Chapter 10 #2
“Okay. Look, I know everyone is very excited. Yes, I live next to Ellis, but I am still her teacher. And right now, my job is to read the rest of this story to you. So, can we all stay quiet long enough for me to do that?” The little heads all bob up and down in unison. “Great. Now, where did we leave off?”
Ellis blurts, “We left off where the cricket was talking to the bumblebee.”
Johnny whispers under his breath. “Teacher’s pet.” A few of the other boys giggle.
Ellis turns back to look at them, but when she faces forward again, she visibly deflates. The confidence she had just a few moments ago has almost disappeared, and I hate that she’s suddenly quiet.
I catch her eye and give her a small smile, just for her. “Thank you, Ellis.”
I turn to where we left off in The Very Quiet Cricket and continue reading.
As I flip through the pages, the story of the cricket begins to resonate with me a bit more.
He encounters a flurry of other insects and creatures that all make a sound, but when he tries to rub his own wings together to chirp, nothing happens.
Each attempt is feeble, until he finally crosses paths with another cricket—and then he’s able to make a sound.
And then something so silly hits me, but it’s more powerful than I realize—I wonder if I’ll ever find my cricket who lets me be heard.
***
“Daddy, look at how high I can swing!” I’ve barely walked into my backyard, and I can already hear the precious little girl on the other side of the fence.
“Be careful or you’re going to swing to the moon, and I’ll never see you again!” Rhonan’s deep voice rings out as well, and since it’s been a few days since I’ve heard it, my heart starts to beat a bit faster at the sound.
“I don’t want to go to space.” I hear the faint sound of wood chips being kicked up followed by the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps.
It’s about an hour before the sun sets, and I planned on sitting on the patio and cracking open the latest hockey romance release from my favorite romance author to unwind after an eventful day, but as soon as I heard Ellis’s voice, it dawned on me that I should probably speak to Rhonan about what happened today in class.
Now, if only I can manage that conversation without imagining him with his shirt off again.
Last week when his attempt to wash his truck turned into a water fight with his daughter, I tried to look away.
My shoulder was crumbling under the weight of my bag and my feet were aching from the heels I now know not to wear when teaching kindergarteners, but I couldn’t stop watching the two of them.
The sound of their laughter was the epitome of joy.
Their smiles fueled the spread of my own.
But when Rhonan took his shirt off? That sight fueled a different sort of response in my body, one that centered right between my legs where a dull ache has resided ever since that night together.
The man is a walking wet dream—sculpted arms and torso, a chiseled jaw and striking blue eyes, and he wears a uniform, for crying out loud. How on earth is any woman supposed to resist that?
And more importantly, how is he still single?
Not only is he insanely attractive, but he’s a good man—steadfast, brave, loves his daughter but doesn’t let her walk all over him, and he cares about people. After all, he took the time to help me with my shower when I’m sure he had a hundred other things he needed to do with his day off.
I can’t remember the last time a man did something like that for me, and that says something, given the status of my last relationship.
I’m so pissed at myself for all the time I wasted getting here, but at least I’m not wasting any more.
I’m making moves, Lydia. I hope you’re proud of me.
“Roscoe!” Ellis’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and then there’s a knock on the fence. “Roscoe?”
My sweet puppy, who is getting better trained by the day, runs over to the fence and scratches at it, eager to get to the sweet girl on the other side.
“Ellis…” Rhonan warns.
“Roscoe wants to come play, Daddy. Can he come over? Pleeeease?”
Knowing I can’t avoid him forever, I walk over to the fence and pop my head over the wooden slats. I’m met with those blue eyes that I remember dancing all over my body during the shower incident. “Hey there, neighbor.”
The corner of Rhonan’s mouth lifts, but it’s back to flat in a flash. “Hey. Ellis wants—”
“I know. I heard, and I’m fine with it if you are. I sort of needed to talk to you about something anyway, so that will be a good distraction for her.”
His brows draw together. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s probably nothing. Just something weird that happened at school today.”
“Daddy, can Roscoe come over now?”
Rhonan turns to look down at Ellis, whom I can’t see over the fence, but can hear. “Yeah, sweetie. Actually, Ms. Lewis is gonna come over too so I can talk to her.”
Ellis claps. “Yay!”
Rhonan swings his head toward the gate at the front of his property. “Why don’t you two come through there?”
“All right. Come on, Roscoe.” I snap my fingers and my sweet puppy follows obediently. He really is doing better with his training, even if it’s only been a few weeks.
