Welcome to Forever

by Annie Rains

  Those people, meaning the mayor and his wife.

  A waiter stood at the end of their table and cleared his throat. “Are you ladies ready to order yet?”

  Val’s gaze traveled over him, making no attempt to hide her inspection of his young, athletic frame. “Are you on the menu?” She giggled a little as his cheeks darkened. “I’m just teasing you, honey. You’re way too young for me.” She pointed at an item on the vinyl menu. “I’ll have the chicken enchilada special.” She closed the menu and handed it back to him.

  “And you?” The waiter turned to look at Kat.

  “I’ll have the same.” She handed her menu to the man and waited for him to leave before continuing. “I considered taking the money. More to save my job than to appease anyone. But I can’t. John was the one who convinced me I could do this job. I wasn’t going to apply for principal, but he said that I was a natural born leader. He had faith in me.” She took a shuddery breath. “Just before he went on deployment, one of the last things he told me was that he believed I could lead this school and make a difference in those children’s lives. If I backed down with Kimberly…” Kat circled her finger around the rim of her glass. “I don’t know, I feel like he’d be disappointed in me somehow.”

  Val’s eyes held that sympathetic slant.

  “I know he’s dead. You don’t have to remind me,” Kat said. “But I still feel him, like he’s watching over me.” Now, instead of sympathy, Kat saw worry in her friend’s eyes. “And I’m not crazy, either. I just want to make him proud, even if it means losing my job.”

  Val reached across the table and grasped her hand. “You know I love you, but I will never understand you.” She smiled, her usually teasing eyes only full of kindness now.

  “I love you, too.” Kat stared at their interlocked hands and then at the solitaire diamond on her finger. “Did I tell you that I have a date this weekend?” she asked, changing the subject.

  Val pulled back and bounced on her seat. “No, you didn’t! I knew this was coming. Details. I need details. I haven’t gotten juicy details about your sex life in over two years.”

  “And you’re not getting any now, either. I said date, not sex.”

  “Same thing.” Val waved a hand. “Where is he taking you?”

  “The Veterans’ Center.”

  The look of sheer disappointment nearly made Kat spew her soda across the table in laughter. “It’s my night to volunteer. He said he’d love to go. He’s bringing Ben, too.”

  Now Val looked like she might start crying. “You’re going on a date to play bingo with a bunch of old men and a child? I had much greater hopes for Micah Peterson than that.”

  Kat laughed at her friend, and then took a sip from her soda. “He might’ve pressed me against the desk in my office yesterday and kissed me, too.”

  Val was bouncing again. “Now we’re talking.”

  Kat spared some of the details. Like the fact that she hadn’t been able to think of anything other than Micah’s hand on her breast in the last twenty-four hours. “You have to promise to keep this just between you and me. I don’t want it getting out that I’m seeing a student’s parent. Or someone that works for me, for that matter.”

  Val held up two fingers. “Boy Scout’s honor.”

  Kat lowered her brows. “You’re not a Boy Scout.”

  “You know what I mean. Of course I promise. The last thing I need is for you to get fired and old Dora Burroughs to take your place.”

  Kat reached for another chip. “You’d be in the unemployment line standing right next to me. Our current assistant principal would never keep you on.”

  Val feigned insult. “I’d never give her a chance. I’d pack my stuff right along with you. We’re best friends, right?”

  Kat nodded. “I’m so lucky to have you in my life. You’ve been with me through a lot of hard times these last few years.”

  “Maybe I should come this Friday and be with you for some more good times. I could spy on you and your date.” Val used her fingers to place imaginary quotes around the word date, making Kat laugh.

  It probably did sound lame, but the truth was, she’d be happy to go anywhere with Micah right about now. And keeping to a non-date kind of situation was less likely to gain unwanted attention from people who were looking to tear down her reputation. Like the mayor. Volunteering wasn’t date material. It was innocent.

  No one had to know about the less than innocent thoughts tramping through her mind.

  —

  When dinner was over, they walked together to the parking lot.

