Page 66 of Second Start: Family
The door opened.
“Sorry,” Vicky called immediately, backing out. “Was just checking on Kenzie. Wondering what was holding her up. Now I know.”
She chuckled.
“No, no. Vicky, it’s not like that.” Kenzie stepped out of his hold and grabbed the other woman’s arm. “Please. Don’t go. Please.”
Vicky stopped retreating, sending him a questioning look.
“It was that way,” he told her, “but Kenzie says it’s wrong. Parent of her students.”
“You’re kidding? No I see you’re not,” Vicky said. “Don’t be idiots. We’ll swap classes. I’ll take the little ones and tutor Dan. You take the older class. By the time Molly and Lizzie get to the older class, you’ll have been together so long nobody will think anything of it. Or we’ll swap back. Or — be still my heart — get a third room and a third teacher. Or something.
“But don’t give up this chance only because this is Mason, Wyoming, and not a big school with multiple classes of each grade. Don’t close the door. Don’t.”
Her voice didn’t crack, but her pain came through clearly. Hall gripped her arm.
She cleared her throat. “Yeah. Well. I understand if you keep it quiet at first, in case it evaporates—”
“It won’t,” Hall said flatly.
“—but then we’ll figure out the school end of it and give everybody the solution, all tied up.”
Hall looked at Kenzie.
She did not meet his gaze.
Vicky said, “I’ll leave you two now, but I’m serious. Don’t be idiots.”
The door closing behind her left a … he didn’t know what. Not a silence, because the awareness of each other vibrated strongly enough that it seemed to make a humming sound. At least in his head.
Kenzie dropped her head. “I can’t, Hall. I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“But you want to?”
She flashed a look at him, then dropped her head again.
She wanted.
“That doesn’t change it. I can’t.”
The hum didn’t diminish.
But he wasn’t going to try to push her. “Lock up. I’ll walk you to your trailer.”
“There’s no need…”
He didn’t bother arguing and she didn’t bother finishing the protest.
She locked up. He did not help her with her jacket or otherwise touch her. He did walk her to her trailer.
“Thank you. Good night.”
“Good night, Kenzie.” He couldn’t resist brushing a snowflake from her hair before leaving her.
The hum was as strong as ever when he drove away.
*
