Chapter Four
Three months later
Love Beach, South Carolina
“Why Love Beach?” Jamie Jordan, one of the teachers from River Heights High School who’d volunteered to chaperone this outing with Nelson, ticked names off a list on her clipboard as half a dozen students boarded the white passenger van rented for the trip.
“Why not?” Nelson scanned the parking lot of the chain hotel just off the highway where they were staying, automatically looking for Odette. It was an unrealistic expectation because he knew full well she was at the Love Beach Animal Shelter, preparing for her spring break volunteers. “I heard it was a great little beach town within driving distance of Jacksonville, and helping out at an animal shelter is way cooler than sorting canned goods for a food bank or scrubbing graffiti off public buildings. This way the kids work off some of their community service hours and still have a chance to enjoy the beach.”
“Nah, I know you better than that, Price. Something happened. You’re different.” Jamie assessed her coworker through narrowed eyes. “You nixed every other project the Counseling Department proposed. You’ve chaperoned these trips the past three years and never cared where we went or what we did. ’Fess up.”
“Mr. Price, I called shotgun and Shane won’t move.” Brenda Mitchell, a sixteen-year-old junior with the body of a twenty-one-year-old woman, pouted coyly.
“Brenda, we gave you the dress code for this trip. Go back and change.” Nelson sorted through the room keys and handed one to her. “No tank tops and no flip-flops. Put on a t-shirt–not the one you cut in half to show off your belly ring–and sneakers.”
“Miss Jordan–” She swiveled, trying to play one teacher off the other.
“You signed the contract, Brenda. You knew the requirements before we left Jacksonville. If you don’t have the right gear, and that includes attire, you’ll have to sit out today. No community service hours and no down time privileges.” Jamie poised her pencil over the clipboard. “Your choice.”
“Fine.” With an exaggerated huff, Brenda stomped off, returning a few minutes later with a yellow RHHS t-shirt and black and white checked Vans.
“Shane, back seat.” Jamie rousted the troublemaker and climbed into the passenger seat while Nelson got behind the wheel.
It was a fifteen-minute drive into town. The streets and sidewalks were packed with spring break tourists–families with small children, college students, young couples, older couples, groups of women his mom’s age–forcing them to a crawl. Nelson kept his eyes on the road while Jamie monitored the students. Besides Brenda and Shane, there was Linsey, Anton, Burke, and Reynoldo. All six had a poor track record when it came to academics and behavior. The spring break volunteer trip was part of a special program funded by one of the state universities. The project aim was to turn the kids’ lives around before they got into real trouble through mentoring, community involvement, tutoring, and job training.
This was Nelson’s last trip with the students. He’d already submitted his resignation, and when the schoolyear ended in a month, he would begin interviewing for a teaching job in Seattle. His sister Felicity was elated by his decision to spend a few years on the West Coast after almost a decade hopping from Philadelphia to Detroit to Jacksonville.
Until his one-night stand with Odette in Las Vegas six weeks ago, he’d been excited about the move. Waking up to find her gone left him reeling. He’d battled the urge to track her down on social media, telling himself it was a just a fling, but he hadn’t been himself since that night. Jamie was right; he was different.
Everything changed when the Counseling Department presented him and Jamie with the list of potential projects for this year’s spring break trip. Nelson was only half paying attention, slouched in a hard plastic chair, as Dr. Johnson, head of the department, had recited the list in his nasal tenor.
When he heard “Love Beach,” he jerked to attention, demanding that Doc Johnson repeat the description.
“The town has a new state of the art animal shelter.” Dr. Johson adjusted his spectacles, peering at the 12-point font. “They’re looking for funding to offset expenses, like most of the other organizations that participate in the university program. It says here, ‘Student volunteers will learn about animal care and welfare by working with staff, including dog trainers, veterinary technicians, adoption counselors, and the animal shelter director, Miss Odette Bell.’”
“That’s it.” Nelson slapped his hand on the conference room table. “This year, we’re going to Love Beach.”
Now that the wait was over, Nelson second-guessed the wisdom of this decision. He’d thought about visiting Love Beach on his own, but then what? Show up on Odette’s front porch? Pretend he wanted to adopt a pet? Hang out at the local hot spot until he accidentally on purpose encountered her?
After the best sex of his life, he’d crashed. They hadn’t gotten back to his hotel room until after three a.m. and after two rounds of toe-curling, mind-blowing lovemaking, he’d pulled Odette into his arms and slept hard until eleven when the housekeeper let herself into his room.
