Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Sarah stood beside Simon in the kitchen, wiping the pot he’d washed and helping to clear up after their crab luncheon. The girls were in the back yard playing a game of bocce.
“Thanks again for taking us crabbing today. I think Riley enjoyed it.”
“And you?” He handed her the lid to the pot and reached to pull the drain from the sink.
“I love spending time by the water. It’s one of the reasons I live here. Unfortunately, with my job, Riley’s activities, and… life in general, I haven’t had a lot of time to go down to the pier, much less go crabbing.”
“Most of the year my life is like that too. Teaching, planning, kid things.” He wiped out the sink and hung up the cloth then moved around her—so close she smelled the spice of the soap he used—to pick up the pot and put them away in a bottom cupboard.
“That’s why in summer, Sally and I cram in as many vacation-related activities as possible.
” He turned to lean against the counter.
“So, do you want to crash their bocce game, or would you prefer a cup of tea?”
“I should get home. Do some housework.”
Simon didn’t move or respond, outside a tightening of his jaw.
“What?” she asked.
“I, um… I was wondering if…”
“Yes?”
He pushed himself away from the counter and came toward her. She took half a step back in surprise.
“I was wondering if you and Riley might like to go to the dragon boat races next weekend?”
“You know, I’ve always thought it would be fun to go to those. But again…”
“Busy,” he answered for her.
“Yeah… But why not? Next weekend is relatively free, and with Riley’s dad having his… partner to worry about, I expect she’ll be here in town.”
“Great.” His gaze didn’t leave her face.
“Is there something else?” The way he was looking at her was making her nervous.
“Um. Do you like dancing?”
“Dancing?” She smiled involuntarily. “I love dancing. Why do you ask?”
“Next Saturday night, after the race, they’re having a benefit dance for the local cancer society.”
“It’s an annual thing, I think. Several of my colleagues went last year and said they had a great time.”
“But you’ve never been?”
“Graham didn’t like dancing.”
“Well, I love dancing. Would you like to go to the dance with me? I thought I could ask my neighbor, Mrs. Waverly, to watch Sally and Riley. And the kittens, of course. It gives her a chance to interact with children—she doesn’t have grandchildren—and Sally rarely sees her grandmother, so it works out well.
I also pay her enough to support her new addiction.
” He lowered his voice. “Seems she adores purchasing those fantasy books with the fancy edges.”
Sarah laughed at the expression on his face—like a spy who’d just discovered a state secret. “I love her already,” she said.
“So you’ll come? Be my plus-one?”
She stopped laughing and tilted her head to look at him. “Like, on our own?”
He swallowed and stepped back again, picking up a dishcloth and twisting it in his hands. “I just thought it might be fun. And, with our kids being such good friends, maybe we should get to know each other better.”
He was wiping the counter again, his body angled away from her. She knew she should say no. Keep him at arm’s length. But she didn’t want to say no. She wanted to go dancing.
And she wanted to go dancing with Simon.
Her mind drifted to the office, where she was usually left out of conversations about upcoming events like this.
Over the past few years, she’d overheard talk of who was going to the dance, who they were going with, sometimes even what they planned to wear.
She always felt separate—no time, no date, no place in the chatter.
When she opened her closet, would she even find anything to wear amongst her work attire and active wear? If she accepted his invitation, she might have to buy a dress.
“I’d love to go to the dance with you,” she said.
He turned back to her, his face full of surprise for the second time. “Really?” He stepped toward her.
“Yes, really.” She nodded her head. “It sounds like fun.”
He cleared his throat. “You should probably know that some parents can be… What’s a nice way of saying this? A bit curious. A teacher showing up with a parent can start chatter.”
Her stomach tightened. They would be seen together, on a date. In a town this small, people would know. Graham would know.
“Do you think that would be a problem?” Simon asked tentatively. “I mean, it’s summer, and Riley isn’t even one of my students.”
She shook her head and smiled. Graham would just need to adapt. “No, I don’t think it’s a problem.”
“Great. I’ll set things up with Mrs. Waverly.” He was excited—because she had said yes—and a thrill ran down her spine. Here was a man, a very attractive man, excited to be taking her on an actual date.
“We could go for dinner ahead of time, if you like. Take the kids and then drop them off here at home.”
His excitement was palpable, and she was swept up in it. “That sounds great. The girls might like to go out for dinner.”
“Or we could give them dinner at home and go for dinner alone,” he mused, and she felt a sense of panic. A dance with a large group of people was one thing. Dinner alone? She wasn’t sure she was ready for that.
“What time does the dance start?”
“It’s an early one. At seven they have a Latin dance lesson I thought would be fun. Then the dance runs about eight to midnight.”
“Might I suggest we go with the girls this time? We would still need to go home, change clothes, get ready.”
“Right. That’s a good point,” said Simon.
“I should probably get Riley and Dash and head home now,” she said. “I need to text Graham and get my head around all this.”
His face fell, and she regretted killing his buoyant mood.
“Yes, of course,” he said, careful now, as though he’d stepped closer than he’d intended. “I’ll call the girls in.”
He walked toward the rear door and Sarah thought of all the things she needed to do, starting with getting a new dress, making a salon appointment, and, oh, getting a pedicure.
This was going to be fun. She hugged herself.
And so what if it was a date? It was pretty harmless. Just because they went out dancing together didn’t mean it needed to lead to more.
But what if it could?
Would that be such a bad thing?