Chapter 14 It’s Just Dinner （Yeah, Right） #2
“I got a leak in my new house that had to be repaired, and my air-conditioning went out, but both of those happened weeks ago. I barely even knew who Ryker was back then, and he would have had no reason to be pissed off at me.”
He scowled. “I don’t like the sound of that. You just bought that place, and those are two pretty big items an inspector should have found.”
“Yeah, Quint said the same thing.”
“Do you have a security system?”
“Yes, but nothing tripped last night, and I called the alarm company this morning to double-check.”
“Sounds like too many coincidences at once. You need to keep an eye on that.”
Reluctantly, she agreed. “I’m sure all of it is unrelated, but I’ll be extra vigilant. It would be stupid to ignore it.” She shut down her computer and stood. “Ready to hit papier-maché hell?”
“Can’t wait.”
They started with the freshmen, spending an hour with a riot of students dressed in pink in a barn on the edge of town.
Watching him interact with the students made the twinges of attraction to him strengthen.
His smile was infectious, even among the crabbiest of kids.
What really endeared her to him was that he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.
At some point, he dumped his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and was covered in paint and papier-maché.
He clearly didn’t care that his shirt and jeans were covered, and she thought there might even be some in his hair.
After that, they spent an hour with the juniors, and then it was time for dinner.
The Vaughn household was clearly a space created by two men as a well-loved, well-lived-in space.
Two leather couches sat at right angles in front of a big-screen television.
The wall space was a heaven of electronics—several video game systems and more stereo equipment than any human being should need.
Watching movies here would rival going to a movie theater.
Better than going to a concert, as well, since she was getting the full effect of the sound system as an indie rock playlist was pulsing through the surround sound.
A quick glance through the pass-through window into the kitchen from the open-plan living and dining space showed a freshly showered Ezra, newly arrived from football practice, getting things ready for the grill.
“Hey, Officer E!” he called out. “Glad you came along. I’m getting tired of seeing just Dad’s ugly face.”
“Look in the mirror, bud,” his father teased.
Yeah. The two men were anything but ugly.
Lucas stepped into the kitchen, gave his son a side hug, and snatched a pickle from a side dish.
“I’m going to go see if I can rescue any of myself from the paint and papier-maché.
Ez, get her something to drink.” He glanced at Elyxandre as he jogged up the stairs.
“Make yourself at home. We’ll eat out on the deck.
” He disappeared into a room to the right, and she heard a door close.
“What would you like? We’ve got soda, water, orange juice, or I can make you some coffee.”
“Soda’s fine. Whatever you have.”
Ezra did a quick wash of his hands and dried them as he went to the refrigerator. “Diet or regular?”
“Regular. I’m going to need the sugar tonight, I think.”
“I bet. I’m headed to the senior float-building after dinner. It’ll probably be a late night since flag football is tomorrow night. Do you want a glass with ice, or do you want to be a heathen, as Dad calls it, and drink out of the can?”
She laughed. “Can is fine. No extra dishes that way.”
“Oh, no worries there. Plastic cups for grilling night. Cleanup is enough of a disaster when we grill. All that charring tastes great, but it’s a beast to clean up.” He handed Elyxandre the soda, then grabbed the platter of burgers covered in plastic wrap. “C’mon outside.”
He led her through the patio door to a spacious deck underneath a pergola, placing the platter on the sideboard of the grill. Then, he threw himself into one of the comfortable chairs at the table. She sat next to him and looked out at the yard.
“It’s nice out here,” she commented.
“Yeah. Quiet too. I love doing my homework out here when it’s not sweltering. And the neighbors are far enough away that we’re not bothering each other.”
They sat quietly for a bit. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ezra fidgeting a bit. Finally, his voice broke the silence.
“Do you like my dad?”
She turned and saw that he was looking at her, his gaze as intent as his father’s. Must be a characteristic he learned from Lucas over the years.
She knew what he meant, but she decided to deflect. “Have I given any reason to suggest I don’t like him?”
