6. Penny
SIX
PENNY
This was it. My first full week as a full-time teacher. While Friday had been an exciting day, getting to spend it with my classroom for the first time, we spent most of the day getting to know each other and reviewing what they were learning so I could hit the ground running this week.
I spent all day yesterday memorizing Faye’s lessons plans, reworking them to fit my own teaching style, and adding extra activities I thought would help drive the math and English work home. On top of that, I had to drive an hour to find the closest Walmart where I could purchase more things for my home, including a desk I’d have to find time to put together soon. Given the time in travel alone, I came back home and paid for an Amazon Prime subscription, something I’d never consider paying for in the past. But the gas savings alone would make it worth it.
That was the only slight hitch in an otherwise perfect weekend.
Well, outside Gavin walking me home the other night. But I’d been trying really hard to forget the spicy sandalwood scent I’d noticed when his bicep accidentally brushed against mine on the way home. I’d also been trying to forget that he refused to stop at his own house when we reached it and insisted on walking me to mine.
He’d stayed on the sidewalk until I was inside, like he’d done Thursday, and like I’d done Thursday, once I was inside and had flipped on the lights, I’d peeked out the blinds to see him turn away and head back to his own house.
It was a gentleman thing to do to, that was all.
And yet, I still reveled in the small smile he gave me when I told him I was impressed with his success. I also might have checked his house on Sunday for any sign of him or Josie when I was coming and going, and maybe once or twice when I walked past my living room window. The home had stayed quiet, though, and I’d slapped my own hand when I reached for the blinds late last night to check one more time.
I was his daughter’s teacher, and that daughter would be skipping into my classroom any moment, if last Friday’s arrival was any indication of how Josie usually behaved.
A knock hit my door and it opened, and Faye peeked her head in. “Hey. Ready for this morning?” She stepped into the classroom and closed the door behind her.
“I’m as ready as I can be, I think.”
“Good. And your walk home? How was that the other night?”
There was a tone in her voice, a glint in her eye. My eyes narrowed on her. “Are you… are you trying to set me up with my student’s dad?”
“It’s not against the code of ethics.”
I blinked. Blinked again. She couldn’t be serious. “Faye, tell me you’re joking. You don’t even know me!”
“I know Gavin. I know his family and I know Josie and you’re young like him. Someone needs to shake that man up, show him there’s life after a high school girlfriend treats him like crap.”
And she’d been friends with that girlfriend. That I remembered. It also didn’t help I remembered every second I’d spent with that scowling, attractive—all right, drop dead sexy— man.
“And you think that’s me…never mind.” I waved a hand in the air. She was being ridiculous. “It’s not going to happen,” I told her and turned to check my corkboard I’d spent all Saturday decorating. “Is that why you had him walk me home?”
“I couldn’t pass on the timing. You can’t tell me you didn’t think it was odd he stepped outside right after us, did you?”
I hadn’t given it a single moment’s consideration. As soon as he walked into Tom’s and we made eye contact, I’d spent the night studiously avoiding looking in any direction he might be for fear of what could be seen on my face. It’d felt an awful lot like desire, but considering I’d never actually felt it before, I still wasn’t quite sure.
“You’re seeing things that aren’t there.”
“I guess we’ll see,” she quipped. “Have a good day!”
As if I could have a good day now, with her lingering words and schemes on my mind. She vanished from the doorway, and the rumbling of tiny feet weighed down by backpacks thundering up the stairs immediately followed.
Like Friday, Josie was the first one to come barreling into the room, hands wrapped around the straps of her purple backpack, worn, purple cowgirl boots on her feet. Also wearing jeans and a lavender T-shirt, it didn’t take a genius to figure out her favorite color. Today her hair wasn’t in braids like it’d been the first two times I saw her, but falling down her back, all those curls bouncing as she jumped on the balls of her feet.
“Miss Pesco! Guess what!”
“Happy Monday, Josie. You must have something exciting to tell me.” Good gracious, this girl was adorable.
“I do! My grandpa bought a puppy this weekend!”
