“Well, I’m not ready to propose yet anyway. I need to get to know her a little better again. Maybe she’s changed.” He knew it was a cop out. It had taken him weeks to get up the courage to ask her to marry him the first time. He’d walked around with the ring in his pocket for more than a month before he’d popped the question.
“Take your time. I have a feeling she’s not going anywhere. She loves you, Uncle Jay.”
“How did you get so smart?” he asked softly.
“Obviously it didn’t come from your side of the family.” She was smiling after him when he took the ring back to his bathroom to put it up.
* * *
Sally sat at her desk the following afternoon, trying to finish grading some essays for her senior English class. She taught all the honors classes and one section of regular sophomore English.
She couldn’t concentrate on them because she was too busy thinking about her date with Jay the following night. She’d decided what to wear three different times, and decided against the outfits three more times. Two different teachers had stopped her in the halls to ask about her goofy grin, and her friend Amy, the homemaking teacher, had come right out and asked if she was twitterpated.
She stared out the window, watching the fall rainstorm pound against the parking lot. She liked walking in the rain, but that storm was a little too hard even for her. It hadn’t been raining when she’d left home, so she’d walked. As usual.
Leaning back in her chair, she thought about calling it quits and going home because she knew she wasn’t going to get any more work done, but she still hoped the rain would ease up a little.
The door to her classroom opened, and she looked up. “Hi, Mr. Ward.”
“Hi, Sally. Do you mind if I call you Sally?”
Since all the other teachers called her that, she didn’t think it would be polite to tell him no. “Sure.”
He walked over and leaned against the chalkboard behind her desk, obviously trying to look cool. “I was hoping you’d reconsider going out with me. I have tickets to a play in Dallas tomorrow night.”
“I have plans, but thank you for asking.”
“I’ve asked around town, and everyone says you’re still hung up on some guy you dated in the nineties. Forget about him and go out with me.”
The door opened again, and her gaze was drawn to the newcomer. “Jay,” she said, smiling. Every time she looked at him, she felt as if a light was being lit within her. “What are you doing here?”
Jay looked back and forth between Sally and the man covered in chalk dust. “Am I interrupting something?”
Sally shook her head. “Nope. I think Mr. Ward was on his way.”
Mr. Ward straightened up, one side of him completely covered in white chalk dust from his blue button-up shirt all the way down to the top of his black slacks. “I guess I see now why the answer is always no.” He looked at Sally. “If you change your mind, let me know. You’re my first choice, but there are other women too.”
Sally just smiled. “I hope you enjoy the play.” She stood and walked around her desk to Jay, hugging him tightly. She knew it was probably tacky to be so affectionate in front of Mr. Ward, but the man needed to get a clue.
Jay watched as the other man left the room, and then held her at arm’s length for a moment. “What was that about?”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s Mr. Ward, the new math teacher. He’s asked me out a couple of times, and I keep telling him no. He asked me to go to a play in Dallas tomorrow night.”
“You can go if you want to. We can have dinner another time.”
“I would rather do nothing with you than go to Paris with him.”
Jay smiled at that. He knew Paris was her dream vacation. “Well now, that’s saying something.”
“It is.” Sally looked up at him. “So, what’s up?”
“I figured you’d walked to school, so I thought I’d come by and offer you a ride home.”
“I was just thinking about that. I was going to sit here and stare at papers I’m not grading for a while longer to see if the downpour let up a little.”
He frowned at her. “Why are you staring at papers and not grading them?”
She shrugged. “I can’t seem to get a certain man off my mind.”
“Mr. Ward is filling up every one of your thoughts, is he?”
“Oh, yeah. I can’t stop thinking about him.” Sally took a step forward and into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist once more. “Thanks for coming to take me home. Are you picking up Alison too?”
He shook his head. “She can ride the bus.” He held her close for just a moment. “Get your stuff, and I’ll drive you.”
She hurried to her desk and piled her books together. He took them from her as they walked to the door, and she shut off the lights. “What did you end up doing this rainy day?”
He sighed. “Paperwork. I hate paperwork.”
“Who took care of the ranch while you were in Alaska?”
“I hired someone. He watched over the house and kept everything going. I didn’t want to sell because I always felt that I’d eventually come back.”
“I’m glad you did.”
He thought about what Alison had said the night before, about how Sally’s face looked the same when he was there as when she talked about Cyrano. He couldn’t help but wonder how much was in his niece’s head and how much was true. “Did you enjoy going to the set the other night?”
She shrugged. “I was with you, so I was content. It wasn’t really my thing, but it was fun watching Alison with all the stars from the show. I thought she was going to faint when Valerie suggested a selfie with each of them individually.”
He grinned. “She really was excited. She was sure no one would believe she’d really spent the evening with all of them if she didn’t have proof.”
“Well, she got it!”
They ran through the rain toward his truck and got in, both of them laughing. “The rain is getting chilly. It’s hard to believe Halloween is in just a couple of days.”
