Maybe Rosa shouldn’t have told her anything. “Easy for you to say. Uncle Leno was an easy choice. You guys are like my parents. The perfect couple.”

Aunt Lucia paused. “Is that what you think? Oh, honey, let me tell you what. My Leno was in love with someone else. I had to convince that man that she was wrong for him. And I was the right choice.”

Rosa was taken aback. “Woah. Way to go, Aunt Lucia.”

“And your parents? They broke up and got back together so many times. The last time was the day before their wedding.”

Her mouth dropped. “What? I didn’t know that! Why didn’t anyone ever say that before? I thought they just, you know, fell in love and that was that. Easy.”

Aunt Lucia laughed. “Love is hard work, my dear. The important part of their story is, once they took the risk and said I do, they never looked back. They were committed from that day on. Like your mom always said, “No hay mal que por bien no venga.”

Rosa sighed as she turned on to the highway back home.

“Life isn’t easy, Rosa. You have to wake up and decide each day what you’re going to do. Of course, it’s always better with someone right next to you.”

She smiled, rubbing her hands on the steering wheel.

“So, go get that mountain man .”

Rosa laughed. “Well, we’ll see. Hey, is that invitation for Christmas still open?”

“You are always welcome here.”

Thursday December 20, 2:30 p.m.

The third graders put the finishing touches on their holiday poems as Rosa watched the clock. It was almost time for play practice. With Hunter.

Rosa had looked forward to Thursday all week. Hunter had continued picking up Emily in the classroom, but he had seemed more rushed than before. Had he lost any feeling for her at all?

Maybe Aunt Lucia was right. She needed to be more forward. Let him know that she wanted to spend time with him. Enjoy her time left in Leavenworth, however much time that would be. Substitute teaching would be over after tomorrow night’s performance. At least, this sub job would be over.

Then she’d probably spend Christmas with Aunt Lucia, but then what? Should she even bother returning to Leavenworth?

She’d miss her third graders so much. Tomorrow would be a roller coaster of emotions. Plus she had heard stories from the other teachers about how crazy the last day before break could be. So she had planned something low key. Watch a Christmas movie. Have a little Christmas party. Make some final memories.

A buzz came from the desk phone and Rosa picked it up. “Mr. Parks is here.”

“Thanks, Taylor. Have him meet us in the gym.”

“You got it.”

The students had already shuffled in their desks, their anticipation palpable. “All right, put your poems in your folders. Very good. Okay great. Now, everyone, line up. Emily, you’re the leader.” Chairs dragged on the floor as students rushed from their desks to the classroom door. Rosa joined at the end of the line. “Ok third graders, let’s move out!”

Emily led them to the gym, where Hunter waited along with the music teacher, Mrs. Armstrong, who had wheeled in a set of chimes. The sound system was already set up, with speakers on either side of the stage, ready to play the music for the songs.

Rosa directed the students to the stage via stairs at the back right, then got everyone into place. She headed toward Hunter and Mrs. Armstrong. She rubbed her hands together. “I hope this works. They’ve worked really hard, but you just never know how the final production will look.”

Mrs. Armstrong rested her hand on Rosa’s shoulder. “They’re going to do great. Plus, the set looks amazing.”

Rosa nodded. “Yeah, Hunt–I mean Mr. Parks did an amazing job.”

Hunter smiled. “So, you want me up there now, or—?” He pointed to the stage.

“Yes. Er, wait a second.” Rosa turned toward the chimes. “Okay, so we figured it would be easiest if Mrs. Armstrong hit the chimes when it was time for you to turn the set piece to a new side.”

Hunter nodded. “Sounds good.”

“And there’s a box of wreaths at the back of your set piece. That way, the second time we cycle through the doors, you can quickly put them on. I’ll be stage right, making sure the kids get where they need to go.” Rosa took a deep breath. “I’ve never directed a play before.” She laughed, and Hunter and Mrs. Armstrong smiled.

“You’re ready. This will be fun,” Mrs. Armstrong said. “I’ve never met a more organized and determined substitute teacher before.”

Hunter smirked, and Rosa stifled a laugh. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Mrs. Armstrong wheeled her chimes into place and got her phone out, tapping the screen until a song came on the speakers. She turned it off. “Sound is good. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Hunter headed to the stage and hopped onto the front, then turned. Rosa came up behind him and held out her hand and he pulled her up, landing only a few feet from his face, their hands still interlocked, like they didn’t want to let go. “Thanks,” she said.

His dark expressive eyes lingered on hers. “Anytime.” He let go, the warmth of his touch gone.

