AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let’s go.” He walked off.
They disembarked and took a shuttle to the airport. After they arrived and went through security, Damian dropped into a chair to wait. Thankfully they had a morning flight, as he had no desire to sit around for hours. When the time came, he boarded the plane, settled into the seat and closed his eyes.
Had Karen gotten the note? Or was she—as the gentleman last night put it—sending him a message? The whys and what-ifs continued to attack him, and as the plane lifted off, he was left with wondering, once again, what could have been.
Chapter 9
Karen received a warm welcome back when she walked through the school office early Monday morning and her students greeted her with squeals, laughter and hugs. It was just the lift she needed after spending another restless night thinking about Damian. Last night, when she reached into the tote bag and took out the two books, the photo of her and Damian from Dunn’s River Falls slipped out. She had lingered over every detail of his face and body—wet, sun-browned, smooth skin with those swim trunks plastered against him, hazel eyes and that killer smile.
Why couldn’t she have stuck to her promise to stay away from men? They only brought on heartaches and headaches. Karen couldn’t bring herself to throw the picture out and, after much inner debate, had placed it in the nightstand drawer. As much as she wanted to think of Damian as a fling, she knew, in those few short days, he had become more. But she’d never see him again and prayed his memory would fade soon.
Bringing herself back to the present, she hugged as many students as she could. “Okay. Let’s line up.” The students quickly got in line, and she led them to the classroom.
Karen took care of attendance and lunch count, then went over the daily schedule.
“Ms. Morris?” a student called. “Did you take any pictures?”
“Yes. As soon as everyone is quiet, I’ll show you a few, and then we’ll have journal writing.” She had downloaded some of the pictures onto a flash drive. Once the students settled, she turned the lights off and projected the pictures she’d taken onto the screen. They oohed and aahed as each picture filled the screen. Afterward, she turned the lights back on. “All right. Today in your journals I want you to tell me about your favorite vacation. Remember to do your best writing—letters on the line, spaces between words and correct capitalization and punctuation.”
The day went by in a blur. She waited until the students were ready to leave before handing out the souvenirs. By the time the last student left, Karen was exhausted but glad to be back doing what she loved. She was putting the last of the books on a shelf when she heard a voice behind her.
“Hey, Karen.”
“Hey, Melissa.” Melissa Tucker was the school psychologist. Karen often helped her lead the conflict management group.
“Girl, I’ve been waiting all day to talk to you. I want to hear about that cruise.” She took a seat on the edge of a desk.
Karen told her all about the wedding, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
“That sounds heavenly. So, did you meet any hot guys while you were there?” she asked slyly.
“I was there to see my best friend get married and relax, not meet guys.” Karen walked over, sat at her desk and shut down her computer. The last thing she wanted was a reminder of the hot guy she had met.
Melissa came and stood in front of the desk, scrutinizing Karen with an intensity that almost made her squirm in the chair. She braced both hands on the desk. “Oh, my goodness! You met somebody, didn’t you?”
“I just told you—”
“Please. It’s written all over your face. Now spill it.”
Karen sighed heavily. “His name is—well, was Damian.”
“Ooh, does he look as fine as that name suggests?” Melissa asked with a grin.
“Finer,” she admitted. She told Melissa how she’d met Damian, about the time they spent in Jamaica and their subsequent night together.
“Sounds like you had a great time with a great guy.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too...until he stood me up and went MIA.” She shrugged. “Anyway, it’s no big deal. I’ll probably never see him again, and we had fun while it lasted. He was just someone to pass the time with on the cruise, that’s all.”
“Well, at least you weren’t bored,” Melissa said with a laugh.