“Do you do anything special for Halloween in class?”
“I usually turn it into a creative writing assignment. Have the kids write something scary or just downright gruesome. They love it.”
He drove the four blocks to her house, pulling into the driveway beside her car. “I had another reason for coming to school this afternoon,” he said, catching her hand before she could get out of the truck.
“What’s that?” she asked, turning toward him fully. “You wanted to chase away any math teachers who might be lingering to bug me?”
“Well, I didn’t expect to find one there with you,” he said with a frown. “No, I just wanted a few minutes alone with you. Every time I see you, Alison is there. Or May. Or both of them. How am I supposed to sneak kisses if there are always people surrounding us?”
“Oh, I see. You came to school because you needed a kiss. I can probably comply with that.”
“Probably? Don’t put yourself out!”
She laughed, scooting toward him on the seat, snuggling her head against his shoulder. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me not to grab you and kiss you when we’re surrounded by people?”
He grinned. “Tell me. I’d love to hear how hard it is.”
“I could demonstrate instead. An action is worth a thousand words. Well, this action, anyway.”
“Go for it. Show me what you’re thinking.”
She bunched her hand up in the T-shirt he wore, pulling him down for a kiss. Her other hand went to his hair, toying with it. He kept it so short, it prickled her fingers. When she finally came up for air, she stroked his cheek. “How was that for action?”
“It’ll work for a bit.” He sighed. “I want more time alone with you. Why is it that every time I date you, we end up with nieces everywhere?”
She shrugged. “It’s probably best this way, but I want more privacy as well.”
He eyed her house for a minute
. “We could go in, but I need to get home to Alison.”
“And I have students living on either side of me. Not in my house.”
“Oh, well. We’ll have time mostly alone tomorrow.”
“We’ll have time in a crowded restaurant.” She made a face, unsure what to wear. “Are you wearing jeans still?”
He nodded. “I hate dressing up. I feel like I’m going to a funeral.”
“All right. I’ll make sure to wear something appropriate, then.”
“Something where I can see your legs?” he asked, grinning.
“Why are you suddenly obsessed with my legs?”
“Nothing sudden about it. I’ve always been obsessed with your legs … and various other parts of your anatomy.”
She laughed. “Well, maybe you should just keep those thoughts to yourself.”
Jay grinned, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I’ll do my best. See you at five tomorrow, right?”
She nodded. “I’ll be here. I’m excited and nervous all at once.”
“Why are you nervous?”
“Are you kidding?” she asked. “We haven’t been out alone in over twenty years, and I don’t want to blow it again.”
“Again? You didn’t blow it last time. I did.”
Sally smiled sadly. “One of us did. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I’m not sure my heart could take being broken by you twice in one lifetime.”
“I feel the same, you know. I’m excited and scared and nervous. I want to do things right this time. All those years sitting through winter—which lasts nine months in Alaska—I thought of nothing but you. I did my job, and I did it well, but you were always there. I’d watch a movie and think, ‘What would Sally think of this?’ I’d read a book and think that you’d probably already read it. Every minute of every day. No, I can’t mess up again.”
She brushed her lips against his once more. “We’ll do it right together this time.”
He watched her as she took her books and ran to the house, unlocking it. After she was inside, he sat there for another minute before backing out of her driveway. He’d wasted twenty years of their lives. How could she possibly be willing to forgive him for that?
Chapter Six
Sally tried on six different outfits before putting the first one back on. As she looked in the mirror, she wished she’d taken the time to get her hair trimmed. Why hadn’t she?
She grabbed her phone and made a hair appointment for Monday afternoon so she wouldn’t be caught with ugly hair again. Then she picked up her makeup. She hadn’t worn cosmetics in long enough that she wasn’t sure if she was making herself look like a clown. She felt terribly inadequate, but she wanted to look her best for him.
She had forty-five minutes, and she thought briefly about calling May to come over and help her, but she knew May would be even more helpless than she was when it came to cosmetics.
Finally, she did the best she could and decided not to look again. She couldn’t make herself crazy trying to look perfect for him because she was far from perfect, and he already knew it.
She was slipping her feet into a pair of flats when the doorbell rang, and she hurried to answer it. She opened the door and stood staring at Jay, her eyes taking in the new pair of jeans and the button-down shirt. “You look great,” she whispered, noting his new hat as well.
He seemed to be holding his breath. “Not half as good as you do.”
She smiled, reaching for her coat and slipping it on. “I’m ready.” She got her purse and locked the door, following him to the truck. “Where are we going?”
“I thought we’d go to a Mexican place I like in Weatherford where there’s a live band on Friday nights. It gives me a chance to hold you close, and no one can complain about it.”
She laughed. “That sounds really nice. And we won’t be breaking up fights or making teens stop their make-out sessions.”
“I can’t believe you just wanted to go dancing and roped me into a school event. I’d take you out every weekend to avoid ever going to another school thing.”
“I might hold you to that!”
