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“Oh!” He barreled down the stairs, somehow sounding like a herd of elephants stomping down them instead of a five-year-old. He stepped into his shoes, and I crouched to help him tie them. I did it slowly, talking through each step so he could learn how to do it.
“Alright, let’s go.” I grabbed my purse and hustled him out the door. Thankfully, the drive to Willow Brook Falls Elementary didn’t take long which would make taking him to school and picking him up a lot easier. The August heat nearly stole my breath as I stepped out of the air conditioned sanctuary of my SUV and onto the black top. I was surprised the soles of my shoes didn’t melt into it.
“Sign in here please,” the secretary at the registration table instructed before handing me a stack of papers. There were questionnaires and medical forms along with supply lists and classroom information. It was a lot to take in.
We were ushered into a room lined with tables full of bouncing five-year-olds and their parents. We found an empty seat next to a young blonde woman and a little girl with pale pigtails and a beaming smile.
“Hi,” the girl said with a wave. Elijah waved back, shyly tucking himself into my side.
“I’m Harper,” she chirped.
“I’m Eli,” he replied timidly.
Her mother offered me a friendly smile. “Since we’re making introductions, I’m Brynlee.” She reached out for a shake, and I took her hand in mine.
“Melody,” I offered.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
“Did he go to preschool here?” she asked, nodding to Eli. “I don’t remember seeing you around.”
“No, we just moved here a couple months ago.”
“That would explain why I don’t recognize you.” I gave her a questioning look, and she chuckled. “Small town. Everybody knows everybody,” she explained. That was something I’d have to get used to. “Welcome to Willow Brook Falls.” Her genuine smile and kind eyes won me over.
“Thank you. I’ve actually been here before. I used to spend summers with my grandparents when I was a kid. They own the Willow Brook Inn.” Her eyes lit up in recognition.
“Oh, I know them. My parents don’t live too far from there.”
A young woman with a kind smile approached and handed each kid a goody bag with a few small toys, crayons, and a little notebook for drawing. She introduced herself as Ms. Davis, Elijah’s new teacher.
Shortly after, orientation commenced and she went over first day of school procedures, the curriculum, how to download the app teachers used for communication and posting updates along with other important information. “All this will be in the handbook you’ll receive before you leave. We’re the last class to go through orientation, so we ran out of copies,” she explained apologetically. “Our assistant principal, Mr. Phillips, is making more,” she assured us.
“If you’ll follow me, we’ll take a little tour of the classroom so the kids can see their desks and find their cubbies.” Everyone stood and filed out of the room to follow Ms. Davis. The parents helped their children find their seats. Harper’s was right next to Elijah’s.
“Look, we’re neighbors!” Harper announced, and a wide, toothy grin split Eli’s face. I was taking in the classroom—the pictures on the walls and brightly colored alphabet rug—when a static charge filled the air.
“Melody?” A deep, familiar voice sounded from behind me a moment later. I turned and nearly dropped everything. Gavin stood there, eyes wide in surprise with a thick stack of papers in his hands. “What are you doing here?” he asked, tucking the stack under his arm. He wore dress slacks and a button-down shirt, his beard and hair trimmed and neat, not the tousled, freshly sexed look he wore the last time I saw him. I shook away that memory and swallowed hard. I’d said I would call him, but I never did. I’d picked up my phone several times over the last couple months, but I couldn’t make myself dial his number. I’d been too busy with Eli and the inn to think about seeing someone. It was a one-time thing, something I needed to get out of my system. But damn if I didn’t think about doing it a second, third, or even a fourth time.
Despite how good we were together, I was glad I’d made that choice now. He was a teacher, and I didn’t have good luck with men in education.
We stared at each other a moment before I snapped out of my haze, remembering he’d asked me a question. I placed a hand on Elijah’s back, and Gavin’s gaze dropped to where my son sat at his desk.
“My son is going to school here.” His gaze returned to me and narrowed. He studied my face a moment then nodded.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Brynlee’s head swivel back and forth between us, taking in the entire exchange. “Hey, Gavin,” she said tentatively, and he turned to her, his features relaxing. “I mean, Mr. Phillips,” she added, her face growing serious before they both shared a chuckle.
Mr. Phillips? Shit, he wasn’t a teacher here. He was the assistant principal.
“Hey, Bryn,” he greeted affectionately and wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. A surge of jealousy flashed through my veins, but I quickly tamped it down. I had no reason or right to be jealous. “You and Macon coming to the housewarming party this weekend?”
“Of course. Your mom has already bribed us with pecan pie. We couldn’t really turn that down now, could we?” He chuckled and ruffled Harper’s hair. “Hey, Half Pint. Are you ready for kindergarten?”
“Uh huh.” She nodded emphatically.
The sight of this big, bearded man interacting with the sweet little girl did something funny to my insides. I needed to put a stop to it and quick. Gathering my son, we stopped at his cubby so he would know which one was his, and we slipped out of the classroom undetected. Or so I thought.