I’ve only been in Blossom Peak for a little over three weeks, but somehow it feels much longer.
Maybe because this place is really starting to feel like home, or at least somewhere I could see myself living for a while.
Or maybe it’s because I have connections forming that I wasn’t expecting, like the one with my neighbor.
Roscoe waits at the gate, scratching at the wood. Rhonan opens it and Roscoe barrels through, running right into Ellis’s outstretched arms, licking her in the face. Her laughter is truly one of the best sounds in the world.
“I’m impressed.”
“With what?” My eyes lift to find Rhonan watching my dog and his daughter.
“The dog. He hasn’t been digging under the fence.”
“Guess the threat of electrocution worked.”
Rhonan shrugs. “If he understands English, then yes, that was probably it.” With a wave, he motions for me to follow him. “So, is this a conversation that requires us to sit?”
“I mean, sure.”
Rhonan heads up the steps to the deck where I see a beautiful wrought-iron patio set over to the right near the sliding door that leads inside the house. To the left is a covered grill and potted plants frame the space.
“This is a nice little setup you have here,” I say as I take a seat in one of the chairs, thankful for the cushion to create a barrier between me and the iron.
“Thanks. So, what happened today? Did Ellis try to take over the class?”
My laughter is soft. “No, nothing like that. Honestly, Rhonan, she’s one of the most well-behaved kids in my class. And I’m not just saying that.”
He meets my eyes as he takes a seat next to me. “I appreciate that.”
“But, where do I start? I guess it started with the rocks.”
Rhonan shakes his head. “This kid and her damn rocks.”
“Yeah, care to explain?”
He pushes a hand through his hair as his eyes trail Ellis and Roscoe around the yard. “I didn’t think much of it when it started. Ellis was just collecting rocks she liked, but then she kept telling me that we needed to keep them just in case.”
“Just in case of what?”
He shrugs. “She never said and before I knew it, I had a basket of rocks in my house.” Our eyes meet again. “I have indoor rocks, Vienna.”
Laughing, I nod. “Well, she had me look after her latest find today out on the playground, and when she brought them back inside, she put them in her backpack. But during story time, she raised her hand and asked if I wanted to come over tonight to see all of the rocks she saves for you, which led to her telling the entire class that we live next to each other.”
He stares at me curiously. “Okay…”
“The kids started asking a bunch of questions, and at one point, Johnny called her a teacher’s pet.
” Rhonan’s jaw ticks. “She instantly deflated but didn’t seem to let it bother her too much.
I…I guess I just wanted to let you know that these kids might go home and tell their parents that we’re neighbors, and I… ”
Rhonan leans forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his knees. “Vienna, you realize people probably already know that. This is a small town, remember? If you want to keep anything a secret around here, you don’t say a word and you have to be sneaky.”
“I know, I just remember you saying you didn’t want people talking…”
He sits upright again, blows out a breath, and darts his eyes back to Ellis. “I was an ass for making you think that was something we could control. I’m sorry.”
“Wow. It takes a lot of guts to admit when you’ve acted out of character.”
He arches a brow at me, but there’s a hint of a smile on his lips. “I’m not perfect, and Lord knows I haven’t handled this well. It’s just…a lot.”
“What is?”
His silence makes me uneasy, almost as if his contemplation is so loud, we can both hear it. “Fuck…” he mutters, right as Ellis races up the steps.
“Daddy?”
His scowl disappears as his daughter stops right in front of him, reaching for his hands. “Yes, Ellis?”
“Can I show Ms. Lewis our rock collection? I told her about it at school.”
Rhonan turns to me. “Want to see my indoor rocks?”
I momentarily debate making a joke about his question, but I refrain. “Sure.”
Ellis reaches for my hand next, pulling me up from my seat. “Come on.”
As we step inside, I see Joanne standing in the kitchen, scrolling on her phone, which she puts down the second she sees me. “Well, hello again, Vienna.”
“Hi, Joanne.”
“I’m showing her my rocks,” Ellis declares, still leading me by the hand.
Joanne chuckles. “Oh boy. Things are getting serious then.”
Rhonan scowls at his nanny but doesn’t say anything. Ellis stops in the living room right next to a wicker basket that could easily hold ten basketballs, and it’s halfway full of rocks.
“Oh my.” My hand flies to my mouth to cover my smile. “That’s a lot of rocks.”