Forever With You (Bayou Dreams Book 5) (8 page)

Leslie rapped her knuckles on the counter to get her attention. “Hi, Ardina.”

“Hey,” she answered, then turned her attention back to the copy machine.

“I’m here to see Mr. Franklin,” Leslie provided.

“Yeah, he told me you were coming. He’s in there.” The secretary nudged her chin toward the assistant principal’s office.

Okay
. That was awkward.

With a confused shake of her head, Leslie walked in the direction Ardina had directed her. She found Gabriel sitting behind a large wooden desk, his head bowed over a stack of file folders.

“Mr. Franklin?”

He looked up and a broad smile flashed across his face. “Mrs. Kirkland.” He rose from behind the desk and came around to meet her. “Thank you for coming on such short notice,” he said.

He gestured to one of the seats directly in front of the desk. Then, instead of returning to his chair, he sat in the seat opposite her, putting his knee in such close proximity to her leg that Leslie could feel his body heat.

Lord, let this meeting be a quick one. It was getting harder for her to control her feelings for her not-so-safe-anymore crush.

“I hope my asking you here didn’t disrupt your evening routine too much,” he started.

“Not at all,” Leslie replied. “My girls are with their aunt at her coffee shop.”

“That’s the place on Main Street, right? It’s a nice hangout, especially on a Friday night when there’s jazz and dancing.”

“I’ve only been there once on a Friday night.”

“No way.” He looked at her as if she must be joking.

Leslie nodded and shrugged. “My sister-in-law is always hounding me to come to jazz night. She’s even offered to pay for the babysitter.”

“You should. The music acts are impressive, especially for a town as small as Gauthier.” He paused for a moment, then, in a low voice edged with warmth, said, “Maybe I’ll see you there one Friday. Maybe this Friday, if you’re not busy?”

Leslie’s eyes flew to his. Had he just asked her out?

“This Friday?”

What if by
Maybe I’ll see you there?
he literally meant that maybe he would see her there and just wave. As in
Hi, Mrs. Kirkland. Nice to see you here
.

But what if he
had
just asked her out? What if her daughter’s very young, very handsome science teacher had just asked her out on a date?

“You seem to be thinking
really
hard,” he said.

His invitation—if that was indeed what it had been—had caught her off guard. Leslie had been asked out on a number of dates this past year, but never by someone to whom she was wildly attracted.

“Mrs. Kirkland?”

“Yes,” she said much too loudly. “I am thinking...about the PTO meeting. What exactly do you want us to discuss?”

The low timber of his deep chuckle sent ripples across her skin. He shook his head and said, “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

The look in his eyes took away any doubt that his words a few minutes ago had been anything but an invitation to join him on Friday. He had asked her out. He was interested. So was she. At least she was more interested in him than any other man she had come in contact with in the past two years.

But, God, was she ready to take this next step? Were her children ready? How would this town react to her stepping out with a man on her arm—a much younger man?

She couldn’t deal with this. Not right now.

“The meeting, Mr. Franklin?”

His steady gaze bore into hers for several moments before he nodded slightly and said in a resigned voice, “Yes, the meeting.”

Leslie’s entire body relaxed with the relief that he would not push her any further or come right out and ask her on a date. She needed time to unpack this, spread it out in her mind and decide whether or not she was truly ready to embark on this next part of her life.

Gabriel clasped his hands between his parted knees and began, “It occurred to me during Parent/Teacher Conference night that even though I had a pseudo-introduction to parents when I came on board as the new science teacher, that was mostly to the parents of the students I personally teach.

“As the interim assistant principal, I need to become a familiar face to
all
parents. With this special PTO meeting I can kill two birds with one stone—clear up the false rumors about wanting to cancel the Lock-In and make a formal introduction to all the parents who don’t know me. I really need to get the parents on my side,” he finished.

“If you want to get the parents of GEMS on your side, it’s very simple,” Leslie said. She leaned in. “I’ll tell you the secret.”

* * *

Gabe’s head dropped into his hands.

