Forever With You (Bayou Dreams Book 5) (9 page)

“Tristan Collins told me about the opening for a science teacher. He and I were college roommates.”

“He’s pretty popular around here. The high school band has made it to the statewide band competition for the past three years with him at the helm.”

“Tristan loves it here, and he knew I was getting burned-out at the school where I taught in New Orleans. I was ready for a slower pace.”

“Well, you’ll certainly get that here,” she said.

“But I like it. Don’t you?”

“Gauthier has grown on me, but I have to admit it took a while.” She laughed. “At first, it drove me crazy. Coming from Houston—I grew up in Hiram Clarke—I was used to city life. It took me the longest time to get used to falling asleep to the sound of crickets instead of traffic and police sirens.” The corners of her mouth dipped in a frown. “Now I can’t imagine my girls growing up anyplace else. Gauthier is the only home they’ve ever known.”

“As far as I can tell, it’s a great place to raise a family. It’s small but people seem to like it that way.”

“We do,” she said. “Maplesville has grown so quickly over the past few years, and many in Gauthier were afraid that we would have to do the same if we wanted to keep up, but I’m happy the people here have decided not to go the route of Maplesville. Yes, our schools are small, and we don’t have any chain restaurants or movie theaters or any of the other modern conveniences most people can’t live without, but that’s the way we like it around here. It’s what makes this place home. It’s what makes it special.”

Gabe captured her hand again. He gently stroked her smooth skin, desire flooding his bloodstream at the realization that this woman he had been wanting all these months had finally opened herself to the possibility of something real happening between them.

“I had my reasons for liking this town before you walked in this door today,” Gabe said. “But Gauthier just became a lot more special to me.”

* * *

Tugging the bill of her baseball cap down to shield her eyes from the glaring sun, Leslie cupped her hands around her mouth and started to chant, “Go, Cubs, go! Go, Cubs, go!”

She motioned for the crowd to join in as the seven-and eight-year-olds exited the field, making way for the nine-and ten-year-old softball players. She had never been one for loud public displays, that was, until her daughter started playing softball. After Cass’s first home run, Leslie had gone from meek spectator to the loudest fan in the stands.

She was also, according to Cassidy, the most annoying fan, especially when she whipped out her trusty bottle of sunscreen.

Leslie grabbed two bottles of SPF 70 from her bag and made her way down the bleachers. She, along with the softball coach, slathered sunscreen on both the home and away teams. She then went over to Kristi and the rest of the Diamond Dolls on the sideline and coated them, too.

When she returned to the bleachers, Shayla was sitting in their usual spot.

“Hey there,” Leslie greeted. “Xavier parking the car?”

“He got called into the ER at Maplesville General. The on-call doc decided to take an early-morning fishing trip and was caught in traffic on his way back. Xavier just texted to say he should be here by the third or fourth inning.” Shayla pointed to Kristi. “Just look at that little thing in her cheerleader uniform. Is she the most adorable child in the world or what?” She stood and jiggled her hips. “Yay, Kristi! Shake it, baby!”

Kristi turned, slapped an embarrassed hand over her eyes and returned her attention to the baseball diamond.

“Is Cass nervous about the first game of the season?” Shayla asked as she reclaimed her seat.

“She says she isn’t, but I found her pacing the hallway this morning with her softball bat. I told her it’s just a game and that she’s just here to have fun. I don’t want her to feel too much pressure to perform.”

“Okay, Les, you know I loved my baby brother, but if
he
was the one giving Cassidy that pep talk this morning it would have been the complete opposite of what you said. Braylon would have told her to go out there and kick ass. Hard.”

Leslie laughed and nodded. “Yes, he would have. Can you just imagine him out here?”

She’d thought about Braylon more than usual this morning. The moment she’d arrived at the ballpark and had seen all the fathers in the bleachers, Leslie instantly had thought of how much Braylon would have cherished this. He had always been so proud of his girls. She could picture him standing along the fence line, yelling words of encouragement to Cass and her teammates. Or yelling obscenities at the umpire for a bad call. She knew Braylon. He would have been the most obnoxious dad at the ballpark.

