Page 22 of Road Trip
I blinked for a second. A teacher?
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, offering my hand.
They all shook it nervously, shooting looks at Abra and giggling.
“Hey, aren’t you a cop?”
One of the boys looked at me as though we’d met before.
“I am.”
He squinted a bit and then smiled. “Yeah! That’s right. You pulled over my brother once. Dumbass ran a red light. Uh, I mean, it wasn’t too smart to—”
I smiled, letting him off the hook. “It happens to everyone.”
Abra seemed pleased with the way I handled the interaction. She ruffled the kid’s hair.
“Maybe we’ll see you on the lawn?” one of the girls asked.
Abra laughed and shook her head. “Uh, no. I’m too old to be sitting on the grass. I like to put my butt in the seats now. But you guys have fun and be careful.”
They hugged her again and skipped off, shouting and laughing.
“You were asking, and there’s your answer,” she said with a laugh. “I’m a school counselor.”
“Isn’t that the school where the teacher and her student were shot last year?” I felt my stomach drop. My partner’s cousin taught at that school and she’d been shot out front with a student. The case was coming up pretty soon and he wasn’t looking forward to it. Man. And now I had a vested interest in the school. I’d just met this woman and yet I was worried about her already.
“Yeah. My friend Leah and my student Micah. It was awful,” she said, her arms coming around her midsection. She blew out a breath and continued, her voice cracking a bit. “She ended up moving away to Iowa to become a teacher there. I miss her like crazy, but I think if I’d been through what she went through, I’d probably want a change of scenery, too.”
Yeah, I could relate. “I’m so sorry. Don’t you worry about your safety there? There’s a lot of gang activity in that area.” No matter what happened between us after this runaway, I knew she’d be on my mind and I would worry about her working there.
She frowned up at me and put her hands on her hips. “The kids are great on campus. They usually keep their drama off campus. Our principal is on top of everything and they really respect her. You’d get a whole different experience if you saw them at school. Even the most ingrained, affiliated kids act like teddy bears at school. It renews my faith in humanity daily.”
She was so inspired by her work. I admired that.
“I used to be like that about the job. Now…I don’t know. But the fact that you stopped to help me when you easily could have driven off gives me a little hope.”
“I couldn’t have driven off,” she said, a smile creeping up on one side of her mouth. “I had to pee, remember?”
It seemed she didn’t take thanks very well.
“Well, I appreciate it nonetheless.”
She blushed and it made her look so vulnerable, I couldn’t help kissing her again. And again. And…
“I’m sorry. I can’t seem to help myself.” I laughed. Now I was the one who was blushing. Her tiny hands came up to cup my jaw.
“Then please. Continue. I’ll let you know if I’m not enjoying it. Don’t hold your breath for that to happen, though.”
We hugged each other and continued watching the band’s set. I loved watching her sway a little to the music she didn’t know, and then when a song she did know came on, she swung her head from side to side, threw a fist up in the air, and gave the devil horns. I barely paid attention to the performers.
We wandered a bit after the first band. She said it would be a while until a better one came on. I was totally along for the ride. So far the music was okay, nothing special and not too terrible. Booths were set up all over selling jewelry and T-shirts with raunchy sayings. She held up one that had a huge rooster on it. I read it out loud.
“‘Rock out with your’—OH! Good grief! People actually wear those?”
She giggled and picked out another one.
“This one is perfect for you, but I don’t want you advertising.”