  “Thanks for buying dinner,” Val said, veering toward her car. “I’ll get yours next time. You might be unemployed by then, so…” She winked as she ducked inside her little coupe.

  Kat waved. “See you tomorrow, bright and early.” She climbed into her own car, her body feeling like lead, and headed home to find Julie asleep on the couch with an old black-and-white classic playing on the television. Kat sat down beside her and turned off the TV.

  Julie stirred as she did. “Hey, I was watching that.”

  “Yeah. I can see that.” Kat smiled.

  Julie’s eyes cracked and then her face scrunched as if the light was eating her alive. She flipped her body restlessly to face the back of the couch and pulled her blanket over her head.

  Guilt gnawed at Kat’s stomach as she flipped the light switch. If Julie were going to be staying for an indefinite amount of time, she’d need a real bed. Maybe this weekend, Kat would finish cleaning out the master bedroom, change the sheets, and open it to Julie. Just the thought made her entire body tense, which pissed her off a little. It was just a room, no big deal. Or it shouldn’t have been.

  Standing, Kat glanced back at her sister one more time and then headed down the hall. “Good night.”

  But Julie was already breathing hard, sleeping like a log, the way she always had. It was nice to have someone else in the house—not quite so lonely. Not that she’d ever considered herself lonely. She had Val. And other friends. Her co-workers. And now a sister, who deserved better than a couch.

  Kat nodded to herself as she passed the master bedroom, promising herself that this weekend she’d do better. It was time to make space for new things in her life, new people. Micah crossed her mind and her heart kicked hard. New beginnings.

  Chapter 13

  “I have a sprout, Mr. Peterson.” Tony, one of the young boys in the Friendship Club pointed at the green stalk emerging from the ground.

  Micah squatted beside him. “Yes, you do. Good job, son.”

  Tony’s proud smile dropped and his eyes went back to the plant. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

  Micah tried to remember Tony’s story. He thought maybe Tony’s father was in jail. Crap. He’d just called the kid “son.” Patting Tony’s back, he asked, “Want to help me till another row of dirt? Kimberly over there doesn’t have one yet.”

  Tony was smiling again. “She ain’t gonna put her hands in dirt, Mr. Peterson. Are you crazy?”

  Micah laughed. “Must be. Come on.”

  Two other boys joined him and Micah watched proudly as they tilled several more rows and pulled weeds together as a team. He caught Ben watching, too. There was a familiar look of disappointment on his face. Then Kimberly leaned in beside him at the picnic table and he smiled widely.

  His son had a crush on the mayor’s daughter. And Kimberly appeared to be listening contentedly to Ben’s endless chatter, no doubt an explanation of how something worked. She liked him, too. A friend.

  Micah’s throat tightened as he leaned against the fence. He didn’t see Kat walk up beside him until she touched his arm.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  He gave a quick nod. “Yep. Just amazed at what the kids have done out here.”

  Her gaze swept over the corner lot of the school. “It is amazing. Silly question, but what do we have growing anyway?”

  “The better question would be what don’t we have.”
He pointed at the rows of flowers popcorning out of the ground along the back fence. “Those are marigolds, mixed in with some chrysanthemums.” Next, he pointed to the large rectangle of land in the fence’s back corner. “The vegetable garden has squash, tomatoes, zucchini, and onions. In a week or two, we could make a pretty nice salad with what the kids have grown.”

  “We should.” Kat leaned up beside him, too close and still not close enough. “We could make a salad pizza.”

  “A salad pizza?” He frowned, soliciting one of her singsong laughs he’d come to love. “You’re going to dishonor these veggies by putting them on a pizza?” Micah angled his body toward hers and lowered his voice. “So, are you ready for our date tonight?” he asked.

  She didn’t look at him. Instead, her hand absently went to the ring on her left hand. “I know what you’re thinking.” She looked at him and his heart did funny things as he stared into her eyes.

  She was breathtaking. He had a sudden urge to take her in his arms and kiss her until her knees went weak. “I doubt it,” he said, flashing her a wicked grin.

  “You work with Marines all day. Why would you want to volunteer your Friday night to be with a bunch of veterans?”