Still shaken from being so close to him, she headed stage right, where Emily was waiting. The rest of the students were stage left, hiding behind the curtains. “Ok Jake, you’re first. Go ahead and get inside the stage piece. And…action!”

“Ho hum.” Emily walked around the stage dramatically, drooping her shoulders and acting grumpy. “I just can’t get any Christmas spirit. What should I do?” Emily walked up to the first door of the set piece.

She stood up straight and pointed her finger in the air. “Maybe I should sing Christmas carols. That always cheers me up.” Rosa laughed. Emily was a natural actress. Her voice carried well.

Mrs. Armstrong turned on the music for the first song, “Up on the Housetop,” and the students started to sing, a little too quietly at first.

“I can’t hear you!” Mrs. Armstrong yelled, and the students responded.

Jake opened the door of the set piece and came out, joining Emily on stage. “Can I come caroling with you?” Jake asked.

“Sure,” Emily said. “Let’s go to the next hous e.”

Mrs. Armstrong hit the chimes, and Hunter rotated the set piece while Emily and Jake stared at it.

“Pretend to walk,” Rosa directed. They followed her direction. Then Mrs. Armstrong began the next song. The play continued until they had gone through each of the doors twice, then all the students behind the curtains flooded onto the stage for the last carol.

Finally, Emily delivered the last lines. “I learned a very important lesson. Christmas is always better when you have others to share it with.”

Rosa’s heart panged . Hunter had told her he loved sharing the Christmas festivities with her that day they got gingerbread cookies and walked around Leavenworth. Then Lucia’s advice popped in her head, of how life is hard but so much better when you go through it with someone.

Mrs. Armstrong started the music for the final song, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” and yelled, “This is where I’ll invite your parents to sing along!” Then the kids sung their hearts out.

When they were done, Rosa walked from stage right to center stage, clapping. “Bravo! Amazing! You all did a fantastic job. I’m so proud of you. And how about our star, Emily?” The other students cheered.

Rosa smiled as she looked around, grateful that the other students had accepted Emily, and that she found a way to express herself. Glancing behind the set piece at Hunter, they locked eyes. “Thank you,” he mouthed, his eyes glistening.

She nodded in acknowledgement, h er body tingling from head to toe. “Okay, that took about twenty minutes. Pretty good. Let’s go through it one more time, then we can head back to class and pack up for the day. Ready? And action!”

The second time went better than the first, the students running into place and singing as directed. There were still a few details that weren’t seamless, but overall Rosa was happy with the play. It had a good message, and the students portrayed it very easily. Especially Emily.

After they finished the second run-through, Rosa returned to center stage. “Everyone say a big thank you to Mrs. Armstrong for teaching you those Christmas songs.”

“Thank you!” they all said.

“Plus another big thank you to Emily’s dad.” She pointed back at him. “Isn’t the set piece cool?”

“Yeahhh!” they hollered.

“Now, don’t forget, be here tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. We’ll meet in the classroom first, then I’ll bring you to the stage. Your parents will be waiting in their seats.”

Hunter followed them back to class, and they spent the final few minutes packing up and getting ready for the bell to ring. Everyone else exited, while Hunter and Emily stayed behind as he helped Emily with her backpack.

“Thanks again for everything, you two.” Rosa grinned shyly at him “This play couldn’t have happened without you.”

“Of course. But we really have to thank you, Miss Flores.” He pulled an envelope out of his back pocket and handed it to Emily, then whispered in her ear. She nodded and ran it up to Rosa.

“Here. I made this for you.”

Rosa took it, her insides melting. “Aww. Thank you. You didn’t have to.” She went to open it, but Hunter raised his hand.

“Actually, wait until we leave to read it. If you don’t mind. Come on, Emily, time to go.” She wished they weren’t leaving so quickly, but they probably had other things going on after school.

“Bye!” Emily hugged Rosa and skipped toward Hunter, who took her hand, both of them disappearing out the door.

Rosa sat in her chair and opened the envelope, the homemade card with a hand drawn snowman on the front. She opened the card to the inside, where Emily had written, “You are the coolest teacher I snow,” and signed her name.

On the rest of the card was a note written in pen.

“Thank you for making my Christmas wish come true. I rescued you off that mountain, but you really rescued me. Hunter.” She read the note over and over, finally clutching it to her chest.

Friday December 21, 5:00 p.m.

Everything was ready. The gym was full of parents. Mrs. Armstrong was in place down front. The students were in place on the stage. And there was Hunter, waiting behind the set piece.

Rosa held up the mic as she stood center stage. “Thank you all for coming. We know the holidays can be hard for a lot of people. That’s why we want to share this message with you. No matter what, reach out to each other .”

She gazed out at the crowd, noticing Tate and Jess watching.

