Waiting for Fate (Dual Court Kiss Book 3)

by Samantha Britt

  Chapter 5

  “I understand your concern, Ms. Roberts, but there is simply no way around it.”

  Sara stood in her principal’s office, at a loss for words. “Mr. Harris, there has to be some way to keep the forensic club active this year. I already sponsor them with no compensation. Maybe the science department can find the extra funds?”

  The older man looked at her with tired eyes. “Would you like to be the one to ask the department head to find money out of their already thin budget?”

  Sara bit her lip, trying to come up with an alternate solution. The science classrooms were already running low on laboratory supplies. They couldn’t afford to give funds to the small club. Her heart sank. The students would be so disappointed.

  “You’re right,” Sara conceded sadly. “Thank you for your time.” She left the administration wing as fast as she could. Sara barely made it back to her classroom before a frustrated tear rolled down her cheek. Swiftly, she brushed it away. She constantly went out of her way to help her students and it sucked when she couldn’t succeed.

  Moving to the whiteboard, Sara distracted herself by changing the objectives to the unit’s she would begin tomorrow. Now that the safety and laboratory instructions were covered, Sara could move on to the more entertaining curriculum. Hopefully an interesting lesson would soften the blow for some of the kids.

  Looking for tasks to keep her out of her own head, Sara sat at her laptop and logged into a teacher website. She searched for new laboratory experiments she could easily organize at the high school level.

  A timid knock sounded on her open door frame. Sara looked up. “Hey, Carla,” she greeted the office secretary. “What’s up?”

  As Carla entered the room, Sara’s eyes grew wide at the large bouquet of flowers she carried. They were flowers that resembled daisies, only they ranged in color from bright blue to orange to neon pink. There must have been at least twenty of the colorful blossoms.

  Carla giggled, observing Sara’s stunned expression. “These are for you. Aren’t they something? I wonder if the flowers are dyed.”

  Sara moved towards her, taking the bundle from the woman. “They’re really pretty.” She searched the stems for a card. “Who sent them?”

  Carla shrugged. “Not sure. I was at lunch when they were delivered. Sorry for not getting them to you sooner. Things were busy in the office.”

  “Not a problem, Carla,” Sara smiled at the friendly secretary. “I appreciate the hand delivery.”

  The two exchanged short pleasantries before Carla expressed a need to return to her desk. Once she was alone, Sara continued searching the leaves and stems for a card. She found nothing.

  “Weird,” Sara commented to herself as she searched her cabinets for anything resembling a vase. She found a particularly tall beaker with thick glass sides. It would have to do.

  Sara added water and arranged the flowers in the container. She placed the bouquet on the window ledge by her desk, hoping the spot would provide adequate sunlight.

  Despite the disappointing news she received little more than an hour ago, Sara found her mood lightened. She silently thanked whomever sent the beautiful gift. It turned out to be just what she needed to not have the day end terribly.

  Knowing she had nothing left to do, Sara gathered her belongings and locked her classroom. She was halfway to her car when she saw him.

  Ronan.

  At least, she thought it was him. The bright Texas sun made it hard to see into the distance. Sara shielded her eyes and continued walking. She felt pretty positive it was Ronan who casually leaned against her car, looking the picture of ease. Her pulse quickened.

  When he noticed her approach, Ronan stood and walked towards her.

  “Hello, Sara,” he greeted, reaching out to take the laptop case off her shoulder. “Allow me?”

  “Uh, sure.” Sara shrugged the bag off, waiting for him to explain himself.

  “How was your day?” Ronan asked, seeming unaware of how unusual his presence was.

  “My day was fine.” She opened the Civic’s trunk. “Yours?”

  “It is better now.” Ronan’s lips curved, unabashed by his forwardness. Sara shook her head, amused.

  “What are you doing here?” She found the courage to ask, making sure the blunt words were delivered lightly.

  “I told you I would contact you after our date.”

  “True,” she allowed. “But I expected a call.”

  “I don’t have your phone number,” he pointed out, grinning.

