Chapter 1
Chapter One
Amber
One month later
“G irl, welcome back!” Katrina Chase, the principal, says excitedly as she walks into my classroom at the tail end of Meet the Teacher night. “It’s weird to be back here after all these years, isn’t it?”
“It’s surreal.” I giggle as I give her a hug. “None of this feels real. I’m so grateful that you reached out about the opening.”
“When Bree brought in your résumé, she told me you were miserable with all the politics at that private school in Connecticut. When we were looking for Mrs. D’s replacement, I knew you were the only one who could take her place.”
“Mrs. D was the entire reason I got into teaching. She was my favorite teacher.”
“She was everyone’s,” Katrina replies with a sad smile. “She had such a way with kids, you know?”
“She did. I can’t tell you how many times she saved me from Sharon Livesay’s bullying.”
“She saved a few of us from that miserable girl.” Katrina laughs. “I think you got the worst of it for whatever reason.”
“Yeah, I’ll never know what I did to deserve her hatred.”
“Sometimes you can’t explain it.” She shrugs.
I nod slowly and blow out a breath. Sharon and I had been best friends until about the second grade. I slept over at her house one night, and after that, she did everything she could to torture me until I graduated and left Hicks Creek.
She died two years ago after being thrown off a horse. I felt like a horrible human being because I initially thought it served her right. I may have left Hicks Creek and not had any contact with that wretched woman since, but her insults still wreaked havoc in my brain.
“It didn’t feel right to change up all of Mrs. D’s hard work for today. She did such a great job in here,” I tell her, gesturing around the room.
The classroom is a warm, cozy mess of colorful construction paper, labeled cubbies, and stacks of yet-to-be-sorted workbooks. It is beautifully organized and feels homey. Mrs. D was always so good about making everyone feel at home, no matter who or where they were.
“I get that.” She smiles as she reaches over and squeezes my hand. “We are so glad to have you back in Hicks Creek. I bet your parents were thrilled, and just in time for Bree’s wedding prep.”
“I secretly think that’s the real reason Bree passed along my résumé,” I joke. “Purely selfish reasons. And my parents and brother are so excited.”
“You’ll have your nieces in here before long.”
“I didn’t even think about that.” I grin.
“Did you get moved into your grandparents’ house?”
“I did. It’s wild that it’s my home now.”
“I’m sure. I’m glad it was available and made your transition home easy.”
“The way all of this fell into place couldn’t have been more perfect. Here I thought I was only having bad luck. I think coming home for a reset was the catalyst for all the good.”
She laughs and reaches over to squeeze my hand. “It’s only up from here.”
“Definitely seems that way.”
“How was your Meet the Teacher night? Any questions?”
“No, I think I met everyone, and all the parents and kids seemed great. I think only two kids didn’t show, and you told me that Savannah and her parents were out of town.”
“Who was the other child?”
“Casey Townson.”
Katrina sighs softly as she chews the inside of her cheek thoughtfully.
“Her dad’s a little overwhelmed as of lately. I thought they would have been here. “
“That’s good to know. An overwhelmed dad typically means an overwhelmed child. I’ll give her a little extra care then.”
“Miss Katrina, can you come to the office, please?” a voice calls over the loudspeaker.
“Duty calls,” she says with a smile and a wave as she heads out of the room.
I grin and turn back around to finish gathering my things. I look around the classroom, taking it all in. Even though I had hoped to someday be roaming the halls of Hicks Creek Grade School, I never really imagined it coming to fruition.
It really is nice to be back in my hometown. I close the door to my room, breathing a sigh of relief. My very first Meet the Teacher night as Hicks Creek Grade School’s fourth-grade teacher is over, and I haven’t spilled anything, lost anyone, or had a single meltdown. That’s got to be a win.
My phone vibrates with a text from Bree.
Bree: How was Meet the Teacher?
Me: Amazing, thanks again for pushing my résumé to Katrina. I can’t believe I’m back home and get to be here for ALLLLLLL the wedding fun.
Bree: We will have so many brunches, coffee dates, and winery weekends. I’m so excited.”
Me: I can’t wait!
I smile at Bree’s text before I start to gather my things, smoothing down the skirt I’d ironed twice this morning. I take one last glance around my new classroom, thinking about how the real chaos begins tomorrow when this place will be filled with twenty-eight energetic fourth graders. All day, every day. A thrill rises in my chest. I grab my bag and head toward the door. My feet are aching in my high heels, and all I can think about is going home to slip into a hot bath and let the day finally sink in.
I step out of my classroom, lock the door behind me, and then turn to leave. I run smack into what feels like a solid wall. I stumble, bag tipping out of my hands, and look up, only to see a tall man in front of me.
He’s…gorgeous.
Oh my God, it’s the man from the winery.
Even in the bright fluorescent hallway lights, he’s striking in a rugged, put-together kind of way. His dark hair falls messily over his forehead like he’s been running his hands through it all day, and his jaw has that perfect dusting of scruff, just enough to make him look effortlessly cool but still professional. He’s wearing a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing strong, tanned forearms, and a disheveled Carhart that hints he’s been through a long day himself. His posture is guarded, his expression closed off, but something behind his eyes is intense and undeniably magnetic.