The drive to Weatherford was only about thirty minutes, and they kept up a lively discussion. He told her about a lot of the stupid things tourists did at the park where he’d worked in Alaska. “And there was this one woman who thought it was a good idea to take a selfie with a moose.”
“A moose? Why would anyone want a selfie with a moose?”
“No idea. And the worst part is, we’d already told her they were the most dangerous animals in the whole park. So she goes to take her selfie, and the moose turned on her. He broke forty-seven bones in her body and punctured a lung. She’s lucky he didn’t get her head with one of his antlers because she would have been a goner, and all because she wanted a picture with a moose! People are so stupid!”
She shook her head. “That’s just crazy. But it sounds like you enjoyed working there.”
“I did. I learned a lot. It was a good time for me to grow and become my own man.” He reached for her hand after they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. “I’d like to take you up there sometime. Maybe next summer. I’d say for a honeymoon, but I’m not going to wait that long to marry you.”
She looked over at him, surprised. “If that’s a marriage proposal, you’re going to have to study Cyrano a little more.”
He brought her fingers to his lips. “Trust me. When I propose, you’ll know it.”
After they were seated, she looked over the menu, trying to decide. “What’s good here?”
“Everything. What are you hungry for?”
“Anything but tacos,” she answered with a grin.
Jay laughed. “May and Valerie are both crazy.” He tilted his head to one side. “You know, I’m kind of sad that we’re missing out on the whole kid thing, but I’m glad we’re missing out on the pregnancy thing. I can’t imagine eating tacos that much.”
She frowned. “You know, if you married someone younger, you could easily still have children.”
“I don’t even have a desire to date anyone but you. I’m not going to marry someone else so I can have kids.” He stared down at his menu, shocked that she’d even think he was complaining. Didn’t she have any idea what she meant to him? His own voice of reason came back and hit him hard. How could she know what she means when I ran off for over twenty years?
After they’d ordered, he tried to make her understand. “Do you know why I took off to Alaska?”
She shrugged. “You thought I’d rejected you, and you were mad.”
He shook his head. “I was hurt. I wasn’t sure I could live in the same town with you, bumping into you all the time. I couldn’t be that close and not come to you, begging you to change your mind.” He sighed. “I know it doesn’t seem like it makes sense, but it’s the truth. I left because I couldn’t do anything else. I thought about you every minute of every day.”
She bit her lip. “But you knew where I was the entire time. You could have called when you knew May would have graduated, even if you did think I meant until she was out of the house. You didn’t. I didn’t have any idea where you’d gone. I tried to find you on Facebook and with Google, but it never worked. You just disappeared. For all I knew, you were dead.”
“You could have gone out to the ranch and talked to the man I’d hired if you were that worried about me,” he countered.
“I could have if I’d known he was a man you’d hired. I didn’t know you hadn’t sold the ranch. I knew nothing. One day, you were asking me to marry you, and the next, you’d disappeared off the face of the earth. You obviously didn’t want to see me or talk to me.” She realized people were starting to look over at them because of her raised voice. She’d thought she was over her anger toward him, but as they talked about it, she realized maybe she had a little more forgiving to do.
“I should have told you what I was doing. I shouldn’t have left to begin with. I messed up, and I�
��m very sorry.” He did his best to keep his voice soft, not wanting her to get any louder.
She took a deep breath, trying to force her anger down. “I didn’t realize I was still upset about any of it until just now.”
He reached for her hand. “I’m not going to take off again. I’m here to stay this time.”
“So what if I say I don’t want to see you for a little while so I can deal with the anger I’m still feeling toward you? What would you do?”
“Is that what you’re saying?”
“I don’t know what I’m saying. I . . . I still love you, Jay. I never stopped. But I went through more than twenty years not knowing if you were alive or dead, and suddenly you’re here, and I want to throw myself into your arms and never let go. At the same time, I want to hit you with the hammer you helped me buy!”
His lips quirked at her words. “I’d rather you didn’t hit me with a hammer, but I wouldn’t mind if you never let go.”
She shook her head, unable to stop herself from grinning a little. “I think we need to take things slowly. I need to learn to trust you again. I look at you, and my heart starts pounding and I want to be with you forever, and my heart says it wants to be yours. My head, though . . . my head is waiting for you to take off on another great adventure.”
“Then we’ll go slow. We don’t need to get married in a week. We don’t need to get married in two. We can wait until summer, even.”
She laughed. “That’s all the longer we can wait, huh?” What exactly would he do if she told him he needed to wait years?
“Well, I do kind of want to take you to Alaska, and there’s a short window when we can go because of the long winters…”
“We couldn’t go the next summer? What if I want to wait until Alison is done with school? If she sticks with honors classes, I’ll be teaching her until she graduates. It could be awkward.” She knew she could make it work with teaching Alison. She needed to know his reaction, though. She needed to know what his level of commitment to her really was.
Lost Love (Lazy Love Book 4) Page 6