He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean, Officer Hookstead. Are you attracted to him? Would you go out with him?”
Now it was her turn to fidget. “That’s rather personal. Besides that, we’re co-workers.”
“So?”
“That’s usually frowned upon.”
“I call bullshit. Mom and Dad worked together before they divorced, and there are two married couples on staff already. Might be more if they didn’t change their names or tell anyone.”
Shoot. He had her there.
“Even if I were attracted to him, I’m not looking to date anyone where I work. My ex-husband and I worked together, and it was nothing but a disaster. It’s just better to avoid it.”
“You still didn’t answer the questions.”
She chuckled. “Are you normally so…?”
“Forthright? Most of the time. Don’t really see the point in trying to be subtle. Wastes time. So. Attracted? Dating?”
Should she refuse to answer or be honest?
It seemed weird to be talking to a teenager about this, but she also didn’t believe in treating kids like they were incapable of adult conversations.
And this was his dad he was asking about, so he had a right to be concerned about whatever might be brewing between them.
Hedging, she replied, “Your father is a great guy, and I’m sure he’ll make someone very happy someday.”
“Seriously? That’s what you’re going with? I’m seventeen, not seven.”
“Ezra,” she began.
“I get it if you’re uncomfortable telling me. I just wondered because I think he likes you too. Other than Jess, he hasn’t shown any interest in women since he and my mom split, so I was just hoping the attraction was mutual. He needs to get out more.”
Unsure of what to say to his pronouncement, she sat in silence. Luckily, it wasn’t long before the door opened, and Lucas emerged in a Tejeda Springs polo and a new pair of jeans. He went straight to the grill to start it up.
Ezra’s phone rang, and after looking at the screen, he excused himself to go inside to take the call.
Lucas’ mood seemed to have taken an odd turn.
He’d been friendly and smiling all afternoon.
Now he was broody, his face scrunched up into a frown, like he was mulling over something terribly important.
She desperately wanted to reach out and smooth the wrinkles and furrows on his face.
Wanted to help him unburden himself about whatever was troubling him, but she knew they didn’t have that kind of relationship as co-workers.
Maybe she couldn’t touch him, but she could talk to him. Picking up her soda, she walked over, facing him as she leaned on the deck rail. “Everything okay? You were having a great time with the kids, and now you seem kind of deflated.”
He glanced up at her, then put his attention back on the grill. “Tired, I guess. Homecoming was exhausting as a teacher, but it seems ten times more so now as an administrator. And we’re only halfway to the end of it.”
Was it really that he was beginning to feel the exhaustion of the long hours he’d been putting in? Or was he feeling stress over fallout from the raid punishments?
She remembered seeing him on the phone earlier. Could she ask specifically about that, or was that too invasive?
She decided to risk it. “When I walked past your office after school let out, I noticed you scowling while on the phone again. Sealy?”
“No.”
She waited, but he didn’t offer anything more.
“I don’t mean to pry, but your mood went through a drastic change after we got here. If you want to talk about it, I’m willing to listen. If not, that’s okay too.”
He was silent so long, she didn’t think he was going to answer her, and she was ready to walk back to her chair and let things lie, but just as she was about to give up, he spoke.
“I’ve been in education a long time. Not much surprises me anymore, and I rarely am moved to violent emotions over things. But one thing I cannot abide is when people attack my staff.”
“You don’t have to talk about it, Lucas,” she assured him. “I don’t want to put you in a difficult position if there are things you probably shouldn’t tell me.”
He shook his head. “The details really don’t matter in this instance. It was just a parent who was pissed off about something that happened in a classroom today. I got distracted by our conversation about your situation at home, and then I managed to forget about it while we were with the kids.”
“Then we came to your house, and your brain started to relax, bringing it back to the forefront?” She knew that feeling well.
“Happens to you too?” he asked.
“All the time.”
He closed the lid on the grill. “I just don’t understand why kids and parents don’t go to the root of a problem rather than fly off the handle and immediately go to an administrator about issues.
