Ron didn’t see her enter the auditorium. But he knew the moment she stepped onto the stage. The air changed and became electric. His pulse sped up ahead of his heart. His palms itched to be full of her. But he waited. He had a plan.
Syd Rowen took the stage coming to stand in front of the whiteboard Ron had pulled behind the podium. The youthful-looking gray-haired man could’ve stood in for Ron’s older brother. “Thank you for having us.”
The man launched into an age-appropriate speech about his taking tests in his youth. His antics and animated delivery had the kids giggling and actually listening. Rowen clearly understood his audience, and Ron felt even more certain that he’d made the right decision to put all his eggs in the Thrive basket.
As Rowen went on, he lost Ron’s attention. Ron turned to a figure just off the stage, standing behind the curtain. Kylee was looking down at her notes. Ron knew from their youth that she didn’t like speaking off the cuff. He knew she’d have her remarks prepared, not leaving anything to chance. That was his Kylee.
His Kylee.
When her gaze lifted, it found his immediately. He knew that, even through the crowded room, she’d seen him because she took a deep inhale. Ron watched as her shoulders rose. The movement accentuated her collarbones and Ron’s mouth watered.
He hoped their silent communication was working today. He squinted his eyes, trying to let her know that he was sorry for his actions in her office. He’d been out of line and inappropriate to bring personal matters into a professional environment.
Kylee tilted her head to the side. In his heart, Ron was certain the movement was meant to tell him that he was forgiven, and also to ask for his apology for the debacle with her ex.
Ron nodded, eager to let her know that her apology wasn’t needed. He needed Kylee to know that there was a blank space in his life, and she was the only answer to that particular question. He was certain she got his answer when she smiled back at him.
At this point, Ron was tired of the muted gulf between them. He wanted to use words, he wanted to use his hands, he wanted to use his lips. But there was a room of children between them, and Kylee was now being called to the podium.
Her boss said her name. When she didn’t respond, because all of her focus was on Ron, Rowen repeated her name again. Kylee tore her gaze away from Ron and stepped up to the podium.
“It’s all right to make mistakes,” she said, not looking at her notes. “It’s how we learn. A test should teach you something. That’s the way I’ve designed these lessons for you guys. Would you like to see?”
The children gave a rousing chorus of agreement. Kylee turned to the whiteboard behind her. Instead of untacking the welcome sign, she turned the board around to the blank side. A chorus of giggles rose up at what was on the board.
Ron + Kylee = Forever was written in colorful dry erase marker.
Ron caught a few adult gazes go to Molly. Though the little girl had been a mischief maker in her first few weeks here, the kid’s gaze was all innocence. Ron could attest that this time it wasn’t her fault.
“Try the eraser,” Ron called out as he walked toward the stage.
Kylee did. But instead of erasing the equation, the eraser put purple sparkles over the solved problem. Finally, Kylee put the eraser down and simply gazed at the writing on the board.
“I think this is permanent marker,” said Kylee as Ron joined her on stage. Her voice carried in the microphone she still held in one hand.
“It is permanent,” said Ron. “And you just sprinkled it with fairy dust which seals the deal.”
Kylee’s lips parted, but no words left her mouth. A single tear left her right eyelid and Ron caught it with his thumb. She blinked, looking up at him as though he were the answer to a problem that had challenged her for a while.
“Did I get the math right?” Ron asked.
“Yes,” Kylee nodded. “You got the correct answer.”
“I’d kiss you now, but we have an audience full of impressionable kids.”
“It’s a lesson they need to learn,” shouted Mr. Rowen from the side of the stage. Beside him, Mrs. Steen dabbed at her eyes and shrugged, as though giving them permission.
Their encouragement was joined by the kids in the audience. For the first time in his life, Ron bowed to peer pressure and kissed the woman he planned to spend the rest of his life with in front of everyone that mattered to him. The sigh Kylee made against his lips was the bonus that told him he’d aced this final exam.
