Love Inspired August 2014 – Bundle 1 of 2 (48 page)

“Wait one moment, dear, and I’ll walk halfway there with you.”

“Mrs. Ashby, there’s no need to—”

“And it’s just plain Ida, if you don’t mind.” Ida pulled her coat down from a peg
by the back door, scooped up a bundle of flowers from the counter and motioned for
Paige to leave with her.

Paige took a deep breath and followed after. The sound of Lake Michigan lapping against
the shore worked the tightness from her muscles. She batted away the earlier conversation
with her mother. Today she’d focus on new beginnings.

Ida looped her arm through Paige’s. The skin on her hands was thin and delicate like
the finest tissue paper. “I like to come help Maggie sometimes in the morning when
I’m feeling up to it. The poor dear is always taking on too much alone. I’m glad she
has you for companionship, at least for a little spell.”

“Have you lived next door a long time?” Paige matched her longer strides with Ida’s
shorter, slower pace.

Good thing she’d skipped eating at the inn. If Ida changed her mind and decided on
walking the whole way to school, Paige might end up very late.

“Oh. Long enough. I came to Goose Harbor with my husband many years ago.” Ida unwound
her arm from Paige’s and stopped as they approached a small bridge.

A metal railing bordered the sidewalk to protect people from falling off into the
stream below. Water churned over rocks and surged down a path that led to a mill.
The wheel of the mill slapped the water in a steady rhythm. Below the mill, the water
pooled, creating a large pond where ducks squawked at each other and sunned themselves
on the muddy shore.

Ida shuffled to the edge of the metal fencing. “Here’s the place. It’s kind of you
to be company for me on my errand today.”

Errand?

Paige hooked her hand on the strap of her messenger bag and took a step backward.
“Actually, I need to make sure I get to the school on time.”

“It’ll only take a moment.” Ida tugged a dead bouquet from the railing and handed
it to Paige.

The dried buds crinkled in her hands. Paige peeked at her watch. Fifteen minutes until
she needed to check in at the gymnasium.

Ida worked the fresh bouquet into the place where the decaying one had been. Her fingers
shook, making her miss the metal rings a couple of times. “I leave new flowers here
every week for my Henry.” Ida pressed her palms to her lips and kissed them. Then
she fanned out her hands in a gesture that sent the kiss down the river. “He fell
right here. We were on a morning walk and his heart failed him exactly where you’re
standing.” Her voice grew softer with each word.

Paige cupped Ida’s hands. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Oh, it’s been years now.” Ida let out a long breath. “But I still miss Henry every
single day. That’s how it is with true love, you know? It doesn’t go away just because
the person does. Your heart just keeps right on waiting for them.”

If true love existed, maybe Ida was the only one to have found it. Because Paige sure
hadn’t. And neither had her mother. Men like Henry no longer existed.

“I’m sure Henry was an amazing man.” Paige offered a reassuring squeeze.

“He served as mayor to this town for thirty-six years. A very good man. I know some
people think I’m silly for leaving flowers here every week. Thank you for being kind
to a crazy old lady.” Ida’s eyes filled with tears.

“No, thank
you
for letting me come along.” Paige bit her lip. She’d be late to work, but seeing Ida
like this tore at the raw place in her heart where Paige stored her own hurt and pain.
What would it be like to love someone like Ida loved her Henry? “Are you going to
be all right? I feel bad leaving you here like this.”

Ida pulled a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed at her eyes. “Don’t worry about
me. People see tears and get all flustered and want them to stop. But know what I
say? It’s okay to mourn the life you thought you were going to have. You can’t heal
if you don’t allow yourself that much.”

“As long as you’re sure you’re okay.”

Ida smiled, revealing a smudge of red lipstick on her front tooth. “Now, you better
skedaddle on down to the school, and I’ll go on back and help Maggie clean up. If
I made you late, just tell them you were humoring Ida and everyone will understand.”

