River's End (River's End Series, #1)(52)
She kept her hands out. “Please take it. I intend to pay you back for everything, and start to support myself soon. I just wish I could pay you all of it.”
He took it, wishing she would just keep it. But he respected the sentiment. And surprisingly, he was starting to respect her. “You are. Tomorrow at Charlie’s school.”
She looked up and smiled. “Noon.”
He turned and left the small space. Shutting the door behind him, he breathed deeply as he glanced up toward the hills above the ranch. The spot he rescued her from. He liked being in the open space, and the fresh air, after being suddenly unable to breathe right inside the trailer with her. What the hell was that all about?
Chapter Sixteen
Erin walked into the classroom at noon with her stomach churning in knots. She hadn’t been in a classroom in years, but never liked them. However, she didn’t want to do anything to draw attention or shame to Charlie, and by extension, Jack. Jack who had strangely become the most important person in her life. She would be alone, destitute and in serious trouble if it weren’t for Jack’s intervention. Not only was he saving her, but also being nice about it. He rescued her in every sense of the word, all the while teaching her new and exciting things. The horses and the ranch became something that made her wake up filled with energy and interest towards the coming day, where nothing in her entire life had ever interested her before. Previously, she’d woken up to work, to survive, and to make it through. She never had a hobby, or a passion, or whatever her love for the horses and ranch were to her now.
Charlie beamed when he saw her. She smiled back as she glanced around. The classroom seemed transformed with paper butterflies hanging from the ceiling, and the desks set into squares of four with pink butcher paper and plastic table settings. It was quite elegant and lovely for a third grade classroom. No wonder Jack didn’t want anything to do with it. It was all women; mothers and grandmothers encircling their precious students. There wasn’t a man in sight.
She walked over to Charlie, having carefully dressed as best she could with her spare wardrobe. Wearing jeans and sandals, she added a dressy, purple top, which she found at a thrift shop this morning in preparation for the Tea. She wasted precious tip money on it, but felt it was important to make a good impression on behalf of the Rydells.
Charlie’s smile was so shy, it twisted Erin’s heart. He looked relieved that she was there as she sat down at the desk next to him.
“Good afternoon. I’m Allison Gray, Charlie’s teacher.”
Erin glanced up. Before her stood a pretty woman who, to Erin’s surprise, looked to be about her own age. She was of average height with a curvy figure, which she carefully tried to minimize under well-made slacks, and a pretty, ruffled, pale pink blouse. Allison’s hair was a bright, glossy red color, and was startling and unusual, owing to the way she wore it slicked back into a tight ponytail at the nape of her neck, and which she tried to keep concealed. Erin almost told her to let it loose, so the beautiful, rare color could speak for itself. The red hue made her think of Jack’s dark red hair.
Allison smiled at her and Erin couldn’t help smiling back. She had a welcoming kind of face, with flawless, white skin and freckles, and beautiful blue eyes that sparkled with genuine interest and life.
“I’m Erin Poletti. Charlie’s… well, I’m a friend of the family.”
Allison leaned in towards Erin with a smile as she spoke softly so Charlie couldn’t hear, “I’m so glad you could make it. Charlie’s been upset for nearly a month now. He was adamant Jack couldn’t come. And poor Jack tries so hard with his boys. But sometimes, there isn’t anything we can do.”
Except to ask the only woman that Jack didn’t really want in his life to substitute for his dead wife. Erin kept the real relationship she had with the Rydells to herself. She also wondered how much Allison knew about Jack. She wanted to ask, and wanted to know so much more than she already did, but instead, she merely smiled back at Allison, and primly folded her hands on the desk, hoping to get through the hour without creating any drama or obvious blunders.
Soon, the classroom was overflowing with a crowd of women. Erin hated it. She had little contact with groups of women, and especially women like these. Motherly women. Respectful, responsible, loving women with passels of children and closely-knit families, as well as proper manners. They knew how to behave at a tea. None of them was on a break from the coffee stand where she stood around in a bikini all day.
Pretty soon, a card was passed out to each woman from their respective student. Erin looked at the handmade card with a drawing of stick-Charlie, standing in a grassy pasture with a rainbow, and the sun, clouds and trees all around him. Next to him, was a hastily added girl figure that Erin suspected must’ve been she. She assumed Charlie must’ve snuck it on sometime this morning.
“All the students wrote a little poem to their mothers, or grandmothers, or special friends, whatever applies. I’d love to hear some of them.”
Erin’s heart froze as Allison spoke to the group and she stared at the white card. There were words across the front of it, as well as inside it. They were hand printed in crayon with the penmanship of a typical third grader. Allison wouldn’t call on her. She couldn’t. They didn’t know her. She’d call on people everyone else knew.
Charlie glanced at her. “Don’t you like it, Erin?”