Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
“And that’s why, all things considered, I think it’s better if you cut your time here short and head back to the States now.”
Amanda was sitting in Blair’s small office at the school, listening to her explain why she was essentially firing her.
It wasn’t because she wasn’t a good teacher, or because she didn’t get along with the other staff, or because the children didn’t like her.
It was simply a precaution…or so she said.
But Amanda couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to it than that.
Blair wouldn’t look her in the eyes for more than a few seconds at a time.
She fidgeted and shuffled papers around as they spoke.
It made no sense, and while a part of Amanda was relieved she was going home, it also felt like a slap in the face that Blair wasn’t trying to get her to consider staying on…
or apologizing for what she’d been through.
It wasn’t as if Blair was paying her, other than room and board. She was there as a volunteer. So being fired was…weird.
Something occurred to her then. “Have you heard something the military hasn’t about those men coming back?” she asked.
“Of course not. But it’s better to be safe than sorry, isn’t it? When they hear the American they took outsmarted them, escaped, and evaded capture as she walked back to the border, they’ll probably be even more determined to come back for you.”
“How would they hear about it?” Amanda asked.
“What?”
“You said when, not if they hear. How would they ever know unless someone from the school told them? And why would anyone do that? How would they do that?”
“Of course, I meant if,” Blair backpedaled. “No one around here associates with dangerous people like the ones who took you.”
But now that Amanda had the thought, she couldn’t shake it. Was someone she worked with a spy? Were they even now informing the kidnappers that she was back? That if they wanted to get their hands on her, they’d better hurry up because she was leaving?
The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and suddenly Amanda wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there.
This entire situation was infuriating, but she wasn’t going to beg to stay where she wasn’t wanted. If there was the slightest chance she could bring danger down on the school, and the kids and staff, she’d leave.
But there was one more thing she needed to discuss with Blair before she returned to Nash, who was probably getting anxious as he waited just outside the door.
She’d told him she wanted to talk to Blair alone.
Even though he’d been there with her when she’d told the colonel everything she could remember about her ordeal, this was something she needed to do on her own.
They’d already collected her belongings and stashed them in the car he’d borrowed to drive her to the school.
All that was left was for her to talk to Blair and say goodbye to the children.
The latter would rip her heart out, Amanda had no doubt.
“I’d like to talk to you about adoption. Obviously the time isn’t good right now, given how soon I’ll be leaving, but I’m going to put in an application when I get home to Virginia. I wanted to give you a heads-up, so you aren’t surprised when my paperwork comes across your desk.”
“Adopt? Who?” Blair asked tersely.
Once again, Amanda was surprised at her reaction.
She kind of thought she’d be thrilled. They’d talked more than once about how wonderful it would be if some of the children could be adopted.
If they could somehow gain the attention of more people from the US looking to take children from other countries who needed homes and families.
“Well, Bibi and I have gotten very close. I’d love to make her my daughter, and continue to be her teacher, friend, and her mom. And I was thinking Michael, as well. I know he’s older, which makes him harder to place, and he deserves a shot at a more stable life.”
Blair was frowning so hard, Amanda was concerned that she might have a coronary right then and there. Every muscle in her body seemed tense, and it looked as if she might shatter if she so much as made one wrong movement.
“I see.”
That was it. Just two words.
Amanda decided to let the silence play out. She refused to break it, wanting to see what Blair would do. Whether she might try to alleviate the uncomfortable atmosphere that was thick in the room.
“I’ll watch for your application then.”
Amanda was disappointed in the woman she’d once looked up to.
She had no idea why Blair was opposed to the idea of her adopting some of the children, but it was more than clear by her tone that if Amanda did submit an application, Blair would likely do what she could to discredit her to whomever ultimately made the decision on the children’s futures.
It made no sense. None.
But then…Amanda remembered the way Blair had held on to Bibi when she’d returned earlier that afternoon. How she’d refused to let the girl go so she could come greet Amanda.
