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Val cut the ribbons. He slid the heavy doors open and gestured them inside. The interior smelled of freshly sanded wood and paint. Awed, she scanned the benches and the cupboards attached to the walls. She didn’t know how many students she’d have but the three beautiful pine benches would hold at least five students each. At the front of the room was a lovely desk she didn’t know he’d built. Seeing it brought tears. “Oh, Drake. It’s lovely.”
She ran a light hand over the surface, eyed the drawers on each side of the desk’s compact top, and could already imagine herself standing behind it while looking out at her students’ eager faces.
Julianna said, “You did a fine job, Drake. A fine job.”
Brimming with emotion, Val asked, “How am I ever going to repay you?”
“Just give your students the finest education you can and that will be payment enough.”
They inspected the second car. The benches were a bit farther apart. “Adults will need more room for their knees,” he said.
Julianna asked Val, “When will you open?”
“As soon as possible.”
“This is very exciting,” Julianna said. “Make a list of the supplies you’ll need, and I’ll help with the purchases.”
Val was moved by her generosity. “Thank you.” She looked to Drake and her feelings for him filled her so, she had no words. As if he could read her mind, he simply nodded and said, “You’re welcome.”
Val floated through the drive back to Julianna’s house. She thought about lesson plans and compiling the list of supplies she’d need, and all the while her brain kept shouting,I have a school!
When they reached the house, Juliana asked Drake, “Are you having dinner with us?”
“No. Hugh’s throwing a send-off for one of his men going back to Tennessee.”
Val was disappointed that she wouldn’t get to spend the evening with him but kept it to herself. They’d have time together eventually.
As she and Julianna entered the house, Reba appeared and said, “Valinda. Wire came for you while you were gone.”
Puzzled, Val took the paper and opened it. The message it bore shattered the day’s joy.
“Is everything okay?” Julianna asked.
“No. It’s from my father. He’s demanding I come home.” Deflated, she refolded the paper and slipped it into the pocket of her skirt.
“What are you going to do?” Julianna asked.
“Send him a wire back that says no.”
Julianna reached out and gave her hand a sympathetic squeeze. “We’ll support you any way we can.”
“Thank you.”
Henri, back from a business appointment, joined them for dinner, but Val had no appetite.
After dinner, Julianna and Henri left for an evening at the Opera House while a gloomy Val sat outside in the gazebo. Once her father received her reply, she was certain he’d come to New Orleans hell-bent on dragging her home. She hated the thought of the shouting match that would follow, but she was not going back to New York. Her school would be opening soon and that needed to be her focus, not wondering how much time she had before he arrived. She blew out a breath and sighed. Maybe she could find a voodoo woman who could turn her into a bird so she could fly away and become herself again once he was gone. Or maybe she could run away and join the circus. That silly thought made her smile. She thought of appealing to her mother for support, but she’d never take Val’s side in something so critical, so Val would find no help there. After much thought, she concluded that the only way to send her father back to New York was for her to already have a husband when he arrived. The chances of that were nil, so she’d have maybe two weeks to prepare herself for the shouting match. Hearing footsteps she turned to see Drake step into view. “Hello,” she said quietly.
He sat beside her. “What’s wrong?”
She took the wire out of her pocket and handed it to him.
He read it. “I see.”
“I figure he’ll be here in two weeks or less.”
“You sure?”
“Once I send him my response tomorrow? Positive.”