“He did? That’s great. The puppy must be so cute.”
“Yeah, she is. Landon, that’s my new cousin even though I didn’t use to know he was alive, is getting her for Christmas. He named her Goldie.”
Thank goodness Faye and Dolly had clued me in about Caleb reuniting with a woman he was now married to who’d had his child after a one-night stand, or I’d be totally lost.
“Let me guess.” I tapped my chin. “The puppy is a golden retriever?”
Her eyes bugged out. “How’d you guess?”
“Just lucky. Did you get to play with her this weekend?”
“Yes, I did. A whole bunch on Sunday morning because I had a sleepover with my grandma. Grandma Kelley painted my nails. See?”
She shoved her little hand at me and sure enough, hot pink fingernail polish covered her nails. I was surprised they weren’t also purple, but the bright pink fit the girl’s spirit.
“That’s very pretty.”
“I know! So is my grandma. And your dress is pretty, too!”
I chuckled as other kids entered the room. My dress was pretty. A camel-colored corduroy, it fell down to my calves, showing off my knee-high boots. The dress was long-sleeved and was comfortable enough to teach in but also thick enough to keep me warm. If I had a choice between jeans and a dress? It was a dress every day hands down for me.
As the other kids filtered in and shared with me pieces of their weekend, I took notes of their personalities. Some came in like Josie, excited to be there and talk. Others were mopey and quiet. Not unexpected on a Monday morning. Most were somewhere on the scale in between, but even then, I paid attention. I’d grown up knowing how to fake being good and how to blend in so I never garnered too much attention. It was those kids I looked for, the ones who could be hurting the most and hiding it. Plus, it was good for me to get to know all my students as soon as possible so I could see the help they needed that went beyond what I was learning in all their files.
By the time lunch came around, followed by the kids’ special classes, I was ready for the break, despite how easy the morning had gone. Grabbing my lunch, I made sure I locked my door behind me and headed down the stairs to the teachers’ lounge. Right off the front office, I wasn’t surprised when other teachers were already there, some standing around the microwave, waiting to heat up their food.
I’d learned that the third through fifth graders had their arts classes at the same times in the afternoons, while the kindergarten through second graders had their times in the morning. Today, the third graders were in art and music, while the older two grades were having library time and a technology class.
I slid into an open seat and the teacher next to me immediately greeted me.
“Easton Pierce,” he said, nodding toward me. “I teach fifth grade. You must be Penelope.”
“I am.” I greeted him back with a smile. Dressed in pressed khaki pants and an equally pressed white and blue striped dress shirt, Easton had a bright blue bow tie at his throat and perfectly coiffed hair that swept to the side. His black ring on his left hand told me he was married. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too. Things going okay so far?”
“It’s only been a couple of days, but the kids seem great.”
“She’s killing it,” Faye announced, sliding into a chair across the table from us. “The kids already love her.”
A blush hit my cheeks and I mumbled a thanks to her before biting into my turkey and cheese sandwich.
“Don’t thank me,” Faye said. “You are killing it. In the classroom and at Tom’s.”
She flashed a wink and Easton raised his brows. “Already corrupting her, Faye?”
“Obviously. She has to be initiated into town properly and who better to show her the ropes?”
Easton shook his head and turned to me. “Careful with this one. Her initiations tend to end up with you dancing on the tables and slipping and sliding into muddy creeks.”
“It was one time!” She chucked a carrot at Easton.
He easily caught it and bit off a chunk.
“There’s a story there,” I said, glancing at both of them.
“Faye decided to initiate my wife into her crew when we moved to town last year.”
“It wasn’t my fault your wife decided to order shots,” Faye cut in.
“No, that was all Sabrina’s. But it was your fault that you goaded her to dance on the table and then take a trip to go swimming in the creek.” Easton winked at me. “We never found one of her favorite sandals.”
Both of them laughed while I was grateful I didn’t drink. The last thing I needed was to end up table dancing and lose my job. “Your wife sounds fun.”