Leslie pulled in a steadying breath.

Braylon
was
here. He was watching over them just as he’d promised he would whenever they’d had The Talk. They’d had The Talk a number of times during their marriage. It was part of being a military couple during a time of war. Each time he left on a tour of duty, Braylon would promise that he would always be with her in spirit, even if he wasn’t here in physical form.

Leslie’s mouth dipped in a frown.

What would Braylon think if he saw her here with someone else? With another man? How would he feel if Gabriel was sitting next to her in the bleachers, yelling encouragement to Cassidy, or standing along the sidelines praising Kristi’s cheerleading skills?

In the months since she’d even remotely considered dating again, the one thing that had given her the most pause was the fear of disrespecting Braylon’s memory by bringing another man into his daughters’ lives. Even though Braylon would have wanted her to move on. He’d never meant for her to be alone, had never meant for their girls to grow up without a father.

Why hadn’t he stuck around to be the husband and father he’d wanted for his family? Why did he have to leave her? Why couldn’t she have figured out a way to help him so that he would have stayed with them?

Leslie straightened her spine. She would not allow her mind to go there. She had crossed that stage in her grief, and she would be damned if she returned to questioning Braylon’s actions over and over again. He was gone. It was done.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Leslie whipped her gaze to Shayla. “What?”

“Are you okay?” her sister-in-law asked a second time. “You looked...I don’t know...spooked.”

“I’m fine,” Leslie said. She pointed to the baseball field. “Look, Cass is up to bat.”

Resolved, Leslie turned her attention to what mattered here and now. She was here to support her children.

She and Shayla both cheered Cassidy on as she struck out in three quick swings. The two batters who followed did the same, and in no time at all the game had gone through three innings. Xavier arrived just as Cassidy was going up to bat again in the fifth inning.

“You got this one, Cass!” Xavier shouted as he slid onto the metal bleachers next to Shayla.

Cassidy looked up into the stands, smiled at Xavier and hit a grounder to third base. The entire crowd went wild. Even those rooting for the opposing team cheered. They had all been waiting so long for
something
to finally happen.

Leslie leaned forward and looked over at her brother-in-law. “She just wanted to show off for you.”

“I knew my girl would give her uncle Xavier something to cheer about.”

Leslie shook her head and laughed. She could not have asked for a more loving soul to be there as a surrogate father for her daughters. Even before he and Shayla had married, Xavier told her that she could count on him for anything the girls would ever need. Just thinking about the heartfelt conversation made Leslie’s chest ache with gratitude. Knowing that she wasn’t alone in this, that her family would always be here for her, brought her immeasurable comfort.

A weight settled in her stomach as she thought about what would happen when she told Xavier and Shayla about their impending move to Texas. She had yet to make it official, but as soon as Stewart returned from New York, the ball would be set into motion. The contentment she’d experienced just a moment ago died a swift death at the thought of breaking the news to her family.

The game ended with the Cubs winning two to zero, and as usual, whether win or lose, they all went out for ice cream at Hannah’s Ice Cream shop in neighboring Maplesville.

By the time they arrived home, all Leslie wanted to do was shower and crawl under the covers. Instead of heading for the shower, she sat on the edge of her bed. From her nightstand she picked up the framed five-by-seven of Braylon in his dress uniform and stared at her husband’s handsome face.

She’d always thought he was incredibly handsome, despite the dark purple port-wine-stain birthmark that stretched across a portion of the right side of his face, behind his ear and down his neck. Her lack of a reaction to his birthmark had been one of the reasons Leslie had figured they’d been meant to be together.

She’d met him at a bar on South Padre Island during spring break her freshmen year at Rice. He and several of his Army buddies had been at the Coast Guard installation there and had come into the bar after a long day of exercises. Leslie, on a dare from one of her girlfriends, had entered a wet T-shirt contest, but she had refused to remove her bra and had been disqualified.

