12. Zane
12
ZANE
Z ane hopped out of his truck and walked down Maple Street to the diner the next day. The winter air swirled around him, Christmas lights twinkled on the storefronts, and he felt a rush of excitement about what he was going to do today, in spite of that being completely out of character.
What is happening to me?
The bells over the door jingled as he stepped inside. A few of the locals eating a late breakfast or an early lunch looked up. But he didn’t have time to do more than throw a wave at a few of the locals on his way to place his order.
“Hey there,” Tara said cheerfully from behind the counter. “What can I get for you?”
“I’d like two grilled cheese sandwiches and two tomato soups,” he told her. “To go, please.”
“You and your brother on the road today?” she asked politely.
“Nah,” Zane said, choosing not to elaborate.
“Oh,” Tara said after a moment. “Well, I’ll get right on it. And I can put your soups in a big thermos if you don’t mind bringing it back another day?”
“That sounds great, thanks,” Zane said, nodding. “I’ll bring it back in the morning. And can I get two hot cocoas, too?”
“Sure thing,” Tara said with a smile. “Hang tight, and I’ll get you squared away.”
She headed off to the kitchen with a smile on her face. There was a woman who loved her job.
Tara Winters was relatively new to town. But her café, Bean Counters, was already a fixture, enjoyed by flatlander tourists and locals alike. And it wasn’t hard to figure out why. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, and the diner was set on the corner of Maple Street and Moose Avenue, so it had a really wonderful view of the park.
Zane gazed out at the playground while he waited. Parents and caregivers watched their preschool aged little ones darting around among the swings and slides. And behind the playground was a pavilion worthy of a Christmas movie.
Zane had never really been interested in the movies, and not at all interested in romance movies. But his mother loved them, and he loved her.
When his ex-wife disappeared, he’d naturally taken to spending more time with his family. His first Christmas on his own, he and Mom had watched half a dozen of her favorites while they’d each held a sleeping baby.
He hated to admit it, but he thought of that time often. Maybe it was the peace of curling up on the lumpy sofa with one of his boys on his chest, his mom beside him with the other, the fire crackling, and the little television flickering with pretty people falling in love against beautifully wintry backdrops. Whatever the reason, he found himself thinking about love and resilience again this year.
But the people in the movies weren’t like the ones in real life—just like the snow in the park across the street was now covered in muddy boot prints, and one of the holly boughs on the pavilion had come loose and was hanging untidily toward the railing. Real life was messy.
And in the real world, a pretty young schoolteacher like Becca wouldn’t fall for a farmer like me. And even if I thought she might, I wouldn’t risk the boys’ stable life just to chase after her. Things are just fine as they are.
“Here you go,” Tara said brightly. “Two grilled cheese sandwiches, two cups of soup, and two hot cocoas, to go.”
“Thanks, Tara,” he said.
He paid and headed out again, taking a deep breath of the cold, bright air, and trying not to overthink what he was doing.
She gave up her lunch break to have this meeting, so I’m bringing her lunch. It’s nothing I wouldn’t do for any other teacher.
That didn’t really explain why he was going to eat lunch at eleven in the morning with her. But he suspected city women were the type who wouldn’t eat alone in front of you.
Though when he pictured her putting away a healthy serving of beef stew last night, he figured maybe that wasn’t the case for Becca.
Crossing Bear Avenue, he couldn’t help remembering being a child himself and wandering around town, buying candy at the general store, and always, always sharing it with Tripp. The idea made him smile, and he was feeling good as he kept walking to the school.
Miss Wiggins, the secretary let him in right away, but warned him that he was early.
“That’s fine,” he told her. “Okay for me to go on up and talk with Miss Hawthorne?”
“Sure,” she replied, eyeing the paper bag and thermos he carried suspiciously.
He frowned and strode off for the staircase, trying not to worry about gossip. Miss Wiggins was part of his mom’s quilting club, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was going to snitch on him.
Snitch on me for what? I’m just doing the polite thing and bringing Becca lunch since she’s missing hers to help my boys.
