Chapter 46
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
PRESENT DAY
I make it to school and through most of the day in somewhat of a haze. My body still buzzes with thoughts of him, and every once in a while, a memory from last night will come back to me, and I’ll get this intense sweep of heat through my core.
I’ve quite literally never experienced anything like this.
The intense desire that doesn’t seem to fade.
My skin is sore in random places—where his stubble scraped my inner thigh, where he gripped my hips too tightly while I was on top of him.
I’m trying desperately not to focus on any of that while the kids and I go over the water cycle, and then later as we begin to memorize the western part of the US map.
The final bell rings at 3:15, and the kids gather their things, waiting for the announcement to call their departure group.
Walkers first, then buses, then car riders.
When the classroom is quiet again, I pack up my things, wipe down the board a final time, push the desks back into place from where they’ve strayed, and start flipping the chairs on top of them for the janitor to sweep.
“Knock, knock.” He says the words rather than knocking, and when I turn around, I find Banks waiting next to my propped-open door. He leans against the frame, folding his arms across his chest with a charming smile. “Need any help with anything?”
“I don’t think so.” I flip the final chair and dust off my hands. “I was just about to get out of here.”
“I heard you had someone in the hospital. Hope everything’s okay.”
The reminder of Margie feels as if someone has reached into my chest and squeezed. She’s supposed to be waking up tonight. They’re supposed to try again.
“I hope so, too,” I say. There’s a scuff on my shoe I hadn’t noticed earlier.
I forgot to ask Will if he wants me to meet him at the hospital or if we’re going to ride together.
“Can I ask what happened?”
I’d nearly forgotten Banks was still standing there.
When I look at him again, there’s a certain sadness in the air between us.
Once, I was crazy about this man. I really thought, all those years ago, he might be something serious, if not the one.
And when I moved back, when I realized he was here, the idea we’d get to know each other again filled me with hope.
The possibility that maybe this time we’d get things right.
When we left Havenport, I never dreamed I’d see him again. I wasn’t even sure if I hoped I would. He’s everything I’m supposed to want. Serious, stable.
He’s just…not Will.
That realization is haunting.
My brain reverts to a dark place. My worst thoughts.
Will and I have only spent one night together—and sure, it was an unforgettable, life-altering, impossible night—but in the practical world, outside his apartment, we might never work.
We might just need to push through our pent-up frustration.
Our long-held desires. He might just be using me to forget about his mom for a while.
We’re still the people we’ve always been. The ones who’ve fought much more than they’ve ever gotten along.
Have we really changed all that much?
Yes. We have.
I have. I won’t do this. I will not run. I’m going to trust him. I do trust him.
I refuse to let myself lose him because I’m scared.
“You…okay?” Again, Banks calls my attention, and I realize I’ve been lost, swimming in my head.
“Sorry. I’m… It’s been a weird day,” I admit with a breathy laugh. “I should probably go. I need to get to the hospital.”
“Can I drive you?” he offers. “You seem a little…out of it. Tired, maybe? We could stop and get dinner—just something quick. You need to eat. Or I could bring you something there.”
“That’s really sweet of you.” But I don’t want to lead him on. I just want to get to Will. To be there for him. “But I don’t think so.”
“Just as a friend. No pressure.”
“I’m okay, but thank you. Really.”
He hesitates, then gives a slow nod, hands shoved into his pockets. “Let me at least walk you to your car, then.” The red lanyard swings as he steps back.
“That we can do.” I move across the room to gather my things, then meet him at the door and pull it closed behind me, lights flipped off.
As we walk to the staff parking lot, he tells me about a student who asked to go to the office so he could call his parents because he was too tired for gym class. And another who pretended he was asleep so he could text with his head buried in the crook of his arm.
It’s a nice distraction, hearing about his day.
“Is it everything you wanted?” I ask gently. “All those long nights in the library, the classes…”
“The debt,” he teases, his gaze searching the air ahead of us. “Yeah, I think so. It’s… I still want to be principal someday. Have a hand in everything happening here, not just a piece of it. See more kids than just one grade. But I like history. And fifth grade is a fun age. I enjoy what I do.”
“You’re good at it,” I tell him, and it’s not just a platitude. I’ve seen the way he interacts with the students in the hallway, how he plays with them at recess, how they joke around with him in the cafeteria.
He genuinely cares about the kids, and it makes a difference.
“What about you? Think you’ll stick around? I keep trying to get a read on whether or not you’re happy here. I know it’s small compared to your last school.”
“I’m happy,” I tell him, and the truth of that spreads warmth through my chest like a bloom. “Being home has been nice for me. I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
“Good.” We stop at my car, and he takes a deep breath. “Hey, listen—”
“Mr. Thompson.” The voice interrupts us, drawing our attention. George crosses the parking lot with one hand in the air. “Kay needs you inside. Something about a leak in the hallway.”
“Oh.” Banks looks back at me, then toward the school. “I guess we’ll have to catch up another time. Be careful on your way to the hospital, Opal.”
“Thanks.” I watch as he walks back inside, and once he’s gone, I realize George is still standing there, staring at me. Something uneasy swims down my spine. “Did you have a nice day?”
His eyes skirt back to the school, then return to me. “You should be careful around him.”
“Banks?” The warning seems absurd. “We went to college together. We’re old friends.”
His face is stone, serious. “I don’t trust him around you.”
That feels overreaching and inappropriate. I don’t know George half as well as I know Banks. “Why not?”
His eyes search the emptying lot, not meeting mine. Then a tight smile crosses his lips. “Just a hunch. Take care of yourself, okay?”
I think over his words, still not understanding, but before I can press him further, my phone buzzes with an incoming call from Mom. “Well, have a good night,” I say, turning away from him. “See you tomorrow.”
I swipe my finger across the screen to answer and slip into the car.
“They’re waking her up,” Mom says before I can get a word of greeting in.
Panic seizes my lungs. We’re not ready. “Now? Does Will know? I’m just leaving the school. I thought it was supposed to be later this evening.”
“They moved it up. The boys are on their way. I told him I’d tell you.
I was in town when Cory called, but I’m going to swing by the house and grab a few things for Margie from her place.
I don’t know if it makes sense, but I was thinking if they can get her to wake up, some comfort things might be nice. Photos, a blanket.”
“I can do that,” I offer. “You go on to the hospital.”
She hesitates. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. The boys need you. I’ll go by Margie’s first and meet you at the hospital in an hour. Keep me posted.”
As we end the call, my breath stills in my throat.
Ahead, the blue truck is turning around in the quiet parking lot. Shivers crawl across my skin like thousands of tiny spiders.
I should call someone, but the only people I could call are on their way to something more important. I lock my doors and back out of the spot, watching the blue truck disappear into the distance.