Paige jogged into the parking lot with two minutes to spare. She joined the line of
teachers near the end of the gymnasium.

A woman with spiked black hair, who looked about her age turned around and offered
a smile. “I’m Bree. You must be the new English teacher.”

Maybe she looked as out of place as she felt.

Paige clutched the strap on her bag. “Am I the only new person this year?”

“Yes, and it’s been the talk among the teachers for the past week.”

They arrived at the temporary desk set up near the front of the large room. Portable
tables and chairs arranged in four rows occupied most of the space in the gym. Paige
and Bree each gathered a training manual and a teacher binder.

“Want to sit with me?” Bree snagged a table two rows back, near the edge.

“Definitely. I don’t like feeling like the only one here no one knows.”

“You’ll be fine.” Bree opened her binder. “I hope you slept well because these teacher-institute
days are boring, but you probably know that from your last position.”

The principal strolled up to the microphone near the front of the gym. “This is your
warning. We’ll start reviewing safety protocol in five minutes, so if you want to
grab a bagel or coffee, I’d do so now.” In jeans and a hooded sweatshirt bearing the
school’s name and a roaring panther on his chest, the man didn’t look his age.

Paige leaned closer to Bree. “In Chicago, I sat through a training with five times
as many teachers crammed into a smaller room with no air-conditioning.”

Bree scrunched her forehead. “Well, that explains it. We knew whoever got hired must
have amazing experience.” She jutted her thumb to indicate a woman seated in the back
row. “Steer clear of Amy Lambert, okay? She works as a part-time aide and applied
for your position. To say she was angry about getting passed over for the job would
be an understatement.”

Paige peeked over her shoulder at Amy. The woman’s head was bent down as she read
something on the table in front of her. Her brown roots showed along the part of her
bleached blond hair. She wore a deep purple suit, which made her the best dressed
person in the room.

A couple of teachers shuffled by with plates full of fruit and Danishes.

Paige pressed her hand over her stomach when it grumbled. “I think I’m going to go
grab a bagel. Do you want anything?”

Bree yawned. “A cup of coffee would be great.”

When Paige made it to the back of the room she found a couple of onion bagels and
a pile of energy bars. The bars looked like freebies that had spent the better part
of a year stuffed in the back of someone’s filing cabinet. An onion bagel would have
to do. Next, she made her way to the coffee machine.

“If everyone could please take your seats I would like to begin.” Principal Timmons’s
voice boomed over the loudspeaker.

Paige snatched her plate and Bree’s cup of coffee and whirled around to rush back
to her table.

Instead she smacked into the man standing behind her.
Caleb.
Of course.

Coffee splattered across his shirt and ran down her arms. Caleb yelped and all the
papers he’d been holding fluttered to the ground.

The foam cup hit the floor with a loud, hollow
thunk
.

Was everyone staring at them? Klutz. That would be the first impression she made to
all her coworkers.

Paige rapid-fire blinked. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

“So you pour coffee on me?” Caleb laughed.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Paige grabbed a wad of napkins and dabbed at his soaked
oxford shirt.

Caleb caught her hand and held it. “Hey, I’m kidding. The coffee’s not even hot.”

“Still. Your shirt is ruined. Coffee doesn’t come out easy.”

“It’s fine.” His hand over hers was warm in a comforting way. She finally met his
inviting chocolate gaze and he winked at her. A girl could get used to those eyes...lost
even.

Except, Paige had promised herself she wouldn’t let another man into her life.

Breaking eye contact, Paige tugged her hand away from his and took a step backward.

She needed to be careful around Caleb. Much more careful.

Chapter Three

“C
areful.” Caleb reached for Paige as she skittered backward into the table.

Her blundering caused a landslide of power bars to fall in a crescendo of crinkling
plastic onto the gym floor. Her bagel bounced off the toe of his boot. He grabbed
her arm before she toppled over, as well.

Coffee dripped down his side, and the front of his button-down was wet enough to wring
out. Good thing the pot of coffee had been sitting out for so long that the liquid
wasn’t hot enough to burn him. Or Paige for that matter.