His heart began thundering as he approached the classroom door. He couldn’t stop thinking about last night, and how easy it had been to sit at the dinner table beside her, watching her smile and laugh along with the family.
She had been so beautiful bathed in starlight afterward. The innocent joy on her face as she gazed at the shimmering sky awakened something in his chest. It had been so long since he’d seen anything in his world for the first time. Seeing it through her eyes was better, somehow. And when she’d stood by her car, looking up at him with that same wonder, for just a moment, he’d almost felt like she wanted him to…
He pushed all those thoughts aside as he reached the doorway and paused, gazing into the room where Cal spent his days. Student work hung from the walls, along with big poster boards asking questions about Sugarville Grove.
“You’re early,” Becca said, her sweet, bell-like voice sounding like she was happy about it. “Come on in. I can show you some of Cal’s work, if you’d like.”
“I thought I’d bring you some lunch,” he told her, following her back over to the big desk where they’d met the first time.
He couldn’t help wincing at the memory of the way he had treated her then.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“I’m just sorry for how I spoke to you the other day,” he told her.
“We already did this,” she said, smiling. “I’m also sorry for talking with the principal without you. But it’s all water under the bridge now. Right?”
He nodded, and she smiled as she sat down, gesturing for him to do the same.
“Now what were you saying about bringing me lunch?” she asked.
“It’s just grilled cheese and tomato soup,” he muttered, suddenly feeling embarrassed, like maybe he shouldn’t have done it. “And some hot cocoa.”
“Well, you sure know the way to my heart,” she said happily. “I know I said that everything was water under the bridge, but if it would make you feel better to keep apologizing like this, my break is the same time tomorrow.”
He chuckled as he poured out soup into the two bowls Tara had included in the bag with the sandwiches.
“That smells amazing,” Becca murmured. “Is it homemade?”
“Not this time,” he told her, handing her one of the paper-wrapped packets that contained a warm grilled cheese sandwich. “I picked it up at Bean Counters. ”
“Tara is the best,” Becca said, closing her eyes in ecstasy as she took a sip of her soup.
“I’m glad you already know the café,” Zane said. “Have you been to the pizzeria yet?”
“I’ve been meaning to try it,” she said, suddenly looking a little shy. “One of these days I’ll get over there.”
He nodded and they both dug in. Even a little cooled down from his walk, the grilled cheese was amazing. And Tara always spiced up her tomato soup so that it felt like a meal on its own. They ate together in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
“You got this meeting set up quickly,” Becca said, wiping her mouth and sitting back in her chair when they had both finished their meal. “You must have sent a really good email.”
“I don’t know about that,” Zane said.
Honestly, he almost never had reason to send an email to anyone, let alone an important one. Becca had said to send something simple, but he’d been sort of intimidated and ended up searching online for a couple of examples of how to reach out to a child’s school before he got started. It had taken him pretty much all evening after he put the boys to bed.
“She called me right after I sent it,” he told her. “Like you said she would.”
“Principal Chittenden is pretty great,” Becca said happily.
“Oh, my ears are burning,” the principal said from the doorway. “Thank you for your letter, Mr. Lawrence. I can’t say the last time I received such a formal and respectful parent message.”
Zane rose and shook her outstretched hand.
“Did you two get started without me?” the principal teased, heading for one of the student desks.
“Take this chair,” Zane told her, indicating the one where he had been sitting.
“Oh please, Mr. Lawrence,” she laughed. “I think we both know you won’t fit on one of these little chairs.”
He had to smile at that. She was right about that. He’d be better off sitting on the floor.
“Hi, Mrs. Staley,” Becca said.
He turned to see Denise Staley walk in. He’d known her half his life, and still wondered why she had chosen to become a teacher. Denise had always been super smart and she had a heart of gold, but she was a little uptight, so sometimes it didn’t come through.
And he honestly wondered even more these days, when it seemed that she was giving Nick an especially hard time.
But of course, he couldn’t say anything like that.