“Love is what binds us not only during the season, but throughout all the year. I feel privileged to have stepped in to substitute teach your children while Mrs. Davis was out, but am also excited for her to come back in January.” The audience laughed. “Without further adieu, let’s start the play!”

The parents clapped and Rosa went stage right behind the curtains, where Emily was waiting alone. She stared straight ahead, her eyes wide.

“You okay, Emily?”

“I dunno. I dunno.”

Rosa crouched down to her level. “You have a little stage fright?”

Emily hopped around. “I forgot my lines. I don’t know if I can do this.”

Grasping her shoulders tenderly, Rosa gave her the best pep talk she could think of. “Of course you can. One step at a time. I’ll be right here.”

Emily locked eyes with her, then smiled weakly. “I just wish my mom could be here .” A tear fell down her cheek.

Rosa wiped away the tear. “She’s watching now, and she’s so proud of you.”

Emily gave her a hug, then bounded onto the stage and started the show.

From start to finish, it was everything Rosa hoped it could be. The students were in their places and sang the songs, and Emily stole the show with her dramatic delivery of the lines and message of the play.

If this was only a tiny part of what teaching could be like, Rosa was sold. Like, sign her up now to teach full-time. She was hooked.

After the students and parents sang “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” the audience erupted into applause, and Emily stood proud next to her classmates.

Rosa thanked the parents, who exited with their children. Emily went down and joined Tate and Jess, who hugged her. Mrs. Armstrong gave Rosa a big thumbs up and started packing up her stuff.

There was just one thing left to do. But where was he? Rosa walked around the stage, circling the set piece. “Hunter? Are you still here?” She searched behind it, the darkness of the back of the stage making it hard to see.

“Ooof!” Rosa ran into someone, grabbing at the strong biceps in front of her. Hunter. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She wasn’t that sorry, though. Heat rose up her neck being so close to him in the dark.

She kept her hold on his arms, and he placed his hands under her elbows, her heartbeat quickening.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I was hoping to get the chance to talk to you. Alone.” There was a lot she wanted to say, too. About how much she had been thinking about him. What he said about her, about how it wasn’t her fault her parents died, about how she felt about him.

Her eyes adjusted a little, his face coming into view, Hunter’s kind eyes staring into hers. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe.

“Thanks for the note.” She cleared her throat. “It meant a lot. Something my mom used to tell me was, ‘No hay mal que por bien no venga.’ It means, there is no bad from which good does not come. Or, that every cloud has a silver lining. I’ve been feeling so bad about how my life has turned out, but now I’ve realized that all of it led me here.”

A tingling sensation coursed through her. She swallowed. “I’m glad I came to Leavenworth.”

“Me too,” he whispered. “You…you changed me.”

Rosa narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“You made me look outside myself. To hope again. And you made me want to take a risk. To not play it safe and always stay on the trail.”

Rosa smiled, biting her lip. “Going off trail can sometimes make you fall over the edge. I know from experience.” Her pulse quickened as his hands moved from her elbows to her waist, the intimacy of it sending shock waves through her. She moved her hands up his chest to around his neck.

“But what if we’re always there to catch each other?” He lifted a hand and stroked her cheek tenderly. “No matter what has happened in your past, or what’s going to happen in the future, I will promise to be there for you.”

She breathed deep and quick, her emotions running high. Biting her lip, she cupped his face with her hands, searching his face. The kindness, the love, the passion stared back at her. He was everything she needed and wanted.

He reached his arms around her back and pulled her in close. Rosa took a quick breath in anticipation. His lips met hers, and in the darkness they searched each other, kissing passionately as her hands found the back of his head, his hands slowly moving up and down her back, shooting her tummy with buzzing butterfly wings.

They pulled away for a moment, breathing heavy, their eyes fervent. She searched his face, then Rosa kissed him back, their lips saying with kisses what they had both longed to express to each other. That no matter what happened next, they were all in, together .

“Daddy? Daaddyyy?” Emily called from the gym. “What’s taking so long?”

Rosa and Hunter reluctantly parted and giggled. “Is this what it’ll be like dating a hot mountain man dad? Hiding in dark places to make out?”

Hunter nodded enthusiastically. “As often as possible.” He pulled her in and kissed her again, trailing butterfly kisses down her neck and nibbling on her ear. Dang, it felt good. He excited her in ways she hadn’t ever felt before. “Okay, sir, wooah maybe later, huh?”

Hunter finally pulled away. He let out a happy sigh while opening his eyes. “So we’re dating now, huh? What are you doing later? Dinner? Then more of this in a dark corner?” He waggled his eyebrows.

Rosa nodded. “Yeah. Definitely.”