Braylon had come up to her after she’d been booted from the stage and commended her for not caving to the pressure of the crowd that had been yelling for her to “take it off.” He’d then admitted that it would have made his night if she had listened to the crowd.

He’d left the bar with her phone number and a promise from her that she would actually pick up if he called. It was only after one of her girlfriends had remarked about the mark on his face that Leslie even registered it. She’d fallen in love with his eyes. They were so deep, by far the richest shade of brown she’d ever encountered. Both Cassidy and Kristi had been blessed with their father’s eyes.

Leslie traced her finger down the cold glass in the frame, rubbing along Braylon’s strong jaw. “We miss you,” she whispered. “We miss you so much, honey. You would be so proud of the girls.”

Her eyes fell shut and she tipped her head back. She tried to stop the hot tear that trekked down her cheek, but it had been an emotional day, and her defenses had plummeted to zilch. Besides, it had been a long time since she’d allowed herself to shed a couple of tears. She was due.

She looked down at the framed photo again.

“I’m sorry for some of the thoughts that have been going through my head lately.” Then she laughed. “You’re probably more upset that I
haven’t
had these thoughts sooner, but I warned you that I would have a hard time moving on.”

The one thing Braylon had reiterated over and over was that if he didn’t come home after one of his deployments he didn’t want her to sit here languishing in sorrow. He wanted her to live on. He’d made her promise that she would find a good, loving father for his girls, someone who would protect them and vow to maim any boy who so much as dared to look at them with interest before the age of eighteen.

Leslie chuckled, shaking her head as she pushed back against the headboard and brought her knees to her chest.

Even though she had known it was a very real possibility that he could be taken from her, she had always felt deep in her heart that Braylon would return. She’d just never expected him to bring the kind of nightmares that followed him home from battle. Those scars—the ones etched on his soul—had led to his ultimate demise. He’d struggled with PTSD, had sought counseling both in the doctor’s office and in the church, but it hadn’t been enough.

Leslie’s eyes fell shut.

These days it was only on the rare occasion that she allowed herself to think about Braylon’s suicide. Wallowing in the tragedy wouldn’t bring him back. It wouldn’t give her girls a safe, stable home. The smart thing—the healthy thing—was to keep the good parts of his memory alive for both Cassidy and Kristi, and try her hardest to forget Braylon’s tragic end.

But, God, it was hard to forget.

When it came to moving on, Leslie could only hope that one day she would find the strength to do it.

Unbidden, Gabriel’s enticing smile strolled across her mind’s eye.

How would she know when it was time to move on? How could she be sure? Was there something that would magically click in her head? Had it already clicked? Was that what those sensations she felt whenever she was near Gabriel was all about?

There was a danger to exploring this attraction that had sprung up between them, even if they’d vowed to be discreet. For the past two days she had tried to come up with an excuse to renege on her decision to get involved with him. But, as Gabriel had pointed out when Leslie had emailed him yesterday, there was nothing in any rule book that stated that a parent and a teacher could not date.

And, if she were honest with herself, she didn’t want to back out. For the first time in longer than she could remember, Leslie felt electricity flowing through her veins. Just knowing that a handsome, sweet, thoughtful, sexy man was interested in her caused her skin to pebble with goose bumps.

“You’re considering dating a child,” she said, lowering her head to her knee.

Okay, technically, he wasn’t a child; he was very much a man. But he was still Cassidy’s teacher. What if word got out about them seeing each other? Would it be too weird for Cass? What if her classmates made fun of her? Cass had just started to come out of her shell after being terribly shy because of her birthmark. Leslie would never forgive herself if she somehow managed to set her back.

She could not do this to her little girl. As much as it pained her, she would have to tell Gabriel that she’d made a mistake. She couldn’t allow her own needs to come before Cass’s well-being.

