Page 8 of Always Mine

“I…I’m trying not to think about that night.” It was a huge confession from him. Diego played things close to the vest.

“Stuffing your emotions isn’t a good idea.”

“So I’ve heard. Still, stay and distract me.”

“All right. For a bit.”

He lay back into the pillows. “You came back to town and were teaching at Remington Prep, right?”

“I did. But I left the school. I’m teaching at Pathways, now.”

His brows rose. “You gotta be kidding me.”

“I know I don’t look like I’m suited to deal with troubled boys who would have gone to juvie if they hadn’t come to us.”

“You must drive them nuts.”

She couldn’t hold back a half-smile. “You always did this. To you, I was the prettiest girl in the room.”

“You were. You are.”

She tried not to react to that. Seth had told her a million times she was beautiful. Coming from Diego shouldn’t thrill her so much. “In any case, I’ve been successful for three years.”

“You teach English?”

“Pathways calls it Humanities, but it includes language arts and social studies. Sometimes we use art and music.”

“Ah.”

“Remember Maisy Shepherd? She was in my high school class. She teaches Social Studies and is my partner. We coordinate our units.”

“Huh. She was a looker too.”

“Diego, we’re both highly skilled teachers. Show some respect.”

“Lo lamento.” He didn’t sound like he was sorry, though. “I revert to a macho sometimes. You like it there?”

“It’s very satisfying. More so than teaching privileged kids.”

“Is Pathways state funded?”

“No, it’s supported by a conglomerate. Kane Enterprises. The CEO is a billionaire who was in trouble as a youth. He’s giving back to people who helped him get out of that life.” She sighed. “There are so many good people in the world.”

“You always were a Pollyanna.”

She ignored his teasing. “Now, tell me about you. You’re still a cop, obviously. You must like it.”

His face fell. “I did.” He shuddered. “Not sure I can do it again because of my shoulder.” He glanced away. “Or if I want to.”

Sympathy welled inside her. “Because of what happened that night?”

“Yeah.” He moved restlessly. “Change the subject, please.”

“Tell me about your shoulder then.”

“You know they did surgery to get the shrapnel. I’m here for a few days to prevent infection and for wound treatment. I’m going home soon, I hope.”

“Will a nurse come to your house?”

---