“She was,” Faye said, pouting. “She was loads of fun, but then this moron had to go and knock her up and now she stays home all the time.”
Easton rolled his eyes. “She’s still fun. She’s just growing a whole new human inside of her and she’s tired.” He turned to me again. “Be careful with this one. That’s the only warning you get from me.”
He wadded up his napkin and tossed it into the basket several feet away and started gathering his lunch. “Now I’m going to leave you so you can talk about me behind my back.”
Faye chuckled. “Don’t worry, Easton. Anything I have to say to you, I’ll say it to your face. Give Sabrina my love, okay?”
He gave her a two-finger salute. “See you around. Take care, Penelope, and good luck this week.”
As soon as he was gone, I turned back to Faye. “I can’t tell if you guys get along or if he secretly hates you.”
“Please.” She huffed. “Everyone loves me.”
Of course they did. I couldn’t blame them. “And Sabrina?”
She shook her head. “ All of that night was Sabrina’s idea. She’s a riot. They moved here from Colorado Springs for his teaching job, but she comes from an Air Force family. She says she had to spend her entire life being so perfect that she felt her first true blast of freedom as soon as they left the city. Easton loves her in a way I’ve never seen before, and she’s a blast. As soon as she feels better, I have no doubt she’ll be hanging out at Tom’s. She’ll probably be causing mayhem even when she’s nine months pregnant.”
Well, wasn’t that a sight to imagine.
“I can’t wait to see it.”
The intercom sounded and a loud beep blared in the room. “Miss Pesco?”
It was the principal.
“Yes?”
“We just got a phone call. There’s been a change of plans in pick-ups for your student Josephine Kelley. Her father will be getting her today instead of her riding the bus.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Reece. I’ll note it and make sure she knows.”
“Wonderful. Have a great afternoon.”
The room silenced, all except the flustered beating of my heart at the thought of Gavin coming to pick up Josie. Maybe seeing him.
“I know that look and that sweet little blush on your cheeks,” Faye crooned, swirling her pointer finger in a circle at my face. “What’d you say about nothing happening between you two?”
“Shut up.” I chomped down at my sandwich while Faye laughed.
Lovely. Simply lovely.
As luck—or a world’s sick joke—would have it, the art teacher who was on pick-up duty in the car rider lane ended up getting hit with the flu late in the afternoon, so Mrs. Reece asked me to cover for it.
Which meant I was outside as all the cars pulled up, last names on a brightly colored piece of cardboard paper in their passenger window and students were ushered into the cars. I was given the task of calling out last names on a radio, so the students were alerted when their parents were close. It kept the line moving quickly and efficiently, but as the number of students waiting dwindled, Josie was still there, sticking close to me with her nose scrunched up.
“Why couldn’t I go to my grandma’s today?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. But I’m sure your dad will be here soon.”
“He always works late, and he comes and picks me up when he’s off work and we have dinner at my grandma and grandpa’s most of the time.”
“Maybe your dad got off work early today and wanted to see you.”
“Maybe.” Her bottom lip pushed out into a pout. “But I wanted to see Goldie today.”
Ahh… so that was why she was so unhappy. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to see her and play with her soon.”
“Maybe, but sometimes life is such a bummer.”
I pressed my lips together as she strolled to a nearby bench and plopped down on it. Her legs were so short her feet didn’t touch the ground and she stared at her boots while she swung them back and forth.
She wasn’t wrong. Sometimes life was such a bummer.
Slowly, the rest of the kids were picked up and Mrs. Reece came over to me. “You can head home. I can wait for Josie’s dad. I hope he knows he’s supposed to get her.”
“He wasn’t the one who called?”
“No, his mom, Jenny did. But she said she was going to get a hold of him, so I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
“I’ll wait,” I told her. “Josie’s my student, so I feel a bit responsible for her.”
