Midnight Diamonds (19 page)

The students moved aside so she could open the door, but a woman Silver didn’t recognize pushed it wide. Behind the woman stood a number of parents and Jackie Calloway, the principal, and Mr. Kincaid, the school board president. Gracie McQueen stood behind Jackie with a big smile.

Silver waited, not knowing what to do, as students crowded behind her. Were these parents here to keep her from coming back? Did Mr. Kincaid intend to fire her? The unfamiliar woman in front of the parents stepped forward as a spokesperson.

“Miss Madison, I’m Clay’s mother, Emily Stevens. As you can see, there are quite a few parents behind me. We’re here this morning to let you know how we feel about you coming back to teach our children.”

Setting down her bag, Silver waited. She glanced at Jackie, but the woman had her head bowed, making it impossible to read her expression. Mr. Kincaid stood with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at her.

One of the girls on Silver’s left side put an arm through hers in a show of support, and another girl on the right did the same thing. Silver saw students from the past few years and again knew why she loved teaching.

Students like the new girl, Sherralyn, who had come to her in tears one day after being bullied by upperclassmen. Jonathan wanted to be a doctor despite his alcoholic father at home and a mother who’d left years ago. Terrence, with his huge smile, wanted to be a dentist. And standing next to her on the right was the most unlikely supporter of all. When caught cheating, Masie had vowed to get even. But here she was.

“We’re good, Miss Madison,” she said. “You did the right thing, and now so am I.”

Silver smiled at the girl, then turned back to the adults, her eyes brimming with tears. Regardless of what they decided, she had made a difference in the lives of a few young people, a treasure no one could take from her. Lifting her chin in a faintly Amelia kind of way, she looked at Emily Stevens as the woman resumed talking.

“Those pictures weren’t a good example of what a teacher should be as a role model for her students. And yesterday you slapped that young man on live television.”

Some of the students began talking and a few clapped, but Silver shook her head and put a finger to her lips to silence them. They quieted as she gave her attention back to the woman.

Emily smiled at her. “See? They love you, Miss Madison. The way I see it, you were taken advantage of, and no woman should have to be put through that kind of trial. I know a little something about that and how hard it can be. We’re behind you one hundred percent. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”

While tears of happiness fell down her cheeks, she saw Jackie was crying, too.

Mr. Kincaid stepped forward. “The board does not approve of your actions, Miss Madison, which is why you will be placed on probation for one year. At that time, we will revisit your service to this Academy and determine whether or not to retain you.” He leaned forward. “Bravo for letting the bastard have it like that.”

Emily whispered loudly, “You say the word and I know some people who can take care of that Casanova. There are cold, dark places where no one will ever find the body.”

Laughing through her tears, Silver shook her head. “Trust me, my focus right now is on getting these students to class.” Glancing over the group of people around her, she spoke so everyone could hear her. “This means more than you will ever know. I love you all. Thank you.”

Jackie stepped forward as a bell rang. “Let’s get to class. Come on, let’s go.” The students groaned but made their way to the building and into the hallways.

Clay picked up her bag and handed it to her with a grin, then pushed his way through the crowd. Emily put an arm around Silver’s shoulders, gave her a quick hug. “You took time with my son, Miss Madison, and it helped him. He respects you and that’s all I need to know. The rest of this stuff is garbage, so let’s throw it out.” With a pat on her shoulder, the woman walked away.

Silver spent a couple of minutes talking with Mr. Kincaid, shaking hands, and thanking the other parents. Jackie waited until the last parent left.

“In all my years of teaching and as an administrator, I’ve never seen a group of students and parents rally so fast to support a teacher. And for the board to overlook this entire situation with only one year’s probation? Silver Madison, you are loved. Now, get to class!” Jackie grinned at her.

“Yes, ma’am,” Silver said with a smile.

Walking to her classroom, she thought about what Emily Stevens had said: Throw out the garbage. Suddenly it wasn’t worth the energy to stay upset about someone who couldn’t see past himself. Her heart wanted to love and be loved, and she didn’t want to carry around a heavy burden of bitterness.