Stretching out on the bed, she ignored the nauseating feeling that settled in her stomach and tried to convince herself that she was satisfied with the decision she’d made.

Chapter 5

L
eslie stared at the wooden gavel that, for the better part of her tenure as PTO president, had only been a showpiece. Tonight, she’d used it more than she had at all the other PTO meetings combined.

“Order, ladies and gentlemen, please,” she called. “We must have some order if we’re going to accomplish anything tonight.”

For the most part the meeting had been civil, except for a contingent of parents who seemed hell-bent on ridiculing every single word that poured from Gabriel’s mouth. Leslie didn’t know if it had to do with his age, or if it was due to his being seen as an outsider, but she was shocked at the level of disrespect being lobbed his way.

Yet, despite the blows he’d taken, he’d held his own.

Leslie studied him as he responded to a rather nastily posed question about the new zero-tolerance bullying policy he’d implemented.

“What you call bullying, I call kids just being kids,” Richard Lewis said. “How are kids supposed to build a thick skin if all they have to do is go running to the teacher every time they get picked on?”

“I agree with Richard,” another parent said. “Mandatory suspension for a little harmless bullying is ridiculous.”

“While I respect your right to hold that viewpoint, I don’t agree with it,” Gabriel said. “Take it from someone who has been height-challenged for much of his life—bullying is not harmless. Despite the fact that I was better on the basketball court than most of the kids in my school, I was still bullied because I wasn’t six-two by the eighth grade. That stuff sticks with a kid much longer than any of you seem to realize.

“The students here deserve the safest learning environment that we can provide, and having to deal with a bully isn’t safe. If it goes on long enough it can affect their ability to concentrate in the classroom, as well. I cannot sit back and do nothing if I know a student under my watch is being bullied.”

There were grumbles from the audience, but Leslie also noticed quite a few parents nodding in agreement.

Leslie had never had sympathy for bullies, but this matter took center stage after she learned that Cassidy had been teased because of her birthmark. She’d vowed to be impartial, but when it came to this particular subject Leslie was unapologetically in favor of the zero-tolerance policy Gabriel had implemented.

The discussion finally turned to the issue that had necessitated the meeting in the first place: the school’s annual Lock-In. Leslie sat in awed admiration as she watched Gabriel throw a preemptive strike that took the wind out of the majority of his detractors’ sails.

“I understand there was a rumor that I wanted to cancel GEMS’s beloved Lock-In. Let me start off by saying that this is one-hundred-percent false. I understand the importance of the Lock-In, both to the PTO’s annual fund-raising goals and to student morale, but it’s the student morale that I am looking to boost.

“The discussion that was overheard between myself and Principal Williams wasn’t about cancelling the Lock-In. It was about adding learning-based games and activities and using them as a way to better prepare the students for the end-of-the-year state test. We can call it a Lock-In/Learn-In.”

The murmurs got louder and had a much more positive tone.

“That’s all well and good, Mr. Franklin, but honestly, the kids here work hard enough during normal school hours,” Janice Taylor said. “The Lock-In is supposed to be fun.”

The smile that pulled at the corner of his full lips did all kinds of wicked things to Leslie’s pulse.

“Call me crazy, but I happen to believe that learning can also be fun,” he said. “In fact, it
should
be fun. Take, for instance, the entrepreneurial booth Mrs. LeBorde is planning to set up. The students will be responsible for selling some of the snacks at the Lock-In/Learn-In. It’s just one way that we’ll be able teach a number of life skills like counting money, shouldering responsibility and being business owners.”

The positive murmurs escalated along with some very enthusiastic head nodding.

Leslie had lived in this town long enough to recognize when something momentous was taking place before her very eyes, and to see how quickly Gabriel had won over this crowd was downright historic. As he continued his explanation of the various programs he’d proposed to Principal Williams, more and more parents fell in line. Janice even started a sign-up sheet, encouraging parents to volunteer for the Lock-In/Learn-In on the spot.

Leslie was in awe. Gabriel had this previously hostile crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.