“I’m such a klutz.” The woman turned toward him again. Paige froze when her crystal-blue
eyes locked with his. She frowned, drawing his gaze to her lips. They had something
shimmery on them that made them inviting.

He shook that thought away.

“We’ll have to stop running into each other like this.” He let go of her wrist.

She glanced over her shoulder and he followed her gaze. The entire room had gone quiet.
All the teachers turned in their seats and stared at them. Some of them smirked and
whispered to each other. There were gossips in the crowd and people who liked to cause
trouble for fun. Most of them had grown up in Goose Harbor. While tourists were welcome
with open arms in the shopping district, the locals weren’t always as cordial with
newcomers when it came to the other aspects of town.

Something inside told him to step in front of the new teacher and block her from their
scrutiny. Shield her from pain like he’d done for his wife, Sarah, and sister, Shelby.

Although a lot of good that had done them.

Principal Timmons cleared his throat over the microphone. “Caleb, I see you’ve met
our new English teacher, Miss Paige Windom. She’ll be teaching freshman English and
will also teach some of the senior level classes in our advanced-placement track.”
Timmons pulled a stool over the floor, the metal legs clanking. “Everyone—Paige comes
to us from the big city of Chicago, and I’m confident she’ll be an asset to our school.”

The woman’s cheeks turned a candy-apple red as the principal continued to talk.

Caleb reached around Paige and placed a fresh bagel on a paper plate and held it out
to her.

“Peace offering?” he whispered.

“Shouldn’t I be the one making amends?” She worked her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Are you sure the coffee didn’t hurt you?”

Caleb shook his head. “I was the one in your way.” He leaned closer. “I didn’t like
this shirt anyway.”

Paige tilted her head. “Really? I thought you looked nice.” Then she eyed her shoes,
as if they were suddenly the most fascinating things in the world. “I mean—dressed
up.”

A chuckle rumbled in his chest before he had a chance to rein it in. “You know, if
we don’t sit down they’ll never stop staring.”

“Right.” She spun around, but then turned back and touched his forearm before he could
leave. “Would you be willing to do me a favor?”

Goose bumps raced up his arm. Probably just a reaction to the cold coffee on his skin.

“Sure.” Caleb crossed his arms.

Principal Timmons tapped his mic. “Does this thing work?”

“Please.” She studied her shoes again. “Don’t tell anyone about the other day.” Paige
worked the bagel around and around in her hand.

“Of course not.”

She gave a quick nod and scurried to her seat beside Bree. Caleb leaned against the
back wall of the gym.

The principal ran through the safety protocol for inclement weather, but Caleb couldn’t
focus on anything Timmons said. Instead, he watched the back of Paige’s blond head.
What sort of secrets was she sharing with Bree? Nothing to do with a wedding dress—no,
that secret was between him and Paige.

What had happened to her?

Not that it mattered.

Because he didn’t care.

Not a bit.

* * *

Considering the talk with Mom and spilling coffee on Caleb, the day hadn’t started
out well, but the second half proved better than any dream Paige could have had. She
sat on the floor of her classroom with classic novels fanned out in a circle around
her. She ran her fingers over a book that held a collection of poems by Robert Frost
as she tried to decide which one to read to start the first day of classes.

Air whispered through the leaves on the tree outside the windows. Her classroom faced
east, which meant she didn’t have a coveted view of Lake Michigan. On the plus side,
the room would be splashed with sunlight for the better part of most days.

“Hi there.” A voice in her doorway startled her. A man wearing too-short shorts and
a whistle around his neck leaned against her doorjamb. Everything about him screamed
gym teacher
. “I’m Lenny. Didn’t get to introduce myself after the session this morning. Sure
wish I had.”

“Nice to meet you.” She smiled but kept her hands on the pile of books. Maybe he’d
get the hint that she wanted to put together her room and not chat. She was basically
finished for the day, but Lenny didn’t need to know that.