Gracie fell into step beside her. “Good to see you back, Silver. My, you’ve had quite the excitement, haven’t you?”

Silver wondered where her usual bright colors were. Seeing the older woman in a demure powder blue shirt seemed strange. Gracie had paired it with a floor-length woven skirt in a soft pastel swirling pattern, and the trademark paint splattered tennis shoes were still there. She also wore an old apron of some kind.

“Thanks, Gracie. It’s good to be back.”

“Have a beautiful day, dear.” Gracie gave a brief wave after reaching into the pocket of the apron and handing an apple to Silver.

“You, too,” Silver called as Gracie trotted away, and then she stifled a laugh. On the back of Gracie’s shirt in bold green letters were the words
Love is All You Need
with little hot pink hearts.

Shaking her head, Silver picked up the pace since she was already late. Love is all you need?
No, a person had to have other things. Trust, respect, laughter, fun… So much more was needed to make life worthwhile, right? Raising the apple, she turned it in her hand and remembered Gracie’s lesson that day in the workroom.

Silver felt lighter than she had in days. Biting into the apple, she savored the natural sweetness. Everything would be better with time.

When the final bell rang, she headed to her classroom with a renewed purpose. Getting back to her old routine would keep her mind off Justin. Thinking of him still made her heart ache with longing, but at least she allowed herself to feel something.

During her planning hour, she went outside on the pretense of getting something from her car. After a couple of minutes, Clay came running out of the building, a large duffle bag bumping up and down on his hip. She knew he had art this hour, so that meant Gracie allowed him to leave. If caught by the office, he could be suspended or even expelled. As he headed to the same car that always waited for him, Silver called to him.

“Clay! Can I talk to you for a second?”

Wearing a guilty look, the red-faced boy ran up to her and put the bag gently on the ground. “Yes, ma’am?”

“I’ve noticed you leaving several times over the past few weeks. Maybe there’s no need to involve the principal, but I’d really like to know what’s going on.”

He toed the dirt with his shoe a couple of times as his words came out in a rush. “It’s my granny. She’s really sick, and I go to see her almost every day. I know I’m supposed to check out with the office, but if I have too many absences, I won’t graduate. Anyway, Ms. McQueen lets me go during art so I can play for Granny.”

Silver frowned. “So you can play?”

Clay unzipped the bag and pulled out a guitar. “She loves music, so I sing to her every day. Ms. McQueen has been teaching me a few of the old songs that Granny likes.” He bent and put the guitar back into the bag, fighting tears. “Am I in trouble, Miss Madison? I swear that’s where I’ve been. You can check with the nursing home.”

She didn’t need to think about it. “Go, Clay. I’ll make arrangements with the office. Tell your grandmother hello.”

He reached over to give her a quick hug then sprinted to the car with the bag in tow.

The next two days passed uneventfully and normally. Her students worked hard on their analysis of Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell. Gracie continued to release Clay to see his grandmother while teaching the art students how to glitterize pictures.

And Silver hadn’t heard another word from Justin. Thoughts of the cowboy crossed her mind every day, and she accepted the process of letting go.

As she unlocked her car to go home late Friday afternoon, her phone rang. She realized that in all the chaos, she’d forgotten about Amelia. “Hi, Mother. Sorry I haven’t called.”

“Hello, Silver. I was wondering if we might get an early bite to eat?”

“Oh, I don’t know. This week has been hectic and I’m not sure I feel like driving into town tonight.”

“I thought that might be the case. That’s why I decided to drop by the school and pick you up.” The phone clicked, disconnecting the call, and Silver heard two short horn honks. Amelia’s Mercedes was parked a few spaces over in the lot. With a polite smile and brief wave, she leaned into her car to drop her bag in the back floorboard and to hide her face.

Hurricane Amelia, she thought. Yippee.

* * *

Silver and her mother exchanged small talk for the interminable drive into town, neatly sidestepping the real issue. Instead they traded generic questions and answers.

“How did the meeting go with the public relations firm?”

“Fine. How was the first day back at school?”

“Fine. How were the women at the bridge club?”

“Fine. What do you think of the beautiful weather Tulsa is having?”