How was she going to react when she saw him?
Was she going to cancel the volunteer opportunity for the kids?
What if she acted like they were strangers? As if that magical night never happened?
“You missed the turn, Price.” Jamie tapped her pencil against the passenger window.
Muttering a swear word under his breath, Nelson pulled onto the shoulder and completed a U-turn, making the turn onto a two-lane blacktop road.
“I didn’t realize the animal shelter was so far out.” Jamie flashed him a sly smile, tucking a long strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “At least we don’t have to worry about the kids wandering off. It’s a five-mile hike back to town.”
Compared to Jacksonville–the largest U.S. city by area–where it could take an hour to drive from one side of town to the other, the animal shelter was a hop and a skip from the town proper. The van turned into the gravel parking lot before Nelson was ready.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the director.” Jamie tucked her clipboard into a canvas satchel. “It’s hard to tell what she’s more passionate about–animal rescue or Love Beach.”
Once the Counseling Department had approved the trip, Nelson let Jamie make all of the arrangements. He hadn’t wanted Odette to pull the plug before he…did what?
He’d been trying to figure out that part of the plan for weeks and still didn’t have a clue what came next.
That would be up to Odette.
If she didn’t freak out when she saw him.
“Let’s go, kids.” Jamie clapped her hands as the six students arranged themselves in a ragged line. “Remember. You’re here at the benevolence of Miss Bell and the Love Beach Animal Shelter. Work hard, ask questions–”
“Leave the place better than you found it.” Brenda snapped her gum. “We got it, Miss–sorry, Mr. Price. ’Kay, gang. You heard Miss Jordan. Best behavior. We’re representing River Heights.”
Nelson and Jamie exchanged a surprised look that said, “Huh. You mean they were really listening and it sunk in?”
Jamie set off toward the gray metal building, the students trailing behind. Nelson took his time, pretending to study the shelter. The metal panels were accented with stone wainscot and blond wooden beams. The landscaping was minimal but attractive–small shrubs spaced evenly in flower beds filled with river rock. Neatly mowed grass extended in all directions, and on the far side of the building, a stand of trees provided shade.
Jamie waited by the open door, waving her hand to spur him on.
It was now or never.
Throat tight, he used Jamie as a shield. Not because he wasn’t ready to confront Odette–well, he wasn’t but that wasn’t the main reason–but because he didn’t want to cause a scene. She was sure to be flustered when she realized her Vegas one-night stand was standing in the lobby of her animal shelter, and teenagers could pick up on adults’ vibes like sharks scenting blood.
His heart thu-thumped when he realized the curvy Black woman in bright orange overalls and purple canvas sneakers was Odette. Her corkscrew coils sprang out from under a pink bandana, and her arms were filled with wriggling puppies.
“…best part of working at a no-kill shelter,” she was saying. “Everyone loves the puppies and kittens, but there’s more to rescuing animals than snuggling with these adorable furballs. It’s a great place to start though. You”–she jutted her chin toward Burke, a skinny gamer type–“grab one of these pups, will you? Who else wants to hold one?”
Every arm shot up. The kids swarmed Odette, until each held a squirmy bundle of fur. With the students occupied, she turned her attention to the chaperones, eyes landing first on Jamie…then him. Her wide smile froze and her body went stiff as if she’d stepped on a live wire.
“Nelson?” she gasped.
“Price?” Jamie’s tone demanded an explanation.
“Odette.” He wanted to say more, but the words wouldn’t come.
“Mr. Price?” Brenda held the brown and white furball under her chin, rocking from one foot to another. “Can we adopt one of these puppies when we leave?”
“Achoo!” Linsey began sneezing uncontrollably. “Achoo!”
“Great.” Jamie rolled her eyes. “Lins, are you, by any chance, allergic to dogs?”
The waiflike sophomore nodded between sneezes.
“This was not noted on her paperwork,” Jamie hissed. “Nelson, why don’t you make a drugstore run for some antihistamines while I call Linsey’s mom. Odette, maybe you can get the rest of the kids started on…something.”
Odette glared at him over the heads of the students, but he was close enough to see the pulse at the base of her throat fluttering like mad and the scarlet blush beneath the pallor of shock.
For the first time in weeks, he smiled. Odette might be mad, but there was no doubt she remembered their night together…and it meant just as much to her as it did to him.