“Excuse me,” he says, slightly stepping back but not looking apologetic. His eyes, a deep shade of stormy gray, flick over me like he’s assessing everything he needs to know in a single glance. And then there’s recognition, and he clears his throat.
“I—sorry,” I stammer, leaning down to pick up my bag, but he already has it in his hands, holding it out to me with a firm grip.
“No problem,” he mutters, his voice low and rough.
There’s a pause, one that drags on long enough that I wonder if he’s going to say anything else. But he doesn’t. Instead, he just holds my gaze, his expression unreadable.
Why does he look so angry with me?
“Um, are you looking for a classroom?”
“Something like that,” he says, a hint of impatience in his tone. His eyes flicker toward the door I just came out of. “My daughter’s in this class. Casey Townson?”
“Oh!” Recognition dawns, and I offer him a smile, though he doesn’t return it. “Yes! I saw her name on my roster.”
He clears his throat gruffly as if he’s irritated that I’m her new teacher.
A dark-headed little girl with her hair pulled back into a braid walks around her dad, clinging to his arm shyly. She looks up at me sheepishly just as a maybe twelve-year-old boy with the same dark hair as his dad and sister comes around, too.
“Well, I didn’t mean to run into you, literally, so…”
“Right,” I reply, unable to keep the edge of annoyance from my voice. Here I am, trying to be polite, and he’s acting like it’s a chore just to be in the same hallway with me. “No harm done. Are you Casey?”
I drop down to a knee in front of the little girl. She nods.
“I’m Miss Shafer, your new teacher. Are you excited to start school tomorrow?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she answers softly as she takes a step closer to her dad, reaching out to grab his hand.
“Well, I made a little gift bag for you. Let me grab it.”
I turn back around, unlock the door, and walk into my classroom. I grab the pink drawstring bag off the assigned desk and hand it to her.
“There’s some special treats in there for you, as well as some new school supplies.”
“We don’t need any handouts,” her father snaps.
Whoa! Okay? It’s going to be like that?
I inhale slowly. Katrina said that this man was overwhelmed, so I pause before responding and take that into account.
“It’s not a handout. The school was given a grant to help with school supplies and such. Mrs. D had already purchased a lot of it, and I added some things to it, too.”
He nods as he glances around the classroom.
“What size shoes do you wear?” I ask Casey.
She’s quiet and looks down at her feet, mumbling a size. I walk over to the cubbies by my desk and pull out a pair of pink cheetah-print gym shoes.
“These are for you.”
Her gray eyes light up, and she grins back at me. “Thank you! I…love cheetah print.”
Her dad immediately grabs them and shoves them back toward me. “We don’t take handouts.”
Pause. Breathe. Do not take offense to this. I’m no longer at the prep academy. I’m back in Hicks Creek, a town full of farmers, ranchers, and hardworking families who don’t feel entitled to anything. Proceed with caution.
“I have a friend who works for the company. He donated them to my classroom.”
“We’re not accepting them.”
“There’s nothing wrong with accepting them,” I snap with a forced smile. “Just helping out and giving the kids some really cool things.”
Shit, I didn’t pause and breathe.
He clears his throat, looking over my shoulder. “No.”
I let out a small sigh, not wanting to argue. There are better ways around this. They’re gym shoes, which means he’ll never see them anyway.
“That’s fine. They’ll be here for her tomorrow. I’m Amber Shafer, by the way, and you are?”
“Derek Townson.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” I reply, trying to hide the sarcasm in my voice. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” I bend back down to look Casey in the eye. “I grew up in Hicks Creek, too. This was my fourth-grade classroom when I was your age.”
“It was?” she asks with wide eyes.
I nod and open my mouth to say more when her father intervenes.
“Well, Miss Shafer, I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
“Yes, probably,” I say, pasting on a smile that I hope hides my irritation. “If you ever have any questions about Casey’s progress or if there’s anything she needs, feel free to reach out. All of my information is in the packet in her bag.”
His mouth twitches at the corner, but there’s no warmth in it. “Noted.”
I narrow my eyes at him, fully aware that he’s intentionally being short with me, and something in me bristles. This is my job. I care about my students, and he’s acting like he’s too good for anything.
Katrina said he’s overwhelmed. Give him some grace.
I focus on pausing and breathing again. I can’t be getting short with my parents within the first few minutes, even if this man seems to be trying to irritate me.
“Good to meet you both,” I say, my tone a bit frostier than before.
Something flashes in his eyes, but he doesn’t respond. He just nods at me, then gestures for the kids to follow, turning and walking away before I can even say goodbye to Casey properly.
Irritating man. How can he be so proud that he’ll take away something that clearly made his daughter happy?
I wonder what his story is. I didn’t remember anyone with that last name in town when I lived here.
Did he recognize me from the winery, and that’s why he got so weird?
It’s not ideal that the best kiss of my life came from a parent of one of my students, but…dang it, he’s off-limits now.
I make a mental note to ask Bree about him when I grab coffee with her in the morning. If I have his daughter all year, I’ll need to figure out how to defrost that man’s attitude, or he’ll fight me for the entire school year, and it’ll be like I’m back at the academy again.
I despise grumpy people.