Who freakin’ cares?
Though Silver didn’t say it out loud. “Fine, fine, everything is just fine.”

They arrived at an unfamiliar Italian restaurant. The décor appeared to be typical Tuscany textures and accessories, nothing spectacular. Seeing how other patrons were dressed, the dark blue, raw silk dress she’d worn to school today proved to be a wise choice.

The hostess showed them to their table, and a waiter presented a Cabernet Sauvignon for Amelia to taste. When she nodded her approval, he poured the wine into both women’s glasses and announced their dinner would be out shortly. Pre-ordered, of course, by her mother. Silver took a sip of wine and waited until her mother began talking.

“So dear, let’s get the unpleasantness out of the way. I spoke with a gentleman by the name of Jefferson Hatcher at the public relations firm. He’s an image consultant, and he assures me that his agency can repair the damage that’s been done by this debacle.”

Saying nothing, Silver waited, setting her glass down.

“Jefferson wants to meet with you to discuss possible…solutions.”

Amelia reached for a small sliver of bread and placed it on the side plate. Silver watched her daintily spread a dot of butter on it then bite off a miniscule piece. Had her mother always eaten like this?

“What does Jeff want to do to us?” Silver asked while spreading a napkin on her lap.

Her mother frowned slightly. “His name is Jefferson, and he doesn’t want to do anything. The young man is a professional, is highly recommended for this job, and seems to be very creatively motivated to polish our tarnished image.”

Irritation nudged at Silver. “Mother, I think it’s time you and I had a chat about your
bissy
attitude.”

“I’m not familiar with that word. What does it mean?”

“It’s a portmanteau word, two words combined for a classier way of saying bitchy and pissy.” Her mother’s face hardened with understanding, but Silver pushed forward. “Why do you always feel the need to belittle me?”

“Now is not the time for this discussion.”

“Then when is the time? Next week? Next year? Now is the perfect time, and I would appreciate an answer.”

Amelia sat there with her hands folded in her lap, not looking at Silver and certainly not answering her. She wasn’t surprised that her mother had stopped talking, and usually, she would have backed off. But not tonight. Leaning forward on her forearms and trying to soften her approach, Silver began again.

“I’m twenty-six years old, mother. I have a good job. I can think for myself, and I manage very well. The past few days have been a hiccup, but I’m doing OK. All I’m asking is that you don’t try to manage my life.”

“Don’t lean on the table. And the hiccup to which you’re referring has affected me as well.”

Silver leaned back as salads were placed in front of them. When she didn’t pick up her fork, her mother motioned for her to eat. Swallowing against the rising irritation, Silver set the Caesar aside.

“I don’t eat anchovies.”

“Nonsense,” Amelia said in a clipped voice.

“No, it is not nonsense. I have never eaten them and I won’t now. Do you understand, Mother?” Silver said through gritted teeth. “And why are we arguing over stupid fish?”

Amelia’s salad fork clattered onto her plate. “You will not speak to me that way,” she responded in an angry hiss.

Silver stood and dropped her napkin on the table, leaning close to her mother and speaking softly. “Then stop treating me like I’m a recalcitrant child who has to be managed. Excuse me.” She left the table and asked the nearest waiter for the location of the ladies room.

Once inside the lavish refuge, Silver found a loveseat and sat down. She knew from experience verbal sparring with her mother wouldn’t work, but she refused to be controlled by Amelia any longer. Now she had two choices: stand her ground despite the conflict, or acquiesce and let her mother win.

“…amazing young woman…”

She heard Slade Rivers’ words in her mind. “I’m amazing,” she said aloud.

Strangely, Silver grew calm inside but not with the iciness she’d had during the interview. This quiet strength felt good. She’d already asked her mother to stop treating her like a child, so she would build on that foundation.

Silver had no intention of backing down, but showing anger played into Amelia’s hands. For too long she’d been mealy mouthed and weak around her mother. Well, no more.

Studying herself in a beautiful, ornate mirror, Silver saw a determined young woman and spoke to her. “If you can survive the tabloids and Justin Rivers, you can stand up to your mother. Go get ’em, Sil, You’re amazing.” She smiled and left the room.