  “I wasn’t thinking that. Trust me. I said yes because I want to be with you. Anywhere. And I’ll be a veteran one day. Besides, I happen to like bingo.”

  “You do?” Her verdant green eyes tilted skeptically.

  “Doesn’t everyone?” He leaned in closer, changing the subject. “What do you make of Kimberly’s attention to Ben?”

  Kat’s gaze slid toward the picnic table. “She’s smiling. Flicking her hair. I think I see a little crush forming there.”

  “That’s what I saw, too. I don’t have the heart to make that girl get up and plant her row of seeds right now. Ben needs a friend. Sitting at a picnic table allows him to garden like the others, but it also ostracizes him even more than a wheelchair out here. I just want him to fit in.”

  Micah crossed his arms, continuing to watch Ben with Kim. “He’s just so smart. Sometimes I wish he didn’t understand how different he is. This…” Micah gestured toward Ben and Kim together. “This is something I rarely see, another student sitting and laughing with him.” His jaw tightened. “Anyway. I know what you’re thinking.” He cast a teasing glance in her direction. “You’re asking yourself what you got yourself into when you agreed to go out with me tonight, and now you wish I’d come down with some awful sickness so I’d have to stay home.”

  Her mouth fell open. “I would never wish that. And I know exactly what I’m getting myself into.”

  “Yeah?” He caught her gaze and held it, nearly wishing he’d arranged for Ben to stay with Aunt Clara tonight. If it weren’t for all these kids right now, he’d be pressing the good principal against the fence and making her moan like he had the other day in her office. Short little moans, startled and urging him on at the same time.

  “Looks like our hour is up, and the kids don’t seem to be counting down the seconds anymore.” Kat beamed at him.

  “Dirt is good for the soul.” He nodded at the man headed in their direction. “Looks like the mayor sent his assistant again. Everything okay with that?” he asked.

  Kat shrugged and stepped forward to shake Jack Markus’s hand. “Mr. Markus. I’m glad the mayor reconsidered letting Kimberly stay after with us today.”

  Jack wore a deep frown. “He didn’t really have a choice. Sports are Kimberly’s life.” He looked at Kimberly sitting at the table. “If I were you I’d tread lightly, though, Principal Chandler. Maybe let Kim off on a shorter sentence. The mayor doesn’t take kindly to losing battles.”

  Micah remembered that the race with the mayor’s last competitor hadn’t been pretty. “It’s two weeks,” he said without thinking. He stepped closer to Kat and she looked up at him with surprise.

  She turned back to Mr. Markus. “He’s right. And look at her. She’s already made a friend out here.”

  “A disabled boy?” Jack shook his head. “Be glad the mayor sent me instead of coming out here himself.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? That disabled boy happens to be my son.” Micah crossed his arms and stared the suited man down like a misbehaving grunt.

  “No offense, Mr….?” Mr. Markus waited for Micah to introduce himself.

  “Sergeant Micah Peterson,” Micah said tightly. “And Principal Chandler is the one who makes the rules at this school. Not you and not Mayor Flowers.”

  Mr. Markus shifted uncomfortably with Micah’s tone of voice. “I understand that. It’s just”—he lowered his voice—“Kimberly will raise havoc in that house until her father has no choice but to stir up trouble. That’s how she is. And I have to say, I’m not sure I could stand up to Kimberly that well, either.”

  Everyone’s eyes turned to the little girl seated at the table with Ben.

  “She looks harmless,” Kat said, knowing better.

  “Trust me.” Mr. Markus straightened and waved as Kimberly noticed him. She immediately grabbed up her book bag and said a quick goodbye to Ben. Ben’s gaze lingered after her as she walked briskly to the mayor’s assistant. The brief joy Micah had sworn he’d seen on Kim’s face was now gone, replaced by a grown-up look of annoyance.

  “This place sucks,” Kim declared, loud enough for everyone to hear her. “I need to talk to my father right now.”

  Micah and Kat watched the two walk away.