Did the woman want Bibi for herself? If so, why didn’t she simply say so?
Amanda was more confused than ever, but for now, she was done trying to figure out why Blair was acting so strangely.
She wanted to go home. Get away from the uncertainty and weird vibes she was getting from a place where she’d felt more than comfortable just a few weeks ago.
Now it felt oppressive. She wondered what she’d missed before.
Had it always been this way, and she’d just been too na?ve to see it?
Was Blair involved in something dangerous? Was she more than simply the owner and director of the orphanage?
She shut that thought down. There was no way a seventy-two-year-old grandma-looking woman, a widow, would do anything to put the children under her care in danger. No way.
“I’m going to say goodbye to the children now,” Amanda said, not asking but telling the other woman. “Thank you for the opportunity to volunteer. I wish you all nothing but the best. You’ll be seeing my adoption application in a few weeks.”
With that, Amanda stood, nodded at Blair and headed for the door with her head held high. She’d done nothing wrong, and she resented Blair for making her feel as if she was leaving under a cloud of suspicion.
She’d put herself in danger trying to help these kids. Why Blair was acting as if she was somehow the sole reason the kids were taken in the first place, and it would be better if she wasn’t around, was beyond her.
The second she opened the door, Nash was there. He was frowning and looking at her in concern.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
“No. But I will be. I want to go see the kids.”
He nodded and took her hand in his, escorting her down the hall and toward the door that led outside.
The kids would all be in the dorms eating by now, as classes were over for the day.
After dinner, they’d have time for themselves, to play, read, whatever they wanted to do.
Then they had an hour designated for homework before they were expected to do chores, bathe, and brush their teeth before going to bed.
The next thirty minutes were excruciating for Amanda.
She did her best to keep a smile on her face and reassure the children that she was fine, and that they’d be fine too.
She explained that she had to go home, but she loved each and every one of them.
She promised to write—though she had doubts Blair would ever give her letters to the kids.
Something had changed at the school, and Amanda didn’t know what.
But what hadn’t changed was the innocence of these children.
It had been dinged a bit with the kidnapping, but thank goodness the outcome was ultimately positive.
They’d been rescued, thanks to an empathetic vice president who’d tasked Nash and Obi-Wan with coming down to rescue them.
Amanda didn’t want to think about what would’ve happened to them all if the VP didn’t have the connection to Guyana that he did. Colonel Khan might have attempted to help, but his hands had been tied because of tense relations between Guyana and Venezuela.
She’d been lucky. As had these kids. And leaving them felt wrong. Like she was abandoning them. Which has a horrible feeling.
She was exhausted and wrung out by the time she’d finished hugging everyone.
Bibi had clung to her, crying and begging her to stay…
then asking to go with her. Michael had come to Amanda’s rescue by peeling the little girl off her and carrying her away.
The look of sadness and disappointment on his face almost had Amanda breaking down right then and there.
She walked out of the dorm holding on to her composure by a thread. By the time the car door closed behind her and Nash had the key in the ignition, the tears had already started. Refusing to look back as they drove away, Amanda sobbed.
Buck hated this. Mandy had cried uncontrollably all the way back to the base.
She’d continued crying as Obi-Wan greeted them and helped him carry her stuff to the hangar where the chopper was being loaded for their departure the next day.
She cried while greeting Rain, after Buck took her hand and led her back to his room.
It wasn’t even a consideration that he was going to drop her off at the room she’d been assigned and leave her to cry alone. No way in hell.
She was still crying as she came out of the bathroom after getting ready for bed, changing into an oversized T-shirt that she obviously slept in. She wasn’t bawling now, but her eyes were continuously leaking.
Rain had whined a few times, clearly concerned, but Buck didn’t have the words to reassure him. Hell, he didn’t know what to say to Mandy to help her through her sorrow. All he could do was be there for her. Let her know she wasn’t alone.