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Chapter 21
Thane
“Mr. Stovich, could you carry the lunches to the bus for me?” Jack’s teacher, Mrs. Leeper, asks me as we prepare to head out on a class field trip.
“Sure, “ I tell her and lift the huge round tub full of all the children’s lunches. “Should I take them now?”
“Yeah, the bus is out front. We’ll meet you out there.”
“Okay.”
Heading out of the school, I can’t help but feel disappointed that Faye is not here today. She was supposed to attend this field trip too. We’d talked about it weeks ago, but after everything, I guess she’s changed her mind.
As I exit the school, I knock on the door to the bus, and when the driver opens it, I tell him, “I have lunches for Mrs. Leeper’s class.”
“Just set them on either first row of seats.”
“Thanks,” I tell him and head back towards the school.
I hear someone walking behind me, and when I look to see Faye as gorgeous as ever coming towards me, I couldn’t be happier.
“You made it,” I tell her.
“I did, I needed to go and see Ben this morning. That’s why I’m running late.”
“Oh, okay,” I respond, not sure what I should say. I can’t ask how he is or anything like that. So I go with, “You look good. Really good.”
“So do you,” she says, and I want to touch her lips, her soft plump lips, but then the door to the school opens and out files the class.
“Mommy,” Braxley yells and runs over to her, giving her a hug. “I thought you weren’t gonna make it.”
“Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
He hugs her again and runs back to Jack, getting in line as they file onto the bus.
“Thanks for handling the lunches,” the teacher says, and I give her a wave. “No problem, I’ll meet you there.”
Reaching into my pocket for my car keys, I look at Faye and give her a friendly hug, then say, “I should probably get going.”
“Yeah, me too.”
We walk across the lot together, our hands brushing against each other’s. As we both walk up to our cars, I ask her, “Do you want to ride with me?”
“Okay,” she agrees, and I unlock the doors, so surprised that she is actually coming with me. As we get into my car, the bus drives off and the other parents file out of the lot, following as well. I start the engine and back up as Faye says to me, “I owe you an apology.”
I glance over at her, wondering where this is all coming from.
“You really don’t. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I did, Thane, I pushed you away, when all you were doing was helping me, and for that, I’ll always be sorry.”
“I get where you were coming from; I’d probably have done the same thing. But it’s all good.”
“No, it’s not,” she says, and part of me feels like she wants to argue with me or something.
“I’m not sure what you want from me, Faye.”
“I want us to start over, a clean slate.”