Epilogue
Molly grinned as she stared up at her mom and her soon to be step-dad. The kids around her applauded, giggled, ew’d and ah’d as the two of them pressed their lips together.
Molly didn’t applaud. She sat back with her arms crossed over her chest. A self-satisfied grin spread across her face at her handiwork.
“Wow,” she said. “That wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”
“What do you mean?”
Molly turned to her right and looked at the girl next to her. She was dark-haired with a pretty face. Molly had watched some of the meaner girls at the school point and whisper loudly about her. Mariana, that was her name.
Molly hated mean girls and had considered going over to those girls and telling them about themselves. But she was trying to stay out of trouble these days. And besides, it looked like Mariana had a friend of her own.
“Is that your mom?” Mariana’s friend asked. Molly believed her name was something like Lilly. Or maybe Lila?
“Yup,” said Molly. “And I just got myself a new dad. It all happened according to my plan.”
“I wish I had a dad like Principal Kidd,” said the girl with the name that began with L.
“Yeah, I know Lizzie. Principal Kidd is awesome,” said Mariana.
“Your dad’s awesome,” said Lizzie.
“Yeah, he is. But I wish I had a mom like yours.”
“Yeah, my mom’s pretty great.”
The two girls turned back to the stage to watch Molly’s mom and her new dad who were still on the stage. They’d stopped with all the kissy face and were now talking about the upcoming tests that all the kids would have to take.
Molly wasn’t interested in the tests. She was an excellent test taker like her mom. She had no worry that she would ace whatever questions this test held.
Molly didn’t take her eyes off the two girls. They didn’t see what’s so plain to her. They each had the answer to the other’s problem. They just didn’t realize it yet. But Molly had a feeling they’d latch onto the idea real soon…
What’s Next?
Read the prologue of MOMMY LOVES THE MILITARY MAN book 2 of Mommy’s Little Matchmakers…
Lizzie darted out the door as soon as the bell rang for recess. The last fifteen minutes of class had been so long. Why did they have to study math? It made no sense to her. But class was over now, and she got to play with Mariana. Thank God her new best friend had moved to town over the summer. Lizzie had seen her across the playground on the first day of school, slumped in a swing, kicking at the dirt while all the other girls huddled and gossiped in the corner. Those girls were mean, talking about other people. So, Lizzie had asked the dark-haired girl if she could swing with her.
The girl’s eyes lit up. Lizzie knew right away that they would be friends. And by the end of that recess, they had made plans to sit together at lunch.
Lizzie screeched when she saw Mariana across the playground. “Mariana!”
Mariana ran up and hugged Lizzie like she hadn’t seen her just yesterday. Lizzie didn’t mind. After feeling like the outsider for the past few years, the girl from California who didn’t quite fit in Virginia, Lizzie finally had a best friend. Mariana grabbed Lizzie’s hand and started running. “I saved you a swing.”
Lizzie and Mariana plopped down side-by-side and started kicking their legs. A few minutes later, Lizzy was no longer worried about long division. “Whew, I’m so glad class is over. Mrs. Simmons was in a bad mood tod
ay.”
“Mrs. Martin was no better. She made us recite our parts of speech all morning. Blech.”
Lizzie would spend all day in English class if she could. She loved to read and write stories. For Mariana, English was tough, but she loved math. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. “My mom made me sit at the table last night and work long division problems for thirty whole minutes. What is it about grownups?”
Mariana smiled at Lizzie but the twinkle faded. Her mom had died a few years back. It was just her and her dad.
“Maybe we can have a sleepover this weekend.” Lizzie had been bugging Mom since the day she’d met Mariana to have her over. Mom hadn’t said no, but she was so busy that she hadn’t had time to make the arrangements. Or at least that was what she said.
“Really? That would be great. But I don’t know if my dad will let me. He doesn’t want me to go anywhere. I wish I had a mom like yours.”
