Chapter 5
Evie
Iced coffee in hand, I’m excited for a new day.
Yesterday is gone and the happy face is on.
I’m standing outside greeting my kids as they walk in the classroom and I wave bye to the parents as they rush off to start their days.
I recognize all of my parents’ cars so when that familiar SUV pulls up and a precious blonde girl bounds out of the backseat, my stomach flips into my throat and my knees feel like they’re made of jelly.
She throws open the front passenger door to give her dad a kiss and say goodbye and my heart melts at seeing August with a genuine smile on his face.
It’s so beautiful and sincere, and a tragedy he doesn’t do it more often.
That smile lasts for just a split second.
His eyes shoot up and meet mine, and his smile is instantly gone while Addie slams the door closed and races in my direction.
My throat is suddenly dry and I can’t swallow a decent amount of saliva to survive.
My sweaty palms threaten to drop my coffee but I just drop my eyes instead, blushing for looking just a second too long at August.
“Ms. Jake! Ms. Jake! I have lunch for you!” I’m thoroughly thrown off by her words that I’m sure I must have scrambled them in my brain, but I can’t rationalize what else she could have possibly said.
“Good morning, Addie!” She finally reaches me instead of yelling across the grass. “What was it you said?” I need confirmation that there is not in fact a gourmet lunch waiting for me in her bag.
She yanks her backpack off and pulls out an insulated container that has built-in utensils along with a sandwich bag of napkins.
This has to be a joke. She hands the contents over to me.
Okay, so this isn’t a joke. I feel like a deer in the headlights.
I get the feeling someone is watching me, and that there’s probably a particular SUV still sitting there in the drop-off line, watching this exchange.
“My daddy packed you a lunch!” she cheers proudly pulling her backpack on and running into the room. I glance back over to the drop-off line, but his car is gone and I’m left feeling more emotions than I know what to do with.
The rest of the day is a breeze and as much as I don’t want to admit it, my lunch was probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had.
I’m not the best or worst cook, I’m healthy and get by, but my meals are always lacking…
something. And whatever I'm lacking was definitely in my lunch from Addie. She had to have misspoke, right? “Daddy packed you a lunch!” How do I take that? Did he do it because he was rude to me and this is a peace offering? Is this how he makes a move, by working his way in with food? Those both seem very unlikely so I chalk it up to Addie’s doing and her seven year old translation of the event just didn’t compute properly.
There are ten minutes left until the bell rings and my class has quickly caught on to their routine, so they’re all packing up and cleaning their desks while I do the same.
I’m definitely not leaving any time soon, but I love doing my afternoon prep work with a clear desk and clear mind.
That is, until I see the folders of assessments for August to give to Addie’s doctor, and then my brain turns to goo again.
I grab the folders and plastic bag of lunch contents to return, and head to my door so I can call the kids’ names as their parents pull up.
One kid after another leaves, while everyone else quietly does a coloring page.
I’m surprised Addie is still here, usually her nanny is first to show up.
Once all of my kids have been picked up except for Addie, who colors away, oblivious to the fact that the rest of the class is gone, I close the door and walk back to my desk. I’m about to grab my radio to let the office know I have a late pick up when someone knocks and lets themself in.
“Daddy!” Addie bounces out of her seat, almost knocking it over, and leaps into a jump hug that would take down a weaker man.
August is certainly not a weaker man. Without being able to mentally prepare like I could with our conference, his presence demands attention from all of my nerves and I’m struck entirely speechless.
It’s then that I realize I haven’t politely greeted him.
He sets his daughter down while saying something that I can’t quite hear, and then heads over to my desk.
I feel like he’s walking in slow motion. My arms are heavy and my brain has disconnected. Do I say “hi”? Do I shake his hand? What do I usually do with my hands? He’s just a parent, why am I viscerally short-circuiting right now?
“Thank you for these.” He swipes the folders off the desk and I don’t even know how exactly he knows that those are for him.
He has such confidence and authority. The panic and anxiety I usually feel takes a backseat to the safety August’s confidence gives me.It’s like his confidence creates room for me to feel soft, more relaxed.
“Mr. Von.” I state. That’s it. Just his name. Those are the only two words that my well-educated brain was able to work through my mouth. I am absolutely sweating, I know it. My palms are so gross right now.
