Chapter Five #2
He smiled at the group, holding out his hands, gesticulating about something, and the pupils burst out laughing.
‘Oof.’ Lissa fanned her face. ‘He’s an absolute smoke-show. It’s those forearms. And his voice. Just as well I’m married, or I’d be done for.’
Clara slowly turned to her and stared. ‘Are you talking about Sam?’
‘Obviously.’ She picked at her top and flapped it around her large cleavage.
Clara let out a little laugh. She’d never really thought about him like that, but there was something about him.
‘Enjoy your lunch,’ he said to the students who were walking with him, and they hurried away. His focus landed on Clara and Lissa. ‘Hey.’ He smiled at them.
‘Hi. We’re just heading out for some air and to grab some chocolate,’ Clara said. ‘Do you want us to pick you up anything?’
‘Um.’ He ran his fingers through his hair. ‘Actually, I’ll come with you, if you don’t mind. I’ve got a few things I need to get myself.’
‘Yay.’ Clara clapped her hands. ‘Of course we don’t mind.’
‘Not at all.’ Lissa winked, and he raised his eyebrows at her, like he wasn’t quite following her train of thought. And after what she’d just said, it was probably just as well. Clara was quite sure he’d be mortified at the thought of being labelled a smoke-show by a colleague… or anyone.
They headed outside, and the bright February sunshine hit them immediately. Clara tucked her hair behind her ear as they walked to the exit. Some pupils were also heading out as third year and above were allowed to leave the grounds at lunchtime.
‘I hope it’s this nice for the Easter holidays,’ Clara said.
‘You doing anything nice?’ Lissa asked.
‘I’m not going away, but I’m looking forward to doing more exploring in the woods. I’ve always been a town girl up until now, but I’m really enjoying living in the countryside, and Skye is loving it too.’
Sam smiled down at her like she’d said something funny, and she caught his eye and gave a little giggle.
‘If either of you are about, I’d be happy to meet up. You could join me on a walk. Polly or Mirren might come along too.’
‘I would,’ Lissa said. ‘But I’m away for the second week; we’re having a staycation at my parents’ place in Ayrshire.’
‘And I’m away the first week,’ Sam said.
‘Are you going somewhere nice with your boys?’ Clara tilted her head.
‘Not with the boys.’ He ran his hand around his bearded jaw. ‘I’m heading home to Somerset in the first week. My friend Dominic is getting married, and I’m going to his wedding. Then I’ll spend some time with my mum, my sister and my two nieces. I can’t wait to see them all again.’
‘A wedding? That sounds like fun,’ Lissa said.
‘Yeah. I’m sure it will be.’
Clara glanced up at him. Despite his words, he didn’t look overly thrilled at the prospect.
‘What made you move all the way up here?’ Lissa asked. ‘If you’re from Somerset.’
‘Because of my wife. Well, my ex-wife. Her job means she travels a lot, so she moves frequently. She was working down in Somerset when we met.’
‘Do you miss it?’ Lissa beamed at him, and although he smiled back, his eyes looked kind of sad.
‘I miss my mum and my family, but I made the choice to move with the boys.’
‘Aw, my lovely.’ Clara patted his arm. ‘That’s harsh, but it’s the right choice. Those boys need their dad.’
He nodded, and his lips quirked up, but his sharp blue eyes were still far away… perhaps in Somerset with his mum and sister.
‘What’s Somerset like?’ Clara asked.
‘Bits of it are very beautiful,’ he said. ‘It has some lovely villages, countryside, and, yeah, it’s a pleasant county. It’s handy for Dorset and Devon too if you like the beaches.’
‘You don’t sound too West Country.’ Clara grinned at him.
‘I suppose I’ve lost it over the years.’
‘I think you should be on TV,’ Lissa said. ‘You’ve got a great voice. You ever thought of joining the drama club? I could get so many parts for you.’
Sam smiled. ‘Yeah, I might. I’m not keen on acting, but I like directing and I can definitely use my knowledge of plays to do vocal coaching.’
‘The next time we do a play or a show, you are definitely getting roped in.’ Lissa gave him an insistent stare.
‘Ok.’ He caught Clara’s eye, and they shared a giggle again.
‘Oh, hang on. My phone’s buzzing.’ He fished in his pocket and pulled it out.
Clara glanced at it, not meaning to, but saw the name Kaleb on the screen.
‘Hello.’ Sam put the phone to his ear. ‘Yeah, sure I can, but wait for me. I might be a bit late if I get held up if the traffic is bad… Right, see you then.’ He shoved the phone back into his pocket.
‘How was Jacob’s party on Saturday?’ Clara smiled up at him.
‘Um, good.’ He frowned a little like he was surprised she’d remembered. ‘He certainly had a lot of sugar and was very hyper the rest of the day.’
Lissa let out a sigh. ‘Oh boy, that’s the worst.’
That annoying pang, which always hit when people talked about their kids, rose up inside Clara again, but she kept it buried and didn’t react. She was going to have to get used to it.
‘Skye’s a lovely dog,’ Sam said. ‘Have you met her?’ he asked Lissa.
‘No, not yet.’
‘She’s so cute.’
‘Aw, thank you, my lovely. You’re so kind.’ Clara patted his arm. As her fingertips brushed the soft hairs on his wrist, Lissa’s smoke-show comment flared in her mind, and a little fire started in her gut.
She kind of had a point.
He moved his other hand across and very briefly squeezed hers before dropping it to his side again.
Clara let out a fitful breath and had a weird sense of wanting to cry.
Not because she was sad, but whenever she was beside Sam, she felt like no matter how low she fell, he would be strong enough to pull her back out again.
And words couldn’t express how that filled her heart with warmth and wrapped her whole body in a sense of safety and calm that she rarely felt with anyone outside of her family.