“Hi, Denise,” he said, gesturing toward his chair again.
She took it, and he was looking around for the best place to stand when Principal Chittenden cleared her throat.
“I’m glad we’re all here,” she said. “If changes are going to be made, it’s best to consider them as quickly as possible, so that the class dynamics can settle. Mr. Lawrence, you’ve requested that we reconsider the boys’ placement. You have the floor.”
“Oh,” he said, his eyes moving to Becca. She hadn’t warned him about this.
But she merely nodded and looked up at him with complete confidence, like she was sure he would do a great job.
Suddenly, he was very happy that he’d taken a little time to write that email last night. It had forced him to decide exactly how to explain why he and Becca thought the boys should be together.
“I know the school has a policy against putting twins in the same classroom,” he began slowly. “And it’s a policy that makes sense in most cases. Children deserve a chance to make their own friends and their own reputation. And I know that siblings may be more likely than other students to argue.”
“Correct,” Denise said, in a tone that seemed to say so what are we doing here?
“But I asked for this meeting because in the case of Nick and Cal, I think the benefits will outweigh the risks,” he said quickly. “I’m sure you all are aware that Cal is shy. He does better in social situations when his brother is there.”
The women all nodded, and he felt a little more relaxed.
“And Nick has been struggling with his schoolwork,” he went on. “I think Cal could be a good influence on him—I know he can be. Group dynamics matter. We see this every day in the herd, certain animals lead, or provide a calming influence?—”
“With all due respect, Zane,” Denise cut in. “This is a school, not a dairy farm.”
“Some of the same rules do apply, Mrs. Staley,” Principal Chittenden said with an amused smile. “But Mr. Lawrence, I think we see your point.”
“Thank you,” he said.
Becca slipped out from behind her desk and sat at a student desk, offering her chair to him. He didn’t want to take it from her, but he honestly didn’t want to be in the spotlight any longer, so he sat quickly.
“We do take parent requests seriously,” the principal said when he was seated. “After all, you know your children better than we do. In this case, it seems clear that you’re aware of the drawbacks to putting the boys together, so I think we can proceed to discussing whether it’s feasible to fulfill your request.”
Zane blinked in surprise, amazed that he hadn’t been questioned further.
“Now, we might normally begin with a conversation about which teacher might suit the children best,” the principal went on. “But as an experienced teacher, Mrs. Staley is already equipped to work with a student with extra energy, like your lighthearted Nicholas.”
Zane tried not to smile at her obvious tact. She was trying not to say Nick had behavior issues, and to make sure his father knew that she liked him.
“That’s not a problem for me—” Becca began.
“Nick’s needs were a consideration when we were setting up the classes in the first place, Miss Hawthorne,” the principal told her kindly.
Suddenly, Zane stopped wanting to smile. Had they set Nick up for a bad year by putting him with a no-nonsense teacher like Denise? Nick needed a teacher who understood that he had a bit of a wild streak, a teacher who wouldn’t take it personally.
“A newer teacher might struggle with classroom management with a higher energy child like Nick,” Denise put in. “He needs to be with a more seasoned educator. I don’t like swapping out students. And I already have a larger class this year, so I don’t see how this can work?—”
“I’ll take them,” Becca said suddenly, her crystalline voice a hair louder than normal, and unyielding as steel. “I’ll take them both. I would love to teach Nick and Cal. And like Mrs. Staley said, her class size is larger, so it makes more sense for both boys to come with me.”
The principal opened her mouth as if to argue, but Zane spoke up before she had a chance.
“I want them with Miss Hawthorne,” he heard himself say, his voice firm and sure.
“Very well,” Principal Chittenden said, nodding crisply. “But please keep in mind that moving a student is very disruptive to the class culture. We don’t want to be back here doing this again in a week.”
“We’re going to be just fine,” Becca said right away, smiling with her eyes lighting up, like she couldn’t be happier about adding a high energy boy to her class.
And Zane felt his heart squeeze a little at the thought of his boys being with someone who really understood them.