“That is not what I wanted to hear.”

“Probably not, but it’s the truth,” Leslie said. She sat back in her chair, crossed her legs and folded her hands over her knee. “If you want the parents around here on your side, your best bet is to leave everything exactly the way it is. To say this town is resistant to change is an understatement.”

“
Change
isn’t a dirty word, especially when it comes to education,” Gabe stated. “There are so many new and innovative ideas out there. Technology is changing by the second, and if GEMS doesn’t change with it, it’s going to get left behind.”

“You’re preaching to the choir, Mr. Franklin. And it’s possible that if the right person delivered the message some parents may get on board, but I’m not sure you’re the right person to deliver it.”

“It’s because I’m new, isn’t it?” She didn’t answer, but Gabe could tell just by her expression that he was onto something. “I knew it.” He shook his head. “When I accepted this position, I told Mr. Williams that people would take exception to it. Hell, I don’t blame them. Here I am, brand-new, and I’m now in a position of authority over teachers who have been here for years.”

“It is a difficult position to be in, isn’t it?”

The look of understanding that stole over her face, combined with the empathetic lilt in her voice, brought Gabe more comfort than he would have expected. He hadn’t realized just how much he needed an ally, how alone he’d felt in all of this.

One of the reasons he’d fallen in love with this town was because, at first, the town had fallen in love with him. He’d fit in from the very beginning, which was why it had been such a jolt to his system when he’d learned that he was at the top of everyone’s shit list because of the rumors Ardina had started. Just like that, the love affair was over. The stark reminder that he was an outsider had never hit home more than it had this week.

“I can’t change that I’m new in town,” Gabe said. “But I’m here now, and I am in the position to make what I believe are positive changes to the education system. How do you suggest I go about getting parents on board with this?”

“The first would be an apology.” She held up a hand before he had the chance to protest. “It doesn’t matter whether you think you have anything to apologize for. An apology will go a long way in soothing hurt feelings. Second, you must explain that you never had any intentions of cancelling the Lock-In.”

“I didn’t, so that’s not a problem.”

“Also, let them know that you want them to be engaged. Ask for their input.”

“Which is exactly what I want,” Gabe said. “This isn’t a dictatorship. I don’t want anyone to think I’m just stepping in and trying to rule the day.”

“That’s good to know,” Leslie said. “And that’s what you need to make sure parents understand. Just be honest and open with them. The people here may be resistant to change, but once they recognize that the changes you’re suggesting will help further their children’s education, they will rally behind you like nothing you’ve ever seen. We all just want what’s best for our kids.”

Gabe felt a slight brush of guilt. He wasn’t being totally honest with her right now, but Superintendent McCabe had stressed that news of the potential merger was to be kept under wraps.

“I also think when you explain the changes you want to make to the Lock-In parents will climb on board. It really is...” She paused in the middle of her sentence and pointed to his purple windbreaker. “Jefferson Davis Panthers? In Near Northside?”

“Yeah,” Gabe said. “It’s my alma mater.”

A smile broke out over her lovely face. “Is your butt still sore from all the whippings you used to take from the James Madison Marlins?”

“No way?” He laughed. “You went to Madison? What year?”

She looked at him as if he’d lost every single bit of his good sense. “As if I would tell you.”

“Why not?”

She just continued to stare at him with that look of half horror, half incredulousness. And just like that everything became crystal clear.

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You think I’m too young for you.” He leaned forward in his seat and, holding her steady gaze, said, “I’m not much younger than you are, Leslie.”

Her name slipped off his tongue so easily that Gabe didn’t have a chance to rein it back. He waited for her to protest, but she didn’t. She studied him, her eyes never leaving his face. Finally, she said, “You’re young enough. I’m not ancient, but I’m pretty sure we were born in different decades.”

“Two people can be born a day apart and still be born in different decades. Try again.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do?”

“The way I see it, you’re trying to use our age difference as a reason to ignore the many attempts I’ve made to get to know you better,” he said.

“Many?”

