Beyond Promise (28 page)

~Karice

P.S. Keep reading for a glimpse of Mason and
Tori!

The last of the students shuffled out of the
room, and I leaned against my desk wondering what in the world I’d
signed up for. The silence wrapped around me and so did the dawning
realization that I’d be stuck on the island all summer. It seemed
like a good idea a few weeks ago, but once I arrived, I started
having immediate doubts. Maybe teaching tenth grade summer school
wasn’t the best idea to keep busy. I had more than enough to occupy
myself with managing my dad’s affairs and getting his house ready
to sell, but it was too late now. I’d signed a contract, and I
needed to make the best of the situation. It was very clear none of
the students wanted to be here and I didn’t blame them. Who would
want to spend a summer indoors on the island? I needed to come up
with a plan to get them interested and keep myself focused along
the way.

Easier said than done.

I looked around the dull and dingy classroom
and eyed the yellowed Shakespeare poster that been on the wall
since I’d attended school here, and I didn’t need to count the
years to know that had been a very long time ago. The beige walls
were spotty from years of touch-up paint, and the only improvement
I’d noticed was that the individual scarred wooden desks had been
replaced with long, plastic tables. This space was dismal. I
totally grasped why the kids wouldn’t want to be stuck inside this
room all summer while their friends got to run around the
island.

I’d always loved summers on the island, but
that was before my family splintered apart with never the hope of
coming back together again.

I kept in a sigh and began organizing the
students’ papers in a folder. So much of this place had stayed the
same. It was like going back in time and the only thing that had
managed to age during the process was me. Not a very amusing
thought since there were moments l still felt like a teenager
inside.

A breeze swept through an open window in the
classroom lifting up one of the loose papers from the desk. I
reached over and snatched the sheet out of the air and plunked it
back down, anchoring it with my empty coffee mug. The sound of a
metal ladder clanging along the side of the brick building caught
my attention, and I glanced out the window to see the most
well-defined stomach peeking out from under some guy’s shirt as he
climbed up the ladder. My eyes were glued to his abdomen as he
reached up to work on whatever it was he was doing, and it appeared
I really had been flung back into high school.

I needed to get out more.

Instead of turning my attention away,
however, I kept staring at this small gift from above and trundled
over to the window as he worked his way up the ladder. Complete
disappointment washed over me when his shirt fell to cover his
stomach, but I still stood at complete attention hoping for one
last glimpse. It wasn’t until I heard a woman clearing her throat
behind me that I realized how close I’d gotten to the window and
the man outside it. I had no idea what had come over me.

I spun around, and my eyes met with the
woman who’d hired me and two other female teachers who I’d seen
around the campus.

Such was my luck.

As the embarrassment slowly permeated every
ounce of my body, I noticed all of the women displayed a sort of
knowing smile, but none of them said a word so I stood in place,
cheeks flaming. My mind raced in every different direction to come
up with a clever comeback, and of course, nothing of the sort came
to mind.

“I was just checking to see what all of that
ruckus was about outside,” I stuttered, knowing my fair complexion
gave me away. One of the many gifts about being a redhead—I lit up
like a Christmas tree. “You know…in case he was in danger or the
ladder wasn’t steady. I thought I should get a closer look. It
sounded pretty dire.”

“Indeed. I can understand that,” Rosa
replied, still grinning. She was the principal and the woman behind
getting me onboard for summer school. Her dark hair was trimmed
short, and despite the warmth of summer, she wore a cream linen
suit. Most teaching positions went to locals, but she had known my
father and understood my situation and for that I was grateful. “We
wanted to stop by and see how your first day went. You didn’t run
screaming out the doors, which I take as a good sign.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Nope. Not
gonna run. I’m hoping I can get the students interested in history
before the summer is over. I only had a couple of texters, and I
can’t say I blame them. The weather is beautiful, and I couldn’t
imagine being stuck in school all summer at that age.” I smiled and
heard the clank of the ladder again as it got moved along the
building, but I stayed put, staring directly in front of me. I
wasn’t going to fall for that trap twice, but I noticed one of the
teachers looked out the window, and it was difficult not to follow
her gaze.

“As the summer goes on, their attention span
gets worse,” the other teacher said, stepping out from behind Rosa.
She reached out her hand and I shook it. “I’m Samantha. If you need
anything, I’m only two doors down.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.” I nodded.
“What’s your subject?”

“This summer I’m teaching biology,” Samantha
replied.

The other teacher ripped her gaze away from
the peep show outside and brought her eyes to mine. “I’m Tessa and
I’m four doors down, across the hall. I teach math.”

Tessa was in a pair of black capri leggings
and an oversized pink shirt. Her hair was in a bouncy ponytail, and
her smile made me feel as if I’d known her for years. Samantha, not
so much. Samantha followed Rosa’s lead and wore a white tailored
suit, and I had the distinct feeling it would only be to my
detriment if I asked her for any help or advice. I sensed she was a
woman with an agenda and any questions would be a sign of
weakness.

“Well, I hope to be able to get the kids
outside,” I started.

“Off school property? That’s always a hassle
and never worth the headache,” Samantha spouted.

Tessa opened her mouth as if she was going
to object, but shut it quickly, locking eyes with me.

“Stop by the office on the way out, and
Martha will get you all the necessary paperwork you need ahead of
time if you decide to do that. I think any method that encourages
the students to learn is a plus,” Rosa replied, giving me a wry
smile.