And then, in five little words, everything went to hell.

* * *

“What about this merger business?”

Gabe stiffened with the shock of being caught completely off guard. He stood before the auditorium of parents whose faces were slowly starting to register alarm.

“What merger?” one of them asked.

“I heard that the school board wants to shut this school down and send all the kids to school in Maplesville.”

The torrent of outrage that surged through the auditorium left Gabe breathless and filled with the sudden need to be anywhere but here. How in the hell had news of the merger gotten out? And who had said anything about closing the school?

Damn small towns and their rumor mills.

“How exactly are the students supposed to get to this new school?” one parent asked. “Are the bus drivers going to do double duty, bringing the elementary kids first, then following their same route to pick up the middle-school kids and drive them out to that new school?”

“I don’t see why we need to break the elementary and middle schools apart. They’ve been combined for as long as I can remember,” another parent said. “And what will this mean for the school mascot? Will they be the Maplesville Mustangs or the Gauthier Cubs?”

“Forget the mascot names—what about the name of the school itself? Is it going to have Gauthier in it or Maplesville?”

“Okay, okay,” Gabe said, holding up both hands. “Can we calm down for just a second?”

He looked to Leslie, but she didn’t appear in any mood to bang her gavel on his behalf. She looked as upset as the other parents.

Dammit!
This was not how he wanted her to find out about the merger. It wasn’t how he wanted
anyone
to find out. He and Principal Williams had discussed their strategic plan on how to introduce the idea to the community just yesterday. How was he supposed to gain the trust of parents if they thought he and the other administrators were keeping secrets?

“I know everyone has questions, but at this time I’m not at liberty to discuss anything regarding the potential merger,” he said.

The crowd erupted again in a cacophony of angry outbursts, railing over the closure of the school. Many of the parents he’d had on his side just a few minutes ago were now shooting fire.

Gabe ran a hand down his face. He looked over at Leslie, afraid of what he would find staring back at him. But she wasn’t looking at him; her focus was on the crowd and trying to calm them down.

“Order, please,” she yelled while finally allowing her gavel to kiss the wooden table. “I know this is a change of events that no one anticipated, but if Mr. Franklin doesn’t want to discuss it with us, we can’t force him to.”

“It’s not that I don’t
want
to discuss it,” he quickly interjected. “I was asked to keep it under wraps until Superintendent McCabe makes an official announcement.”

His explanation didn’t mollify the crowd one bit. Not that he was all that surprised. If he were in their shoes he wouldn’t have been satisfied with that weak-ass excuse, either.

“We’ll just have to take this to the school board,” Leslie said. “They cannot close this school without a good reason, nor without first discussing it with the community.”

“Wait,” Gabe said. He could at least clear up this one major inaccuracy. “Let me make one thing clear. There are
no
plans to close the school,” he said. “I can assure you, whoever said that got it wrong.”

“It’s not as if they haven’t tried to close it before,” Mrs. Taylor said. “We’ve heard the school board’s sob story about the lack of money in the school system and how much would be saved if the children in Gauthier were bused to the schools in Maplesville. We’ve fought this fight and we are not fighting it again.”

“Damn right!”

“Tell ’em, Janice!”

“Again, no one is talking about closing the school. GEMS will remain open,” Gabe said.

“If they’re not closing the school, exactly what are they doing?” another parent called out.

Gabe grimaced before he repeated, “I’m not at liberty to say.”

The crowd reacted exactly the way he’d anticipated they would, exploding in another round of angry outbursts.

How had this turn into such a disaster so damn quickly?

He’d been in such a good place just a few minutes ago. People had started to listen; some had even started to agree with him. Now it felt as if he was right back where he’d started, with the entire community against him.

He had to get control of this situation. If parents marched into the school-board office complaining about Mr. Franklin this and Mr. Franklin that, he could kiss that permanent assistant principal position goodbye.

