“Thanks.” I said, attempting to get by him.
“So where do you plan on taking the students?” he asked.
I was surprised by his question, but even more thrilled that I’d made it all the way into the hallway. Distance from this man definitely worked in my favor.
“I’m not sure yet. There are so many amazing beaches close to the school that it’ll be hard to pick. Or I could take the students to one of the piers, and we could take a class on wooden boatbuilding. Although, I think getting that to fit into the history lessons might be challenging. I could definitely work it into the maritime history of the island, but only time will tell, which I don’t have much of. It’s probably going to be a very rough go of it. Getting the kids interested during summer school seems almost impossible.”
He’d moved into the hallway with me, and he grinned as his eyes fastened on something behind me. I turned to follow his gaze and saw a huge poster of a pelican. Each classroom was referred to as a seabird. I happened to be in the “pelican” classroom.
“So are you a pelican or a pelican’t?” he asked, his eyes twinkled with a mischief that made me want to know more about him.
“Excuse me?” I asked, not sure I heard him correctly.
“Are you a pelican or a pelican’t? You strike me as a pelican.” His brow rose, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the most horribly wonderful pun ever heard by mankind. “But you were starting to sound like a pelican’t.”
“I suppose I’m in the former group.”
He folded his arms and his smile deepened. “And which group would that be?”
“I’m not going to say it.” I smiled, glancing at the noble pelican on the poster. I liked it even more now.
“You’re not going to say which group you fall into?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“Well, I’m a pelican. Always have been a pelican. Pelican’ts drive me nuts, but until I hear you say it, I guess I won’t know which group you truly fall into.”
Tessa poked her head out of her classroom and gave me the thumbs-up sign and I wanted to shoo her away. Everything about this encounter was so awkward and he was eating it up.
And I loved every second of it.
My cheeks were almost hurting from the amount of smiling that started when I first saw part of this man balanced outside the window, and it took everything in my power not to give into temptation and hand him what he wanted. But I was doing it for my own sanity. I couldn’t afford to start any relationships in the near or distant future.
“I guess you’ll just have to wait to see which group I fall into.”
“I don’t think I caught your name,” he said. “And it’s not listed on the door yet.”
“Victoria.” I didn’t dare ask for his.
He flashed a knowing grin, which worried me slightly, but I shook it off.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Victoria. I hope I get the pleasure of standing on a ladder right outside your window next week, and just maybe you’ll sign up for summer school next year.”
My cheeks reddened again, and I let out a completely unattractive chortle-laugh and shook my head. “You heard that?”
“I heard it all.” He smiled and walked into my classroom, leaving me to wonder what in the world I’d gotten myself into.
BOOKS BY KARICE BOLTON
ISLAND COUNTY SERIES
FINDING LOVE IN FORGOTTEN COVE
LOVE REDONE IN HIDDEN HARBOR
TANLGED LOVE ON PELICAN POINT
FOREVER LOVE ON FIREWEED ISLAND
TEMPTING LOVE ON HOLLY LANE
CHANCE AT LOVE ON MYSTIC BAY
IRRESISTIBLE LOVE AT SILVER FALLS
LUCKY IN LOVE ON HOUND ISLAND
ACCIDENTAL LOVE ON MEADOW LANE COVE
SILVER RIDGE SERIES
HAPPY TRUTH ABOUT LOVE
A LITTLE SECRET ABOUT LOVE
A FUNNY THING ABOUT LOVE
A SURPRISING FACT ABOUT LOVE
BEYOND LOVE SERIES
BEYOND CONTROL
BEYOND DOUBT
BEYOND REASON
BEYOND INTENT
BEYOND CHANCE
BEYOND PROMISE
BEYOND the MISTLETOE
LUKE FLETCHER SERIES
HIDDEN SINS
BURIED SINS
REDEMPTION
MIA
V MAFIA SERIES
NEVERL REVEAL: BLAKE
NEVER CONFESS: DEVIN
NEVER SAY NEVER: JAXSON
AFTERWORLD SERIES
RecruitZ
AlibiZ
Zombie UprisingZ
THE WITCH AVENUE SERIES
LONELY SOULS
ALTERED SOULS
RELEASED SOULS
SHATTERED SOULS
THE WATCHERS TRILOGY
AWAKENING
LEGIONS
CATACLYSM
TAKEN NOVELLA (A Watchers Prequel)
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About the Author
Karice received an MFA in Creative Writing from the U of W. She has written over forty novels, and she has several exciting projects in the works (or at least she thinks they're exciting). Karice lives in the Pacific Northwest with her awesome husband and two cute English Bulldogs. She loves anything to do with snow, and she seeks out the stuff whenever she can, especially if there's a toasty fire to read by.
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