Lenny sauntered into the room and propped his foot on the closest chair. “Timmons
said you’re from Chicago. Do you live close to the park with that big metal bean?
You know, down by the lake in the Lap of Chicago.”

“The Loop?”

“Yeah. You from there? The Loop?”

“No. Actually, I’m from the suburbs. It’s easier to say Chicago though because everyone
knows where that is. And that’s where I taught, so a part of my heart does live there
I guess.”

He leaned his hands on his knee. “I have a picture of myself by that bean on my desk
in my office. You should come see it. Afterward we could grab something to eat if
you want.”

Paige glanced down at her hands. “I...um...”

Bree’s loud cough as she entered Paige’s classroom saved her from answering. “Leave
her alone, man. She just got into town.”

Lenny glared at Bree as he left the room. He gave Paige one last smile. “If you still
want to see that picture or go to dinner, you know where the gym is. I’ll be testing
out the weight room for the next hour or so.”

Bree doubled over in laughter. “Promise me you won’t fall for Lenny the Leech. Anyone
but him, okay?”

“Is he always like that?” Paige fought a smile as she loaded books into her canvas
bag to take home.

“Oh, sometimes he’s much worse.”

“I’ll keep my radar up.” She winked.

“Good, because there are a lot of cute, single guys in town. I wouldn’t want you to
judge all of Goose Harbor’s bachelors based on Lenny.”

“As far as I’m concerned, they can all be like him.” Paige slung the canvas bag over
her shoulder. The strap cut into her arm right away. Too many books, but she couldn’t
think of one she didn’t want to bring home to help plan lessons. With her parents
gone so often, books became the one, steadfast friend in her childhood.

“I promise they’re not.”

“It doesn’t matter. Believe me, dating is the last thing on my list.” Paige crossed
to the windows she opened earlier to let in the late-summer breeze. She closed and
locked each of them. “Actually, it’s not even on my list.”

“Is there someone back home?”

There
should
be. The familiar ache pushed its way into Paige’s heart. “There’s no one.”

“Well, if you reconsider, I’ll be your wingman...girl...you know what I’m saying.”

“How about you tell me what’s important about working here instead. You know, the
unwritten rules.” She walked into the hallway with Bree and closed her classroom door.

“Gotcha.” Bree shoved a stick of gum into her mouth. “The parents here are really
busy. Like—leave their home at five in the morning and get home at eight at night—busy.
Most of them run shops in town and things like that to cater to the tourists so they
expect us to keep their kids occupied. After-school activities are a big deal around
here, especially now since there’s been some rumors of mischief at the beaches in
the evenings.”

“Mischief?” Paige paused.

Bree stopped walking, too. “Spent bonfires. Empty beer bottles. The normal teenage
stuff. Anyway, the PTA tends to turn on the teachers who aren’t super involved if
you know what I mean.” She nodded to a couple of teachers who passed them as they
made their way to the main entrance.

Paige stopped to reposition her bags. “What club are you in charge of?”

“Moi?”
Bree laid her hand over her heart. “I run show choir.” She sang the last part.

“Can’t help you there. I know dogs that howl better than I sing.” Paige shrugged.

“Well, try to think of something.”

“I played volleyball all during college. I could probably coach.”

Bree shook her head. “You won’t believe it, but Amy’s the head volleyball coach and
I’m guessing you don’t want to be her assistant.”

Paige shrugged. “I don’t even know her. For all I know she’s nice and we could be
friends.”

“Keep dreaming. See you tomorrow.” Bree waved, headed out to the bike rack and dumped
her belongings into the basket attached to her eye-piercing yellow bike.

Paige balanced her teaching binder in one hand and her messenger bag and canvas sack
full of books in the other. She’d work up a sweat on the trek home. At least she’d
worn comfortable shoes. If she finished all her work early, she’d reward herself with
a trip down to the beach. Her toes were itching to feel the sand.