Samantha looked agitated and flashed me a
cold stare, and it was hard not to chuckle as Tessa rolled her eyes
at Samantha’s agitation. The island dynamics were already at
play.

“Well, thank you very much. I appreciate the
opportunity to teach this summer,” I said, hoping to tidy up the
classroom quickly and get to the house that had so much left to do.
Every second I devoted to the home was a second closer to getting
off the island.

“Don’t forget, we have an opening for
full-time status this fall,” Rosa reminded me.

My stomach clenched at the thought of having
to stay around any longer than the end of August. It wasn’t that I
didn’t have good memories being back here, but there were also
plenty of sad ones, and I doubted I was ready to relive any of
them, good or bad. The sooner I could get off the island, the
better.

“I appreciate the offer, but I think this
assignment fits me perfectly.”

Rosa nodded, and I smiled as I watched all
three women walk out. Only a few seconds passed before Tessa
reappeared.

“Just ignore Samantha. That’s what we all
do. She knows Rosa is going to be retiring in a few years and has
decided to make it her mission to be the next principal. Not gonna
happen if you ask me, which you didn’t.” Her grin widened, and I
noticed what a pretty plum color her lips were naturally. In order
to get anyone to see mine, I had to paint several coats of gloss on
top and hope that I didn’t lick it all off before the morning was
over.

“I figured something had to be going on.” I
glanced out the window without even thinking and saw that the
ladder had been moved but was still in view.

“It’s always a treat when he shows up,”
Tessa chuckled.

“How often does he show up?” I asked.

“Not often enough.”

I laughed and reached up to close the window
as the mystery man began stepping down the ladder. My fingers
fumbled as I dropped the blinds right before his face appeared in
the window. I could shut the window later.

“You won’t be disappointed,” Tessa
explained, wiping my board down for me.

I wondered if she knew I hadn’t closed the
window yet.

“With what?”

“The whole package,” she mused.

“Package?” I asked, trying to act as if I
had no idea what she was referring to.

“The guy outside. He’s the complete package.
One hundred and ten percent perfection.”

I shook my head. “Doubtful. No man ever is
and if they are, it’s only a mirage. I’ve sworn off men
completely—no matter what kind of package appears.”

Tessa threw up her hands and shrugged her
shoulders. “I’m tellin’ ya. He’s really got it going on. And he’s a
twin.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her latest
revelation. As if being a twin was a benefit. My chest tightened,
and I dropped my gaze to the desk, pushing away the guilt that
flooded through me.

“Does he work at the school?” I asked.

She shook her head, her ponytail extra
springy with the excitement of relaying the bits of gossip. This
was one of the many things I remembered about living on the island.
Word always traveled fast about a person. “He works for some
construction company on the mainland.”

“Aww… I see.” I smiled as her words hit me.
I’d forgotten how most of the islanders referred to Seattle and the
general vicinity as the mainland. It was an entirely different
world over here. The pace was slower and the smiles kinder. Maybe
being here was what I needed for the summer, a way to escape the
reality that had so stubbornly presented itself time and again back
in New York.

“But I’ll tell you this, whenever the
construction contract is up for renewal, all of our moods change as
we wait to hear who’s won the bid. It happens every two years, and
I can tell you it’s a real mood shifter around here. But I wouldn’t
be surprised if he wasn’t the main reason so many of us sign up to
teach summer school.” She winked.

“It’s not for the betterment of the
students?” I teased.

“Well that too. But he’s a strong second.
And most of the repairs and maintenance around the campus are done
in the summer. I always make sure my classroom is in tip-top shape
before summer school ends and fall quarter begins.” She was almost
beaming and I couldn’t help but laugh. Being around Tessa was a
definite mood lifter.

“I can’t imagine why,” I replied, still
smiling. “But his workout regimen certainly seems to be working
well for him.” I couldn’t believe those words tumbled out. I would
absolutely die if the man on the ladder knew I was in here even
having a discussion like this. I wasn’t easily impressed, and I
never really talked about men or the fact that I noticed them to
anyone. It wasn’t my style and within a matter of hours on my job
here, I got caught red-handed ogling over some stranger’s six-pack.
Not my finest hour and certainly not the gossip I wanted
circulating around the island. There was already enough
misinformation running rampant about my family here. I needed to
stay buttoned up and not let myself make any mistakes. It was the
least I could do to honor my father’s memory.

Tessa was on her way out the door. “If you
don’t have any plans tonight, I’ll be over at Mudflat Tavern around
seven, munching on…”

“The famous fresh-cut french fries with
chili and cheese sauce?” I interrupted.

“How’d you know?” she asked, turning around
to face me.

“I grew up here and that was the only reason
we ever went to Mudflat,” I said grinning, as the memories filled
me with unexpected comfort. Even though there was a tavern in the
name, it was a family restaurant, one that my family frequented
quite a lot.

There was outside seating on a deck that
overlooked the Sound. The restaurant even had a pier for boats to
dock and pick up orders to go. I remembered one of the times I’d
been there, I was running my hand along the old wooden deck railing
when a splinter rammed right under my skin. It wasn’t a typical
splinter. In fact, it looked more like a knitting needle once my
father managed to get it out of my palm. When it happened, I didn’t
say a word, but my dad knew immediately because I stopped moving,
and my already pale face had competed with Casper to take home the
award for most ghostly appearance. That was right before I fainted
from the pain. Needless to say I got free cheese fries for life.
Not that I would hold them to it after all these years… but I never
trusted wood railings after that.