Page 4 of Before We Fell

She grinned down at me and held out her hand. “Give me a piece and I’ll get this side.” When she was done, she stepped off the chair and both of us stood back, surveying the alphabetic banner.

“You always have the coolest room decor,” Brooke said, grinning at my walls.

It wasn’t a secret that I made most of my own decor. I even had my own online business on the side, selling my creations to other teachers. I spent hours every day during the summer coming up with new and inspired ideas for elementary students and teachers to keep learning fun and creative.

“Thanks,” I replied, as a slow heat crept up my neck. Accepting compliments wasn’t my strong suit.

Brooke turned to me, hands on her hips. “And I can’t believe you’re done already. How did you do this so fast with conferences?”

“I had one reschedule this afternoon and one didn’t show.”

Her light brown brows arched. “I guess that’s not a surprise. We always have a few. Bummer though.”

“It was Noah Wilkes.” A tightness clawed at my throat as I spoke his name.

“Oh…” Her bottom lip went to her teeth and she cringed.

Noah Wilkes was no secret to Carlton. Originally from here, he’d moved as soon as he went to college and never returned. He eventually went to law school and then went on to become some hot shot defense attorney in St. Louis. I knew from talking to his dad, Keith, occasionally that that profession made his head want to explode.

But Noah, along with his younger sister Amanda and their entire family, made the front page local paper early in the year when Amanda and her husband had been shot in a parking garage. Their young daughter Riley had been with them and it was assumed she’d seen it all. Shortly after, Noah was given custody of his niece and at some point this summer, he’d moved back to town.

I hadn’t seen him yet, and while I hadn’t exactly been looking forward to meeting him and Riley, I was definitely already feeling protective of the little girl.

When I saw her picture in the paper, huge blue eyes clutching a brown, stuffed dog to her chest at her parents’ funeral, my heart had never ached so bad.

“Yeah,” I said, and went to the small round table where I dropped the tape into a bucket. “I still can’t imagine everything they’re going through. And for him to give up everything.”

Word in town was that he’d quit his high-profile career and moved back to give Riley some stability and so she could be around her grandparents. I didn’t have any idea where her father’s side of the family was from, and while it was none of my business, I still couldn’t help but be curious.

The photo of Noah in the paper had taken my breath away, in an entirely inappropriate way. Grief lined his eyes, but it was the way he’d stared at the casket that stole my breath. He lookedvicious. Ready to get revenge on whoever had damaged his family. Severe cut jaw lined with a short beard and eyes that could set steel on fire with a glare, my heart had thumped at the way he’d had his arm wrapped around Riley, protecting her.

The last thing I should have been thinking about while reading that article was how hot the man was while he said his final goodbye to his sister. I also couldn’t deny I’d been on pins and needles all day waiting to meet the man in person.

“Andrew saw him at the hardware store earlier this week,” Brooke said. “We were several years younger than him and Amanda in school, so we didn’t really know them, but Andrew said the guy looked an absolute wreck.” She shook her head and frowned. “So sad. I feel so bad for them and how do you go from living alone in a city to caring for a little girl here? And after what she saw, God, my heart hurts just thinking about it.”

Andrew and Brooke had been married for years and had two kids of their own. High school sweethearts, they had also both grown up in Carlton, returning right after she graduated college.

“Enough gossip,” I said, brushing my hands down my thighs. “I’ll give him a call to reschedule, but I am definitely going to have to keep an eye on her this year.”

“Yeah, but if anyone can help her if she needs it, it’s you.”

Brooke was so sweet. Boisterous and sometimes over-the-top with her energy, she was also extremely loyal and one of the most genuine people I’d ever met. I adored her friendship.

“Thanks, Brooke.”

“No problem.” She clapped her hands together and then held them to her chest. “So, wanna help me do my room since yours is done?”

I grabbed my bucket with tape and scissors and push pins off the table and grinned. “Of course I do.”

Two

Lauren

All around me,a slew of children ran and screamed, basketballs went every which way, and there were squeals of glee as children flung themselves down the slides. I was on recess duty with Anna Caprice, one of the other teachers. We usually spent the time starting conversations where we hardly finished a sentence due to one of many children running up and interrupting. It wasn’t exactly my favorite time of day but due to budget restraints, for the last two years, us teachers had to share recess duty, giving the other teachers planning time, instead of the part-time employees the district used to hire for the purpose.

It was tiring, but not bad, just loud. With school in session for less than a week, summer still in full swing with the August heat beating down on us, the kids werewild.

All except Riley.

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