“If you had my mom, we’d be sisters.” That would be perfect. Yes, Lizzie complained about her mother. But nothing was better than having Mom kiss her head each night when she went to bed. And knowing Mom would be there when she woke up in the morning.
“Your mom makes the best chocolate cupcakes.” Mariana kicked the ground and spun herself on the swing. “Do you think she’ll bring them to the next class party?”
Lizzie’s mom didn’t have much time to volunteer at school, but Lizzie had convinced Mom to help the teacher at the monthly birthday party so she could meet Mariana. Mom had agreed that Lizzie’s friend was awesome.
As Lizzie kicked her feet and pulled them back, inspiration struck. “Oh, my gosh, I’ve got a great idea.”
Mariana dug her heels into the ground and stopped her swing. “What? Tell me.”
“You don’t have a mom. If we were sisters, like we want, then my mom would be your mom…”
Mariana picked up on where Lizzie was going. “… and my dad would be your dad.”
“Wouldn’t that be great?”
Mariana’s face fell. “But my dad doesn’t even know your mom. They’d have to get married for us to be sisters.”
“Exactly. Isn’t that great? Not only would I get a sister, my mom would have a new husband.”
Mariana shook her head. “I don’t know. My dad works a lot. I don’t think he wants a new wife.”
“Sure he does. This is going to be great. Here’s what we have to do.” Lizzie whispered in Mariana’s ear. As Lizzie explained her plan, Mariana’s eyes widened. Soon, she pitched in with ideas of her own, and by the end of their conversation, Mariana’s head was bobbing up and down.
Perfect. Now they had a plan.
What happens next?
Don’t wait to find out…
Head to Amazon to purchase or borrow your copy of MOMMY LOVES THE MILITARY MAN so that you can keep reading this sweet romance series today!
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Read the first chapter of LOVE’S PRAYER, book 1 of the FIRST STREET CHURCH ROMANCES…
Ben Davis had once believed in God. He had once believed in miracles, fate, divine intervention, and all the similar lies people tell themselves to get through the day. Perhaps if he still believed, he wouldn’t find himself so tempted to never get out of bed—not even to eat—and to eventually die a slow, private death in the only place that still offered him any comfort at all.
On this day, a Thursday, he spent longer than usual blinking up at the ceiling and wondering if he should just end it all with a swift bullet to the brain. After all, that’s what his older brother, Stephen, had done seven years ago. He’d wandered into the town square and shot himself clean in the face for all of Sweet Grove to see. People still talked about it to this day, and those who didn’t speak of it definitely thought of it.
Like his mother, Susan. She waded through the memories, attempting to silence them with the bottle. But even though the liquor often ran out, her grief remained endless, unquenchable.
Ben wasn’t saddened by the loss of his brother. Even though he sometimes felt as if he should be. No, he was angry—rage was another unquenchable commodity in the Davis household. Stephen had selfishly chosen to end it all. He’d hurled his issues straight at Ben, who, ever since that day, had been tasked with paying the mortgage, tending to their mother who had spiraled down the dark path of addiction, and without an outlet to enjoy any of the things he had spent years working toward and hoping for.
He’d turned down his full-ride scholarship to college, because he needed to take care of things in Sweet Grove—things that only got worse the more his mother was left to grapple with her grief. Recovery remained a summit she just couldn’t reach, no matter how hard she climbed. So he’d turned the university down year after year, and eventually the admissions board had stopped asking.
Which left him here today, staring up at the popcorn ceiling above his twin-size bed, no longer bothering to wonder if life could ever be any different. At 6:12, he placed one foot after another onto the shaggy carpet and went to clean up for work. At 6:25, he was out the door with a piece of half-toasted bread in one hand and a banana in the other. He had five minutes to make the short walk from the quaint—and “quaint” was putting it kindly—home he shared with his mother to the local market where he worked as a bagger and delivery boy. Yes, even his job title suggested a temporary arrangement, a job better suited to a boy than the twenty-four year old man he had become.