It’s always bothered me. When I was a teacher, I made sure to tell my students, repeatedly, that if they had a problem or concern with me or something in our classroom, they should come straight to me.
Immediately. Most things are just misunderstandings that can be quickly fixed. ”
“Kids are often afraid to go to their teachers. Even the nicest of you are intimidating to them, especially when they’re feeling wronged in some way.”
“I get it. Really, I do. But when they go to their parents, who then turn around and call the principal rather than the teacher, so much gets lost in the translation. Today’s complaint could have been resolved by asking a simple question for clarification.
Instead, it blew up into a parent believing a teacher told their student they couldn’t turn in an assignment late. Why am I dealing with that?”
“I’m assuming you told them to ask their student to talk to the teacher.”
“Yeah, and that went over like a lead balloon,” he huffed. “Turns out the answer was right in the teacher’s syllabus, which I found on the classroom webpage.”
“And of course neither child nor parent thought to look it up.”
“Correct.”
“So what did you do?”
“I read them the answer to the issue from the syllabus.”
“You didn’t make the teacher deal with it?”
“No. Shit like that? I protect most teachers from ever hearing about those kinds of calls. They’ve got enough stress. This way, it was dealt with and done. Telling the teacher would have just stressed them out and possibly made it worse.”
She smiled and gave a soft laugh, which caused him to look at her quizzically.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Absolutely nothing,” she told him. “I was just marveling at how lucky this school is to have you, Lucas Vaughn. I wonder how many people realize that. You truly care about everyone in the building—students, staff, faculty—as well as the building and the programs. It’s in everything you do.”
“I do care. I have to admit though… some days it doesn’t feel like people see me or the things I do in that light.”
She put a hand on his arm. “They’re starting to. I hear things. Your predecessor was not well-liked, which I’m guessing isn’t a secret to you. You are liked and respected. You may not see it, but I do.”
“You’re new to us. How would you know?”
“I’m new. An outsider, so it’s easier. My job is all about observing people.
Since my first day? You wouldn’t believe the change in people.
Your presence in the hallways and your reactions to the kids?
Your awareness of some of the simplest things going on in their lives? That matters. You make them feel seen.
“You’re smart about it too. You’ve chosen to focus mostly on the freshmen and sophomores.
The future leaders in the school. Whether it was intentional or not, you chose to focus on where you could make the most impact the fastest, and it has not gone unnoticed.
The juniors and seniors are more set in their ways, but subconsciously, they’re picking up on the culture you want and are trying to outdo the underclassmen. They’re stepping up.
“And that’s transferred to the teachers because they see you trying and how the students are responding to you.”
Had the moment not been so serious, she would have laughed at the stunned expression on his face. It was yet another reason she liked him. He truly didn’t realize that anyone was paying attention to him.
Time seemed to stretch between them as they gazed into one another’s eyes.
As they stood there, suspended in the moment, the sun seemed to halt in the sky, creating a gorgeous Texas sunset.
In the distance, the clouds were a vibrant yellow where the rays still managed to peek over the horizon.
Pools of orange melded at the outlying edge, bleeding into pink halos, creating a flame-like effect, which then bled into an ever-increasing dark-blue ocean as it stretched toward them on the deck.
The only sound was the grease hitting the grill base, and she could smell the charring of the beef, overlaid with the subtle hints of his cologne—something citrus with hints of spice. It should have been awkward, but it wasn’t. Not even close.
She hadn’t felt this comfortable with someone in a long time.
Something between them changed in that moment. The normal flutter she felt when he looked at her so intently in the past transformed into something more like a twining of energy, both his and hers, growing in size and intensity.
By then, the stunned surprise had shifted to something else… something more personal to her. His pupils had widened a bit. Was it the fading light causing it? Or was he feeling those same tendrils pulling them closer together?
Moments later, she knew it was the latter because he took a step toward her, and his head began to lower toward hers.
The sound of the sliding patio door stopped him from completing the moment.