“Yes, I am.” He retorts and I know I must look like a floundering fish. I don’t miss how that remark seemed to be slightly teasing, and the butterflies in my stomach take flight. Focus, Evie. Dial in.
“Sorry, hi,” I reach out to shake his hand which seems unnecessary at this point, but he takes it anyway.
I’m suddenly hit with regret as I remember the state of my clammy palms. “Yes, these are your copies and the others are for her doctor. Oh! And umm, thank you for my lunch.” I say as I turn around to grab the bag of his things off of my desk and pass them to him.
“It was delicious and kind, but you really didn’t have to.
I usually pack my own.” I feel as if I sound ungrateful.
“Addie asked me to pack it.” He states matter-of-factly, and my stomach dips just a little. I’m illogically disappointed that it was Addie’s idea and not him wanting to, even though I was fairly certain that was what happened.
“Right, well. Thank you.” I turn to Addie who has returned to coloring, desperate for a reprieve from my thirty-second interaction with her dad. “Hey Addie, I’m sure your dad is ready to head home. Time to clean up and then you can show him what we worked on today.”
We wait in awkward silence, standing at a weird distance from each other while Addie finishes cleaning.
I decide to start cleaning my desk, and after about a minute, Mrs. Johnston walks in.
Seriously? I’ve reached my max of social interaction and I just want to go home to Maple and some hot cocoa.
I’ve mastered keeping on my best face through all of this while also attempting to pack up my own things.
“Ms. Jake, I’m so glad I caught you before you left.
” She says, eyeing August up and down. For whatever reason, my entire body burns with possessiveness and I’m seeing slight hues of red.
Hmm, that was weird. “Mr. Von, it’s actually perfect you’re here too.
” I snap immediately out of my haze of cleaning up and focus on what I’m sure I didn’t just hear.
Why does she need both of us? Does she know he brought me lunch and I’m being fired for misconduct?
That’s a little excessive. Every thought I’ve ever had about August flashes through my brain and I turn pink even though I know no one can read my mind. Suddenly it’s way too warm in here.
“I actually need some help from both of you for the Christmas program this December.” I’m relieved that’s it, until I realize what she’s said. The last thing I need is to have more reasons to be in the proximity of August Von.
“Sure. I’d love to help, Mrs. Johnston. What can I do for you?” I internally roll my eyes at the facade I’m putting on.
“I hope October isn’t too late to ask, but I’ll need you to head up most of the Christmas program, Ms. Jake.
Directing, casting, organization, set, and costume design.
” Okay, so I’m not helping with the Christmas program, I am the Christmas program.
I can’t even fathom where August is going to fit in an elementary Christmas production.
“Yeah, Of course I can. I’ll get to work on it tonight.
” I feign enthusiasm. There I go sacrificing my relaxing evening.
She doesn’t respond to me, so I take that as an invitation to continue with my packing and help Addie pick up, since she seems to have become lost in her coloring again.
While cleaning up, I keep one ear locked on the conversation.
“And Mr. Von, I’m wondering if you and your company could donate materials and possibly help work on building the set for the program?
” She’s a maneuvering genius. Brilliant person to ask.
Community royalty, tax write-offs before the end of the year, keeping themselves in front of the public. Smart power play.
“I don’t see that being a problem, but I’ll check with my team tomorrow and see how much we can sacrifice labor and material wise. We’re happy to help give back to the community in any way we can.” He shakes her hand, effectively ending the conversation. I really need to learn that skill.
With Addie and myself all ready to go, and August and Mrs. Johnston’s conversation over, we all get to leave at the same time and in the same direction.
I loathe this departure dance so much, it’s painfully awkward.
We finally break apart, Mrs. Johnston to her office while I head to my car and August and Addie to theirs.
“Bye Ms. Jake! I hope you loved your lunch!” Addie shouts, waving and skipping along to keep up with her dad’s effortlessly monstrous strides.
“Thank you, Addie! Have a good night.” No remark on the lunch might seem rude, but I don’t want to encourage more mouthwatering lunches in the future.
I’m also way too apprehensive that Mrs. Johnston heard and will draw the wrong conclusion.
Poor Maple is going to get an earful of my day when I get home.