Page 11 of After the Rain

The observation surprised me. "Yeah? How so?"

"You seem less wound up. Like you're not carrying the world on your shoulders anymore."

I considered that as I headed back to my desk. Marcus wasn't wrong. The constant tension that had characterized the last few years of my marriage had largely disappeared. I still worried about Cooper, about money, about making the right choices as a single parent. But the exhausting effort of trying to be someone I wasn't had ended with my marriage.

Maybe that's why I felt optimistic about this meeting with Ezra. For the first time in years, I was talking to someone who seemed genuinely interested in Cooper's wellbeing without any hidden agenda.

At three o'clock, I headed home to change out of my work clothes, trading my button-down for a casual polo shirt. Professional but not too formal for a coffee meeting.

The Moonbeam was busy with the usual after-school crowd. I picked a booth near the window and ordered coffee while trying to calm my nervous energy.

The waitress, a woman whose name tag read "Dolores," filled my mug. "You meeting someone, hon?"

"Yeah, in a few minutes."

"First date?" She winked at me.

"No, just... a meeting. About my son's education."

"Uh-huh." Dolores didn't look convinced.

When Ezra walked through the door at exactly four o'clock, something in my chest tightened.

Seeing him outside the context of school, dressed in dark jeans and a soft gray sweater instead of his classroom attire, made him seem more real somehow. More human. The afternoon light highlighted the gold in his blonde hair, and when he spotted me and smiled, I felt that flutter again.

Relief washed over me. He looked genuinely pleased to see me, not like someone fulfilling a professional obligation. His smile reached his eyes, and there was warmth in his expression that made me think maybe I hadn't been imagining the connection between us.

I stood to greet him, unsure of the etiquette for this not-quite-professional, not-quite-personal meeting. We shook hands, and I noticed how his palm felt warm and solid against mine, how our eyes held contact a moment longer than necessary.

"Thanks for making time for this," I said as we settled into the booth.

“You’re welcome. I always enjoy getting to know my students' families better."

But there was something in his tone that suggested this was about more than standard parent-teacher relationship building.

Dolores appeared with a coffee pot. "What can I get you, hon?" she asked Ezra.

"Just coffee, thanks. Black."

"You boys want anything to eat? Apple pie's fresh today."

I glanced at Ezra, who hesitated. "I should probably just stick with coffee."

"The pie here is actually really good," I said, then immediately felt awkward.

"Well..." Ezra smiled, but there was something uncertain in it. "Maybe just a small piece."

"Two pieces," I told Dolores, surprising myself.

After she left, an awkward silence settled between us. This was harder than I'd expected—sitting across from each other without the buffer of Cooper or the structure of a school conference.

"So," I said finally, then realized I had no idea how to finish that sentence.

"So," Ezra echoed, and I caught the hint of amusement in his voice.

"Small towns. Everyone knows everyone's business."

"You're not kidding. I'm still getting used to that after Portland."

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