  “You could have found the apartment office number.”

  “True,” he mimicked. Sara could not get over how completely at ease Ronan was with himself. He did the oddest things, but was charming enough so the oddities did not seem strange. That could be dangerous, Sara noted.

  “What?” Ronan asked, looking down at himself. Sara had been staring, trying to figure him out, once again.

  “You seem… different than before.”

  Ronan raised an eyebrow. “Than our date?”

  Sara shook her head. “No, from before. When we first met.”

  “Ah,” Ronan nodded his agreement. “That is not surprising.”

  Instead of elaborating, Ronan simply let his last statement hang in the air between them. Sara mentally screamed her objection to his nonchalance. She contemplated calling him out on the frustrating behavior but hesitated.

  Sara was glad she felt confident enough to voice concerns and opinions to Ronan, but she did not want to come off as paranoid or a nag.

  Sara decided to bite her tongue on this one. She was too tired to think about it more, anyway.

  As if able to read her thoughts, Ronan made a suggestion. “I was nearby and remembered this is where you worked. I wondered if you might want to grab a coffee or something.”

  “Actually, I’d love to. Coffee sounds wonderful after today.” She fumbled for her keys. “Want me to drive? I know a local spot not too far away.”

  “Sounds great.” Ronan opened the driver’s door for Sara before walking around to the passenger side. Sara loved the gentlemanly gesture.

  The pair rode in companionable quiet, Sara spending most of the time maneuvering the tight streets to reach the coffee shop. Luckily, her focus on the road kept her from being too nervous.

  Minutes later, they walked into the pleasant café on the side of a strip mall. A friendly barista called out a greeting as they entered.

  “What would you like?” The teen barista asked, standing ready at the cash register.

  Ronan looked at Sara expectantly.

  After a swift glance at the menu, Sara went with her go-to drink. “Skinny iced caramel latte. Please.”

  Sara reached for her wallet, but was beat to the punch by Ronan. He positioned himself between her and the barista, preventing her attempt to pay. “And I’ll have a green tea. Thank you.” He handed over a twenty.

  “Thank you,” Sara offered as the two moved to a corner table.

  “You are welcome.” He pulled out her chair.

  “Your mother taught you well,” she commented with approval.

  Ronan’s cheeks colored. “Yes… It is in our culture.” He seemed oddly uneasy with her harmless comment.

  Sara sat. I can think of worse things in a culture.

  Choosing to not overthink, Sara dropped the subject.

  “So…?” Sara searched for an easygoing topic. “Tell me about your day.”

  Ronan tilted his head in thought. “Let’s see… I woke up, went for a run, ate, unpacked some of Kalan’s things, and then met you in the school parking lot.”

  “You unpacked Kalan’s stuff? Were you guys roommates?”

  Ronan’s responding pause was swift, but Sara caught it. “We lived in the same place, yes.”

  Once again, Sara consciously resisted prying.

  “I am picking Kalan and Gwen up from the airport tomorrow,” Ronan threw out as a distraction. “Would you like to come along?”

&nb
sp; “I wish I could,” Sara pouted. She couldn’t wait to be reunited with her best friend. The summer had been lonely without her. “I have ‘Meet the Teacher’ night, tomorrow. I’ll be at the school until 9.”

  “That is disappointing.”

  The barista briefly interrupted when she delivered their drinks. Sara sipped her coffee, immediately grateful for the caffeine. She went through cycles of trying to quit the addictive substance with limited to no success every time. She was glad she was not currently on one of those futile kicks.

  Ronan’s laugh got her attention. She looked into his entertained eyes. “Good?” He questioned, pointing to her cup.

  She swallowed another sip before replying. “I love coffee,” she explained what must have been silly behavior.

  “I gathered as much,” Ronan smiled. “What else do you love?”

  That was direct, Sara thought to herself.

  “Reading,” she supplied. Another sip of coffee. “Movies. Running. Family. Generic stuff, really.”

  “What about you?” She turned the question on him. “What do you love?”