  “I don’t know about you, but I won’t be voting for Mayor Flowers next year. If he can’t control things at home, he certainly shouldn’t be in charge of the town of Seaside,” Micah said.

  Kat laughed. “He was a respected member of the military. He’s a veteran. I’d say he’s handled quite a lot.”

  Micah shrugged. “Speaking of veterans…”

  She turned her body toward his. “Speaking of veterans…”

  He smiled. “I’ve never looked forward to hanging out with a bunch of retired military more in my life.”

  Her lips curved slightly. “Me, neither.”

  Kat frowned at herself in the mirror that night.

  “Stop obsessing. You look gorgeous.” Julie laid back on the bed and watched her. “You must really like this guy.”

  “He’s a friend.”

  “Uh-huh.” A wicked smile spread through Julie’s cheeks. “No sex for two-plus years, Kat. It’s time.” Her voice carried a teasing quality that reminded Kat of their younger days, sharing a bedroom and every detail of each other’s lives.

  “You’re immature. You know that?” Kat said, just as she would’ve back then.

  Kissy sounds followed her as she walked toward the bathroom and closed her sister out. “Let me know if the doorbell rings.” Behind the door, Kat leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a slow, relaxing breath. She had to admit, the no sex thing for two years was starting to get to her, which was why she was thankful Ben would be with them tonight. That would ensure that her hormones stayed in their cage. There would be no chance of hot, clothes-ripping sex in the back of Micah’s Jeep tonight, even though she’d fantasized about doing just that several times recently.

  Heat singed through her veins at the images in her mind. After the threat of retaliation from the mayor, sex would be a great release. But not with Micah. She already had feelings developing for him and she wasn’t ready. Physically, yes. But emotionally, not yet. She twisted her engagement ring.

  No sex.

  She nodded to herself and went to the mirror to comb her hand through her hair one more time, then turned as the doorbell rang across the house. Here went nothing.

  Or everything.

  Kat opened the bathroom door and headed down the hall toward the sound of Micah’s deep voice greeting Julie.

  “Look who’s here,” Julie announced as Kat came into view. Then with pronounced enjoyment, Julie added, “And look who’s not here.”

  Kat searched the room as if Ben might be hiding under a cou
ch cushion.

  “He’s home with my aunt Clara tonight.” Micah took a step forward and offered a small potted plant with a pretty pink flower budding at its center.

  She smiled at the gesture as she accepted the plant. “It’s lovely. Thank you. I hope everything’s all right with Ben.”

  Micah waved a hand. “Apparently, it’s not cool to escort your parent on a date with your principal.”

  Despite her nervousness, Kat laughed.

  Julie reached for the plant in her sister’s hand with a peculiar look. “I’ll take that. Nice flowers,” she said, obviously not understanding the gesture.

  Kat understood it, though, and she loved it. Taking his hand, she allowed him to lead her to the door.

  “Hey, Micah.” Julie took a few retreating steps and then leaned in toward him, lowering her voice to what was supposed to be a whisper. “Show my sister a good time, will you? It’s been a long time coming.”

  Mortified heat rose up in Kat’s cheeks. For the love of chocolate. She hoped he had no idea what her sister was talking about. When she looked up at Micah, though, it was obvious by the large grin on his face that he did.

  He squeezed her hand tighter. “Don’t wait up,” he called to Julie behind them, and then he led Kat to his Jeep.

  —

  Bring flowers—check. Open her car door—check.

  Micah mentally reviewed the checklist his aunt had rattled off before going out on his date with Kat tonight. He didn’t need a checklist, though. It’d been a long time, but he remembered how to treat a woman on a date. “You look beautiful tonight, by the way,” he said.

  Kat brushed a strand of hair from her face and smiled at him. “Thank you. I hope Ben isn’t scarred for life because his father and principal are out together.”

  “He’s fine. Just didn’t want to hang out with a bunch of old people this evening,” he said. “And he wasn’t referring to the folks at the Veterans’ Center.”

  Kat laughed. “Isn’t your aunt older than us?”

  Micah nodded. “Yes, but she’s apparently a lot more fun.”