Gabe could
not
allow that to happen. He’d already envisioned the look on Mr. Caldwell’s face when he gave him the news during their monthly Skype chat. He’d already started searching for a nice, safe used car for Daniela for her high school graduation present, and he’d printed applications for three different private schools for Elias to attend in the fall.

He had to figure out a way to make this right. There was too much at stake.

“Give me a day to talk this over with Principal Williams and Superintendent McCabe,” Gabe suggested. “I’ll let them know that parents have questions.”

“We have more than just questions,” Mr. Lewis said. “We have opinions. A lot of them. And we don’t need you to talk to the superintendent for us. We’re the ones who put him in office. McCabe works for us. We can talk to him ourselves.”

Leslie banged her gavel again. “Okay, folks,” she began. “I know everyone is concerned about this merger or school closure or whatever it is, but storming into Mr. McCabe’s office with pitchforks isn’t the best way to get our voices heard. I think that we, as a board—” she held out her hands to encompass the people sitting with her at the head table “—should get together and evaluate everything that has been said tonight.”

Gabe fought back a wave of apprehension as Leslie called the meeting to a close without acknowledging him. He couldn’t really blame her for not having his back on this. He’d lied to her—a lie of omission was still a lie. He didn’t expect her to join him in this quagmire he now found himself in.

At least her cool and calm demeanor had mollified the crowd. Gabe was grateful for that, at least.

The parents, including Leslie, filed out of the auditorium, talking among themselves and completely ignoring him.

Damn
. Could this have turned out any worse?

Gabe made his way out to his car. He waved good-night to a couple of parents still loitering in the parking lot, but only one returned the gesture. This was bad. This was more than bad; it was horrific. He wasn’t back where he’d started in terms of gaining parents’ trust; he was in a far worse position. Parents who had liked him—who had trusted him—were now against him.

As he opened his car door, a pearl-white compact SUV pulled up alongside him. The passenger-side window descended and Leslie called out to him from inside the car.

“Can we talk for a minute?” she asked.

Gabe braced his arm on the window ledge. “Are you sure you want to be seen talking to me? There are a few people still out here. They may think we’re conspiring together.”

“Gabriel, please get in the car,” she said. “I’ve been dealing with the people here in Gauthier a lot longer than you have. I can handle whatever they dish out.”

Gabe hesitated for the briefest second before opening the door and sliding onto the passenger seat.

Leslie’s eyes remained forward, both hands wrapped around the steering wheel. She released a heavy breath before turning to him and saying, “First, I need you to be honest with me. What exactly is going on with this merger? Are they planning to close the school?”

“Absolutely not,” Gabe said.

“Are you sure? Because there’s been talk about closing the school before. The only reason it has never happen is because the parents here fought like crazy to stop it. You have to promise me that this merger isn’t just a pretty way of saying a closure.”

“I promise you, Leslie. GEMS isn’t going anywhere. Well, the elementary school.”

Her brow arched.

Gabe rubbed the bridge of his nose and released a weary sigh. The cat was out of the bag now; there was no need to keep this from her any longer.

He told her about the pilot program in conjunction with the department of education and how the new combined middle school would be a model for schools around the country.

“You still look skeptical,” Gabe said.

“Honestly, it sounds fantastic,” she replied. She shook her head. “But this school board has a track record. You have to understand something about life in Gauthier. We’re a small town with an even smaller population, so we’re often handed the short end of the stick. I’ve seen it happen time and time again. Gauthier gets passed over for towns that have more clout. But the one area we will never allow anyone to shortchange us is our schools. We only want what is best for our kids.”

“Leslie, you have to know that I want the same thing. I have dedicated my life to educating children. My sole purpose here is to improve the lives of the students at GEMS. I promise you that I will never let anything get in the way of that.”

Her expression softened as a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

“I believe you,” she said. “I’ve seen you in action. I know that you have the students’ well-being at heart.”

Relief melted into his muscles. “Thank you for believing me, Leslie. I was so afraid that what happened tonight would ruin things between us before they even got started.”