“Yeah.” He had to think. What did he need to tell her? “You’re amazing. You have to know that. Amazing.”
Her lips tucked inward in a small smile, and she rose to her feet with enviable ease.
“When you start sounding drunk, I figure it’s time for bed.” At some point, she’d maneuvered herself beneath his arm, and it seemed he was standing again. “Upsy-daisy. There you go.”
They made halting progress toward his bedroom, which seemed much further away than he remembered. And there was something he needed to tell her. Oh, right. “Amazing. So pretty. Soooo pretty.”
“At least you’re a happy drunk,” she muttered. “But you’re heavier than you look.”
Oh, no.
He dropped his chin to his chest and halted. “Sorry. Pills…hit me hard.”
“No, no. Don’t stop moving now.” She tugged him back into motion. “No need to apologize. It’s kind of fun to see buttoned-up Mr. Krause undone.”
Wait! That was what he needed to say. “Want to seeyouundone.”
“I think you just did.” Another few feet. “When you’re feeling better, you may get another chance. This time without drugs or tears. Or clothes.”
With a few gentle pushes and nudges, she got him onto his mattress, and he sank a mile deep. Oh, yeah. That felt good.
Was she speaking?
“—sleeping on your couch, and I’ll probably be gone before you wake up. But I’ll check on you in the afternoon, and if Bea doesn’t come to take care of you, I will.” Something warm and soft brushed his closed eyelids, then his cheek. “Sweet dreams, Martin.”
In a blind grab, he caught her hand. “Dream of you.”
Another tender brush against his cheek.
And that was the last thing he remembered until morning.
Thirteen
A week later,Martin packed up his second-period materials and eyed Rose with both admiration and frustration as she greeted her AP students at the door.
“Good morning, Vonnie.” She smiled at the slight young woman. “Last day before the exam. How are you feeling?”
Vonnie sagged in the doorway as other students edged around her. “Tired. But that horrible review packet helped. I feel more comfortable with the Gilded Age now.” Her mouth tipped up in a slight smile. “I kind of want to kick Vanderbilt in the nuts, though. I’d forgotten how awful he was.”
Rose snorted. “I’m pretty sure most of his business competitors felt the same way. And I’m happy to hear the packet did its job. Sometimes the most horrible things are also the most effective.”
As Vonnie began to wander toward her seat, Rose laid a gentle hand on her arm. “Honey, don’t stay up late studying tonight. You need your sleep more than anything else right now.”
The young woman’s back straightened, and she looked up at Rose with her heart so exposed, Martin almost looked away.
Her face soft with affection and absolute trust, she reminded her teacher, “You said the same thing last year in honors, right before the state test.”
“And you aced that test, didn’t you?” At Vonnie’s nod, Rose gave her a gentle push toward her desk. “That’s why you need to listen to me again. I’m always right. Now sit down before you fall down, and no energy drinks after school. Just sleep.”
The girl saluted and dropped into her chair. “Yes, Mom.”
Vonnie’s halfhearted snark didn’t conceal the connection between the two, and it wasn’t intended to. They understood one another perfectly.
This. This was the bond Rose had formed over two years with these students.
This was what Dale had stripped from her. From kids like Vonnie.
In that moment, Martin decided it wasn’t going to happen a second time.