  “My friends,” Ronan looked over Sara’s right shoulder as his formed his answer. “I also enjoy reading. My job. Being outdoors. Nothing incredibly interesting, I’m afraid.”

  “What do you do outdoors?”

  “Usually decompress. My old home has beautiful gardens covering many acres. I enjoy roaming through them in my free time.”

  Sara stared, observing the complex man sitting in front of her. Her initial thoughts on him were being overturned left and right. He enjoyed reading and walking through gardens… Sara had envisioned him partying at clubs every Friday night.

  “You said ‘my old home’,” Sara recalled. “Are you moving?”

  Ronan tasted his green tea. He set it back down. Apparently, it was still too hot to drink.

  “Yes,” he answered, removing his cup’s lid. “I have moved into Kalan and Gwen’s guest apartment.”

  “You’re moving in with Gwen and Kalan?” Sara repeated, surprised it was the first time she heard the news.

  “Into their basement apartment,” Ronan corrected, as if the distinction made a difference. With some thought, Sara supposed it did. If the apartment was separated from the newlywed’s house, she supposed it was not too strange for the bachelor to live so close.

  “You and Kalan are close?” Sara asked, swirling the ice in her drink.

  “I’ve known him all his life.” Ronan made it sound as if he had years on Kalan, but Sara thought they looked fairly close in age.

  No prying, she reminded herself.

  “Are you family friends?” Alright, maybe a little prying.

  He nodded. “I know Kalan’s parents very well.”

  Sara remembered seeing Ronan sit near Kalan’s parents at the wedding. It was easy to see where the groom got his good looks. Kheelen and Tanya were an attractive older couple; they barely looked older than 40.

  Come to think of it, the same could be said for Gwen’s recently discovered grandparents. Neither newlywed needed to worry about aging poorly.

  “They seem like nice people,” Sara offered, unsure how to continue the conversation without feeling like an interrogator. This date was not progressing as smoothly as the last.

  “Like everyone else, they have their moments. Overall though, yes. They are nice people.”

  Sara did not even know what to make of Ronan’s words. “Gotcha.” She glanced at her watch.

  “Do you need to be somewhere?” Ronan asked, noticing her action. The question wasn’t posed with attitude, simply genuine curiosity.

  “Uh… no. Just checking the time.”

  Great job, Sara, she chided herself. Now he thinks you are bored with him.

  Sara realized she couldn’t keep going along with the date and not ask the questions she felt compelled to ask.

  With a deep breath, Sara stopped holding back. “Would it be nosy of me to ask what you meant earlier? When you said you weren’t surprised you seemed different than when we first met?” She blurted out the words, leaving her short of breath.

  To Ronan’s credit, he did not react to her blunt question. He remained calm and met her gaze. “Certainly,” he answered. “I meant that I know I was not as easygoing when we first met. I had a lot of stress in my life.”

  Sara thought on his words. Before she could ask another question, Ronan elaborated.

  “While I… wanted to know you better,” he seemed unsure of how to word their previous interactions. “My life was too chaotic to entertain the notion. Hence, I would ‘ghost’.” Ronan smiled, proud of himself for using the term Sara used on their dinner date.

  “That makes sense.” Sara felt a burden lift. She understood feeling stressed enough to no longer act like yourself, or to not have time to pursue a relationship.

  Not that Ronan was pursuing a relationship, she quickly corrected her thought. Sara would not presume their dates were leading to that. Her only plan was to enjoy their time together, no matter what came of it.

  “I hope my previous behavior did not cause you too much trouble,” Ronan said. His eyes revealed sincerity.

  Sara offered him a small smile. “Only a little,” she joked.

  The corners of his eyes crinkled with his grin. “I hope I am making up for it.”

  Sara nodded. “So far, so good.”

  A comfortable quiet settled between them. Both took the opportunity to sip their beverages.

  “Tell me more about your old home,” Sara opened the new topic. “What’s it like?”

