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He came forward and studied the table where her laptop and second monitor were set up and secured.
“Maybe, but I don’t think so. That looks like a permanent setup to me. I think it’s hidden in the back half. Designers wouldn’t put the main bed across from the door, would they?”
Huh. Rissa hadn’t thought about that before. Maybe she could do an episode called Why is the door there? It would be interesting to think about houses, apartments, businesses, and trailers. Secret rooms, too. She could tie it into architecture and blueprints.
Charlie studied the shelves on both side walls, and then the floor space. Each shelf had a lip that held her teaching bins in place. “Is your bed hidden in the wall? Maybe behind the shelves somehow. Is there a secret door like they used to hide in castles? No, that couldn’t work; there’s not enough space, even though these shelves are deeper here than on the other side. Maybe it drops from the ceiling.”
She grinned as he looked up and shook his head when he realized that wouldn't work either.
Rissa moved to the shelf. “You’re on the right track with the shelves, but the bed isn’t hidden behind the wall. It is the wall.”
Charlie studied the shelf and quickly found the release hooks. When they lowered the bed to show the mattress and bedcovers, he grinned. “That’s wild.”
“It’s called a Murphy bed, and they’re great for small spaces.”
Once the bed was back in place, Charlie turned his attention to the bins covering the shelves. “The shelves are built to hold the bins in place when you move the bed up and down. Very cool. You’re so organized.”
“Not much choice in a small space. Plus, it makes everything easier to find and prepare. The bin’s color represents its branch of science, making it easier to find what I’m looking for.”
They spent the next hour reviewing her organizational system and preparing equipment for the following week’s lessons.
By the time Charlie headed off to return to his home with his family, Rissa was far more relaxed.
She flopped onto the bench behind her workstation and sighed. Frizzle climbed the doggie steps to join her and settled into Rissa’s lap.
She patted her friend. “Thanks, Frizzle. Between you and Charlie, I’m feeling much more normal. I’ve got to figure out how to avoid Burke until we leave. Seeing as he’s avoided me for a decade, it shouldn’t be that difficult.”
She’d barely finished her sentence when there was a knock on her door. It could be Charlie, returning with another question or idea, but she doubted she’d be that lucky.
When Lawson’s voice called out, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hey, Rissa. Is this a good time for us to have a look at that engine of yours?”
“Sure is. Let me put on my boots and I’ll join you.”
And if part of her was disappointed that it wasn’t Burke knocking on her door, she wasn’t going to acknowledge it.
Burke grabbed a duffel and his laptop bag from his Blazer and tried not to stare at the RV he now knew was Rissa’s vehicle and her home.
He was an ass.
He hadn’t meant the question to sound like she didn’t have any right to be there, but that’s probably how it came out. At least, that’s what his siblings told him. Repeatedly.
Maybe he should have stayed in Boston after all. Even if he’d stayed a few days longer, he would have missed her.
That would have been more comfortable for her, but Burke was glad he’d caught her. He had so many regrets about their friendship and how he’d screwed it up. Maybe he could find a way to fix some of it.
She’d bolted out of the dining room so quickly, he hadn’t even managed to get the apology out of his mouth.
The shock of seeing her ran deep. She’d always been a pretty girl. Now, she was a gorgeous woman.
Her glossy hair brushed her shoulders. She’d never grown it long, cutting it herself because there’d never been excess money in her house. Her asshole of a father drank himself into oblivion when he wasn’t working. When he could hold on to a job, that was.
Learning she was a science teacher meant she’d overcome her inherent shyness and lack of a good role model. Her mom had died before he met Rissa, and her dad was a drunken asshole.
In class, she was quiet and rarely engaged first, although she was friendly with everyone. She’d always loved kids and puzzles. This job seemed a perfect fit for her. He wanted to know how she’d managed it all.
Why hadn’t he kept in touch with her?