“I’ve been trying for months,” he said. “I thought I’d lost my edge, but it’s not me. It’s you. Why are you playing so hard to get?”

Her head reared back slightly, and that look of confusion in her eyes turned to one of awed understanding. “I was right. In your earlier email when you asked me out for coffee, you meant
coffee
coffee.”

“What exactly is
coffee
coffee?”

“You know what I mean,” Leslie said. “There’s a difference between just going out for coffee and going out for
coffee
coffee.”

“Ah. Okay, I think I get it now,” Gabe said. “In that case the answer is yes. I did mean to ask you out for
coffee
coffee. And when I mentioned catching a show at The Jazzy Bean this Friday night, that was an invitation to
coffee
coffee, too.”

She shook her head, her expression once again puzzled. “But why?” she asked.

“Why?”

“Yes, why? I’m a single mother with two school-age girls. I was married for over ten years before my husband died. I spend my free time thinking about buying extra life insurance and finding slow-cooker recipes that freeze well.”

“I’ve got a great paella recipe,” Gabe said with a grin. “It was my
abuelita
’s specialty.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I’m saying. I don’t fit in your age demographic.”

He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Exactly how young do you think I am?”

“Too young for me to consider having
coffee
coffee with you,” she said.

There was no way he would let her turn him down because of something this insignificant. For one thing, she could not be more than a couple of years older than he was. Though, it was not as if he would care if she
was
older than that. Age didn’t mean a damn thing to him. But, apparently, it meant enough to Leslie that she would allow it to get in the way of this chemistry that had been sizzling between them for months.

“I’m twenty-eight years old,” Gabe said.

“You’re even younger than I thought.”

Gabe pitched his head back and groaned. He looked at her again and, with every ounce of what he was feeling bared to her, said, “What is it going to take to make you see me the way I see you?”

“How do you see me?”

“I see you as someone who is smart and sensitive and passionate about the people you love. You’re dedicated and thoughtful, and you give your time and energy without hesitation.” Gabe scooted to the edge of his chair, closing the distance between them. His voice lowered, he said, “I’m about to be really inappropriate, but I also see you as someone who is sexy as hell. You were sexy as hell before I knew you were a widowed mother of two little girls, and you were just as sexy after I learned that you were.”

He reached over and took her hand in his. “So you’re thirty-one years old. Why does that matter?”

“I’m thirty-four.”

“So are millions of other people. Still doesn’t matter.” He gave her hands a gentle but firm squeeze. “I like you, Leslie. For all the reasons I just stated. You’re smart and sexy and sensitive and giving and sexy.”

Her cheeks reddened. “You said that already.”

“It bears repeating.” Gabe captured her chin with his fingers and nudged up her face. “Are you ready to stop fighting this and admit that you like me?”

He could see the internal war happening within her as she studied his face and, for a minute, panic gripped his chest at the thought of pushing her so hard that he’d possibly pushed her away. But then she looked up at him and said, “We have to be discreet.”

Excitement and relief crashed through him at the same time.

“I can be discreet,” Gabe said.

“That means no Friday nights at The Jazzy Bean,” she said. “There are too many wagging tongues around, and I’m not ready to give them something else to talk about. Whether or not our ages mean anything to you doesn’t matter. It will mean something to the people in this town.”

He held up his hands. “Whatever you’re comfortable with, Leslie. I can now call you Leslie, right?”

The smile that graced her lips was so mesmerizing Gabe lost the ability to think about anything but eventually tasting them.

“Yes,” she said. “You can call me Leslie, Gabriel.”

“It’s Gabe,” he said, returning her smile. “My
mami
and
abuelita
are the only two people who call me Gabriel.” He blew out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, suddenly feeling lighter than he had in months. “Now that that’s taken care of, why don’t you tell me how someone who went to James Madison ended up in this tiny town?”

“I married one of Gauthier’s native sons,” she answered. “Braylon and I lived on an Army base in North Carolina for a few months, but I moved here permanently once I got pregnant with Cassidy. Braylon didn’t want his children growing up as Army brats. How did you hear about Gauthier?”