“Of course you do,” she said with a kind smile. “I’ll be in my office. Text me if you need my help with anything.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
She headed toward the school doors, and I went and sat next to Josie. Thankfully, the sun was shining, and it wasn’t too cold, but as the minutes passed, I grew concerned. It was now a half hour after school let out, and Gavin still wasn’t here. Teachers were still inside, but I didn’t have any parent’s phone number on my phone so it wasn’t like I could call him.
“What if he’s hurt?” Josie asked, staring down at the ground. “Or got in a car accident.”
“I’m sure something came up with work. We’ll give him a few more minutes, okay?”
I checked my phone and decided five minutes. It wasn’t his normal routine. Maybe his mom didn’t get a hold of him as soon as she wanted. Heck, if he was like most men I knew, maybe he didn’t check his voicemails during the day.
“Do you know why I couldn’t go to my grandma’s?”
“No, sweetie. I don’t.”
“Do you think Goldie will remember me if I don’t see her today?”
This girl. She was too darn sweet for her own good. “I’m sure she’ll remember you when you see her next. What else do you like to do when you’re with your grandma?”
Her pale green eyes lit up then. “Oh, I get to ride Pickles. Sometimes I get to ride with Uncle Dalton out to see all the cows. And Grandpa’s teaching me how to rope the baby cows. We call them calves…”
Off she went, telling me all the wild and fun things she got to do on the ranch, and it was enough of a distraction that she didn’t realize five more minutes passed. She was still talking when I figured we’d waited long enough. If Gavin wasn’t coming to get her, I could see if it was okay with him if I took her to my home. As that thought entered my mind, it promptly fled with the loud sound of tires squealing around the curve, and a large, oversized black pickup truck I’d seen parked on my street came tearing into the parking lot.
“It’s my daddy! I knew he wouldn’t forget me! See?”
She jumped up and grabbed the straps of her backpack.
“There’s no way your dad could forget you.”
The truck pulled up, and I wasn’t sure how Gavin had time to put the truck in park before he was jumping out the front door and rushing around the side of the truck.
“Hey, kiddo.” He crouched down and opened his arms. Josie barreled into him with a happy squeal, almost knocking him onto his butt, but he stabilized himself at the last second. “I’m so sorry I’m late. There was a last-minute problem on one of the houses I’m working on and the guy I had to talk with to fix it wouldn’t stop talking. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, Daddy. Miss Pesco waited with me, and I got to tell her all about the things I do at Grandpa and Grandma’s.”
He stood and released his daughter while somehow managing to slide her backpack off her shoulders with one hand.
“Thanks for staying with her. I’m sorry about being late.” He shoved a hand through his hair and slung the bag over one of his shoulders.
The man shouldn’t have looked so good with a lavender bag draped on him.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not. She should never have to wait like this, but Mom wasn’t feeling well.”
“Grandma’s sick?” Josie asked.
“Yeah, kiddo. Think she got the flu.” He bopped his daughter on the nose. “You wouldn’t happen to know who brings all those little kid germs around her, would you?”
“It has to be Landon,” she said, with all seriousness on her face. “Cuz I’m not a little kid.”
“Of course,” Gavin muttered.
I rolled my lips together to keep from laughing.
Gavin glanced at me, a twinkle of humor in his eye. “Thanks again, Miss Pesco.”
I opened my mouth to tell him Penny but didn’t. We were on school property after all. And I wasn’t sure he’d called me by my first name yet.
“Anytime.”
“Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again.”
Accidents happened, but Gavin seemed more upset than most about the screwup. I didn’t suspect an offer to help if this happened again would go over well. He didn’t seem like the kind of man who liked admitting he might need it. “Have a good night, you two.”
Gavin opened the back passenger door to his truck, and I turned away and headed back into the school.
I didn’t need the thank you for helping his daughter. It was my job.
And yet somehow, I couldn’t forget the way he looked at me, so serious, like his mistake was monumental instead of normal.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it all the way home, or while I ate dinner, and it was then I realized the pressure the man probably felt on his shoulders, all day, every day, raising his daughter as such a young father with the pressure of his family name, and who he was known to all.
It made sense he hated screwing up, but that didn’t mean he had to keep going at it alone, either.