Principal Timmons came running down the front steps after her, waving his arms like
a bird learning to fly. “Miss Windom!” The principal wiped his forehead with the back
of his sleeve. “I keep forgetting I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“Mr. Timmons.” Paige smiled at her father’s old college roommate. The man had spent
a couple of evenings every year around the Windoms’ dinner table, but he was her boss
now. She had to think of him that way. “I didn’t get to thank you yet for hiring me.”

“There’s no need. You know I’ve wanted to offer you a position here ever since your
dad told me you’d received your teaching degree. I’m just happy I had a job opening
when you were ready to make the move.” He wheezed out the words. “Now, if you have
a second, would you mind coming back with me to my office? It’ll only take a moment.”

“Is something wrong?” Paige tensed.

“Not at all. I just need to go over something with you. Right this way.”

Paige followed the principal down a hallway of dark blue lockers and through the door
labeled Administration.

What could he want? Maybe there were still some papers to sign.

“Go ahead and take a seat in my office.” Timmons held open the door.

She took a deep breath and turned the corner, but then stopped dead in her tracks.
Caleb sat in one of the two chairs situated in front of the principal’s desk. What
was he doing there? Caleb had changed out of the shirt she’d spilled coffee on. Now
he wore a deep maroon T-shirt that complemented his dark complexion, trim beard and
mocha-colored hair. He looked more approachable, like that handyman from the other
day.

His eyes narrowed a fraction in her direction.

Scratch approachable. He looked downright stern. Like a man about to give a kid detention
for daring to text during class.

A surge of ice ran through Paige’s veins as a realization hit her. Had Caleb told
Timmons about her breakdown yesterday? She had no other connection to him, save being
a teacher. So why would they both be called to the principal’s office? For all she
knew Caleb could be in cahoots with Amy, the woman who wanted Paige’s position. Really,
why else would he be here? English and science were on different ends of the spectrum....
They didn’t even teach the same grade. It had to be another reason.

Suppose he told Principal Timmons he saw her sobbing over her breakup, what would
that mean? She couldn’t lose her job for that sort of thing. Maybe get ordered to
see the school counselor, but not lose her position. She couldn’t. Not after upending
her life to be here. After everything her father had done for him, how could Timmons
listen to Caleb over her?

Her nails bit into her palms.

Why had she even trusted that he wouldn’t tell? She knew better. If the past couple
of years had taught her one thing it was that men lied. Dad. Bryan. Tommy. And Jay.
All men.

It didn’t matter.

She blinked back tears and ground her teeth together to keep from saying something
she’d regret.

Principal Timmons dropped down into his swivel chair. “Go ahead and sit down, Paige.
Caleb doesn’t bite all that often.” He chuckled over his own joke.

Paige set her bags on the ground and pressed her hands together. “I can explain.”

Caleb scratched his chin. “I sure hope so, because I’d like to know what I did to
get called to the principal’s office so early in the year. Last year, when I helped
with the senior prank, I understood, but—”

“Wait.” She glanced back and forth between the two men, her gaze finally landing on
Caleb. “You don’t know why we’re here?”

“No. Do you?”

“Then you didn’t...?”
He didn’t tell.
Her hands relaxed at her sides. The muscles in her shoulders eased. She crossed the
room and took the chair beside Caleb.

Timmons rested his forearms on his desk. He looked from Caleb to Paige, then back
to Caleb...then grinned and winked at Paige. “You both know that aside from my position
at the school, I’m also the head of the board at Sarah’s Home.”

Paige nodded, but in her peripheral vision she caught Caleb brace his hands on the
armrest of his chair and sit up a little straighter.

Principal Timmons continued, “So I’m speaking to you both from that capacity and not
as your boss. In the past month—”

Caleb cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but if this is about Sarah’s Home,
why is Paige here?”

Timmons let out a long breath. “Because Paige is going to start working alongside
you at Sarah’s Home.”

Her head jerked up.
Alongside?
As in, Caleb helped at the nonprofit, too?