  Ronan looked off into the distance. He proceeded to describe a place that seemed too good to be true. He explained the crisp, cool weather and painted an image of the clear sky. His words easily walked her through the endless gardens, making her feel as if she’d visited the location. Ronan described his neighbors, speaking highly of their characters and overall love for their home.

  Sara was enchanted, not necessarily from the descriptions, but from the absolute awe flittering across Ronan’s face as he spoke. It was clear he loved his home. Sara could not imagine what would motivate him to leave such a place.

  “I’m rambling. My apologies,” Ronan said after noticing Sara’s stare.

  “Not at all!” Sara quickly reassured him, assuring him her interest remained piqued. “Tell me more.”

  Ronan spent more time discussing his home before the conversation naturally turned to other subjects. The couple took turns sharing various stories about themselves. Sara and Ronan alternated laughing at the other’s retelling of childhood escapades, and both conveyed sympathy when their companion shared a saddening tale.

  The date definitely took a turn for the better. Sara felt as if she knew Ronan so well following their conversations. It was another wonderful date.

  Hours later, as Sara drove away, she couldn’t help but think her heart might be in trouble. Ronan wasn’t just handsome. He was also kind and genuine. It would be very easy to fall for someone like him.

  However, strangely enough, the thought did not terrify her.

  Chapter 6

  The following week flew by. Sara remained busy helping Taylor settle into his new position and fulfilling her typical teaching obligations. She was running on empty by the time she and Kate were on their way to visit Gwen, but excitement fueled her to not cancel the hangout session.

  It was Friday, and the three girls arranged a girls’ night at the newlywed’s new home. Despite her fatigue, Sara was eager to see her friend and hear about the last three months. It had been too long.

  “This is a really pretty area,” Kate commented from the passenger’s seat as they drove the winding hills of Gwen’s neighborhood. The younger woman stifled a yawn. “I’m excited to see Gwen’s house.”

  Sara shot her sister a quick glance. She noted the dark circles under the overworked nurse’s eyes. Even though they lived together, the sisters hardly saw each other the past week. Their hours did not easily line up when Kat
e was on shift.

  “You feeling okay?” Sara asked, sisterly concern conveyed in her voice. “Are you sleeping enough?”

  Kate offered a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Mom. Relax.”

  Sara rolled her eyes at Kate’s overused joke. Being the older sister, she naturally had the more motherly disposition. “All I’m saying is you look tired. You should sleep more.”

  Kate rolled her neck. “The hospital is understaffed, so my shifts are extra tiring. Don’t worry. I will get a lot of sleep tonight.”

  “Not likely.” Sara laughed as memories of the three girls losing track of time played in her mind. Years of living as neighbors did not limit the amount of catching up they always did when seeing each other. She sighed. Those moments seemed so long ago.

  Their conversation died as Sara’s GPS directed her into a long driveway. They approached the white-stoned, two-story home. Both girls gaped at the massive house.

  “This is their starter home?” Kate asked with disbelief.

  “I think Kalan’s family is well-off,” Sara commented even though she was equally as amazed at the large structure.

  Sara parked the Civic behind Gwen’s Elantra and the sisters approached the door. They could hear Gwen’s excited squeal through the heavy oak.

  The blonde beauty swung the door open at an inhuman speed. She roped her arms around the sister’s necks, bringing them into a group hug. All three spoke at once, expressing how happy they were to see each other.

  “Maybe you should invite our guests in,” a masculine voice called from inside the entrance.

  Sara looked over Gwen’s shoulder and saw Kalan leaning against the doorframe. His lips turned up in an amused grin.

  Gwen released her friends and turned to her husband. “Excuse me,” she said with mock apology. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen my best friends. We tend to get a little excited.”

  “Clearly,” Kalan’s eyes sparkled with amusement. He moved his gaze to the sisters. “Nice to see you, Kate. Sara.”

  Sara wasn’t sure if she imagined it, but she thought Kalan’s look turned inquisitive when his attention moved to her. She shifted her feet, uncomfortable with the assessing gaze.