“Good morning!” sang his boss, Maisie Bryant, as he tromped through the sliding glass doors. Each morning she arranged a fresh display of local produce and other seasonal specialties right at the front of the shop. As always, she took great pride in her work.
Ben hated that his boss was only a couple of years older than him. Maisie had managed to escape town long enough to earn a degree before returning to run her family’s grocery store. While he didn’t know the exact numbers, he could bet that the youngest Bryant child made at least triple what he did for the same day’s work. But that was life for you—or at least for Ben. Never fair, not in the least.
“Don’t I get a hello?” Maisie teased him as always. Some days he liked her chipper demeanor. This was not one of those days.”
“Hi,” he mumbled. “I’m going to go check the stock. See you in a bit.”
“Wait,” she called before he could manage to make his escape. “I’ll handle the stock. The staff over at Maple’s called, and they need a delivery first thing. Think you can handle that? The purchase order is on the clock desk.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
Ben hurried to put the order together and load up the designated Sweet Grove Market truck. A smiling red apple beamed from the side of the cargo box. He hated that thing, but he did like having the opportunity to drive around a little, let the wind wash over him as he rolled about town. It sure beat walking everywhere, and since it offered his only opportunity to get behind the wheel, he relished every chance he got. Occasionally, Maisie would let him borrow the truck to head into the next town over and lose himself in the sea of unfamiliar faces.
He’d once loved living in the type of place where everyone knew everyone, and everyone looked out for everyone, but he hated how people who had once been his friends had begun to pity him. Ever since Stephen’s death, they couldn’t even look at him without betraying that sadness. Ben had become a reminder of how fragile life could be, of how everything could go to hell in the briefest of moments. And though their words were kind and their smiles were omnipresent, Ben knew better. He knew that he’d become a burden to them all, that his presence brought them sorrow.
At first he’d tried to redirect them, to speak of something—anything—else, but after a while he just grew tired. It was easier to avoid them than to constantly have to apologize for the blight his terrible, selfish brother had brought onto their town. He’d have left if he could. By vehicle or bullet, it didn’t matter.
But his mother needed him. And as small and insignificant as it seemed, so did Mai
sie.
So he remained, day after day.
And so began another dark morning for Ben Davis.
Summer Smith arrived in Sweet Grove right around that awkward time of day when the sun was starting to set and ended up in her eyes no matter how hard she tried to look away. She loved sunshine, which is why she’d jumped at the chance to attend college in Southern California, but now those four years had reached their conclusion and had left Summer more confused than ever about her future.
Thank goodness her Aunt Iris needed her to run the Morning Glory flower shop for the season. Aunt Iris was going off on some fancy cruise she’d been saving up for half her adult life. True, that didn’t speak well of the money to be earned being a small-town florist, but, then again, Summer had never been much taken with flowers anyhow.
The problem remained that she’d never really been much taken with anything. And now that she’d reached that pivotal stage of needing to pick a career and finally set down roots, she was hopelessly lost. Two months, one week, and three days—that’s how much time she had to figure it out. At that point, Aunt Iris would return from her sail around the world and be ready to take back her shop and home. So for the next two months and some-odd days, Summer would be living a borrowed life. Luckily, she’d always liked her Aunt Iris.
Her aunt greeted her at the door wearing a brightly colored blouse with leaf fronds printed along the neckline, and with freshly dyed hair that still smelled of chemicals. “Oh, there’s my Sunny Summer!” she cooed.
Summer laughed as her aunt hopped up and down, holding her tight. The hug probably could have lasted for days if a loud screeching hadn’t erupted from deep within the small ranch house. Iris let go of her niece and breezed through the doorway, dragging the smaller of Summer’s suitcases behind her.
“Oh, enough, Sunny Sunshine!” she called in the direction of the screeching, leaving Summer to wonder if her aunt affixed Sunny to the start of everyone’s name these days.
Mommy Loves the Principal Page 9